Think when we talk of horses, that you see them Printing their proud hoofs i’ the receiving earth; For ’tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings, Carry them here and there; jumping o’er times, Turning the accomplishment of many years Into an hour-glass: for the which supply, Admit me Chorus to this history; Who prologue-like your humble patience pray, Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play. henry v (prologue)
2013 season
from the artistic director
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upstairs peter pan 8 cat on a hot tin roof 10 forget me not 12 angels in america – part one 14 angels in america – part two 16 persona 18 miss julie 20 hamlet 22 coranderrk 24 downstairs this heaven stories i want to tell you in person the baulkham hills african ladies troupe small and tired the cake man
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the business end subscription information sunday forum general information thank you 2013 season calendars subscription booking form
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going to the theatre isn’t always easy On first appearances, you’d think it would be. Seemingly, the audience has a pretty easy job. It’s just like watching TV, except you’re with a whole lot of people. You just have to sit there, right? But that’s not the case. You only have to go to the theatre once to realise that it’s a thousand miles from the passive task of watching TV. You have to work a little bit. You, the audience, are as essential as the performers are. Everybody in the room, both actors and audience, are participating in a type of conversation. We develop a relationship. It’s a kind of one-night stand. Our job, as theatre-makers, is to make it as pleasurable a night as we can. Because we secretly hope, deep down in our hearts, that it’s not just going to be a one-night stand, but that it will blossom into something more longterm. And meaningful. We hope that we develop a full-blown affair. Sure, you’re paying for it. But we’re very good at pretending. It’s our job, after all. This book is a kind of lonely-hearts ad. It sets out a smorgasbord of delights to tempt you to commit to us. Some nights, we hope, you’ll go home distraught, in tears; others you’ll be grinning from ear to ear. Hopefully, we’ll make you laugh, cry, think, gasp and then clap very, very loudly. And that’s just on the first date.
Of course, for many of you, it’s just the next chapter in a very long relationship indeed. Belvoir is famous for the loyalty and steadfastness of our subscribers. And those of you who have subscribed before will know that a long-term relationship is a very different thing to a casual fling. It’s not always so easy. We sometimes don’t agree. Sometimes we make each other angry. Or worse, bored. To make good art we must take risks. And taking risks is risky. But those of you who’ve subscribed before will know that across the years you’ve had a lot of great times with us, in our dark room in Surry Hills, making theatre together. Ok, enough already. Stretching that metaphor any further would be indecent. So, here it is, our 2013 Season: there is a lot to be excited about. Great new and classic plays directed by a gang of the hottest young directors in the country including Leticia Cáceres, Simon Stone, Eamon Flack and Adena Jacobs, populated by a galaxy of dazzling stars of the stage: Toby Schmitz, Robyn Nevin, Brendan Cowell, Meyne Wyatt, Jacqui McKenzie – the list is long and rich. I hope you’re as excited about it as we are. We cannot wait to spend the night with you all. And we don’t mind if you bring your friends too! Ralph Myers ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
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upstairs
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5 JANUARY – 10 FEBRUARY UPSTAIRS
By J.M. Barrie Director Ralph Myers Set Designer Robert Cousins Costume Designer Alice Babidge
Lighting Designer Damien Cooper Composer & Sound Designer Stefan Gregory Assistant Director Isaac Drandic Dramaturg Tommy Murphy
With Charlie Garber Geraldine Hakewill John Leary Meyne Wyatt Dan Wyllie
peter pan Everybody knows Peter Pan. He’s the boy who hasn’t grown up in 113 years. But one night not long ago we sat down and read J. M. Barrie’s original play and we found ourselves in the presence of something faaaaaar stranger, far wilder and far more brilliant than Disney ever let us believe. This is the story of a strange boy who comes through the window of an ordinary family and takes the children on an adventure to the bush. Well, to Neverland. It is also a mad festival of bedtime and storytime, of uncatchable girls who have a thing for you and Lost Boys who don’t have a thing for you, of rip tides, pirates, ticking crocs, growing up, going home, mothers, fathers, dogs, dreams, and that mad pirate fiend and great big grown-up Captain Hook! 10
It also happens to be more or less impossible to stage at Belvoir, which is precisely why Ralph Myers – dreamer, designer and boy leader himself – is putting it on. For how better to un-grow up than attempt something that really shouldn’t be attempted? To top it all off, a cast of the country’s most ridiculous actors are along for the ride. Parents, bring your children. Children, bring your parents. Grandparents, bring everyone!
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Meyne Wyatt
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Jacqueline McKenzie
16 FEBRUARY – 7 APRIL UPSTAIRS
By Tennessee Williams Director Simon Stone Set Designer Robert Cousins Costume Designer Alice Babidge
Lighting Designer Damien Cooper Composer & Sound Designer Stefan Gregory With Ewen Leslie Jacqueline McKenzie
cat on a hot tin roof BRICK: But how in hell on earth do you imagine that you’re going to have a child by a man that can’t stand you? MARGARET: That’s a problem that I will have to work out. Tennessee Williams is one of the giants of twentieth-century drama and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is his Lear. One era is ending, how does the next begin? It’s a portrait of two generations. One doesn’t want to die, and the other one feels crowded out, confused, and desperate to inherit whatever it can get before it’s too late. Big Daddy is a magnate. His son Brick is a closeted ex-footballer
with a drinking problem. Brick’s wife Maggie is a second-rung society girl measuring her success against all the other families and the number of babies they have. Big Daddy is dying and somehow or other Maggie and Brick have to conceive the next generation… Simon Stone’s Death of a Salesman was the standout hit of Belvoir’s 2012 Season. He continues his brilliant what-now exploration of the American classics with Tennessee Williams’ magnificent family showdown. The great Jacqui McKenzie returns to Belvoir (finally!) alongside the great Ewen Leslie.
