Sector speaks out over Barking Gecko concerns

Questions are being asked about the abrupt departure of respected arts administrator Helen Hristofski from Barking Gecko Theatre.

Arts leaders in the Theatre for Young Audiences sector, as well as company stakeholders, have expressed grave concerns about the abrupt departure of former CEO Helen Hristofski from Barking Gecko Theatre.

The reasons for her dismissal are unclear and were not addressed by Interim Chair Jeanette Roberts in a brief email to the company’s stakeholders late last month.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's former National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts