Mission, Vision and North Star
VISION
As Australia’s leading regional theatre company, JUTE is a vital contributor to the creative currents that shape Australia’s contemporary culture.
MISSION
As a leader in Australian regional theatre, JUTE:
- creates, presents and tours ambitious theatrical works that amplify the unique voices, talents and stories of Queensland’s regional communities, and resonate with audiences locally, nationally and internationally; and
- fuels the aspirations and capabilities of Queensland’s regional theatre sector through collaboration, skills development and knowledge exchange.
NORTH STAR: Local Heart – Global Stage
JUTE creates distinctive theatre works from Far North Queensland that could not be made anywhere else, shaped by a region defined by cultural richness and unique environmental context. JUTE builds the audiences, partnerships and pathways that allow these works to have lasting local, national and international impact.
The live encounter between artist and audience is at the core of JUTE’s purpose and shapes all activity — from development to presentation and touring.
Who We Are
JUTE is a regional theatre company based in Gimuy/Cairns.
For more than three decades, JUTE has created theatre grounded in regional voices, stories and lived experience. A product of Far North Queensland, the company occupies a distinctive place within the national arts landscape.
JUTE aims to be a destination company:
- where artists come to challenge themselves and create their best work, in meaningful relationship with place, community and environment;
- where industry partners find a unique creative collaborator; and
- which provides audiences with consistently high quality theatre experiences that delight, challenge, move and inspire.
OUR PLACE
JUTE’s home is between the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef — the one place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites meet.
The region is shaped by:
- One of the highest concentrations of First Nations peoples in Australia, representing 13 Traditional Owner groups.
- Strong Torres Strait and Pacific connections.
- Proximity to Asia and the Indo-Pacific, serviced by an international airport.
- A highly diverse population, with more than 100 nationalities represented and over 70 languages spoken.
It is also defined by its tropical climate, relative remoteness from other major population centres, and proximity to significant natural and cultural landscapes – all of which shape how people live, connect and tell stories.
Together, these conditions create a perspective that is distinctly regional, culturally layered and globally relevant – underpinning JUTE’s artistic identity and strategic positioning.
Theory of Change
What do we do, how do we do it and why?
JUTE Staff
Chris Kohn
Executive Artistic Director
Monica Stevens
Creative Producer (First Nations)
Rachel Furlong
Creative Producer
Jessica Lamb
Creative Producer – DARTS
Regional Arts Advisor – RASN (Theatre)
Cassandra Ramsay
Regional Arts Advisor – RASN (Theatre)
Gabrielle Thomasz
General Manager
Nadia Thompson
Operations Manager
Amy Rhodes
Administration and Marketing Coordinator
Company Opportunities
Employment
EOI – Theatre Professionals
JUTE is always keen to hear from experienced professional theatre workers including Designers, Workshop Facilitators, Productions Managers, and Directors living in the Far North. So if you are new to the North or thinking of migrating here, we’d love to talk about future engagement opportunities JUTE might have for you.
Please submit your CV and covering letter to info@jute.com.au.
For further information, please contact us directly on 07 4281 6832
Donate
Create change with small change
Help us tell the real stories of regional Australia with a tax-deductible donation to JUTE Theatre Company. Watch the power of performance turn small change
donations into boundless joy – touching the masses and elevating the spirit of the community one show at a time.
A donation to JUTE goes further than a single performance or season. Your support helps create jobs for locals spanning set designers to tickets sellers; it raises the
profile of theatre in regional Australia; and importantly, it encourages aspiring creative artists to believe in themselves, because the community believes in them.
You can support JUTE Theatre Company and your local community by making a single payment, regular contribution, or through a sponsorship package.