A founder in 1992 of WOMADelaide, Rob Brookman builds richly diverse career across all the creative forms

Rob Brookman retired from 45 years working in the Australian arts industry and three years as Adelaide Festival executive director in 2020.
Image courtesy Adelaide Festival

A founder of Australia’s leading world music festival WOMADelaide, Rob Brookman became one of Australia’s most respected and experienced arts executives, with interests ranging from classical to avant-garde to commercial, across all creative art forms.  

In 1973, after completing a bachelor of arts in English and politics at Adelaide University, where he was involved with the Dramatic Society Footlights Club and the Theatre Guild, Brookman started his career with a stint as a radio actor and presenter.

The early variety of roles led to key positions in Australasia's foremost festivals and performing arts organisations. These include the programming director, producer, and artistic director for the Adelaide Festival Centre; administrator, associate-artistic director 1984-90 and, in 1992, artistic director for the Adelaide Festival.

In 1992, Brookman was founding director of WOMADelaide and remained as artistic director or artistic advisor until 2007. He continued contributing through the WOMAD Foundation that he was instrumental in forming. Brookman’s other roles included artistic director for the National Festival of Australian Theatre (1996); artistic director for New Zealand International Festival of Arts (1994); founding co director for the Arts Projects Australia (1996-99); Sydney Theatre Company general manager 11 years until 2010.

Brookman also ran his own cultural consultancy Sweet Reason, making a major review of Sydney's cultural venues and a feasibility study for a national Indigenous arts festival. He also produced The Planet Talks, environmental forums and staged as part of WOMAD Earth Station in 2011, and was co producer of Strictly Ballroom in its developmental phases for Global Creatures (2010-11).

He joined the State Theatre Company of South Australia in 2012 with his son Geordie as artistic director. He also was also at the helm of a State Theatre company partnership with Flinders University and sponsor of the Young Playwrights’ Award.

Brookman’s many arts-related board roles included deputy chair of Playing Australia, chair of the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, chair of the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, board member of the Melbourne Festivaland Belvoir theatre in Sydney and chair of UKARIA Cultural Centre in the Adelaide Hills.

Brookman was awarded honorary doctorates from Flinders and Adelaide universities, along with the 2017 Ruby Award for lifetime achievement (shared with Ulrike Klein) and the 2017 Helpmann Awards’ Sue Nattrass Award for exceptional service to the Australian live performance industry.

Brookman retired after a 45-year career in the arts industry and three years as Adelaide Festival executive director in 2020.