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20 APRIL – 19 MAY UPSTAIRS
By Tom Holloway Director Anthea Williams With Colin Moody
A co-commission with Everyman and Playhouse Theatres
forget me not Gerry is almost 60, and he is going to meet his mother for the first time since he was three. His daughter Sally has had it up to here with him and his problems. The old lady lives somewhere in the UK. Liverpool, according to the records. So Gerry is going there to find out what made him who he is. Tom Holloway’s gem of a play started life as a conversation between Belvoir and Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse Theatres. Holloway’s task was to tell the story of the 3,000-odd English children who, between 1930 and 1979, were told they were orphans and sent to Australia on a promise of warmth, fresh air, abundant food and boundless opportunity. Instead they arrived to deprived institutions where neglect and abuse were the norm.
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Holloway’s brilliant leap of imagination has been to set this story not at its outset half a century ago, but here and now. He has written a series of raw, often achingly beautiful conversations between members of a scattered family. Drawing the whole thing together is Gerry’s extraordinary, precarious bid to finally learn what it means to love and belong to a family. Belvoir’s own Anthea Williams (Old Man) directs this exquisite portrait of a man on a journey to meet the mother he never knew.
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Colin Moody
28 May – 14 July UPSTAIRS
By Tony Kushner Director Eamon Flack Set Designer Michael Hankin Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti Composer Alan John
With Paula Arundell Mitchell Butel Luke Mullins Robyn Nevin Ashley Zukerman
angels in america
part one millennium approaches How long does it take for a play to become a classic? Actually, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is not one play but two. Millennium Approaches and Perestroika were the closing statements of last century – an epic double-comedy of love and hate, heaven and earth, past and future. Now, a generation after Tony Kushner’s masterpiece first appeared, a black President who supports gay marriage is up against a Mormon Republican for the White House, and Angels in America is the perfect guide to the essential questions of our times. Exactly what are the forces that drive the manic history of this new millennium? What does it mean to live in a free society? What might it mean to live in a good society?
Part One could be one of those great New York Jewish jokes. It is 1985, Prior Walter is HIV positive, his Jewish boyfriend leaves him for a straight Mormon, and then he gets a hospital visit from an angel who says it is up to him to save humanity. And that is just part one.
Eamon Flack (As You Like It, Babyteeth) directs a stellar cast in the newest classic in the canon.
Angels in America will play in repertory as two separate full-length shows. You can see both parts in sequence on any Saturday or Sunday during the season. Turn the page for information about Part Two. 16
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Ashley Zukerman
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Robyn Nevin
28 May – 14 July UPSTAIRS
By Tony Kushner Director Eamon Flack Set Designer Michael Hankin Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti Composer Alan John
With Paula Arundell Mitchell Butel Luke Mullins Robyn Nevin Ashley Zukerman
angels in america part two perestroika
It ranks as nothing Part Two is the showdown. less than one of the Various forces have gathered greatest plays of in New York: the ex-boyfriend the twentieth century. and his Mormon squeeze, the New York Observer squeeze’s pill-popping wife and Mormon mother, a rabid Republican lawyer, a black nurse and the Angel of America. And Prior Walter has the future of the world in his hands.
Angels in America will play in repertory as two separate full-length shows. You can see both parts in sequence on any Saturday or Sunday during the season. Turn to the previous page for information about Part One. 19
Karen Sibbing
24 JULY – 18 AUGUST UPSTAIRS
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Conceived by Adena Jacobs, Dayna Morrissey & Danny Pettingill Based on the film by Ingmar Bergman Director Adena Jacobs Translation Keith Bradfield
Production Designer Dayna Morrissey Lighting Designer Danny Pettingill Sound Designer Russell Goldsmith
With Meredith Penman Daniel Schlusser Karen Sibbing A Fraught Outfit production.
