How I Got Here: Executive Director of Canberra Theatre Centre, Georgia Hendy
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Admit it, we’ve all been there – stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
Welcome to How I Got Here, HerCanberra’s series that reveals everything you want to know about the secrets of career success. This week, we sit down to talk with the new Executive Director of Canberra Theatre Centre, Georgia Hendy. Commencing her role in February, Georgia’s appointment marks a historic milestone as the first woman to lead Canberra Theatre Centre in its 60-year history. Here’s how she got here.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I’m moving to Canberra in 2026 to become Executive Director of Canberra Theatre Centre. It’s such an exciting time of growth in Canbera and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
At the moment, I’m in Darwi,n where I’m CEO of AANT Centre, Darwin and the Northern Territory’s premier live entertainment venue. This city has warm weather and an even warmer community.
My role is to work with amazing teams to bring the power and magic of live performance to audiences and communities. That may sound creative – and it often is – but it’s also a lot of spreadsheets and business plans too! It’s a juggle of artistic ambition, risk management, process and people.
When I’m not at work, I’m juggling family life and two highly energetic primary school-aged children.
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
I’ve always wanted to work in the Arts.
As a child, I would spend my time in make-believe worlds using my imagination. I was always a big dreamer. I’d run around the house with a tea towel on my head pretending to be Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. I loved a midday movie.
I recall finishing school and trying to decide whether to do a Law or Arts degree, and my dad suggested having some fun with the Arts as I could always become a lawyer down the track if I wanted to. This was great advice when I was at a crossroads and led me down a rewarding and satisfying career path. And when I look back now, I think I was actually drawn to the wigs and courtroom drama of the popular TV show Ally McBeal– so I landed exactly where I needed to be in the end.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
I always loved performing and storytelling; one stab at stardom was playing Alison Ashley’s mum in Hating Alison Ashley. This role required extraordinary high heels, false eyelashes and an outlandish wig – I got such a thrill out of the production elements all combining on opening night.
It didn’t take me long however t,o recognise that my skills were better off the stage than on; firstly as a Stage Manager but then as a Producer and Programmer.
I recall a trip to Melbourne Festival (as it was called at the time) where I bought as many tickets as I could to immerse myself in the exciting program. I loved the anticipation and freedom of nipping around the city, seeing the amazing productions from all over the globe in every venue that could accommodate a show. I remember saying to a friend at the time, “I want to travel the world and choose shows for people to see”… and sure enough, five years later, I was a Producer at Sydney Opera House doing just that.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
This is such a rewarding industry, and I’m rarely defeated for long. There’s always the thrill of a new festival opening, a new production to launch, a new show to see and experience. The excitement of an opening night can motivate me in the dark moments.
Probably my lowest moments have been when everything goes wrong at once and there are too many balls in the air to keep up with the juggle; important deadlines, jet lag, late nights, and then something unexpected gets thrown in, like a car breakdown or a sick child. In those moments, I try to ask for help, simplify what I can and triage. I pride myself on hard work and reliability and so, in the moments when that can’t happen, I’ve found people to be incredibly understanding.
What was your biggest break?
Landing a job at Sydney Opera House changed my career trajectory. I was working in Sydney for a small theatre company who were making wonderful productions, and I decided I wanted to experience the challenge of working for a bigger organisation. So, I sent ten letters to ten organisations around the country that I wanted to work for, introducing myself and telling them what I like about them, and why I wanted to work for them. I received two replies; one of which was Sydney Opera House, and that led me on a path to where I am now. I was at Sydney Opera House for eight amazing years and then moved to QPAC in Brisbane for another eight years, then I moved to AANT Centre in Darwin and now to Canberra.
Working for Sydney Opera House emboldened me to dream big and allowed me to work with a team made up of the best of the best.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Whenever we hit a crisis at work, I’m always guided by the question “Is this an emergency or a showbiz emergency?’ That’s always helped me put problems into perspective.
The safety of our staff and audiences is paramount and everything else can be worked through.
Navigating challenges at work IS the job. Exploring options, seeking feedback, guiding teams, making decisions, trying new initiatives, and taking risks IS the work. We don’t always get it right the first time; we need to put our best foot forward and then learn the lessons for next time. It’s that perspective which has given me the confidence to tackle challenges with a sense of positivity and boldness.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I believe that the Arts and Performing Arts in particular require all the skills needed to navigate our world. Performing Arts is inherently collaborative and focused on community and bringing people together. A production is made with various perspectives and specialisations intertwined and working together for a shared purpose. A production is a sum of the scriptwriter, the director, the set designer, the lighting designer, the actor, the theatre, audience; all coming together for a unique, ephemeral experience at that moment in time. Not to mention the finance, operations, technical and ticketing teams. So many diverse skill sets and jobs go into theatre – making and running venues. It’s in that alchemy that the magic happens. That collaboration of skill and experience, all working together to get the show on the stage, is what I love.
It can be frustrating to get the resourcing we need for this sector, and that’s where we have to focus on storytelling to explain impact and value – and we have to get people into the theatre to give it a try for themselves.
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
I consume media online and I do it in little grabs throughout the day. I recognise that with the algorithm, Instagram and Facebook can show me the same sorts of news to meet my search history so I try to stretch outside to a number of different online papers: national, international and industry.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I plan on continuing to lead major cultural institutions for the rest of my career. But in five years, I won’t need a babysitter, so I intend to have more dinners out!
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
This is such a diverse and exciting industry and it has so many pathways in and through.
Unfortunately, during COVID, we lost many amazing people in our industry who were working as casuals and had to find other work. We now have to bring new people in and get the next generation into our sector.
You can be creative, technical, operational or administrative; so many pathways to follow – or swap between them!
What advice would you give your past self?
I think I’d tell my younger self to just keep going: all challenges have taught me lessons I’ve needed to learn, all successes have come from hard work, grit and determination. I look back now with the benefit of hindsight and can see how each trial has been valuable. And I look back with 20 years’ worth of friends and colleagues whom I can lean on when necessary. Having a sense of humour helps too!
