State of Play
Whitney Fitzsimmons looks at 2012 theatre seasons across Australia.
It’s that time of year again when theatre companies from across the country release their eagerly awaited new seasons. Avid members of Australia’s theatrical community attend launches, crack open season brochures and hungrily peruse what’s on offer in 2012 - almost like patrons on the waiting list of the latest most chic restaurant, salivating, waiting to be seated and experience that first delectable meal.
But is the pleasure more in the hype of anticipation or in the consumption? And do the launches really matter?
Well, quite frankly, yes they do. Theatre is so much more than “just a night out“. It’s a kind of cultural glue that allows us to be a part of a community, to connect and be told our own stories as well as those from our overseas counter-parts.
Theatre differs from television because even if you attend on your own you’re still a part of a collective consciousness. Theatre also offers something that its cousin, the feature film, can’t and that is the three dimensional experience which requires the engagement of the active imagination rather than sitting back and passively watching in the dark.
Theatre is also an industry, not one that makes a lot of money, that strengthens the fabric of this country’s pride in seeing and knowing that its citizens can perform well, not only in the sporting arena, but also in the cultural zone.
So the question is, are the Artistic Directors of the companies serving up the best product?
I am optimistic about the 2012 season and excited by what is being offered. But I must say it’s an odd feeling, as I tend to be disappointed at the lack of imagination and naval gazing that usually permeates what is dished up at this time of year. However, for all intents and purposes, it looks like 2012 is set to be an uplifting year of theatre.
It appears that there is a healthy balance between locally written material and stories from offshore. It seems the lip service once paid to the notion of “new Australian work” by many of the country’s leading theatre makers, is actually being followed through on. The statement from the Sydney Theatre Company was particularly comforting, “After a focus on American drama in 2010 and Europe in 2011, this season finds its inspiration closer to home with four new Australian plays and two new Australian adaptations.” Thank you very much Mr. and Mrs. Upton. I am looking forward to Hilary Bell’s The Splinter, Tim Winton’s Signs of Life and Jonathan Biggins’ Australia Day (premiering at the MTC), which sounds hysterically funny.
Of course, as with anything, there are standout productions, ones that make your mind and body tingle just at the mere thought of them - productions like Noel Coward’s Private Lives for Company B starring Toby Schmitz, which as the brochure says “seems to be written for him” and I totally agree. Also that classic Arthur Miller tale Death of a Salesman with the lovely Colin Friels.
For the Melbourne Theatre Company, I am absolutely loving the idea of Kate Mulvany’s The Seed and the premiere of National Interest in which playwright Aidan Fennessy “charts the incredible story of his extended family, the Stewarts, whose twenty-one-year-old son Tony Stewart was one of the Balibo Five.” The grand dame of theatre Robyn Nevin will strut her stuff mid-year as none other than Queen Lear - a new take on an old classic, while the wonderful Darren Gilshenan, returning to the role he made his own in Elling, must also be added to the list.
The State Theatre Company of South Australia will celebrate the centenary of Patrick White’s birth with “a double bill of two hard-hitting modern works and a play that will leave everyone buzzing.“
It’s also heartening to see that a show like Company B’s Summer of the Seventeenth Doll will have an extended life as part of both the MTC and Queensland Theatre Company seasons.
But one can’t go past Sydney’s Griffin Theatre. There’s something really special happening at this tiny little heartbeat of culture under Sam Strong’s artistic direction. I am very excited about The Boys - which kick-started David Wenham’s career - being part of 2012, but then again Griffin’s entire season looks absolutely delicious.
Images: Top - Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett at the Wharf ahead of the STC's 2012 Launch, Australia Day and The Boys.
From the November / December print edition of Stage Whispers.
Click on the name of a company below for more about individual company seasons
Black Swan State Theatre Company (WA)
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