Katherine Connor

Katherine Connor has worked as a performing arts presenter, producer and arts planning consultant in Australia for 25 years. She has undertaken a variety of producing roles either in a lead or co-producer capacity, from large-scale commercial theatre to independent producing across multi-artform projects.

Katherine was previously a director at a venue management and consulting firm where she was also a venue manager and a project director, delivering business plans, feasibility studies and project briefs as well as establishing operations at venues across Australia. She was also the Director of Theatre One Productions (2011-2018). She has assisted many government agencies and arts organisations in securing project and operational funding for both arts facilities and touring. Katherine has produced the Australian Performing Arts Exchange since 2015 and serves as the Executive Director at PAC Australia, delivering the organisation’s sector development, capacity building and advocacy priorities.

PAC Australia

PAC Australia is the national peak body representing and supporting performing arts presenters, venues, producers and creators by providing leadership, building capacity and facilitating relationships that strengthen the connection between the art and the audience. PAC Australia connects presenters, producers and artists through its membership programme and flagship event, the Australian Performing Arts Exchange (APAX). PAC Australia conducts research, publishes insights on the latest trends in the performing arts, and delivers bespoke presenting and tour producer training programmes specifically designed to develop and enhance the presentation of the performing arts in Australia.

The organisation was also recently appointed by Creative Australia as the delivery partner for the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM) to be hosted in Western Australia from 2026 to 2030.

www.paca.org.au

John Kotzas

Having joined the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) in 1989, serving in various creative and management roles, John Kotzas now serves as its Chief Executive. He was Managing Director of the inaugural Brisbane Festival and played key roles in the Australia Remembers celebrations and the internationally recognised Out of the Box Festival, one of few arts events in the world dedicated to children 8 years and younger.

Under his leadership, QPAC has become as a major presenter, producer and investor as well as a significant public space and centre for arts education. Kotzas led the QPAC’s successful bid to build a new venue on its current site, making QPAC Australia’s largest performing arts centre by 2025.

Kotzas was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021, and the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy) for his commitment to Italian arts and culture in Australia in 2016. He also holds Honorary Doctorates from the Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University.

Photo credit: David Kelly

Queensland Performing Arts Centre

The proud home of live performance in Queensland for nearly 40 years, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors to over 1,200 performances annually, aiming to deliver engaging performances and shared experiences to help audiences better understand the world and contribute to building a more resilient and inclusive community.

As a venue, the QPAC provides an inspiring and welcoming environment for audiences, artists and presenting companies. As a producer, it broadens the choice of live performances through creative development and investment in new productions and co-presentations of a broad range of local, national and international artists and companies. As an investor, the QPAC collaborates with commercial producers on national and international tours, nurturing emerging artists through pathways to professional development.

We are committed to excellence in live performance and cultural thinking to help sustain and grow our vibrant arts community. Our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) seeks to further a deeper connection with First Nations peoples of Queensland through leadership and development, both in our business and programming.

Annette Shun Wah

Annette Shun Wah is a broadcaster, writer, creative producer, theatre maker and artistic director. She was the Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival (2020-2023), Australia’s largest annual multi-arts festival engaging with Asia, Her programmes recently won the Asia Pacific Arts Award (Connect). In 2024, she continues with the OzAsia Festival team as Programming Advisor.

From 2011 to 2022, she led Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) creating professional pathways for artists from culturally diverse backgrounds and bringing Asian Australian stories to main stages and major festivals through acclaimed shows such as Double Delicious, In Between Two, Yasukichi Murakami: Through a Distant Lens, The Backstories, Perahu Perahu and Lost in Shanghai. Shun Wah was awarded an honorary Master of Fine Arts by Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2023. She is a member of the Asian Producers’ Platform (APP), and serves on the boards of the Sydney Theatre Company and the National Film and Sound Archive.

OzAsia Festival

OzAsia is Australia’s leading contemporary arts festival engaging with Asia. Established by the Adelaide Festival Centre in 2007, it presents a bold and exciting lineup of contemporary theatre, dance, music, visual arts, literature, food and cultural events from across Asia and Australia.

Featuring Asian and Asian Australian artists, the festival aims to foster deeper connections and insights into the people and cultures of its region and support creative endeavours and community engagement that resonate with Australia’s increasingly diverse audiences.

With its much-loved free events such as the Moon Lantern Trail and Lucky Dumpling Market, the OzAsia Festival attracts audiences of up to 200,000 annually.

Douglas Gautier AM (Moderator)

Douglas Gautier is the CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre, where since 2006 he has developed a programme-led strategy emphasising Asian-Australian cultural engagement. Notably, he established the Adelaide Guitar Festival and the OzAsia Festival, Australia’s premier contemporary arts festival focussing on Asia.

Before joining the Adelaide Festival Centre, Douglas served as Executive Director of the Hong Kong Arts Festival and held roles with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, STAR TV and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He was also the founding Vice-Chairman of the Asian Arts Festival Association and a board member of the Asian Cultural Council.

Douglas is currently Chair of the Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts Centres (AAPPAC), Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Arts and Cultural Leadership, and Deputy Chancellor of Flinders University. In 2016, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to the arts and community.

• Simultaneous interpretation is available in English, Cantonese and Putonghua.
• Holders of the HKPAX Full Pass, Day Pass and Student Pass can access all sessions of Conversations. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online pre-registration is required.