Belvoir 2019 Season by Belvoir

BELVOIR 2019 SEASON

THE FUTURE KEEPS COMING

This season is a celebration of life in mad times. Our biggest show this year is also our biggest show ever – 16 actors from five countries. It’s so big we’ve had to take over Sydney Town Hall to put it on. Our smallest show has just one actor, but she can only tell the story with the help of about 50 other people. We’re introducing some new writers and directors this year – S. Shakthidharan, Jess Arthur, Yve Blake, Paige Rattray. Each of them is doing something brilliant and original.

decade of fascism – but it could just as well be from the last five years. The sum of it all, we hope, is a dose of invigoration and optimism. We defy augury!* The future keeps coming. Onwards.

Artistic Director, Belvoir

We’re welcoming back some greats – Neil Armfield, Andrew Bovell, Kate Mulvany, Colin Friels, Ursula Yovich, Tommy Murphy, Kate Champion… The stories we’re telling have all been written in the last five years, with one exception: Life of Galileo is from the 1930s, the

*Hopefully we defy it a little more successfully than Hamlet, whose line this is, and who ends up dead with his kingdom in ruins.

THE 2019 SEASON COUNTING AND CRACKING About Australia as a migrant nation.

THE WOLVES

About being stronger together.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING About how beautiful it is to be alive.

BARBARA AND THE CAMP DOGS About singing for your life.

WINYANBOGA YURRINGA About gathering to honour the past.

THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE About family.

LIFE OF GALILEO About truth and politics.

FANGIRLS

About being young, crazy and glorious.

PACKER AND SONS About power and Sydney.

THE MOTHER

8 Nadie

Co-produced with Co-Curious Co-commissioned by CIAF, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival

11 JANUARY — 2 FEBRUARY SYDNEY TOWN HALL

Presenting Partner Singapore Airlines

WORLD PREMIERE

Supported by Macquarie Group Foundation, Thyne Reid Foundation and Belvoir’s visionary Gamechangers

COUNTING &

CRACKING

Written by S. Shakthidharan Director Eamon Flack Set & Costume Designer Dale Ferguson Sound Designer & Composer Stefan Gregory Lighting Designer Damien Cooper

With Prakash Belawadi Nicholas Brown Jay Emmanual Rarriwuy Hick Nadie Kammallaweera Monica Kumar Gandhi MacIntyre

On the banks of the Georges River, Radha and her son Siddhartha release the ashes of Radha’s mother – their final connection to the past, to Sri Lanka and its struggles. Now they are free to embrace their lives in Australia. Then a phone call from Colombo brings the past spinning back to life, and we are plunged into an epic story of love and political strife, of home and exile, of parents and children. Counting and Cracking is a big new play about Australia like none we’ve seen before. This is life on a large canvas, so we are leaving Belvoir St and building a Sri Lankan town hall inside

Shiv Palekar Monroe Reimers Hazem Shammas Nipuni Sharada Vaishnavi Suryaprakash Sukania Venugopal

Sydney Town Hall. Sixteen actors play four generations of a family, from Colombo to Pendle Hill, in a story about Australia as a land of refuge, about Sri Lanka’s efforts to remain united, about reconciliation within families, across countries, across generations. We’ve done some big shows before – Cloudstreet, Angels in America. This is big too, but in a different way: it’s a new kind of Australian story. What makes it magnificent is its grand theatrical sweep, and its vision – deeply moving, compelling – necessary, of why we must never flag in the pursuit of an open society. 9

THE CARE TAKER

THE SON

Nipuni

Shiv

THE PATRIARCH THE IDEALIST

Vaishnavi

Prakash

2 F E B R UA RY — 3 M A R C H Written by Sarah DeLappe Director Jessica Arthur Set & Costume Designer Maya Keys Lighting Designer Veronique Benett Sound Designer Clemence Williams

With Brenna Harding Emma Harvie Sarah Meacham Sofia Nolan Michelle Ny

Cece Peters Zoe Terakes Nikita Waldron Nadia Zwecker

Produced by Red Line Productions Supported by The Hive

THE

WOLVES

A soccer team of teenagers – they’re close, they look out for each other. In an age where people are being driven to increasing isolation, these young women find strength and meaning in each other. As long as they play together, the violence, distrust and confusion off the field can be resisted. But this is just the warm up. The real game is about to come crashing into their lives.

deeper divisions. Life isn’t a game – but each player realises she’s part of a team, and never truly alone.

A beautiful, sophisticated play from New York, The Wolves presents a season in the lives of these young women. We see their anxieties, hear their secrets, watch them resolve their petty squabbles and

Finalist 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

This production burst into life at the Old Fitz in 2018. Seeing these nine young women at play – joyful, wild, dangerous – was exhilarating. Watching them grow up before your eyes was moving. We can’t wait to unleash their optimism and free-spiritedness on the Belvoir stage.

“The scary, exhilarating brightness of raw adolescence.” THE NEW YORK TIMES

ON YOUR OWN IT’S A DARK FOREST, AS A TEAM WE’RE WOLVES.

Sofia 11

9 — 31 MARCH Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Director Kate Champion Co-Director Steve Rodgers

With Kate Mulvany

Supported by the Nelson Meers Foundation

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Let’s start way back when. Mum’s depressed – she’s in a place so dark it’s confronting for a child, so her daughter starts compiling a list of every brilliant thing in life – a kid’s reasons to help mum keep going. Now it’s 20 years later and the kid’s grown up. But she’s still compiling her list. What started as a naïve way of getting through the day has become a profound truth – that the sublime can be found in the everyday. Every Brilliant Thing is a unique and beautiful play for a solo actor, who tells her story with the help of people in the audience. We’re rebuilding the Upstairs Theatre to bring the audience into a circle around the stage; at the centre, one of our great actors and storytellers – Kate Mulvany.

This gem of a show was designed to be uplifting, and it does it brilliantly. It is a pure celebration of life, played out in a simple, utterly surprising way. Heart-wrenching, playful, it’s perfect for Belvoir.

“One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression – and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop.” THE GUARDIAN

THESE ARE A FEW OF HER FAVOURITE THINGS .

Kate 13

4 — 28 APRIL Written by Ursula Yovich & Alana Valentine Director Leticia Cáceres Songs by Alana Valentine, Ursula Yovich & Adm Ventoura Set Designer Stephen Curtis Costume Designer Chloe Greaves Lighting Designer Karen Norris Sound Designer Steve Toulmin

With Troy Brady Elaine Crombie Ursula Yovich

Musicians Michelle Vincent Jessica Dunn Sorcha Albuquerque

Presented in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation

BARBARA

& THE CAMP DOGS

Yep, she’s back. Before embarking on a national tour, 2017’s smash hit returns to Belvoir for a special encore season.

