The Kerri Hall Fellowship for Performing Arts
This fellowship supports creatives, artists and writers from regional Victoria in the field of theatre and performing arts. Your research can focus on any area or topic. Collections that may be of interest include:
- scriptwriting and production
- drama
- opera
- ballet
- musical theatre
- vaudeville
- puppetry
- magic
- theatres, concert halls and venues
- festivals and events.
The fellowship includes:
- $15,000 funding
- desk space at the Library for 12 months
- access to collections and Library staff expertise.
Funding is based on approximately 3 months of work in the Library. This can be either continuous or broken up over the year, and you’ll have access to your office for the full 12 months.
You must live in regional Victoria to apply. Please note that there is no additional funding for travel or accommodation for regional Fellows.
About Kerri Hall
Kerri Hall was a librarian at State Library Victoria from 2001 until her death in 2017. Kerri was highly respected for her extensive knowledge of the theatre and performing arts collection. She raised the profile of this collection and improved access to it through cataloguing and digitisation projects. Kerri was born and raised in the Victorian Mallee district and was deeply connected to the region throughout her life.
About Christopher Baker
The fellowship is generously endowed by the estate of Dr Christopher Baker. It was Christopher’s wish to establish a fellowship in the name of his late partner Kerri Hall, to celebrate her contribution to the Library.
Christopher worked as an executive manager for over 25 years, leading people and managing change across not-for-profit, public and private sectors. He left corporate life in 2003, but consulted on change management and human resources while pursuing his interest in civil society.
2025 recipient
Adam Fawcett – Just An Artist: Lost stories from regional stages that helped shape Victoria’s cultural landscape
Playwright, producer and screenwriter Adam Fawcett will delve into the Library’s Performing Arts Collection to uncover the history and impact of performing artists in regional Victoria. The intended outcome of the fellowship is a series of audio drama scripts that bring these moments in Victoria’s performing arts history to life. Adam, who lives and works in Hepburn Springs on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, aims to highlight the importance of community spaces and performing artists in shaping regional contemporary life.
Adam Fawcett is an AWGIE-nominated screenwriter and award-winning playwright known for emotionally resonant work that explores class, queerness, regional identity and the performance of gender. Their Midsumma Award-winning play Become The One toured nationally in 2022 and was recently adapted into a TikTok series. A passionate advocate for the cultural value of artists, Adam created Just An Artist to help shift how regional creativity is recognised and valued within Australian arts and culture.