Wesley Enoch is to be Brisbane’s Metro Arts new Patron

Early in his career, from 1994 – 1997, Wesley (right) was Artistic Director at Kooemba Jdarra, resident here at Metro Arts.

Whilst here he created the iconic work The 7 Stages of Grieving with Deborah Mailman. In the twenty years since, Wesley has become one of Australia’s most influential, respected and loved writers, directors, and artistic directors, and is currently Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival.

“My career started at Metro. My first full time job, my first professional directing job, the first play I ever wrote, the first company I ever ran. All roads lead back to Metro. Metro gave me a start 30 years ago and I want to give back.

“The walls have the memory of Brisbane Theatre. Metro remembers the Suncorp Theatre, the walls speak the memory of when LaBoite was the theatre on Hale St, Metro remembers the steady stream of young talent that have gone on to make significant contributions and tell the stories of Brisbane.

“Metro is our past and our future. In the bricks and mortar are the blood and sweat of so many; in the wonky floor boards and solid heritage pillars are the experiments and lessons learned of every artist; in the temperamental lift sits the ambitions of everyone on their way up.

The new, the experimental, the adventurous, and the ambitious can be found at Metro.” Wesley will be the second patron Metro Arts has had in our 39 year history, filling the place left by our first patron Gough Whitlam. We are very proud to welcome Wesley back home to Metro Arts, where it all began for him, and for countless other Brisbane artists who have gone on to make significant contributions nationally and internationally in both performance and visual art. As Patron, Wesley will help to spread the word of the fantastic art and artists being supported by Metro Arts.

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