Barbara blew the roof off Belvoir last year, and the demand from around the country has risen to a clamour – it had to come back. So if you missed it last time, here’s your chance. And if you were lucky enough to see it, well it’s just as good the second, third or fourth time around (we speak from experience). It’s important, it’s bloody well done, and it’s fiercely entertaining.

Part road story, part family drama, part political cry from the heart, Barbara and the Camp Dogs is a deeply personal play and high-octane rock gig all in one, featuring the powerhouse duo of Ursula Yovich and Elaine Crombie, and a very tight band keeping “This is a wonderfully stirring the night alive. show, funny and moving. It enriches the heart.” THE AUSTRALIAN

HHHH AUDREY JOURNAL 14

THEY WILL ROCK YOU .

Elaine, Ursula and Troy 15

WINYANBOGA

YURRINGA

16 Dubs, Roxanne and Angeline

4 — 2 6 M AY Written by Andrea James Director Anthea Williams Lighting Designer Verity Hampson

With Roxanne McDonald Angeline Penrith Dubs Yunupingu

Presented in association with Moogahlin Performing Arts Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation

On the bank of a great river, six Indigenous women gather: a community leader, a city girl, a niece with a bucketload of issues, a woman from a mission town, a park ranger, and the curator of a museum’s Indigenous unit. These women are connected by kinship, but their worlds are far apart, separated by space, opportunity, time…

SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES.

They think they’re together for a camping trip, a bit of fishing, a few yarns. But there’s important stuff amongst the hilarity. What it is to be safe. What it is to belong. Who owns stories. Where we’ve come from, and where we’re going. How do you reconnect with community, if you’ve been wrenched away? What hoops do you have to jump through? Inspired by the landmark TV series, Women of the Sun, Winyanboga Yurringa (Win-yan-boe-ga Yu-rring-ga) begins in familiar territory – a gathering, a return. But little by little the play rises to a sublime, surprising act of belonging and remembering. It’s beautiful. 17

FAMILY, LOVE AND WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER, TOLD BY NEIL ARMFIELD AND ANDREW BOVELL.

18 Tom and Tony

8 J U N E — 2 1 J U LY Written by Andrew Bovell Director Neil Armfield

Set Designer Stephen Curtis Costume Designer Tess Schofield Lighting Designer Damien Cooper

With Tony Martin Tom Hobbs Anna Lise Phillips

Supported by the Chair’s Circle

THINGS I KNOW

TO BE TRUE One year in the life of an Australian family. The Prices aren’t from the top end of town, but they’re not battlers either – Fran and Bob have brought up four children and kept their sense of humour. It should be time to stop and smell Bob’s precious roses. But just when things should be slowing down, the complicated lives of all four offspring come crashing through the brickveneer walls.

Neil Armfield is one of our greatest directors. His great theme is family. Andrew Bovell has written a great play about family. Belvoir St is the perfect stage to bring them together. We can’t wait.

With plate-dropping family revelations, love pangs, and the sweet pain of finding out the truth, Things I Know to be True is a beautifully crafted play from the ever-rewarding mind “An articulate, poetic of Andrew Bovell (Lantana, and poignant drama When the Rain Stops Falling, about the family circle.” The Secret River). THE TELEGRAPH UK

20 Colin

3 AU G U S T — 1 5 S E P T E M B E R Written by Bertolt Brecht Adapted by Tom Wright

Director Eamon Flack

With Colin Friels

Supported by the Nelson Meers Foundation

LIFE OF

GALILEO “They try to flay you with statistics, whip you with numbers, hide behind the tyranny of mathematics. But I say, nothing’s hidden. Open your eyes.” – Galileo Brecht’s classic play of individual liberty and political suppression hits the Belvoir stage with the redoubtable Colin Friels as the wily, pugnacious scientist. A portrait of a man who realises the entire system is based on lies – and of his backdown when the forces of money

and orthodoxy threaten him. Has Galileo betrayed science and the future? Or has he just found a more subtle way of speaking truth to power? This is a classic for good reason – every page has a provocative thought to it, and the drama is pitched perfectly. It’s also an invigorating guide for how to navigate the age of Trump/Brexit/Putin. At its heart is one of those roles that actors live for. Colin Friels has yearned his whole life to play this part. Don’t miss it.

TRUTH AND POWER IN AN AGE OF LIES. 21

1 2 O C TO B E R — 1 0 N OV E M B E R Book, music and lyrics by Yve Blake Director Paige Rattray

Vocal Arranger/ Music Director Alice Chance Music Producer/ Sound Designer David Muratore Dramaturg Jonathan Ware

With Yve Blake

A co-production with Queensland Theatre, Brisbane Festival in association with Australian Theatre for Young People Supported by The Group

FANGIRLS This is Edna. She’s 14, and she's in love with Harry. There's just one problem: Harry is in ‘True Connection’ - the biggest boyband in the world. When True Connection announce a tour stop in Edna’s city she realises this is her one chance to convince Harry of their destiny, and she’ll do anything – ANYTHING – in the name of true love… Fangirls is a thrilling new musical by a barnstorming young talent called Yve Blake. Proof that young women can do anything, Yve is also

playing Edna. She’s joined by a cast of new young faces with brilliant voices for a show that’s Beyoncé concert-meetsreligious revival, with a wicked sense of humour about love and other big feelings in the age of the internet.

This show is for anyone who’s ever been a fan. It’s especially for anyone who is or has ever been a girl with a screaming stadium of feelings inside them. It’s dreamy, wild, and hyperalive. We crawled over broken glass to bring it to Belvoir.

A W ILD N EW M U S ICAL AB O U T TE ENAG ER S,

AN D HO W PO WE RFU L TH EY TR ULY AR E.

Yve 23

1 6 N OV E M B E R — 2 2 D E C E M B E R WO R L D P R E M I E R E Written by Tommy Murphy Director Eamon Flack

With Supported by Australian Writers’ John Howard Guild’s David Williamson Prize Josh McConville John Gaden Brandon McClelland

THE SINS OF THE FATHERS SHALL BE VISITED UPON THE SONS. A battler at a Tasmanian racecourse finds ten shillings in the dirt. He puts it on a 12-1 long shot, and when it romps home he’s off to the mainland, and the Packer Dynasty is born. Fathers and sons across generations, through war, the Depression, technological change. The family myth grows with the influence, and each son feels the weight of time, of power. But now it’s the 21st century. Newspapers, magazines, broadcast TV – what are they? Now it’s time for entertainment through your phone. And back to laying bets on long shots. A deeply researched, muscular work from Tommy Murphy (Mark Colvin’s Kidney, Holding

the Man), Packer and Sons puts on stage the men who have loomed large over Sydney for nearly 100 years. Plotted around the transitions of power from father to son over four generations, this is a play about power and what it does to the men who wield it. Tommy writes real life like nobody else – complex dramatic portraits, a pitchperfect sense of the public interest in the private life. In other words, no one is better suited to write about the Packer line. This is about power in Sydney, and it’s about the age-old matter of what is passed on from fathers to sons. Robust and brilliant.