persona Adena Jacobs’ staging of Ingmar Bergman’s film packed out houses at Melbourne’s Theatre Works in 2012. It was one of the finest pieces of theatre in the country all year. Elizabeth is an actress. One night, in the middle of Elektra, she falls silent. Nervous breakdown? Spiritual crisis? Illness? Attention seeking? No-one can say. She is sent to the seaside to recover. As Elizabeth’s silence continues, her nurse Alma begins to speak and Bergman’s signature themes kick into life: enigmatic acts of love and kindness, dangerous heights of obsession and need… Persona pulls off a remarkable feat: it recreates the famous intimacy of the great Bergman’s finest film on a stage. This is a consummate theatrical close-up about our basic human need to be seen and known by another person. Subtle, detailed and truthful, this collaboration transfers the mystery at the heart of Bergman’s film intact, while entirely remaking it. As I said, miraculous. Alison Croggon, Theatre Notes 21
24 AUGUST – 6 OCTOBER UPSTAIRS
miss julie We love watching plays about couples tearing each other to pieces: George and Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Elyot and Amanda in Private Lives, Jean and Julie in Miss Julie. The difference, though, is that Julie is still in her teens. She is rich because her father is rich. Jean is not rich – he works for the family, in a lowly way – but he would quite like to be. They have this much in common: they would both like to rule their own lives, they both think they can get that from each other, and they both think sex is the way to do it. August Strindberg’s masterpiece has been hovering in the wings at Belvoir for a while now, waiting for the right people: Leticia Cáceres and Brendan Cowell both know how to combine tender and brutal to devastating effect. Simon Stone joins them with a rewrite of the play in the fashion of his The Wild Duck. This is a red-blooded new Miss Julie about men and power, about extreme privilege, about freedom and about how cruel we can be to each other in the interests of self-preservation. 22
By Simon Stone after With Brendan Cowell August Strindberg Director Leticia Cáceres
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Brendan Cowell
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Toby Schmitz
12 OCTOBER – 1 DECEMBER UPSTAIRS
By William Shakespeare Director Simon Stone Set Designer Ralph Myers Costume Designer Mel Page
Composer & Sound Designer Stefan Gregory With Emily Barclay Robyn Nevin Toby Schmitz
hamlet The play’s the thing… Every generation feels the irresistible compulsion to attempt to stage this, the greatest play by the greatest playwright. Then, when we try, we’re haunted by the ghosts of past Hamlets: Olivier, Gielgud… Roxburgh. Every new production becomes a strange mirror of the play itself: a new Hamlet encounters the ghost of an old Hamlet and puts on a play in order to find out how to really become Hamlet. It takes the perfect combination of director and leading man to tackle this perennial conundrum – to face up to the ghosts and plunge into the thing itself with clear eyes. Director Simon Stone is ruthless and visionary in his pursuit of the essential in a text; Toby Schmitz is one of the great actors of his generation: quick, droll and fiendishly sharp. Hamlet is the natural next step in their theatrical partnership. They’ll be joined by a cast of masters, including the wonderful Robyn Nevin and Emily Barclay. IT’S TIME. 25
7 DECEMBER – 5 JANUARY 2014 UPSTAIRS Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation
By Andrea James & Giordano Nanni Concept Giordano Nanni Director Isaac Drandic Assistant Director Ralph Myers
With Jack Charles Tom Long Kelton Pell A co-production with Ilbijerri Theatre Company
coranderrk Coranderrk is about what might have been. In the neglected storehouse of Australian history, this is one of the definitive stories. At a Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry in 1881, the men and women of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve went head-to-head with the Aboriginal Protection Board. Their goal was both simple and revolutionary: to be allowed to continue the brilliant experiment in self-determination they had pioneered for themselves on the scrap of country left to them.
voices of all those, black and white, who fought for a better compact between the country’s oldest and newest inhabitants – three dozen of them from 132 years ago, speaking for themselves, directly to us, as though the question at hand remains unanswered today.
This special co-production between Belvoir and ILBIJERRI pays tribute to the resilience and adaptability of a people who rose to the challenge despite the odds, appropriating the power of the written word to make their own Coranderrk recreates the Inquiry. voices ring loud and clear. This is both great theatre and great history. It revives the
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Jack Charles
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downstairs
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Travis Cardona
7 FEBRUARY – 3 MARCH DOWNSTAIRS
By Nakkiah Lui Director Lee Lewis
With Travis Cardona
this heaven Sometimes you need to push. Sissy Gordon’s father died in custody at Mount Druitt Police Station. The cops got a fine, Sissy’s family got $9,000 and noone is allowed to speak about it. Sissy is about to become a lawyer but tonight lawyers and the law are beside the point. Tonight the night is dirty and heavy, and the moon is swollen and bright. Everyone knows that on nights like this things happen. Nakkiah Lui’s This Heaven is about a family who find themselves at a flash point of oppression, loss, love and anger. Lui turns the streets and parks of Mount Druitt into a fierce public forum where the essential matters of what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad are up for grabs. At the centre of it is the question: does doing nothing make you as complicit as the perpetrators? Lui grew up in the Mount Druitt Aboriginal community. This Heaven is her first play. In the time she wrote it she was an associate playwright at Belvoir, she won the inaugural Dreaming Award and she was finishing her law degree. This Heaven is about balancing worlds. 31
21 MARCH – 14 APRIL DOWNSTAIRS
By Lally Katz Director Anne-Louise Sarks Set Designer Ralph Myers
With Lally Katz A co-production with Malthouse Theatre
stories i want to tell you in person There is no-one quite like her. On the one hand, Lally Katz has been writing the funniest and most original plays in the country for the last decade – Neighbourhood Watch, for example. On the other hand, Katz, Oscar Wilde-like, has been putting her genius into her life and only her talent into her work. Now the inevitable moment has come when the two must collide. The thing is – and this is a true story – Katz was supposed to write us a play about a fortune teller. But she spent her commission (and then some) actually going to a fortune teller. In New York. More than once. This is the story of what Katz has been doing instead of writing a play. It features Katz, on her own, as herself, channelling the stories of the many psychics, alchemists and taxi drivers who have tried to show her the way.
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Anyone who’s met her will know that the word ‘irrepressible’ has nothing on Katz, even at her quietest. She makes chaos charming and catastrophe positively exuberant. She likes to be laughed at, and her method is to talk first and think later. Anything could happen. Seriously. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. It’s Lally Katz!
