AFTER 30 years at the helm of Goulburn’s venerable Lieder Theatre Company, its artistic director Chrisjohn Hancock has decided to hand over the reins to company member Blake Selmes.

“I have worked with some amazing people at the Lieder and together we have forged some brilliant theatre, but now I really do believe there is some incredible creative talent around, and only good things will come of giving them a chance to shine,” Hancock said.

Former actor with Lieder Theatre Evol McLeod, who acted many times with Hancock before she left to join Canberra’s theatre community, told “CityNews”: “He just brought a tremendous commitment creativity sense of value and inclusivity to the role of artistic director… his legacy is going to be enduring.”

An internationalist in outlook, in 2018, Hancock was behind a notable collaborative venture with Polish theatre company Teatr Brama, who travelled to Goulburn. He has taken Lieder Theatre Company to perform original work to the US, Poland, the Czech Republic, the UK, Monaco and Spain.

Blake Selmes grew up performing in Shakespeare festivals at the Glen Street Theatre in Sydney and joined the Manly Corso and Circular Quay busking circuit at just 12 years of age.

After university he went on to stage Shakespeare and new works with the Moresby Arts Theatre in PNG, producing and starring in seasons of, and directing adaptations of new works.

At Lieder Theatre he has been behind the “ Mighty Playwrights” program, directed 18 short plays, done lighting design, set design and construction, while also composing music and editing the 2020 “Mighty Playwrights” documentary.

He is known to have been the personal choice of Hancock, who himself had been handed the baton by the legendary directors John and Mary Spicer 30 years ago.

Believed to be Australia’s longest continuously-running theatre company, Lieder Theatre Company was established in 1891 and is based in the Lieder Theatre, built by the Goulburn Liedertafel Society in 1929.