PACKER & SONS

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? COUNTING AND CRACKING This play is big, magnificent, ambitious, and a great labour of love. Its writer is S. Shakthidharan, who was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia as a kid. Shakthi has taken a decade to write it, working closely from the real stories of his community here in Australia and back in Sri Lanka. I first read it nearly six years ago and, since then, Shakthi and I have worked like fiends to bring it to life. The development of the show has taken us around Sri Lanka, to India, Singapore, Malaysia, the UK, and all over Australia. We have been helped along the way by strangers, by family, by people whose lives have uncannily mirrored Shakthi’s play; by a great assortment of arts organisations; by generous individuals; and yes, absolutely, by the public purse. The very fact the show is happening is beautiful in itself – the product of a grand coalition of people from different countries, different backgrounds, different lives. Why do we love it? Why have we given so much to it? It is a different kind of national story – a new national story about Australia as a migrant nation and a land of refuge. It’s also a story about Sri Lanka’s determination to remain united – and this story,

of battling against the politics of division and populism, has only become more urgent as we’ve worked on the play. Most of all it’s a story about family and belonging – as perhaps all good theatre is. Creating a community out of thin air. Imagining how we might all live together. What I love most is Shakthi’s vision of a society that includes all people from all walks of life. Without being misty-eyed or unrealistic, this play is driven by a great yearning for a better world. THE WOLVES I saw this show at the Old Fitz earlier this year and I loved the sheer vitality and energy of it. The cast was a revelation – batty, dangerous, free-spirited. The direction was alive and exact – Jess Arthur is a brilliant new talent. The play itself is simple at a first glance: a group of girls in a soccer team train together, revelling in their youth and freedom, and then reality comes crashing in. But its writer, Sarah DeLappe, has managed to explore a big question about how the generation that's coming of age now will handle the mess they are inheriting. It’s this mix of growing lives and big ideas that got the play named one of the top 25 American plays of the last 25 years in The New York Times. We’ve invited the Old Fitz/Red

Line production to Belvoir St in its entirety. It’s a celebration of life. It’s hopeful. It’s unexpectedly moving. EVERY BRILLIANT THING Every Brilliant Thing is just exquisite. It’s a solo show, except that its actor, Kate Mulvany, needs about 50 other people to help her tell the story. But before you worry about audience participation (I do!) rest assured, this is the most lovely version imaginable: nobody leaves their seat, you only have to help out if you’ve agreed to beforehand, and the most you’ll be asked to do is read something out, or perhaps give a name to a fictional dog. The show has been a hit all over the world, but we’re doing a new production specially for Belvoir. Kate Mulvany – storyteller, actor, writer – is perfect for the Narrator, and we’re turning our beloved threesided stage into an all-sided stage, with audience all around. Like Kate, this show’s dominant notes are generosity and humanity. It’s really a show about the wellsprings of creativity and happiness, about how to see the world afresh. It does this in the most wonderfully simple and yet inventive way. Look, you really have to see it, it’s beautiful.

BARBARA AND THE CAMP DOGS Ursula Yovich is a force of nature and Barbara and the Camp Dogs is Urs at her remarkable best – singer, actor, writer, modern songwoman. The show blew the roof off Belvoir in 2017 – Urs and Elaine at full bore, the story cutting from hilarity and silliness to terrible poignancy and weight, Troy’s 11th-hour appearance, the big standing ovations. We loved it and knew straight away that the story would open up again. Wonderfully, it’s also hitting the road for a national tour. The show was a collaboration between Urs, Alana Valentine and Adm Ventoura, but throughout its development it was Urs’s searching sense of truth that guided it. A discussion about a plot point or a character trait would bring up different ideas, different ways forward: Urs would listen quietly, frowning; she’d announce a different idea, deeply felt, strongly founded; the story would up again, and on it would go. There’s a lot of tough, deep reflection in this show, and a lot of love. WINYANBOGA YURRINGA Winyanboga Yurringa was originally commissioned by Belvoir nine years ago as part of an ambitious project to adapt Hyllus Maris and Sonia Borg’s Women of the Sun. Andrea has 27

been working on it in different permutations ever since, with the support of Moogahlin Performing Arts. There’s something new and exciting happening here; it’s a theatrically smart play where you think you understand where these remarkable women are coming from and then you realise their diversity and separation is much more imaginative and surprising than you first thought. It’s prepared to take on the knottiness of now, and like all good theatre, by the end you feel we’re in a different place, ready to take another step. THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE Andrew Bovell is a writer of genius – Speaking in Tongues, Lantana, the stage adaptation of The Secret River... He can turn a scene on a single line, release a whole undercurrent of life in one moment. Things I Know to be True is his newest play. It finds the beauty and scale of things inside the seeming ordinariness of our suburban lives. It premiered at State Theatre Company of South Australia two years ago and toured the UK twice. We’ve been waiting patiently for the chance to do our own production at Belvoir St. We’ve also been waiting patiently for the perfect play to bring Neil Armfield back. This is it: love, family, teapots, 28

pyjama pants, mortality – a glorious mix of life’s biggest and smallest things. LIFE OF GALILEO This is Brecht’s Hamlet – perhaps his richest human portrayal, a vision of what it means to be a thinking, feeling human being when the times are out of joint. He wrote it at a time of serious out-of-joint-ness, when the bizarre inhumanity of Nazism had become the reality of life in Europe. The weird historical shit we’re experiencing today isn’t the same as Nazism, but the claims on reality are just as absurd. This is a play about reality as truth, not reality as some madman’s fantasy, or some corporate convenience, or some political expedience. It is a play about how to think for ourselves. To my mind that makes it like water in a desert. And there is great beauty in this play; a love of thought, of learning, of knowledge. But above all, a love of humanity in spite of itself. FANGIRLS “A 13-year-old-girl told me she was so in love with Harry Styles that she’d slit someone’s throat to be with him. So I interviewed more than a hundred fangirls and started writing a musical inspired by what they told me.” – Yve Blake

