Suzanne Kalk
Artistic Director
Suzanne has responsibility for the Village Festival programming, visual arts, community engagement and looks after catering and food issues. Suzanne has worked on a wide range of theatre and festival projects in Australia and overseas, as a designer, community workshop leader and performer. Suzanne is expert in community engagement and visual design. She has taught design at Ballarat TAFE Theatre Arts and has been integral in Castlemaine Circus, Snuff Puppets and Alice Springs Desert Festival.
Stuart Vaskess
Festival Director (Management, Design and Logistics)
Stuart is in charge of all production, logistics and the building program. Stuart is primarily a visual artist, with a keen interest in mechanics, people-powered machines and large-scale design. Stuart was a founding member of Snuff Puppets, and has extensive expertise in fabrication and installation of sets, props and machinery. Stuart and Suzanne have designed the look of The Village.
Ariel Valent
General Manager
Ariel has responsibility for the overall management of the organisation, focusing on building sustainable partnerships and creating structures that allow the creative ideas to flourish. Ariel Valent is an experienced arts manager, both in the not for profit and government sectors. He has extensive festivals experience, including with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Boite, and has developed a range of creative and social programs for the City of Melbourne. He is also a performing musician.
Ian Pidd
Founding Artistic Director
Co- Artistic Director 2004-2015
The Board of The Village Festival recognise Ian’s extraordinary work with The Village Festival. See the announcement of Ian’s departure here
Ian Pidd is a Melbourne based freelance director of theatre and festivals. His theatre credits include his Artistic Directorship of Back To Back, including the green room award nominated Minds Eye, plus ten years of works at Snuff Puppets, where his productions have travelled throughout the world. He was co-founding artistic director of boutique festival The Village and the director of Junction Arts Festival (JAF) in Launceston. Link to Ian’s website