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Lally Katz
Yarrie Bangura
15 AUGUST – 8 SEPTEMBER DOWNSTAIRS
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Writer & Director Ros Horin Devisors & Performers Yarrie Bangura Aminatah Conteh Aminata Doumbia Yordanos Haile-Michael Rosemary Kariuki Tariro Mavondo Effie Nkrumah
Dancers Tiana Canterbury Lisa Viola Movement Director Lucia Mastrantone Singer/Songwriter Aminata Doumbia Musical Director Basil Hogios
Video Designer Mic Gruchy Cinematographer Justine Kerrigan Producer Michelle Kotevski A co-production with Racing Pulse Productions & Riverside
the baulkham hills african ladies troupe Yarrie Bangura grew up in a camp in Guinea. She is doing her HSC. Aminata Doumbia is from Sierra Leone. She is an ambassador for the UNHCR. Big Mama Rosemary Kariuki is from Kenya. She is a community leader and she knows how to live. Yordy Haile-Michael grew up in an army. She has four kids and lives in Lalor Park. They are one half of The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe and they would like to welcome you into their worlds. In August on our Downstairs stage these marvellous women are going to turn their extraordinary stories
of survival into a joyous theatre of humanity. But this is not just a show about what’s happened to the ladies. With the help of four other African women – singers and dancers and actors – they are going to take this great opportunity to be who they want, say what they want, and become as amazing as they can. This is how they celebrate a new beginning in a land of refuge. The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe is a celebration of women, human rights, laughter and resilience. With a bit of sage advice on hair care.
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26 september – 20 october DOWNSTAIRS
Writer & Director Kit Brookman Set & Costume Designer Mel Page
With Tom Conroy Luke Mullins
small and tired Orestes has come back to bury his father. He has been away a long time. His mother is hardened, his sister is strangely ill. He will see them, he will bury his father and then, in all likelihood, he will drift away again. But in a bar one night, slightly drunk, he meets a gentle soul called Pylades…
The result is a small play which echoes large – about restlessness and modern love, about the rootlessness of the times, about the brokenness of our sense of family and humanity. At its heart is the startling idea that love is an ancient thing we have to learn and re-learn from generation to generation.
Kit Brookman’s Small and Tired sets up a brilliant moral challenge for its characters: to love in spite of all the shit. The play springs from the myth of Orestes and the House of Atreus, but Brookman’s completely disarming leap of imagination has been to fully dissolve the myth into the contemporary world.
Brookman is an associate playwright at Belvoir, and his plays have something special going on: gentle, wise, oddly funny, very human and very smart. He wrote Small and Tired specially for Downstairs, and specially for the remarkable Luke Mullins.
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It is beautiful.
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Luke Mullins
Irma Woods
14 NOVEMBER – 8 DECEMBER DOWNSTAIRS
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Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation
By Robert J. Merritt Director Kyle J. Morrison With Irma Woods
A co-production with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company
the cake man Back in the early 1970s a group of pioneering Indigenous theatremakers occupied a dilapidated terrace in Redfern and started the National Black Theatre. The first full-length play they staged was Robert J. Merritt’s The Cake Man. A droll examination of white paternalism from a black point of view, Merritt’s play kicked off a renaissance of art and performance that laid the foundations of contemporary Indigenous theatre. The Cake Man is at once straightforward and complex. It is about the small details of life in a changing world. Jumping effortlessly from a pre-invasion idyll to the hard scrabble of modern life on a mission in
western New South Wales, Merritt’s virtuosic play pings with closely observed portraits of people doing what they have to do to get by. Tucked away inside it is an account of the roots of despair and of the beautiful means of overcoming it. Kyle J. Morrison is from the new generation of Black theatre. He is the Artistic Director of Perth’s Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. We are teaming up with this great little powerhouse of new and old Indigenous stories to give this forgotten gem its overdue revival. Robert J. Merritt watched his first opening night under police guard: he was an inmate of Long Bay at the time. The Cake Man is his real testimony.
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subscribe
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5 excellent reasons
1. Guaranteed seats
Now that we’ve convinced you, read on for the nitty-gritty on how to subscribe. And if you subscribe by 6pm Friday 9 November 2012 you could win a fabulous trip to an international destination of your choice!
You can save up to 42% of the usual ticket price. The more shows you see the more money you’ll save.
Turn the page to find out more.
Lots of our shows sell out. By subscribing, you’ll ensure you have seats for all of the hottest shows in town. You are guaranteed the best available seats to every show.
2. Discounted tickets
3. It’s really convenient
Do the work now and relax for the rest of the year, knowing that you’ve got a diaryful of top-notch theatre to enjoy. In fact, we can do most of the work for you. See How to Book Your Subscription on p44.
4. We love our subscribers
We’ve created our Sunday Forums, our annual magazine and lots of other extras for you. We want to look after you so, if you need to change your tickets we’ll accommodate you. And after four years it gets better; our loyalty program gives you even more good things.
5. Free stuff
Being a subscriber could land you a free drink, a free ticket or even a free book! And we’ve got a raft of exclusive benefits for you from lots of other companies too.
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even more reasons
Be at the front of the queue If you were a 2012 subscriber your 2013 renewal will be processed first, if you renew your subscription by 6pm Tuesday 2 October 2012. Ticket offers and pre-sale period When you book your subscription you can purchase additional tickets at a discounted price to all Belvoir performances both Upstairs and Downstairs to bring along family and friends. And when tickets go on general sale throughout the year, you can buy tickets one week before non-subscribers. 30-Down Club Aged 30 or under? You can join our 30-Down Club and save! Choose to see previews or Wednesday or Friday performances. We give you heavily discounted tickets to see some of Australia’s most renowned actors in action. Save on programs You can save on pre-purchased programs for shows in the Upstairs Theatre when you complete your subscription form. Program vouchers will be sent with your tickets.
