Rhys Holden Joins the National Performing Lines Board and Natalie Jenkins appointed Deputy Chair

Performing Lines is pleased to announce that Rhys Holden has joined the Performing Lines Board, and that Natalie Jenkins has been appointed the Board’s Deputy Chair.

Rhys brings with him extensive experience in managing arts organisations and developing arts initiatives and productions across theatre, dance, music, and visual arts. He is currently CEO and Creative Director of Geelong Arts Centre and brings experience and networks important to Performing Lines’ work in the national touring space.

Rhys said of his appointment, “I’m thrilled to be joining the board of Performing Lines, such a vital piece of the national arts ecosystem. Now, more than ever, we need organisations championing the work of contemporary and independent artists, and touring them to regional communities.”

Natalie, who has served on the PL National Board since 2023, has been appointed as the Board’s Deputy Chair.

Natalie has over 30 years’ experience as an arts/culture and creative industries including leading a number of highly successful arts organisations and running her own.

The appointment comes after Anne-Marie Heath ended her decade-long tenure on the Performing Lines Board at the end of 2024, including the Deputy Chair role since 2017. PL also farewelled long-serving Board Members Michelle Kvello (Finance and Audit Committee Chair), and Margaret Ross, at the end of 2024.

“I am delighted to be stepping into the Deputy Chair role, working alongside Chair Robi Stanton and the dedicated Performing Lines Board from across the country. Performing Lines is completely unique in its model and the way we work, forging new collaborations across the country and supporting independent artists to create and sustain bold new Australian works.  It’s a fantastic time to be on the national Board and working with a stellar team,” said Natalie.

In 2024, Performing Lines delivered 48 projects across the country, spanning creative development, new work, touring and sector development, employing more than 300 independent artist and artist workers.  Projects are produced by its teams in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales, with support from State and Federal Governments through the National Performing Arts Partnership Framework.

Performing Lines’ Chair Robi Stanton said that she’s to welcome Rhys to the national Board at this exciting time in the company’s history, and congratulates Natalie on her new role as Deputy Chair.

“Their leadership and vision will be instrumental as Performing Lines looks to the future-supporting artists and driving innovation across the national arts landscape,” she said.

Performing Lines expresses its deep gratitude to long-standing Performing Lines Board Members Anne-Marie Heath, Michelle Kvello and Margaret Ross who each contributed significantly to Performing Lines during times of significant change and turbulence for the organisation.

Performing Lines is a national company, with offices in NSW, Tasmania, Victoria and WA, that produces the work of independent artists, from concept to premiere and beyond.

We champion this sector as a powerful force of contemporary cultural expression, demonstrating the value of artist-led practice. We share this work with others through collaboration, mobility, and reciprocity, bringing people together in a collective quest to make deeper sense of our world.

Performing Lines is the powerhouse that fuels the work of our most innovative performing arts sector. We work in step with artists whose practice is constantly evolving and who are changing the way new Australian work is being made and shared. By supporting new ways of thinking, practicing, and experiencing the arts, we are a leading and formidable national producing force.

Click here for more info on the Performing Lines national board.