# Kim Carpenter

Kim David Carpenter AM is an Australian visual artist, theatre director, designer and devisor. For thirty years he was artistic director of his company, Kim Carpenter's Theatre of Image.

## Early life

Carpenter was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1950. He moved to Sydney as a teenager to train as a painter. He studied production at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1968 and 1969. He also studied at Motley Theatre Design Course in London in 1971.

## Biography

During the 1970s, Carpenter designed for the Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company. He was, for a short period, co-Artistic Director of Nimrod along with John Bell and Neil Armfield in the early 1980s.
In 1988, Carpenter established Theatre of Image as Sydney's first visual theatre company. Theatre of Image has developed into a leading Australian theatre company for children and families, with its productions having a distinctive visual style. In September 2019 he announced the closure of the company.
His work includes The Book of Everything which he created with Neil Armfield for Theatre of Image and Belvoir. The production toured Australia and played a season in New York at the New Victory Theater.
In 2019 he adapted and designed The Happy Prince as a ballet for The Australian Ballet. It premiered at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre In February 2019
Carpenter was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013 for significant service to the performing arts.
Carpenter has devised, directed or designed over 100 productions for theatre, opera, dance, physical theatre, ballet and puppetry.

## Awards

* Member The Order of Australia (AM)
* Lifetime Achievement Award Australian Production Designers Guild
* 2 Helpmann Awards
* 3 Australian Writers' Guild Awards
* 4 Sydney Theatre Awards 2011, 2012
* 2 Green Room Awards
* Centenary Medal Australia
* Arts Hub Award

## Study Awards

* Australian Artist-in-Residence Atelier Artistique International de Seguret, France
* Australia Council Travel Grant New York to work with Robert Wilson
* Loudon Sainthill Scholarship Europe
* Churchill Fellowship (puppetry) to visit Japan, France, Holland & UK

## Independent Works

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1970 | Death of a Salesman | Designer | The Old Tote Theatre Co, UNSW Drama Foundation |
| 1970 | The Breasts of Tiresias | Designer | University of Sydney, Footbridge Theatre |
| 1970 | This Story of Yours | Designer | The Old Tote Theatre Co, UNSW |
| 1973 | Lysistrata | Designer | The Old Tote Theatre Co, UNSW Drama Foundation |
| 1973 | The American Dream | Designer | Q Theatre Co |
| 1974 | Oh, What a Lovely War! | Designer | Rusden State College |
| 1974 | Time | Director | Rusden State College |
| 1978 | Bon-Bons and Roses for Dolly | Designer | Playbox |
| 1983 | Beyond Mozambique | Designer | Festival of Sydney |
| 1983 | Rapunzel in Suburbia | Adaptor, Director, Designer | Marionette Theatre |
| 1985 | The Little Mermaid (Boyd) | Director, Designer | The Australian Opera |
| 1986 | An Imaginary Life | Adaptor, Director, Designer | Belvoir |
| 1986 | Fantastic Toys | Designer | Australian Dance Theatre |
| 1987 | Away | Designer | State Theatre Co of SA |
| 1988 | A Moon Between Two Houses | Designer | Kite Theatre Co, QLD Tour |
| 1988 | Sun-Hunters | Director, Designer | Dancenorth, Festival of Sydney, Australian Bicentennial Authority |
| 1988 | The Pathfinder | Director | World Expo on Stage |
| 1991 | Earthly Paradise | Director, Designer | Malthouse |
| 1995 | Last Days Of A Famous Mime | Devisor, Director, Designer | SYDNEY STORIES Sydney Theatre Co, Sydney Festival |
| 1996 | Lift off Live | Designer | Australian Children's Television Foundation, Sydney Festival, national tour |
| 2020 | The Happy Prince Ballet | Adaptor, Designer | Queensland Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Ballet |
| 2024 | Incredibilia | Adaptor, Director, Designer | Riverside Theatres, State Library of NSW |

