Jason Klarwein appointed MEAA Equity president

The MEAA Board has appointed actor, director and producer Jason Klarwein as federal president of Equity until elections in mid-2021.

Jason has worked nationally and internationally with Australia's leading theatre companies and has been the artistic director of Grin and Tonic since 2011. The Queensland-based theatre company delivers critically-acclaimed mainstage productions, as well as workshops to over 60,000 school students per year.

Jason has been a member of MEAA for nearly 20 years serving on the Queensland Branch, National Performers Committee and the MEAA Board. He is currently in Sydney directing Cursed! for Belvoir Theatre.

Jason says: “It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to Chloe Dallimore as president of Equity. Chloe has worked tirelessly in a volunteer capacity for the last six years not only building union membership but fostering in some of the biggest industrial and cultural changes our industry has seen for many decades.

“I look forward to representing our members and industry colleagues who are in the midst of what only can be described as the biggest challenge since World War Two. However, I am buoyed by the fact that I stand on the shoulders of incredible artists who have built the amazing cultural reputation we have worldwide and have dedicated their free time to the betterment of working conditions and pay.

“We are the storytellers of our nation and the custodians of our future. It is only through culture that a country such as ours can truly see and experience itself and hopefully give birth to a strong, vibrant and inclusive future.”