Over forty years’ experience in the arts and events
with a reputation for delivering quality results with rigour,  care and flair

ABA works with private and public agencies to develop new and existing arts projects, festivals and events, to manage and/or direct them to the highest professional levels, and to provide consultancy, analysis and advice on management in the arts. This includes strategic planning and review, artistic direction, feasibility studies and project management.

Our expertise has been called upon by governments, arts centres, international festivals, small local festivals, touring companies, training institutions and many others, large and small.

We like taking on challenging and interesting projects, working with great people, having fun, getting it right and making a difference.

WHAT ARE WE UP TO NOW?

Since COVID started devastating theatre, festivals and events in 2020, ABA’s focus has been on consultancy; assisting festivals, presenters, performance companies and venues with strategic planning and implementation, working in lockdown with clients in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne. Read on to see some of the things we’ve been doing and contact Andrew Bleby directly if you have a project or issue you’d like to discuss.

OVER RECENT YEARS…

Recent projects include planning, producing and reviewing festivals; creating arts-based proposals, analysis and policy for governments; and strategic planning and producing for theatre and events:

-developing, with our associates Brecknock Consulting, a Draft Cultural Strategy for Sydney’s Sutherland Shire

-undertaking a review of Melbourne’s second Due West Festival.

-working with Perth’s acclaimed touring theatre company The Last Great Hunt to develop a productive strategic plan for the development of their unique style and structure

-developing a Creative Arts Facilities Strategy for Ku-Ring-Gai  Council in Sydney, also with Brecknock Consulting.

We devised and delivered the events program for Frankston’s second Big Picture Fest in 2019, a street art festival that is transforming the face of this Melbourne seaside destination, following a successful pilot early in 2018. We worked again with our associates at Brecknock  and street art guru Joel Moore. There was also some financial benchmarking of the Substation for the City of Hobson’s Bay and a high-level review of the Australian Theatre Forum for Theatre Network Australia.

We’ve also worked with the Bathurst Regional Council in NSW to develop their Inland Sea of Sound festival and look at a five-year plan for making it even better. And we’ve been working with the Victorian Government’s Creative Victoria to help develop new frameworks and plans for performing arts touring in Victoria.

ABA’s consulting practice has been working on a range of projects over recent years – from devising a new plan for providing services to the Circus and Physical Theatre Industry  to reviewing a grants program in the City of Moreland, helping to devise the new framework for Victoria’s winning bid to produce and transform the Australian Performing Arts Market, establishing a Festivals and Events Framework and Strategy for Wyndham City, and undertaking an evaluation of the City of Maribyrnong’s new Due West immersive arts festival.

Some other projects of recent years include:

(for a full list, see Clients & Testimonials or for more details of highlight projects check out Past Projects)

Andrew Bleby and Associates Pty Ltd.   ACN: 133 380 300   ABN: 78 133 380 300