## For The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA)

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1968 | Dark of the Moon | Designer | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1968 | Right You Are (If You Think So) | Stage Manager | University of NSW, Old Tote Theatre (1963-1969) |
| 1968 | The Matchmaker | Designer | The ABC Concert Department, Elizabethan Theatre Trust, UNSW |
| 1969 | Lock Up Your Daughters | Designer | |
| 1969 | Rooted | Designer | The Old Tote Theatre Co, UNSW Drama Foundation |
| 1969 | Spurt of Blood | Director | Jane Street Theatre |
| 1969 | The Rise and Fall of Boronia Avenue | Designer | The Old Tote Theatre Co, UNSW, UNSW Drama Foundation |
| 1979 | The Caucasian Chalk Circle | Designer | Jane Street Co, Sydney Theatre Co, Sydney Opera House Trust |
| 1988 | Veneer | Director | The Adelaide Festival of Arts |
| 1988 | Veneer 2 | Director | |

## For The Melbourne Theatre Company

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1972 | Danton's Death | Designer | Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The University of Melbourne |
| 1972 | Father Dear, Come Over Here | Designer | Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The University of Melbourne |
| 1972 | The Chocolate Frog | Designer | Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The University of Melbourne |
| 1972 | The Old Familiar Juice | Designer | Elizabethan Theatre Trust, The University of Melbourne |
| 1973 | Jugglers Three | Designer | Canberra Melbourne & Sydney |
| 1978 | Just Between Ourselves | Designer | Melbourne |
| 1978 | Richard III | Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1978 | The Beaux' Stratagem | Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1978 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1982 | Crimes of the Heart | Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1983 | Gulls | Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1983 | Slice | Devisor, Director, Designer | The University of Melbourne |
| 1995 | Blabbermouth | Designer | Arena Theatre Co |
| 1993 & 1995 | Two Weeks with the Queen | Designer | Sydney Theatre Co & tour |

## For Nimrod Theatre

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1974 | How Does Your Garden Grow? | Designer | |
| 1975 | You Want It Don't You Billy? | Designer | |
| 1976 | All Over | Designer | |
| 1977 | Much Ado About Nothing | Designer | |
| 1977 | Twelfth Night | Designer | |
| 1979 | On Our Selection | Designer | Festival of Sydney |
| 1979 | The Life of Galileo | Designer | |
| 1980 | The House of the Deaf Man | Designer | |
| 1980 | The Oresteia | Designer | |
| 1980 | Volpone | Designer | |
| 1981 | Three Sisters | Designer | |
| 1984 | Salonika | Designer | |
| 1985 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Director, Designer | |
| 1976 & 1977 | Travesties | Designer | |
| 1981 & 1983 | Slice | Devisor, Director, Designer | Melbourne Theatre Co |

