SOME may see it as a sign that the long-serving artistic director, Sandra Bates, could be loosening her grip on the reins of the Ensemble Theatre.
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But Mark Kilmurry, appointed yesterday as the company's co-artistic director, warns such conclusions are off the mark.
''Sandra and I work closely together and get on very well together, and not much will change except more responsibility for me,'' says Kilmurry, who has been the Ensemble's associate director for six years. ''It's more a case of sharing the duties, and probably me making more decisions. It just means we're sharing the position.''
Bates, who is celebrating 25 years in the job this week, has often remarked that she wouldn't know what to do with herself if she stepped down.
When that time does come, Kilmurry will be the company's sole artistic director.
The Ensemble, which receives no government funding, has become a much-loved Sydney institution with a loyal subscriber base under Bates's stewardship.
''We like to mix the seasons up, of course, and make it as varied as possible. But if it's a good play, it's a good play, so that's what we try to do - produce good plays,'' Kilmurry says.
The actor and director is working on Casanova, which he has adapted from the BBC television series by Russell T. Davies and which opens in March.
