Louise Bezzina named new Brisbane Powerhouse boss
It’s the best news in the arts for some time with Brisbane Festival artistic director Louise Bezzina named as head honcho of Brisbane Powerhouse.
Brisbane Powerhouse has just announced the appointment of Louise Bezzina as its incoming CEO and artistic director.
This is terrific news for everyone devastated with the news of the pending departure of Kate Gould who has been, well, a powerhouse. And it seems to be a logical progression for Bezzina. It’s wonderful that Brisbane gets to retain her talents.
Bezzina has been at the forefront of cultural innovation, delivering world-class events and experiences for Queensland audiences and making a significant impact on the industry. She founded the very successful Gold Coast Bleach Festival as the artistic director and CEO, she was a co-creative lead for the 2018 Commonwealth Games Cultural Program and since 2019 she has been killing it as Brisbane Festival’s artistic director.
She will take up the new role in October after delivering her sixth Brisbane Festival, transforming the festival into Australia’s largest international arts festival through audience engagement. Her tenure at Brisbane Festival has been acclaimed nationally and internationally through the commissioning of major new work such as Salamander, Bananaland, Trent Dalton’s Love Stories as well as last year’s international hit, Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show – an Australian exclusive.
She’s so good, we thought we might lose her interstate or overseas, but Bezzina is staying put and that is cause for major celebrations.
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Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner welcomed the appointment (council oversees the venue) and congratulated Bezzina on her new role.
“Brisbane has incredible vibrant precincts such as Brisbane Powerhouse and I welcome Louise’s appointment to the role of CEO/artistic director at this iconic venue,” he says.
“Brisbane Powerhouse hosts more than 1500 performances and welcomes more than one million people each year and is a much-loved destination for both residents and visitors. Louise is a proven performer and leader in Queensland’s arts sector and I look forward to her joining Brisbane Powerhouse and us working together to create more to see and do in our suburbs.”
‘Louise shares our vision to make Brisbane even better by supporting our arts industry and cementing an exciting and bright future for Brisbane Powerhouse’
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Chair of Brisbane Powerhouse Valmay Hill says she’s thrilled to welcome Bezzina to the organisation.
“I am confident Louise shares our vision to make Brisbane even better by supporting our arts industry and cementing an exciting and bright future for Brisbane Powerhouse,” says Hill. “Louise brings considerable experience in the Queensland arts sector and I can’t wait to see her take up this new role and help make Brisbane Powerhouse even bolder and better.
“Kate Gould has done an outstanding job in this role, championing extraordinary projects with incredible vision, from expanding the Brisbane Powerhouse precinct to include Vertigo and Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema, to delivering Night Feast and a city-wide celebration of Queer art and culture, Melt Festival. I want to sincerely thank her for everything she has contributed to Brisbane Powerhouse. We wish her every success in her next chapter as CEO at the Adelaide Festival Centre.”
Bezzina says she is honoured to be selected for the dual role of CEO and artistic director.
“I remember attending the official opening of the Brisbane Powerhouse as a theatre student,” she recalls. “I have so many fond memories attending shows, creating shows in my early years as a performer and now curating a program as part of the Brisbane Festival.
“Brisbane Powerhouse is an iconic Brisbane venue. It is very special to me, as I know it is to residents and visitors. I appreciate all the hard work Kate Gould and the Brisbane Powerhouse team have done to create more to see and do and I look forward to contributing to the organisation’s next chapter.
“Brisbane is Australia’s lifestyle capital and precincts like Brisbane Powerhouse have helped shape our incredible city and I am so honoured to be chosen as the next guardian of its future.”
Kate Gould will depart at the end of June to take up her new role in July as chief executive officer of Adelaide Festival Centre, taking over from Douglas Gautier. Brisbane Powerhouse director of programming Phoebe Meredith will act in the role of artistic director and CEO until Louise Bezzina commences at the end of October.