I heard recordings of some early songs from the show about two years ago when it was being workshopped at Australian Theatre for Young People. They were catchy, unrestrained, a bit mad, and frankly brilliant. They were the brainchild of a young writer/comedian/performer, Yve Blake. Her show is about fandom, and it’s for anyone who’s ever been a fan, in this age or any (5 per cent of the Australian population saw Ed Sheeran on his last tour in 2017!). But it’s also about love and other big feelings in the age of the internet, which makes it a show for teenagers and parents. It fizzes because it’s very NEW, very NOW, but it’s driven by the same ancient, wild feelings all teenagers have ever had – only amplified. I love this show. We can’t wait to see it unleashed. PACKER AND SONS Tommy Murphy is the great dramatic portraitist of Australian theatre. Mark Colvin’s Kidney, Holding the Man – these were detailed, complex depictions, moving and beautifully dramatised. He also has a knack for picking subjects that reflect this city and this country. Here he turns to his largest canvas so far, and a succession of men who have, king-like, ruled an Australian

dynasty for nearly a century. From The Australian Women’s Weekly to Channel Nine to Crown Casino, the Packer fortunes and the national fortunes have been cheek-by-jowl for generations. Which makes this portrait of the Packers a portrait of Australia in the 20th century. But Tommy has taken the familiar outlines of this dynastic mythology and zoomed in on the moments when power passed from father to son. As one Packer declines, the next rises. It’s a naturally dramatic situation and it gives his play the heft of Shakespeare’s great history plays. The result is a brilliant game of power and inheritance – the heaviness of responsibility, the weight of the family name, unfinished business (did anyone say Nine/Fairfax?), death, hope, learning. At its centre is a complex, robust portrait of Kerry – part Falstaff, part King Lear, still echoing through the halls of Australian power today.

READY! SET! SUBSCRIBE! THE VERY BEST VALUE

LOVE IS ALL AROUND YOU

Buying a full season is the most cost-effective way to enjoy the best theatre in the country. Five-play packages start from just $297! Or even less if you're a concession card holder.

Bring your friends and family along with you, because subscribers are not only eligible for discounted single tickets, when single tickets go on sale, subscribers get first dibs, one week before non-subscribers. THE PERKS Belvoir subscribers get a range of exciting discounts from an assortment of places – from food, to wine, to books, to hotels, to movie tickets. Our subscribers can save hundreds of dollars throughout the year from our generous partners.

START AT THE FRONT OF THE QUEUE! By becoming a subscriber (or perhaps you’re renewing your subscription – if so, thanks for your continued loyalty) you’ll have peace of mind when it comes to securing your choice of the best available seats in the house.

Becoming a subscriber means a bevy of Belvoir benefits for the whole year! Exclusive privileges include flexibility, choosing your favourite seats in the house, and knowing that you’ll be seeing some of the best theatre on offer in 2019. Snap up a package of five plays or go a little crazy and lock in all nine!

FREEBIES We love rewarding our loyal subscribers with free stuff. So, if you were part of the subscription family in 2018 and have decided to go for seven or more plays in 2019, we’ll give you a free ticket to a play you’re seeing so you can introduce someone you love to the Belvoir experience.

DON’T PANIC. JUST SPREAD THE COST Belvoir has the subscription version of layby. We are happy for you to spread the cost of your subscription across three deferred payments when you book with a paper form and pay by credit card. See booking form for details.

30-DOWN

SWAPSIES Can’t attend your scheduled performance? No problems. We’ll happily exchange your ticket/s to another date in the season. And our Treasured Subscribers pay no exchange fees ever.

If you’re 30 or under, Belvoir makes coming to the theatre more affordable. Look at our 30-Down packages and you could be enjoying a full nineplay season for as little as $236! TIMING IS EVERYTHING We’ve introduced new performance times for 2019 including new weekday matinees at 1pm and 7.30pm weeknight performances to ensure we have the time and the package that’s right for you. 31

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE CHOOSE YOUR PLAYS SELECT YOUR PACKAGE BOOK ONLINE OR WITH A PAPER FORM ENJOY A YEAR OF GLORIOUS THEATRE

KEY DATES

MONDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2018 Belvoir’s 2019 Season launches! And subscription packages go on sale. THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018 – PRIORITY PERIOD Book your subscription by this date to go in the draw to win a trip for two to the Adelaide Festival for a whirlwind of great food, wine and performances. See the page opposite for more details. Plus, if you were a subscriber in 2018, resubscribe for seven plays or more by Thursday 1 November 2018 to receive a free ticket. TUESDAY 15 JANUARY 2019 Our first show of 2019 has its opening night at Sydney’s beautiful Town Hall. And what a cracker of a performance it promises to be, heralding the start of a year of exceptional theatre at Belvoir!

SUBSCRIBERS ARE WINNERS NO MATTER WHAT!

T H IS E N I G A M I

â&#x20AC;¦

Two return flights from Sydney to Adelaide, courtesy of Virgin Australia. Two nights at the Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury. Delicious breakfast served for you each morning. Two tickets to the star-studded opening night of Counting and Cracking at the Adelaide Festival. A backstage tour with a special guest guide. And two tickets to another surprise event at the Adelaide Festival. This could be you, plus one! SUBSCRIBE BEFORE 1 NOVEMBER 2018 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THIS FANTASTIC TRIP COURTESY OF OUR PARTNER ADINA AND OUR OFFICIAL AIRLINE PARTNER VIRGIN AUSTRALIA *This prize is non-transferable and valid for two adults subject to availability. All expenses other than those specified are the responsibility of the winner. NSW Permit Number: LTPS/18/26854

IT’S TIME TO CHOOSE YOUR PACKAGE Belvoir has always tried to make going to the theatre something that everyone can enjoy, no matter what your financial position. In terms of the best deal, the more plays you see, the more money you save. Seeing all nine plays is the most cost-efficient way to go, but there are still substantial savings to going with just eight-, seven-, six- or five-play packages. PRICE PER PLAY Because we know that everyone likes to see the dollar amount they’re saving, we’ve done the maths for you, rounding it down to the nearest dollar.

under. You can secure some nicely discounted seats for you and your friends. 30-Down subscribers can come to any performances except Saturday evenings and Sunday shows.

EXTRA TICKETS

PREVIEWS

Subscribers are welcome to add extra tickets to their package for any show – before they go on sale to the general public and at a discounted price!

