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Rob Croser - Artistic
Director
Rob was born in Maitland, South Australia,
educated at Scotch College and University of Adelaide and
is now a lawyer with the Legal Services Commission of South
Australia. For 21 years he has worked exclusively at the Adelaide
Children's (now Youth) Court as an advocate and separate legal
representative of Children in Child Protection proceedings.
He is the most experienced children's solicitor in South Australia,
if not the whole country. Rob was responsible for ensuring
the practice of representation for every child in Child Protection
cases, a practice which was subsequently made mandatory in
State legislation. He has advised on child protection legislation
both in South Australia and Tasmania.
A devout Anglican, Rob is also actively involved
with the Diocese of Adelaide and has collaborated with former
Archbishop Ian George in presenting programmes of drama, music
and history in St Peter's Cathedral. He also staged the Festival
Theatre Service for the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert
Runcie.
From childhood, Rob's abiding love has always
been the theatre. He spent many years freelance directing
for various Adelaide companies such as Therry, Adelaide Rep
and St Judes. From 1976 – 1979 he was resident English
and Drama Tutor at Scotch College and has directed shows for
Pulteney Grammar and Annesley College students.
In 1983, Rob founded Independent Theatre
as Artistic Director. Since 1984 Independent Theatre has produced
3 plays every year, all directed by Rob. In addition, he has
actively sought to widen the company's repertoire by searching
out, negotiating directly with overseas agents and playwrights,
and obtaining premiere rights to new works. His establishment
of contact, and subsequent friendship with 3 international
playwrights has provided Independent Theatre with unique artistic
opportunities.
In addition to directing (and occasional acting) Rob has
successfully written many stage adaptations of classic literary
works – A Tale of Two Cities, the Lady of
the Camelias , E.F. Benson's Mapp
and Lucia, Cold Comfort Farm, The Three Musketeers and
Noel Coward's Star Quality . In
particular, he constructed from 10 of the plays of Aeschalus,
Sophocles and Euripedes, a monumental two-part cycle of Greek
tragedies entitled The Blood of Agamemnon which
was staged at The Space in 1996. And his adaptation of the
Steinbeck novel East of Eden at
The Playhouse in 1998 was approved, endorsed and supported
by Elaine Steinbeck, the novelist's widow. Rob's adaptation
of four Shakespeare histories into Cry God for
Harry! at The Odeon in 2001 enjoyed critical
and audience acclaim.
In 1995, to commemorate the centenary of
the Oscar Wilde criminal trials, Rob compiled a theatrical
documentary on Wilde's life and court trials. Judging Oscar
was drawn entirely from original source materials through
meticulous and extensive research of letters, autobiographies,
trial transcripts, etc. It was performed by Dennis Olsen as
Wilde, on the actual centenary day of Wilde's conviction.
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