About NAPACA
Connecting.
Supporting.
Representing.
NAPACA represents more than 30 professionally managed and operated theatres across regional and metropolitan New South Wales and the ACT and has an excellent reputation with its growing membership and industry stakeholders.
NAPACA’s mission is to promote and foster a network of performing arts centres which strive for industry best practice in management and artistic programming of their venues.
Our members collectively deliver important economic, social, cultural, educational and health outcomes for their cities, towns and communities by providing a safe place for people to gather, speak, listen, tell stories, exchange ideas, build tolerance and resilience, engage creatively, connect socially and celebrate the arts.
All NAPACA members share a vital commitment to ensure their theatres and programming ignite the creative pulse of their communities through encouraging participation and engagement with the performing arts.
Through its advocacy work with all tiers of Government, and its relationships with stakeholders across the performing arts sector, NAPACA is a vital conduit between independent theatre companies, Local Government owned venues and theatre-makers.
The Value of Performance Venues
The professional performing arts centres of NSW & ACT represent:
• local government catchments of over 2.3 million people
• community engagement in the arts across metropolitan and regional NSW
• annual programs of entertaining, educating, professional and artistic experiences of excellence for audiences, practitioners, educators and young people
• wealth of arts infrastructure across NSW & ACT
• significant investment in creative capital of the NSW & ACT performing arts industry
• pre-existing knowledge and experience of NSW & ACT communities
• facilitators and cultural leaders - helping to build communities
• opportunity to be resource hubs for artists and smaller regional centres - offering artistic, administration, production and technical support
• a vital and sustainable centrepiece for cultural development, growth and preservation in regional towns
• a tangible link between State & Local Government cultural policies
• the leading voice on theatre activity in regional NSW & ACT
• social and economic drivers within regional towns - contributing to key components of community health and well-being
Meet the Team
NAPACA is run by a team of leading industry professionals. As well as our Executive committee, we have coordinators of the Marketing & Box Office Network and the Tech Managers Network. The team are:
President - Belinda Gibson
Belinda is the Director of Glen Street Theatre in Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Treasurer & Public Officer - Anne-Marie Heath
Anne-Marie is the Executive Director of The Art House, Wyong.
Secretary - Penny Watts
Penny is Program Manager for Merrigong Theatre Company (Illawarra Performing Arts Centre) in Wollongong.
Executive Committee - Michelle Pearce
Michelle is the Performing Arts and Venues Manager for Orange Civic Theatre.
Executive Committee - Peter Ross
Peter is the Manager of Entertainment Venues, Tamworth and the Executive Producer - Toyota Golden Guitar Awards.
Executive Committee - Claire Harris
Claire is the Manager of Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre.
Co-Coordinator Marketing & Box Office Network - Karly Mejlak
Karly is the Box Office & Front of House Officer at Glasshouse, Port Macquarie.
Coordinator Tech Managers Network - Adam Zakarauskas
Adam is the Back of House Coordinator at Glasshouse, Port Macquarie.
Connecting. Supporting. Representing.