Queensland Theatre Season 2021

Beth Keehn previews the 2021 Queensland Theatre season

Queensland Theatre (QT) launched its 2021 season on Sunday 1 November – for the first time, a digital, virtual event. Artistic Director, Lee Lewis (pictured above), promises a rich and bold season – seven plays and one special concert event – with something for everyone, in productions that showcase local talent and connect with the community. Lee said: “Theatre is essential to our thinking and dreaming”, and her inspiration was to answer the question: How do we come together to tell stories? She said her choices for the season ahead were based on wanting to forge ahead with a full and rich season: “Other smaller companies are trying smaller seasons. But we want to plan a full programme and see what happens. We’ve been given the go-ahead to fill the house 50 percent until the end of 2021 and, given the last year, I will be thrilled to have that many people in the theatre to share stories. And that’s what we’ll do until we can invite full houses back in.”  The company will be closely following advice from the Chief Health Officer; staff will wear face masks and, while not mandatory, audiences will be encouraged to do the same.

Lee said her other driving force was to get as many artists back on stage as possible: “One of the joys of making stories is having a vision of big stories, big communities. As one of the largest and most-resourced companies in the state, it is our responsibility to tackle the larger visions. And there’s nothing quite like live bodies in front of us, bringing to life our stories.”

So, after breaking the ice with the intriguing two-hander, Mouthpiece by Kieran Hurley at Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Playhouse, QT will move back to their home base at the Bille Brown Theatre for Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning Our Town, with a cast of more than 20. Lee said she chose Our Town because it is “a classic that transcends time. It is also my favourite play in the world! And it provides an opportunity for some extraordinary performances.”

Then, Taming of the Shrew promises to freshen this controversial and complex Shakespeare comedy about gender and societal norms for a new age. Lee said: “In the hands of the right director, every play can find a way to live in a new age”. She believes that director Damien Ryan is the right person for the job. Damien says he wants to: “dig beneath the surface of the play that puts some of the pre-eminent discussions of today on the table.”

Prima Facie by Suzie Miller – a play that Lee Lewis directed at Griffin Theatre Company – was also a victim of the 2020 lockdown and makes a welcome return to the stage. The one-woman show examines the legal profession through the eyes of a defence barrister who finds herself on the wrong side of the system.

QT’s 2021 programme will showcase four world premieres:

Triple X by Glace Chase will finally grace the stage. It was the show that experienced the unfortunate timing of having two previews before the theatres closed in March 2020. Lee admits that telling that cast and crew about the lockdown was one of the worst tasks she has ever had to perform in her job. Author and performer, Glace Chase is very pleased to see her show back on the schedule. She says her story about a Wall Street banker who has a romance with a trans drag performer is: “A rom com – a personal story. A true story that most people haven’t thought about.” Lee describes the production, directed by Paige Rattray, as “a gorgeous love story and very old-fashioned play”. 

In partnership with Brisbane Festival, Boy Swallows Universe will also make its stage debut a year later than originally planned. But by September QT hopes to be able to lift from 50 percent to full capacity so that more people can see the play. Former QT artistic director, Sam Strong, will be back in town and at the helm of this much-anticipated show. Tim McGarry has written a stage adaptation based on Trent Dalton’s best-selling novel. Tim describes the rich and complex story as: “ a coming-of-age story set against a Brisbane backdrop”. QT also confirmed that the central role of Eli will be taken by Joe Klocek, a graduate of QT’s own Young Artists’ Ensemble.

Return to the Dirt is Steve Pirie’s Queensland Premier’s Drama Award-winning play about moving back to Toowoomba and working as a funeral director between the ages of 24 and 26. The writer, who also performs in the work says: “I promise, it’s funny!” Lee Lewis says she is “thrilled to be directing one of the best new and unique Australian plays, that combines the light and the dark, with the wisdom that Steve hands on from his experience.”

White Pearl by Anchuli Felica King is a comedy about corporate toxic cultures – and the dangers of our internet age – set in a Singapore cosmetics company as one of their product ads goes viral for all the wrong reasons. Priscilla Jackman will direct.

Then, as Lee says, QT’s Christmas present to Brisbane and gift to the nation, “because she is one of our greatest artists” – Robyn Archer: An Australian Songbook. “This production will be created on the Brisbane stage – with plans to hopefully proceed to a wonderful life across the country.” To transform the Bille Brown Theatre into a cabaret experience, Ms Archer will be joined by piano accordion virtuoso George Butrumlis, Cameron Goodall on guitar, and composer Enio Pozzebon on keyboards.

Lee introduced a new subscription package, influenced by the 2020 lockdown:

“I want everyone to have that life-changing experience that only live theatre can create – so in 2021, QT will be offering audiences a digital subscription package.” This will allow subscribers in Australia to access three shows – Taming of the Shrew, Return to the Dirt, and Robyn Archer – from the comfort of their living rooms after the main run.

Plus the QT at Home Zoom play-reading series will continue in 2021 too. QT is also committed to its education programme and will continue to reach young audiences across Queensland. In an exciting development, QT will be developing works out of Cairns to access some of our most significant Torres Strait Island artists.

Lee Lewis said that she always wanted to work in Queensland because it is a “rich creative ecosystem and ‘making’ community.” And she acknowledged the local, state and federal government and corporate support that has helped QT to get through the lockdown. To support the local creative community, QT will open up and share its workshop and rehearsal spaces with smaller theatre companies throughout the year. Lee said: “We need to have our artists back at work, breathing life into the national imagination. We need Australian voices speaking to us about what matters to us right now. We need the buzz of a foyer. We need our culture to come back to life, and we are making this happen.”

Find out more about the 2021 season on the QT website at: http://bit.ly/2021SeasonLaunch