Free stuff! A free book As a subscriber you automatically get $10 off the RRP of our beautiful coffee table book, 25 Belvoir Street (pay only $67). And if you are a Treasured, Devoted or Loyal Belvoir subscriber and you introduce a friend to subscribe to Belvoir for the first time this year, we will give you a free copy. A free ticket If you were a subscriber in 2012 and we receive your 2013 subscription form for an Upstairs Theatre package of 7 plays or more before 6pm Friday 9 November 2012 we will give you one free ticket to a performance you are attending, so you can introduce someone new to Belvoir. More details on the form. Free ticket exchange If your plans change, not a problem. If you notify our Box Office 48 hours before your booked performance, we’ll exchange your tickets for another performance of the same play, at no cost. Please note: this applies to your first exchange for each play only and is subject to availability. Subsequent ticket exchanges may incur a fee. Free drinks If you’re joining Belvoir for the first time, we’d like to welcome you with a free drink – a voucher will be sent with your tickets. And if you are part of our Loyalty Program you’ll enjoy discounted drinks with every show, see p43 for details. Our annual magazine We’ll send you our complimentary mid-year magazine, brimming with artist interviews, company and program updates, articles and news about upcoming shows.
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fabulous prizes for early subscribers
Send us your 2013 subscription form before 6pm Friday 9 November 2012 and you could win…
A trip for two
Two return economy-class flights to an international destination of your choice, up to the value of $4,000.
Or these great prizes… A weekend in the Hunter Valley A three-night weekend (or mid-week stay) for up to eight guests in one of the Stays in the Vines unique country house properties in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine country. Prize includes a gourmet cheese platter and private wine tasting at your property, as well as 12 bottles of stunning Hunter Valley wine. MCA membership One of two dual memberships to the Museum of Contemporary Art valued at $120 each, including unlimited free entry to all paid exhibitions; 10% discount at the MCA store, cafe and restaurant; subscription to Art Matters; unlimited WiFi access within the MCA; and more. Art Gallery of NSW membership A one-year joint membership for two people to the Art Gallery of NSW, which includes two tickets to the current exhibition, a subscription to Look magazine, free exhibition viewings and a range of gallery discounts.
Sydney Film Festival passes One of three Flexi 10 passes valued at $137 each. Opera Australia tickets Two premium reserve tickets (or best available) to an opera of your choice at the Sydney Opera House in 2013. Free movies at Palace Cinemas One prize of 25 double passes to see releases of your choice at Palace Cinemas throughout 2013. Dinner at Porteño A dinner for two to the value of $200 at this acclaimed Surry Hills restaurant. A case of wine from Cellarmasters Twelve bottles of premium Australian and New Zealand red wines, including wines made by industry legends John Duval and Nigel Dolan. Valued at $370. Winners will be drawn at random on Monday 3 December 2012 and notified by phone. NSW Permit Number LTPS/12/06796
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friends with benefits
These friends of Belvoir provide our subscribers with exclusive discounts. Use your 2013 subscriber card to take advantage of them. Art Gallery of NSW Save $10 on new Art Gallery Society memberships and receive one free exhibition ticket on registration (not including students or renewals). Berkelouw Books Receive 10% off all new and secondhand books, as well as fine stationery, leather goods and other gifts at all Berkelouw stores. Discounts do not apply to antiquarian books and previously discounted stock. Feast magazine Subscribe for only $45 for 11 issues and save 37% off the shop price. Griffin Theatre Company Pay only $45 for tickets to Griffin’s mainstage season. Love Supreme Dine at this Paddington restaurant and receive a special treat with your meal. Palace Cinemas A two-year Movie Club subscription for the price of one. Includes discounted tickets, a birthday gift and a joining gift. The Devonshire Order the eight-course degustation menu at this Surry Hills restaurant and receive complementary matching wine to the value of $40. The Monthly magazine Take out a one-year domestic subscription to this magazine and receive two free issues.
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we reward loyalty
We recognise the special commitment shown by our patrons who have been subscribers for four or more consecutive years. This support is the lifeblood of Belvoir. To say thank you, we offer special treats to all of our Treasured, Devoted and Loyal subscribers. If you renew your subscription for 2013 you will receive a Belvoir 2013 Season key ring entitling you to a $1 discount on all your wine, beer and soft drink purchased at Belvoir St Theatre’s Hal Bar; and you can purchase our calico Belvoir bags for only $3 each. Plus this year if you introduce a friend to subscribe to Belvoir for the first time, we will give you a free copy of our beautiful coffee table book, 25 Belvoir Street (RRP $77). Throughout the year you will also receive invitations to these exclusive events: Treasured Subscribers (10+ consecutive years) Invitations to a Palace Cinemas film screening, a Berkelouw Books special event and a chance to participate in a special Belvoir backstage tour. Devoted Subscribers (7–9 consecutive years) Invitations to a Palace Cinemas film screening and a Berkelouw Books special event. Loyal Subscribers (4–6 consecutive years) Invitation to a Palace Cinemas film screening.
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how to book your subscription
Book online: belvoir.com.au Or complete our step-by-step booking form at the back of this book, then mail, fax or drop it back to our Box Office.
Were you a subscriber in 2012? Use the personalised booking form sent with your 2013 season book and we’ll process your form more quickly and track your Loyalty Program status.
Choose your package Upstairs theatre Plays
Full price (Save up to $169)
Seniors* Concession† 30-Down (Save up to $133)
(Save up to $133)
(Save up to $160)
9
$416
$362
$272
8
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$342
$258
$245 $228
7
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$317
$247
$212
6
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$287
$224
$194
5
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$197
$169
DOWNSTAIRS theatre Plays
5
Full price (Save $45)
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Seniors* Concession† 30-Down (Save $40)
$155
(Save $40)
$135
(Save $75)
$100
THE LOT – All 14 Plays Plays
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(Save $252)
14
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$488
(Save $193)
$387
(Save $237)
$343
* Seniors prices are available with an eligible Seniors Card. † Concession prices are available to unemployed, pensioners and full-time students. If you are a senior, eligible for concession or want to join the 30-Down Club you must send photocopied proof with your booking form.
