She also points to the idea of separate companies working together to share resources “whether it’s sharing wardrobe or whether it’s sharing some of the creative side”. It’s a tricky prospect, she suggests. “I just wonder whether some of those things can happen. But it’s probably always going to be hard.”

Hansen says that over time, through donations, bequests and contributing surplus from the MTC’s operations, the idea is to build the general endowment fund – which is managed through the University of Melbourne – to a level where the interest gained can be used by the MTC however it best sees fit. The fund ($5.7 million as of 2022) isn’t quite there yet, Hansen says, “but almost”.

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Hansen leaves a significant legacy from her nine years with the MTC. In addition to championing the general endowment fund, she has overseen significant changes in the board, as well as the implementation of the new leadership team of artistic director Anne-Louise Sarks and executive director Sally Noonan, who also work together as co-chief executives.

Hansen’s dream is that one day, Melbourne’s theatre culture will be akin to the West End – for audiences to have that same “depth of access and appreciation”. Proper funding, she says, is the first step. After that: “The most important things I think for me in theatre are good lighting, good writing and good acting. And if you have those three things, you can almost do anything.”