Rick has worked in the performing arts industry across Australia for some 30 years. As Director of Push Management Pty Ltd, he is proud to have been contracted to PAC Australia for over ten years. Rick occasionally undertakes strategic business planning for creative organisations and government agencies.
In 2014/15 Rick was Executive Producer for Perth International Arts Festival. He has fulfilled roles such as Events Operations Manager at the Sydney Opera House and General Manager of Buzz Dance Theatre. He has co-produced work with Black Swan Theatre Co and worked with companies such as WA Theatre Company, Dance North (Townsville), Chrissie Parrot Dance Company, Country Arts WA, Barking Gecko Theatre Company, Perth Theatre Company, and Australian Dance Theatre. Rick graduated from the WA Academy of Performing Arts in Stage Management and also holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing).
Rick was Chair of Steps Youth Dance Company for eight years, he was also Chair of AusdanceWA, and in 2009 & ’10, was Project Facilitator for the Contemporary Dance Model Development project [Future Moves], a $1.6M state government initiative for the development of Contemporary Dance in Western Australia. Rick was a member and Chair of the Dance and Physical Theatre panel for the Helpmann awards from 2004 to 2013 as well as member of the Regional Touring panel for four years. He is currently Chair of the Helpmann Panel for Best Children’s Presentation.
Rick is an authority on performing arts touring in Australia, having been intimately involved in national touring through his work as a ‘Blue Heeler’, whilst Touring Consultant at Arts on Tour NSW and as both a Councillor and interim Executive Officer of the Performing Arts Touring Alliance [PATA]. Together with Harley Stumm, Rick wrote Australia’s first National Touring Framework for the Australia Council for the Arts. Rick recently delivered CircuitWest’s 5-year touring strategy and co-wrote Performing Spaces (A guide for Local Government) with Alison Dalziel.
Rick is a fellow of the DeVos Institute of Arts Management and works and lives in Perth and is the proud parent of two young adults, one a professional dancer, the other a medical student.
Organisation Colleagues
Arts Ablaze was a conference and celebration of regional arts in Queensland taking place at Ramada Resort Kooralbyn Valley on Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 October 2019.