Every production at Belvoir has at least one preview. Previews are your chance to get in ahead of everyone else and experience a show for the first time. Your reactions and your feedback can help chart the course of the overall production. The first one to three performances, leading up to opening night, are cheaper than the rest of the season. So if you are up for a bit of fluttering nerves and the occasional blip, this is the season package for you.

Find more information on pricing for additional tickets on page 45. 30-DOWN A lot of young people love going to the theatre but find that it is just too expensive. So, we have our 30-Down program for those theatre lovers who are 30 or

* Seniors prices are available with an eligible Australian Government-issued Seniors Card. † Concession prices are available with a full-time Australian student card, Centrelink Pensioner concession card, Veterans’ Affairs card, and to members of Actors Equity (MEAA). For a full list of applicable cards, please visit belvoir.com.au/visiting-belvoir/ ticket-prices/ ~ To join 30-Down, you must send proof of age with your booking. – Upload your concession cards via our website at belvoir.com.au/upload-concession-card/

REGULAR PACKAGE (Tue 6.30pm, Wed 6.30pm, Thu 7.30pm, Fri 7.30pm, Sat 2pm) ADULT Plays

CONCESSION† 30-DOWN~

SENIOR*

Package Per Package Per Package Per Price play Price play Price play

PREVIEW

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Per Package play Price

Per play

SAVE UP TO $196

9-play

$524

$58

$434

$48

$344

$38

$326

$36

$317

$35

8-play

$490

$61

$410

$51

$330

$41

$314

$39

$306

$38

7-play

$450

$64

$380

$54

$310

$44

$296

$42

$289

$41

6-play

$404

$67

$344

$57

$284

$47

$272

$45

$260

$43

5-play

$347

$69

$297

$59

$247

$49

$237

$47

$222

$44

WEEKEND EVENING PACKAGE (Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm) ADULT Plays

Package Price

SENIOR* Per Package play Price

CONCESSION† Per play

Package Price

Per play

STAY FLEXIBLE Choose a Regular, Weekend Evening or Midweek series of performances, or build a combo that suits you!

SAVE UP TO $196

9-play $569

$63

$479

$53

$389

$43

8-play $530

$66

$450

$56

$370

$46

7-play

$485

$69

$415

$59

$345

$49

6-play $434

$72

$374

$62

$314

$52

5-play $372

$74

$322

$64

$272

$54

MIDWEEK MATINEE PACKAGE (Thu 1pm) ADULT Plays

Package Price

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30-DOWN~

Per play

Package Price

Per play

Package Price

Per play

SENIOR* Per play

Package Price

NEW!

SAVE UP TO $196

9-play

$434

$48

$344

$38

$254

$28

$236

$26

8-play

$410

$51

$330

$41

$250

$31

$234

$29

7-play

$380

$54

$310

$44

$240

$34

$226

$32

6-play

$344

$57

$284

$47

$224

$37

$212

$35

5-play

$297

$59

$247

$49

$197

$39

$187

$37

IT’S TIME TO BOOK – – ONLINE OR ON PAPER ONLINE Our online booking system is quick and easy. We think it’s the best way to subscribe. You can choose your own seats from the couch at home. Go to belvoir.com.au/subscribe

ON PAPER You can book your subscription with the form that comes with every season book. You can get your paper form to us a few different ways… Scan or take a photo* and email the booking form to: mail@belvoir.com.au *If emailing a photo, please send the attachment as large or actual size so we can see what you want! Mail your completed form to: Belvoir Season 2019 18 Belvoir Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Drop your form to one of our lovely staff at Box Office. See page 39 for opening times.

DON’T FORGET! If you are a concession card holder, or under 30, don’t forget to include your proof of concession. You can upload your proof of concession via our website at belvoir.com.au/ upload-concession-card/ WHAT ELSE? There are a few things worth knowing before you send in your subscription…

LET’S SIT TOGETHER

FIRST IN, BEST SEATED

Do you have friends who are also subscribing this year? Even if you’re paying separately but want to sit together, you can book together online and choose seats that are next to one another. If you’re using the paper form, just send in your forms together and nominate a contact captain for your group.

All subscriptions are processed in order of receipt. Of course, ordering online is the quickest way to go. But if you subscribe via the paper form, make sure you send it in ASAP.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP Let us know your performance date preferences, and we can choose the best available dates and seats for you. It’s our pleasure! PREVIEWS & OPENING NIGHTS The first one to three performances of every show are Previews. See page 43-45 for more details. Opening nights are by invitation only and are not available as part of your subscription package.

DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND? All subscribers can exchange tickets for free 48 hours before your booked performance. This applies to your first exchange for each play only and is subject to availability. Any further ticket exchanges may incur a fee, payable at time of exchange. Treasured Subscribers are exempt from fees.

LOYALTY = ROYALTY! We treasure our loyal supporters. Belvoir recognises those patrons who have been subscribers for four or more consecutive years. Our three-tiered Loyalty program is:

TREASURED SUBSCRIBERS

DEVOTED SUBSCRIBERS

LOYAL SUBSCRIBERS

10 or more consecutive years

7–9 consecutive years

4–6 consecutive years

If you have become part of the Loyalty program this year, congratulations! And if you’ve moved up into a new level of loyalty, super congratulations. Here’s what our Loyalty Royalty receives: • invitations to special Belvoir events throughout the year • a 2019 Belvoir Season key ring • $2 discount on wine, beer and glasses of post-mix soft drink when you flash your loyalty key ring at the Hal Bar in the foyer of the Theatre.

PLUS! Treasured Subscribers are entitled to unlimited fee-free ticket exchanges. DO YOU LIKE RELAXING AND DRINKING WINE? As one of our loyal supporters, why not introduce a new subscriber to Belvoir – friend, family member, someone you work with… By welcoming another person to the Belvoir family, you will go in the draw to win a three-night midweek stay at one of Hunter Valley Holiday Homes' unique country houses. Your choice is Bonn Abbey, Elderslie House or Nulkaba House in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine country for up to 12 guests. Prize includes 12 bottles of premium Hunter Valley wine. Cheers! NSW Permit Number: LTPS/18/26852 38

HANDY HINTS BOX OFFICE We have two Box Office locations: Belvoir St Theatre, 25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills Administration Warehouse, 18 Belvoir St (cnr Elizabeth St), Surry Hills Box Office hours (if it’s after 5pm on the day of a performance, the Box Office will be open at the Theatre, Tuesday – Friday) Monday 9.30am – 5pm Tuesday & Wednesday 9.30am – 6.30pm Thursday & Friday 9.30am – 7.30pm Saturday 11.30am – 7.30pm Sunday 2.30pm – 5pm These hours are subject to change during non-performance periods and on public holidays. Phone bookings close one hour prior to performance times.

