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. [1]
Carpenter was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1950. [2] He moved to Sydney as a teenager to train as a painter. [3] He studied production at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1968 and 1969. [2] He also studied at Motley Theatre Design Course in London in 1971. [4]
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. [5]
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. [6] [7] In September 2019 he announced the closure of the company. [8]
His work includes The Book of Everything [9] 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. [10]
In 2019 he adapted and designed The Happy Prince [11] as a ballet for The Australian Ballet. [12] It premiered at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre In February 2019 [13]
Carpenter was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013 for significant service to the performing arts. [14] [15]
Carpenter has devised, directed or designed over 100 productions for theatre, opera, dance, physical theatre, ballet and puppetry. [16]
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 [17] | 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 [18] [19] | 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 [20] | Creator, Designer | Australian International Arts Festivals - tour |
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 |