The Come Out Festival Board today proudly announced the appointment of Noel Jordan as Artistic Director of Come Out Youth Arts Festival for 2013 and 2015.

Celebrating 37 years, Come Out is internationally renowned as Australia’s biggest multiartform festival for young people. The festival engages with over 100,000 young people throughout South Australia, through a diverse program of interactive arts experiences presented in education and professional arts venues.

The Chair of the Come Out Youth Arts Festival Board, Jane Cooper said,

“We are thrilled to welcome Noel Jordan to this role. We look forward to Noel building on the legacy of previous Directors to create an outstanding Come Out Festival.

Incoming Artistic Director Noel Jordan is one of the most respected arts and education practitioners working in Australia today. Most recently Noel worked as Producer, Young Audiences at Sydney Opera House where he programmed both the annual “Kids at the House” family program and the House:Ed education program from 2004-2010, a role he continued as guest curator for the 2011 season.

In this time the program became the leading performing arts centre youth program of its type in the country and showcased the highest quality productions on offer both nationally and internationally. The Australian newspaper described the marketing and his programming as“peerless”.

Whilst at the House, Noel also directed the award winning production, The Shape of a Girl which was nominated for a 2010 Helpmann Award. Prior to working as a Producer Noel worked for almost a decade as a part-time Drama Lecturer in Arts Education at the University of Melbourne where he completed his Masters in Education, whilst also continuing his owntheatre making practice as a director, actor and devisor.

“I have attended the Come Out Festival on and off for the last 20 years. It has been an incredible place to congregate, share work, debate issues and most importantly inspire and stir the hearts, minds and imaginations of children and young people from across South Australia”, explains Noel Jordan.

“I feel that this exciting opportunity has arrived at a very important time in my life, where I can utilize my experience in the field to create a thrilling festival for young people and their families to enjoy together. South Australia is home to some of the finest work for young audiences in the country and I look forward to playing a part in creating and developing this vibrant arts culture”, Noel adds.

Noel is currently the International Representative on the Board of Young People and the Arts Australia (YPAA) and an Executive Committee Member of ASSITEJ (Association Internationale du Théâtre pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse) where he holds the position of Treasurer. These two roles allow Noel an unprecedented national and global perspective of new developments, exciting production premieres and new initiatives across the youth arts sector.

Noel Jordan takes the reigns from outgoing Creative Director Andy Packer, who programmed the Come Out 2011 Festival earlier this year.

“We were extremely proud of the 2011 Come Out Festival that Andy delivered. The Festival was built around the theme of Belonging and it saw record participation across South Australia”, said Jane Cooper.

Come Out 2013 will be the 21st installment of the biennial youth arts festival, which began life as a key program of the 1974 Adelaide Festival of Arts.

Noel said, “For 2013 expect a bold and dynamic festival of international calibre with high quality arts experiences at its heart.”

21 years old – the Festival has absolutely come of age!