PERFORMANCE TIMES

YOU ASKED,

Standard performance times are: WE LISTENED, Tuesday & Wednesday 6.30pm NEW 7.30pm (Preview performances 7.30pm) PERFORMANCE PLUS Thursday matinee 1pm TIMES! OUR NEW THURSDAY Thursday & Friday 7.30pm 1pm Saturday 2pm & 7.30pm MATINEES! Sunday 5pm (Sunday previews are 6.30pm)

ACCESSIBILITY AT BELVOIR We’re committed to providing everyone who visits our theatre with the same experience regardless of age or ability. The theatre has lift access, a hearing loop, and we offer mobile-captioned performances. With advance notice, we can accommodate a range of individual needs. It’s strongly encouraged that patrons notify staff of individual needs at the time of booking. For the list of 2019 captioned performances, please visit belvoir.com.au/visiting-belvoir/accessibility/ or contact the Box Office on 02 9699 3444.

PROGRAMS Theatre is an ephemeral thing – and once it’s over all you have left to remember it by is your program! Preorder them at a discounted price when you subscribe – and you can save up to $7 per program. Vouchers will be sent with your tickets. You can also buy programs over the counter at the Box Office and the Hal Bar. All programs feature writer and director notes, artist biographies, rehearsal photos, and some even include the full script.

PODCAST Everyone likes a good podcast, yes? Guess what? We produce a podcast for almost all our shows. Our Belvoir Podcast features interviews with the cast and creative team and a glimpse inside the creative process and is an excellent way to find out what a show’s about, who’s making it, and other bits of exclusive trivia. Have a listen to podcasts past and present at belvoir.com.au/podcast

WARNINGS Occasionally some of our productions contain strong language, nudity, violence, smoking, strobe lighting, haze or other things you may find confronting or uncomfortable. We put up warning signs in the foyer, as well as ensuring this information is passed on to ticketholders in advance of the show. If you have any concerns, please check with our Box Office staff.

SPECIAL SHOWS, SPECIAL SEATS For Every Brilliant Thing we’re building a very special seating formation, and Counting and Cracking is going to a magically transformed Sydney Town Hall. Stay tuned for more info.

TICKETS (NON-SUBSCRIPTION) Our general release tickets for each show go on sale throughout the year as the play approaches. On-sale dates can be found on individual production pages on our website and we promote the dates that single tickets go on sale. This year, we are introducing scaled ticket pricing for single tickets depending on where you sit in the theatre. If you’re sitting to the far right or left, tickets are slightly cheaper than if you’re sitting smack bang in the middle. For more details, please look at the seating plan below. This does not affect subscription packages, as they are already heavily discounted. All subscribers can also buy additional tickets NOW with your season bookings, and when tickets go on general sale, you can purchase more single tickets one week before anyone else. Please be aware that ticket prices are subject to change and can go either up or down in price, based on demand, and without notice. Please contact the Box Office for up-to-date prices as each show goes on sale. CENTRE

CENTRE BANK

LEFT BANK

RIGHT BANK STAGE

LEFT/RIGHT

Weekday + Sat Mat

Weekend evenings

Weekday Matinee

Weekday + Sat Mat

Weekend evenings

Weekday Matinee

Full Price (Adult)

$80

$85

$70

$75

$80

$65

Mates Rates (Adult)

$70

$75

$60

$70

$75

$60

Senior*

$70

$75

$60

$65

$70

$55

Concession†

$60

$65

$50

$55

$60

$45

30-Down~

$58

$48

$53

Previews

$54

Student Saver

$45

$54

$49 $35

$40

$43 $49 $30

For a full list of concession terms (* † ~ ) see page 34 *The prices above are for Belvoir St Theatre only and exclude Counting and Cracking at Sydney Town Hall. Please see the booking form or belvoir.com.au/subscribe for more details. 41

WANT MORE?

DIRECT FROM THE ARTISTS Belvoir Briefings and Artist Q&As are your chance to hear directly from the artists about every show. For each production, the briefing is your chance to hear from the creative team during the rehearsal period and in our Artist Q&As just stay in your seat after the show to hear direct from the actors about what it’s like working on that play.

