Over forty years’ experience in the arts and events
with a reputation for delivering quality results with rigour, care and flair

ABA works with private and public agencies to develop new and existing arts projects, festivals and events, to manage and/or direct them to the highest professional levels, and to provide consultancy, analysis and advice on management in the arts. This includes strategic planning and review, artistic direction, feasibility studies and project management.

Our expertise has been called upon by governments, arts centres, international festivals, small local festivals, touring companies, training institutions and many others, large and small.

We like taking on challenging and interesting projects, working with great people, having fun, getting it right and making a difference.

WHAT ARE WE UP TO NOW?

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Since the COVID pandemic devastated theatre, festivals and events from 2020-22, ABA’s focus has been on consultancy; assisting festivals, presenters, performance companies and venues with strategic planning and implementation, working in lockdown with clients in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. Andrew Bleby now works on a small range of selected projects. Contact him directly if you have a project or issue you’d like to discuss.

WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS?

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ABA’s most recent projects include planning, producing and reviewing festivals; creating arts-based proposals, analysis and policy for governments; and strategic planning and producing for theatre and events. Check out this list below showing samples of the kinds of project we’ve undertaken:

*Developing, with our associates Brecknock Consulting, a Draft Cultural Strategy for Sydney’s Sutherland Shire

*Undertaking a review of Melbourne’s second Due West Festival.

*Working with Perth’s acclaimed touring theatre company The Last Great Hunt to develop a productive strategic plan for the development of their unique style and structure

*Developing a Creative Arts Facilities Strategy for Ku-Ring-Gai  Council in Sydney, also with Brecknock Consulting.

*Devising and delivering the events program for Frankston’s second Big Picture Fest in 2019, a street art festival that is transforming the face of this Melbourne seaside destination.

*Financial benchmarking of the Substation for the City of Hobson’s Bay

*A high-level review of the Australian Theatre Forum for Theatre Network Australia

*Working with Bathurst Regional Council in NSW to develop their Inland Sea of Sound festival

*Working with the Victorian Government’s Creative Victoria to help develop new frameworks and plans for performing arts touring in Victoria

*Devising a new plan for providing services to the Circus and Physical Theatre Industry

*Reviewing a grants program in the City of Moreland (Merribek)

*Helping to devise the framework for Victoria’s winning bid to produce and transform the Australian Performing Arts Market

*Establishing a Festivals and Events Framework and Strategy for Wyndham City

*Undertaking an evaluation of the City of Maribyrnong’s Due West immersive arts festival.

Want more? Some other projects of recent years include:

•Working with the Australia Council to develop a National Festivals Strategy
•Creating a 20-year cultural plan for the Bathurst Regional Council with Brecknock Consulting
•Making a business case for State Theatre SA’s  new headquarters and venue;
drafting Adelaide 2055, a 40-year vision for the arts in South Australia
•A review of the City of Maribyrnong’s Festival City Policy and development of a model for a new artist focused festival for the area.
•Artistic direction and writing of a significant and moving one-off major event in the Melbourne Town Hall commemorating the centenary of the beginning of World War I
•Being Artistic Associate and Creative Producer of an international circus program for the Melbourne Festival, including producing a new Australian-Chinese circus collaboration
•Producing two astonishing Synaesthesia weekends at Tasmania’s sensational MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), our favourite art museum which we opened back in 2011 with a three-day festival in amongst producing several of the first MONA FOMA festivals with our friends at Insite Arts
•Producing the Melbourne Ring Festival for Opera Australia to celebrate the Melbourne production of Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle.

(for a full list, see Clients & Testimonials or for more details of highlight projects check out Past Projects)

Andrew Bleby and Associates Pty Ltd.   ACN: 133 380 300   ABN: 78 133 380 300

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