Caroline Calburn

Caroline Calburn is a theatre practitioner, director, facilitator and educator. She co-founded Theatre Arts in 2008 and serves as its Artistic Director, Programme Manager and Mentor.  Trained at the School of Dramatic Art, University of the Witwatersrand (1985–1988), Caroline holds an Honours and MA in theatre and education from the University of Cape Town (1991–1993). Her teaching and directing career spans both community and formal contexts including the University of Cape Town, Community Arts Project, AFDA and Young People’s Theatre Educational Trust. From 1996 to 2008, Caroline was part of a large international team of arts facilitators on Project Phakama, an international arts education exchange programme that was initiated by Sibikwa Community Theatre and the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) and formalised into an NPO by the first cohort of facilitator participants. Over ten years, the participant-centred approach resulted in the creation of large site-specific productions that took place in warehouses, homes, theatres, villages and museums with hundreds of young people from across South Africa, Lesotho, the UK, India and Brazil. Caroline has directed several theatre productions, served as an external examiner and was a member of the National Arts Festival’s Artistic Committee. Theatre Arts received a Fleur du Cap Theatre Award for Innovation in 2019.