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Let us do all the work If you are subscribing to all 14 plays OR 9 plays Upstairs OR 5 plays Downstairs, you can just choose your preferred day of the week and we’ll do all the work for you. We’ll pick the dates but you are free to change them if you need to. It’s that easy. If you want to choose fewer plays but are still flexible with dates, let us know your preferred day, eg “any Saturday at 2pm”, and we’ll choose the dates and give you the best available seats. Again, you are free to change the dates if you need to. Special assistance If you have any special seating, audio or accessibility requests, or if you are interested in our captioned performances, please attach a note to your booking form. We’ll do all that we can to accommodate you. See p48 for more accessibility information. How we process your booking form All subscription renewals received before 6pm Tuesday 2 October 2012 will be processed first, after which all forms will be processed strictly in order of receipt. It takes around 4 weeks for subscriptions to be processed. Please check Please double check you’ve fully completed all sections of your booking form. This is really important. Submitting your form Don’t forget proof if you are purchasing senior, concession or 30-Down subscriptions.
Mail your completed form and cheque (payable to Belvoir) or credit card details to: Season 2013, Belvoir 18 Belvoir Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Fax your completed form (with credit card details) to: 02 9698 3688. Drop your form in with payment during Box Office hours (see p47 for opening times).
And a couple more things… Gift certificates A Belvoir subscription is a lovely gift idea – any of our packages will warm the heart of your loved ones! A 30-Down subscription is a really great way to give a young person the life-changing experience of regularly attending live theatre. Give our Box Office staff a call on 02 9699 3444 for info on how to purchase gift certificates. Your extra support makes a huge difference The price you pay covers only 35% of the true cost of your seat. An optional tax-deductible donation can be made on your booking form. With your support we can continue to create the kind of theatre that you love and that has inspired audiences across the world! You can also choose to donate to the Actors’ Benevolent Fund, which assists performers and their families who suffer hardship through illness, accident or age. We urge you to support this charity by donating an additional 50 cents per ticket when you fill out your subscription form. Please visit actorsbenevolentfund.org.au for more information. 47
sunday forum
Good theatre makes you feel. It can also make you think. Sometimes you’re left thinking about it well after you’ve left the theatre. You want to know more; about the play, its ideas, its history or how it came about. If so then our Sunday Forums are for you. We hold a forum for each of our Upstairs performances. Each is different and tackles a specific aspect of the production. It might be a lecture, a discussion or a demonstration. One might take a look at the broader social context of a play. Another might focus on how a show was created. After the forum you have a chance to ask questions of the panellists, meet your fellow audience members and continue the discussion informally with us in the foyer. Sunday Forums are free. It’s best to see the show before you come because we’re bound to spoil the ending! Check our website or call Box Office to find out who will appear on each panel and what the topic of discussion will be. See you there! Although tickets are free, bookings are essential and are open four weeks or more before each forum. Book online at belvoir.com.au/sundayforum or call Box Office on 02 9699 3444. Tweet while you listen (or follow online) using #sundayforum
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Peter Pan 3pm, 3 February Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 3pm, 31 March Forget Me Not 3pm, 12 May Angels in America Parts One and Two 11am, 7 July Persona 3pm, 11 August Miss Julie 3pm, 29 September Hamlet 3pm, 24 November Coranderrk 3pm, 22 December
general information
Belvoir St Theatre 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Box Office 02 9699 3444 Administration 02 9698 3344 Fax 02 9319 3165 mail@belvoir.com.au belvoir.com.au
Box Office hours
Monday 9.30am – 6pm Tuesday 9.30am – 6.30pm Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am – 8pm Sunday 2.30pm – 5pm* Please note these hours may change during non-performance periods and on public holidays. Phone bookings close one hour prior to performance times. *Sunday hours will vary for the season of Angels in America. Belvoir has two Box Office locations: at Belvoir St Theatre (25 Belvoir St) and at our administration warehouse (18 Belvoir St). The Box Office is open at either one of these locations depending on the time and day – please check via phone or website, and there are also signs at the front door of both buildings.
belvoir admin
clisd ell s t
central station
belvoir st theatre
goodlet st
Performance times Upstairs Theatre Tuesday 6.30pm Wednesday** to Friday 8pm Saturday 2pm & 8pm Sunday 5pm^ Downstairs Theatre Tuesday 7pm Wednesday to Friday 8.15pm Saturday 2.15pm & 8.15pm Sunday 5.15pm **Also Wednesday 2pm matinees for some plays (see calendar pp54-55). ^Sunday previews play at 6.30pm. Angels in America This show will not play on Tuesdays, and will play at 1pm & 7pm on Sundays. Home before dark If you like to be home before dark there are performances on Saturdays at 2pm and 2.15pm. There are also Wednesday matinees for some plays. If you want to see a show and be home earlier in the evening there are shows at 6.30pm and 7pm on Tuesdays, and 5pm and 5.15pm on Sundays.
Location and transport Belvoir St Theatre is in Surry Hills, a fiveminute walk from Central Station. Buses travel along Chalmers and Elizabeth Streets. For public transport information, call the Transport Infoline on 131 500 or visit 131500.com.au. Parking There is NO onsite parking, and limited timed parking is available on the streets around the theatre. We encourage you to use public transport.
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general information
Food and drink
Silver Spoon Caterers provide delicious pre-theatre meals from 90 minutes prior to each performance at Belvoir St Theatre. Wraps, panini and ice-cream are also available during the interval. Come early and enjoy your food with a drink from the Hal Bar. See our website for menus and wine lists. Belvoir also has several restaurant partners in Surry Hills who we recommend for pre- and post-show drinks and dining. Visit our website for dining information: belvoir.com.au/foodanddrink.