The Wolves Briefing – Thu 24 Jan Q&A – Tue 12 Feb

Things I Know To Be True Briefing – Thu 30 May Q&A – Tue 25 Jun

Every Brilliant Thing Briefing – Thu 28 Feb Q&A – Tue 19 Mar

Life of Galileo Briefing- Thu 25 Jul Q&A – Tue 20 Aug

Barbara and the Camp Dogs Briefing – Tue 2 April Q&A – Tue 16 Apr

Fangirls Briefing – Tue 8 Oct Q&A – Tue 22 Oct

Winyanboga Yurringa Briefing – Fri 26 April Q&A – Tue 14 May

Packer and Sons Briefing – Thu 7 Nov Q&A – Tue 26 Nov

2019 SEASON COUNTING AND CRACKING 11 JAN – 2 FEB

MON

TUE

SYDNEY TOWN HALL

WED

15 7PM 7PM PREVIEW OPENING

THU

FRI

S AT

SUN

11 7PM PREVIEW

12 7PM PREVIEW

17 1PM & 7PM

18 7PM

19 1PM & 7PM

20 1PM 27 1PM

22 7PM

23 7PM

24 1PM & 7PM

25 7PM

26 1PM & 7PM

29 7PM

30 7PM

31 1PM & 7PM

THE WOLVES MON

TUE

WED

7PM

2 FEB – 3 MAR

THU

FRI

S AT

2 4

6 7.30PM OPENING

12 6.30PM

13 6.30PM

14 1PM & 7.30PM

19 6.30PM Q&A

20 6.30PM

26 6.30PM

27 11.30AM ED 28 7.30PM & 6.30PM

7.30PM PREVIEW

TUE

WED

7.30PM PREVIEW

SUN

6.30PM PREVIEW

8 7.30PM

9 2PM & 7.30PM

10 5PM

15 7.30PM

16 2PM & 7.30PM

17 5PM

21 1PM UNWAGED 22 7.30PM & 7.30PM

23 2PM & 7.30PM

24 5PM

7.30PM

EVERY BRILLIANT THING MON

1PM & 7PM

THU

FRI

2PM & 7.30PM

5PM

9 – 31 MAR S AT

SUN

9 7.30PM PREVIEW

10 6.30PM PREVIEW

12 7.30PM PREVIEW

13 7.30PM OPENING

14 7.30PM

15 7.30PM

16 2PM & 7.30PM

17 5PM

19 6.30PM Q&A

20 6.30PM

21 1PM & 7.30PM

22 7.30PM

23 2PM & 7.30PM

24 5PM

26 6.30PM

27 11.30AM ED & 6.30PM

28 7.30PM

29 7.30PM

30 2PM & 7.30PM

31 5PM

2019 SEASON CONTINUED BARBARA AND THE CAMP DOGS MON

TUE

WED

THU

7.30PM PREVIEW

FRI

7.30PM OPENING

4 – 28 APR

S AT

SUN

6 7.30PM

5PM

9 6.30PM

10 11.30AM ED & 6.30PM

11 7.30PM

12 7.30PM

13 2PM & 7.30PM

14 5PM

16 6.30PM Q&A

18 1PM & 7.30PM

20 7.30PM

21 5PM

23 6.30PM

24 6.30PM

25 7.30PM

26 7.30PM

27 2PM & 7.30PM

28 5PM

6.30PM

WINYANBOGA YURRINGA MON

TUE

WED

THU

4 – 26 MAY

FRI

S AT

4 6

14 6.30PM Q&A

21 6.30PM

7.30PM PREVIEW

SUN

6.30PM PREVIEW

9 7.30PM

10 7.30PM

11 2PM & 7.30PM

12 5PM

15 6.30PM

16 1PM & 7.30PM

17 7.30PM

18 2PM & 7.30PM

19 5PM

22 6.30PM

23 11.30AM ED & 7.30PM

24 7.30PM

25 2PM & 7.30PM

26 5PM

7.30PM OPENING

THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE MON

7.30PM PREVIEW

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

S AT

8 10

12 7.30PM 7.30PM PREVIEW OPENING

6.30PM

8 JUN – 21 JUL 7.30PM PREVIEW

SUN

9 6.30PM PREVIEW

13 7.30PM

14 7.30PM

15 2PM & 7.30PM

16 5PM

19 11.30AM ED 6.30PM

20 7.30PM

21 7.30PM

22 2PM & 7.30PM

23 5PM

6.30PM

26 6.30PM

27 1PM & 7.30PM

28 7.30PM

29 2PM & 7.30PM

30 5PM

6.30PM

7.30PM

6 2PM & 7.30PM

6.30PM

10 6.30PM

11 1PM & 7.30PM

12 7.30PM

13 2PM & 7.30PM

14 5PM

6.30PM

17 6.30PM

18 1PM UNWAGED 19 7.30PM & 7.30PM

20 2PM & 7.30PM

21 5PM

6.30PM

1PM & 7.30PM

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES

5PM

2019 SEASON LIFE OF GALILEO MON

TUE

WED

3 AUG – 15 SEP

THU

FRI

S AT

3 5

6 7.30PM PREVIEW

13 6.30PM

SUN

6.30PM PREVIEW

7.30PM

9 7.30PM

10 2PM & 7.30PM

11 5PM

14 11.30AM ED & 6.30PM

15 7.30PM

16 7.30PM

17 2PM & 7.30PM

18 5PM

20 6.30PM Q&A

21 6.30PM

22 1PM & 7.30PM

23 7.30PM

24 2PM & 7.30PM

25 5PM

27 6.30PM

28 6.30PM

29 1PM & 7.30PM

30 7.30PM

31 2PM & 7.30PM

5PM

10 6.30PM

6.30PM

7.30PM OPENING

6.30PM

11 11.30AM ED & 6.30PM

7.30PM PREVIEW

UNWAGED 1PM 6 7.30PM & 7.30PM

12 7.30PM

FANGIRLS MON

TUE

WED

13 7.30PM

2PM & 7.30PM

14 2PM & 7.30PM

15 5PM

12 OCT – 10 NOV

THU

FRI

S AT

SUN

12 7.30PM PREVIEW

13 6.30PM PREVIEW

15 7.30PM PREVIEW

16 7.30PM OPENING

17 7.30PM

18 7.30PM

19 2PM & 7.30PM

20 5PM

22 6.30PM Q&A

23 6.30PM

24 UNWAGED 1PM & 7.30PM

25 7.30PM

26 2PM & 7.30PM

27 5PM

29 6.30PM

30 11.30AM ED & 7.30PM

31 7.30PM

7.30PM

6 6.30PM

7.30PM

9 2PM & 7.30PM

6.30PM

1PM & 7.30PM

PACKER AND SONS MON

TUE

WED

THU

2PM & 7.30PM

5PM

10 5PM

16 NOV – 22 DEC FRI

S AT

SUN

16 7.30PM PREVIEW

17 6.30PM PREVIEW

19 7.30PM PREVIEW

20 7.30PM OPENING

21 7.30PM

22 7.30PM

23 2PM & 7.30PM

24 5PM

26 6.30PM Q&A

27 6.30PM

28 1PM & 7.30PM

29 7.30PM

30 2PM & 7.30PM

5PM

UNWAGED 1PM & 7.30PM

6 7.30PM

5PM

10 6.30PM

11 6.30PM

12 1PM & 7.30PM

13 7.30PM

14 2PM & 7.30PM 15 5PM

17 6.30PM

18 6.30PM

19 1PM & 7.30PM

20 7.30PM

21 2PM & 7.30PM

6.30PM

2PM & 7.30PM

22 5PM

THE BALNAVES FOUNDATION The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation, established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves AO to support 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 Australia. Each year, The Balnaves Foundation provides the financial underpinning for Belvoir to present two Indigenous works, and contributes to a range of access programs that are attached to the productions, including an unwaged performance and schools’ matinee. Since 2011, The Balnaves Foundation has supported our productions of My Name is Jimi, My Urrwai, The Drover’s Wife, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, Which Way Home, Title and Deed, Jack Charles vs The Crown, Windmill Baby, Beautiful One Day, Don’t Take Your Love to Town, The Cake Man, Coranderrk, 20 Questions, Brothers Wreck, Radiance and Kill the Messenger. In 2019, the Foundation will support Winyanboga Yurringa and the return of Barbara and the Camp Dogs.

Now in its seventh year, The Balnaves Award is taking an exciting new shape, becoming a Fellowship that sees the winner given the opportunity to work at Belvoir in 2019 as a resident artist and receive $25,000 over a year-long period to create their new work. The Fellowship will broaden to encompass directors, playwrights and writer/directors who can drive the creation of a new, Indigenous-led stage work, whether that be a new play, an adaptation or through a devised process. Under Artistic Director Eamon Flack, we continue our commitment to presenting significant Indigenous works and engaging Indigenous artists at Belvoir. Our warmest thanks to The Balnaves Foundation for its ongoing support.