## For Theatre of Image

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1988 | The Sky Wizard | Devisor, Director, Designer | World Expo on Stage |
| 1989 | Colours of Desire | Devisor, Director, Designer | Art Gallery of NSW |
| 1989 | Hello | Devisor, Director, Designer | Sydney Theatre Co |
| 1990 | Swimming in Light... The world of Lloyd Rees | Devisor, Director, Designer | Melbourne Theatre Co, National Gallery of Australia, Caracas International Theatre Festival, Seymour Centre Sydney |
| 1990 | Wanted Pictures | Devisor, Director, Designer | Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Biennale |
| 1992 | The Last Stop | Devisor, Director, Designer | Art Gallery of NSW |
| 1994 | Carnival of the Animals | Devisor, Director, Designer | Sydney Theatre Co |
| 1994 | White Heat | Devisor, Director, Designer | The Art Gallery of NSW |
| 1995 | Pierrot and Columbine | Adaptor, Director, Designer | Sydney Theatre Co |
| 1997 | Vivaldi's Ring Of Mystery | Devisor, Director, Designer | The Sydney Symphony Orchestra at Sydney Opera House |
| 1999 | Exotic Pleasures | Devisor, Director, Designer | Sydney |
| 2000 | Grandma's Shoes | Director, Designer | Opera Australia |
| 2001 | The Gypsy Boy | Devisor, Director, Designer | Sydney |
| 2002 | Mad Bad and Spooky | Director, Designer | Sydney Festival |
| 2004 | Tales from the Arabian Nights | Designer | Sydney and tour |
| 2005 | Stella and the Moon Man | Director, Designer | Australian Youth Orchestra, , Sydney Theatre Co |
| 2007 | Lulie the Iceberg | Director, Designer | Kageboushi Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Co |
| 2008 | Pixel and Friends ... the colour show | Devisor, Director, Designer | Powerhouse Museum |
| 2011 | Snow On Mars | Creator, Designer | Sydney Festival |
| 2019 | Brett & Wendy... A Love Story Bound by Art | Creator, Director, Designer,Writer | Riverside Theatres, Sydney Festival |
| 1991 & 1999 | Hansel and Gretel...a tale of our times | Director, Designer | Belvoir & Sydney Theatre Co |
| 1992, 1993, 2003, 2008 | The Happy Prince | Director, Designer | Sydney Theatre Company, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Seymour Centre, Sydney Festival, Awesome Festival, Arts Centre Melbourne, National Tours |
| 1997, 1998, 2001 | Jake And Pete…A Roadstory For Cats | | Sydney and tour |
| 2002 & 2003 | Robinson Crusoe | Adaptor, Director, Designer | Sydney Theatre Co, Windmill Performing Arts & tour |
| 2005 & 2006 | Go Pinocchio! | Director, Designer | Sydney & Regional Tour |
| 2010 & 2015 | Little Beauty | Devisor, Director, Designer | National Portrait Gallery |
| 2011 & 2013 | The Book of Everything | Designer | The New Victory, Melbourne Theatre Company, Belvoir |
| 2014 & 2015 | Monkey...Journey To The West | Creator, Designer | Australian International Arts Festivals - tour |

## International Tours

| Year | Production | Role | Partnerships |
| 1973 | Dido & Aeneas / Edward John Eyre | Designer | UNSW Opera, London & Aberdeen |
| 1990 | Swimming in Light... The world of Lloyd Rees | Devisor, Director, Designer | Caracas Theatre Festival Venezuela |
| 1992 | Hansel and Gretel...a tale of our times | Director, Designer | Aotea Centre New Zealand |
| 1995 | Two Weeks with the Queen | Designer | Sydney Theatre Co, Johannesburg |
| 2001 | Jake And Pete…A Roadstory For Cats | Director, Designer | Manitoba Theatre for Young People |
| 2002 | The Happy Prince | Director, Writer | Manitoba Theatre for Young People |
| 2012 | The Book of Everything | Designer | New Victory Theater New York City |

## Solo Exhibitions

| 2024 | A Midsummer Night's Dream Maunsell Wickes Gallery Sydney |
| 2022 | WILDE: Life and Fantasy Maunsell Wickes Gallery Sydney |
| 2020 | The Happy Prince ARO Gallery Sydney |
| 2015 | Art For The Theatre The Depot Gallery Danks St Sydney |
| 2007 | Page to Stage Lulie The Iceberg Japan Foundation Gallery |
| 2004 | Pixel & Friends Powerhouse Museum |
| | Two exhibitions Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney |

## Group Exhibitions

* Wright Hephurn Gallery London
* Quadrennial (2) Prague
* Theatre Designs S. H. Ervin Gallery Sydney
* British & Australian Theatre Design Adelaide Festival, National Tour, UK Tour
* Australian Centenary of Federation designs for The Future Powerhouse Museum, Sydney permanent collection
* Australian Curated Exhibit A.A. Bakhrushin Central State Theatre Museum, Moscow
* Australian Designers Association Productions Sydney Opera House