Unwaged Performances Sponsored by our Corporate Partner, Optus, we invite unwaged members of the community to attend one freeof-charge 2pm Thursday matinee performance of each Upstairs production in our season. Patrons must hold a Pensioner, Health Care or Veterans’ Affairs Card to claim a complimentary ticket. Seniors and Seniors Health Cards are not valid. Visit our Box Office in person from 12 noon on the day of the performance – see the calendar on pp54–55 for dates. Full information can be found on our website at belvoir.com.au/unwaged.
Accessibility At Belvoir St Theatre there is lift access to the foyer and theatre, a hearing loop in the Upstairs Theatre, and this year we have scheduled audio-described and captioned performances. If you have specific accessibility or seating requirements, please do not hesitate to contact our Box Office on 02 9699 3444. Further information about all our accessibility services can be found on our website at belvoir.com.au/accessibility.
Audio-described performance Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2pm Saturday 23 March Captioned performances Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2pm Saturday 30 March Miss Julie 2pm Saturday 28 September Hamlet 2pm Saturday 23 November
Programs
You can buy programs at Belvoir from the Box Office, the Hal Bar or you can preorder your programs when you subscribe and save. Some programs come with the full script included (Upstairs new works and adaptations) and our Downstairs programs are free. All programs come with biographies, headshots, rehearsal photos, writer and director notes and some contain extra articles and other content. Great value at only $6 (Upstairs) and $11 (Upstairs with script). Back issues for some productions are also available online at belvoir.com.au/programs.
Swearing, nudity and other bits
Some of our productions at Belvoir in 2013 may contain strong language, nudity, violence, smoking, strobe lighting, haze or other things you may find confronting or uncomfortable. If you are concerned about any of these please ask our Box Office staff about content when booking.
Tickets (non-subscription) General release tickets for each show go on sale at Belvoir throughout the year as the shows approach. On-sale dates are on our website (belvoir.com.au), on the relevant production pages. The grid below shows the non-subscription ticket prices. Remember: if you are a subscriber, you are entitled to purchase additional tickets at a discounted price for all Belvoir performances, so you can bring along family and friends. And when tickets go on general sale for shows throughout the year, as a subscriber you can purchase them one week before non-subscribers.
UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS
Full Price
$65
$45
Subscriber Discounted Rate
$58
$42
Seniors*/Industry/Groups (10 or more)
$55
$39
Concession†/Wednesday Matinee Groups (10 or more)
$45
$35
Previews $45 $35 Student RushII $29 $25 * Seniors prices are available with an eligible Seniors Card. †Concession prices are available to unemployed, pensioners and full-time students. If you are a senior, eligible for concession or want to join the 30-Down Club you must send photocopied proof with your booking form. II Student Rush available Tuesday 6.30pm and 7pm and Saturday 2pm and 2.15pm performances, from 10am on the day subject to availability. Please note: transaction fees may apply and prices may be subject to change.
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whatOptus Optusand andBelvoir Belvoirhave havebeen beendoing doing It’sIt’swhat togethersince since2006. 2006. together We’ve imagined a place where those who rarely have We’ve imagined a place where those who rarely have thethe opportunity enjoy theatre through unique ‘Charitable opportunity cancan enjoy theatre through ourour unique ‘Charitable Tickets’ and ‘Unwaged Performance Programs’ Tickets’ and ‘Unwaged Performance Programs’ . . Possible. It’sIt’s Possible.
Belvoir_Unwaged_Program_ART_M_0712.indd 1
23/07/12 10:47 AM
the balnaves foundation Supporting the presentation of Coranderrk and The Cake Man in 2013.
The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation that was established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves AO to provide support to charitable enterprises across Australia. It supports eligible organisations that aim to create a better Australia through education, medicine and the arts with a focus on young people, the disadvantaged and Indigenous communities. The Balnaves Foundation is funding Belvoir’s Indigenous theatre program from 2011 to 2013. Each year the Foundation provides the financial underpinning for Belvoir to present two Indigenous works, one in both the Upstairs and Downstairs Theatres. A range of access programs are attached to the productions, including an unwaged performance and schools matinees.
In addition, the Foundation is supporting a new playwriting award for three years from 2012. The Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award is a $20,000 award for the creation of a new play by an Indigenous playwright. Belvoir has a long history of working with Indigenous artists including writers, directors, designers and actors, and of portraying unique Indigenous stories. Under Artistic Director Ralph Myers we continue our commitment to presenting significant Indigenous works and engaging Indigenous artists at Belvoir in both our Upstairs and Downstairs Theatres. Belvoir extends our warmest thanks to The Balnaves Foundation for its ongoing support.
In 2011 The Balnaves Foundation supported the presentation of Jack Charles vs The Crown and Windmill Baby. In 2012 it supported Beautiful One Day and Don’t Take Your Love to Town. In 2013 the Foundation is supporting Coranderrk and The Cake Man.
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thanks to our sponsors Corporate Partner
IT Partner
Media Partners
Supporters
Indigenous Theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation
Major Sponsors
Associate Sponsors
BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATION
Besen Family Foundation Coca-Cola Australia Foundation Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Gandevia Foundation The Greatorex Foundation Johns N H Trust managed by Perpetual Linnell / Hughes Trust managed by Perpetual Media Tree Teen Spirit Charitable Foundation Thomas Creative
Event Sponsors Government Partners
Silver Spoon Caterers
Stays in the Vines
For more information on partnership opportunities please contact our Development Manager Retha Howard on 02 8396 6224 or email retha@belvoir.com.au
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thank you Our production partners Fraught Outfit, Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Racing Pulse Productions, Riverside, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company.
