Frank Ford

Frank John Ford (18 March 1935 – 27 September 2018) was an Australian theatre director, dramaturg, writer, arts administrator, and educator. He is especially known for being a driving force behind both the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, which he was largely responsible for founding in 2001.

Early life and education Frank John Ford in Sydney, where he lived until he was 25. He earned his undergraduate degree (BA) at the University of Sydney and did some teaching there.

He studied acting, drama theory, dramaturgy, directing and cinema in his various degrees. He earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at Columbia University in New York. He obtained a teaching post in Rio de Janeiro, where he experienced many small theatres reflecting the life of ordinary people there. He was less impressed by Germany, despite its wealth of classical theatre and opera venues. He then lived in Beirut, Lebanon, and for five years, where he became director of the American Repertory Theatre, which was attached to the American University there, where he presented plays such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. During this time, he would visit New York once a year, where he enjoyed the growing popularity of the "off-off-Broadway" little theatres. It was this which led him to undertake an MFA at Columbia. remaining in charge for four years.

Soon after his arrival, he formed his own theatre company, Icon Theatre Company, along with designer Nick Pyrros. the IAF continues in Adelaide, with Jane Angel as chair and former arts journalist Samela Harris on the board since her retirement from The Advertiser in 2012.

Ford served on many other arts boards, such as Country Arts SA, Adelaide Festival and as chair of the Australian Dance Theatre. 2001: Centenary Medal for services to the community, particularly through the performing arts 2006: Inaugural Premier's "Life Time Achievement" Ruby Award for the Arts 2015: City of Adelaide Citizen of the Year, for his service to the arts in Adelaide 2025: Adelaide Cabaret Festival Icon Award

Starting in 2019, the Frank Ford Commission at the Adelaide Festival Centre started granting per year for 10 years, to be spend on commissioning a new work from a South Australian cabaret artist or group.

Ford also left a bequest worth $20,000 annually to the Adelaide Fringe, to assist a South Australian artist present their work interstate or overseas, and $10,000 annually to Cabaret Fringe Festival for a similar purpose.

The Pinnacle Foundation awards a scholarship to a young LGBTQI South Australian student to study in the performing arts in the names of Frank Ford and his partner Sam Harvey.