Racing Pulse Productions
Riverside is supported by Arts NSW and Parramatta City Council. Ilbijerri Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre are supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts Victoria. Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and the Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts. Angels in America Parts One and Two are presented by arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd London. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is presented through special arrangement with The University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. The Australian premiere of Persona was presented by Fraught Outfit in association with Theatre Works. Persona is presented by arrangement with Hal Leonard Australia Pty Ltd, on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd London. Translation provided by Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd. Small and Tired and This Heaven were written with the support of PlayWriting Australia. The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe is supported by STARTTS and the Sky Foundation. The 2013 season book and launch would not have been possible without the valued contribution of: Yarrie Bangura, Emily Barclay, Travis Cardona, Jack Charles, Brendan Cowell, Geraldine Hakewill, Lally Katz, Jacqueline McKenzie, Colin Moody, Luke Mullins, Robyn Nevin, Toby Schmitz, Karen Sibbing, Irma Woods, Meyne Wyatt, Ashley Zukerman. Art Gallery of NSW, Berkelouw Books, Patrick Brammall, Cellarmasters, Feast magazine, Griffin Theatre Company, Ewen Leslie, Love Supreme, Neil Merritt, Hamish Michael, Museum of Contemporary Art, Opera Australia, Gracie Otto, Palace Cinemas, Picket Studio, Porteùo, Stays in the Vines, Sydney Film Festival, The Devonshire, The Monthly magazine, Toby Truslove, Michael Vassili, Vini. Special thank you to the fabulous Alphabet Studio and the Belvoir Marketing team. Design Alphabet Studio Photography Gary Heery Image enhancement Electric Art Styling Mel Page Hair & make-up Naomi McFadden, Kylie O’Toole, Felicia Yong
Printer & mailing house immij The paper used in this book is derived from forests promoting sustainable management, and the cover stock is 100% recycled. 55
2013 season calendar upstairs theatre
peter pan
5 JAN – 10 FEB
Previews 5–6 January Opening night 9 January Wednesday matinee 16 January Unwaged performance 24 January Sunday Forum 3 February
cat on a hot tin roof 16 FEB – 7 APR Previews 16–17 February Opening night 20 February Audio-described performance 23 March Wednesday matinee 27 March Captioned performance 30 March Sunday Forum 31 March Unwaged performance 4 April
forget me not 20 APR – 19 MAY Previews 20–21 April Opening night 24 April Sunday Forum 12 May Unwaged performance 16 May
angels in america part one 28 May – 14 JulY part two 29 May – 14 JulY Previews 28–31 May Opening night 1 June Wednesday matinee (part one) 3 July Sunday Forum 7 July Unwaged performance (part one) 11 July 56
JANUARY M T W 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30
T F S S 3 4 5 6 10 11 12 13 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 31
FEBRUARY M T W T
F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 MARCH M T W
F 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 APRIL M T 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
T
S 2 9 16 23 30
S 3 10 17 24 31
W T F S S 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28
MAY M T
W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 JUNE M T W
T
F
S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
JULY M T 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
W T F S S 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28 31
AUGUST M T W
T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 SEPTEMBER M T W T 30 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26
F
S
S 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
OCTOBER M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NOVEMBER M T W T
F 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
S S 2 3 9 10 16 17 23 24 30
DECEMBER M T W T F S S 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 january M T W 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
2014 T F S S 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 30 31
persona 24 JULY – 18 AUG Previews 24–25 July Opening night 26 July Wednesday matinee 7 August Sunday Forum 11 August Unwaged performance 15 August
miss julie
24 AUG – 6 OCT
Previews 24–25 August Opening night 28 August Wednesday matinee 25 September Captioned performance 28 September Sunday Forum 29 September Unwaged performance 3 October
hamlet 12 OCT – 1 DEC Previews 12–13 October Opening night 16 October Wednesday matinee 20 November Captioned performance 23 November Sunday Forum 24 November Unwaged performance 28 November
coranderrk 7 DEC – 5 JAN 2014 Previews 7–8 December Opening night 11 December Sunday Forum 22 December Unwaged performance 2 January 2014
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2013 season calendar downstairs theatre
FEBRUARY M T W T
MARCH M T W
4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26
4 11 18 25
F S S 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 27 28
F 1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29
this heaven 7 FEB – 3 MAR Previews 7–8 February Opening night 9 February
AUGUST M T W
T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
T
S 2 9 16 23 30
S 3 10 17 24 31
APRIL M T 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
W T F S S 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28
stories i want to tell you in person 21 MAR – 14 APR Previews 21–22 March Opening night 23 March
SEPTEMBER M T W T 30 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26
F
S
S 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
OCTOBER M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
the baulkham hills african ladies troupe
small and tired
15 AUG – 8 SEP
Previews 26–27 September Opening night 28 September
Previews 15–16 August Opening night 17 August
NOVEMBER M T W T
F 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
S S 2 3 9 10 16 17 23 24 30
26 SEP – 20 OCT
DECEMBER M T W T F S S 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
the cake man 14 NOV – 8 DEC Previews 14–15 November Opening night 16 November Unwaged performance 5 December
18 & 25 Belvoir St Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia administration +61(2) 9698 3344 box office +61(2) 9699 3444 fax +61(2) 9319 3165 email mail@belvoir.com.au web belvoir.com.au cover Jacqueline McKenzie photographer Gary Heery
Corporate partner