BEING A B KEEPER... Belvoir has a very loyal and generous group of supporters called the B Keepers. They are part of the fabric that holds Belvoir together. Chris and Bob are B Keepers. They’ve been B Keepers for over ten years. They wanted to tell you about being a B Keeper. BOB: We love the foyer and the people that we talk to while we’re there. You can always find somebody on the same wavelength as you. CHRIS: We feel like we’re a part of the family, the Belvoir family – we meet the people behind the scenes, other B Keepers, and even the artists straight off the stage. It’s a wonderful feeling. BOB: Belvoir keeps doing something new. And Eamon [Flack] has an amazing understanding of the world and he presents it to us on our stage. CHRIS & BOB: Being a B Keeper is so rewarding. Art in all its facets needs support, and is immensely valuable and essential to society. Whatever you can do to help preserve it is worthwhile. It’s so much more than just writing a cheque. To find out how to become a Belvoir B Keeper, or to learn more about supporting Belvoir, visit belvoir.com.au/support, or email development@belvoir.com.au, or call 02 8396 6209.

BELVOIR SUPPORTERS Our patrons, supporters and friends are right there behind us, backing Belvoir in bringing to life the great old theatrical crafts of acting and storytelling. Thank you. KEY SUPPORTER Indigenous theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation

TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS

AMP Foundation Andrew Cameron Family Foundation Copyright Agency Cultural Fund Gandevia Foundation The Greatorex Foundation

Macquarie Group Foundation Nelson Meers Foundation Teen Spirit Charitable Foundation Thyne Reid Foundation Walking Up The Hill Foundation

BELVOIR DONORS While you’re considering which subscription package is right for you this year, can we borrow a moment of your time? Our supporters make what we do possible. It’s more than a gift. It’s a vote of confidence in the work we do, the stories we tell, the artists, young people, school students and disadvantaged people we encourage, and importantly the

world we create on the side street of Surry Hills. Every bit, big and small allows us to continue our mission of bringing playful, authentic and powerful storytelling to the stage and ensuring that it’s accessible to as many people as possible. Speaking simply the work we do is impossible without you!

To make a donation or for more information on supporting Belvoir, please contact our Development Team on development@belvoir.com.au or on 02 8396 6209.

BELVOIR PARTNERS GOVERNMENT PARTNERS

YOUTH & EDUCATION PARTNER

MAJOR PARTNERS

ASSOCIATE PARTNERS

MEDIA PARTNERS

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

PRODUCTION PARTNERS

IT PARTNER

NCC Network Computing & Consulting

EVENT PARTNERS

LIFE AT BELVOIR BELVOIR ST THEATRE

UNWAGED

Belvoir is a theatre company on a side street in Surry Hills, Sydney. Our building has been, at various times, a garage, a sauce factory, and the Nimrod Theatre. When the theatre was threatened with redevelopment in 1984, the community joined together, bought the building and saved the theatre. More than 30 years later, Belvoir St Theatre continues to be home to one of Australia’s most celebrated theatre companies and home for the great old crafts of acting and storytelling in Australian theatre.

A core belief at Belvoir is that theatre should be for everyone. So 25 years ago we started a community access program, which provides opportunities for audiences to see our work, regardless of economic status, age or geographic location. Our unwaged performances still continue today. For more info visit: belvoir.com.au/about/communityaccess-program/

BELVOIR ST ON THE ROAD Each year Belvoir takes one or more of our shows to nearby and far flung places to share the magic of our theatre making. In 2019 Barbara and the Camp Dogs will hit the road north, south and west. Our energetic Education team also ensures that regional students don’t miss out, taking artist-led workshops to them as well as bringing their teachers and them together to share our performances.

THE HAL BAR The Hal Bar isn’t just a bar but a meeting place for artists, audience members, Belvoir staff, family and friends. We’ve hosted wakes and parties here. Danced, cried and laughed. Grab some great food and drinks before or after a show. Chat and reminisce with new and old buddies. You may even meet your future spouse here, as some of our subscribers have!

EDUCATION

25A

Every year Belvoir’s Education program reaches thousands of school students and young people throughout NSW and sometimes further afield. We’ve been doing this for over 15 years – inspiring and motivating our future leaders, providing support for resource strapped teachers, removing obstacles to students experiencing and enjoying theatre, building the self-esteem of marginalised young people, giving an opportunity to work with us. We can only do this with your support. For more info contact the Belvoir Education team or check out belvoir.com.au/ education

Making theatre isn’t cheap and many emerging artists just can’t afford it. The 25A challenge is to produce the most essential theatre while celebrating acting, storytelling and community for $1500 or less, which includes the set, costumes, and marketing. We provide our rehearsal spaces and Downstairs Theatre free of charge and the artists get 100 per cent of the box office. You only pay $25 to see a 25A show. It’s a bargain night at the theatre that makes you feel optimistic! Check it out at belvoir.com.au/25a FELLOWSHIPS Andrew Cameron and The Balnaves Foundation have created opportunities for developing artists to work at Belvoir and grow in their craft, supported by the environment of a working theatre company. These generous gifts allow for an Indigenous artist and a young artist to mature into great artists.

THANK YOU OUR PRODUCTION PARTNERS Co-Curious, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Festival, Red Line Productions, Moogahlin Performing Arts, Vicki Gordon Music Productions, Queensland Theatre, Australian Theatre for Young People, Australian Writers’ Guild David Williamson Prize. Counting and Cracking has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc., Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival

Launching a season takes a village, and our thanks go out to everyone who contributed this year. Adina Apartment Hotels, Aaron Beach, Yve Blake, Paul Clark, Coopers, Emma-Lee Court, Julieanne Campbell, Andrew Dillon, Sue Donnelly, Belinda Dyer, Eamon Flack, Colin Friels, Tanya Ginori-Cairns, Amy Goodhew, Kseniia Grishilova, Tom Hobbs, Mat Hornby, Isabel Hudson, Hunter Valley Holiday Homes, Tim Kliendienst, Corey London, Baker McKenzie, Tony Martin, Jo Maunder, Roxanne McDonald, Dom Mercer, Shiv Palekar, Anastasia Pappas, Angeline Penrith, Belinda Rabe, Archie Rose, Jack Saltmiras, S. Shakthidharan, Hilary Shrubb, Vaishnavi Suryaprakesh, Krista Tanuwibawa, Virgin Australia, Handpicked Wines, Vanessa Wright, Tom Wright, Dubs Yunupingu.

Our eternal love and gratitude go to the very patient artists at Alphabet Studio and the remarkable Daniel Boud. The Belvoir staff are a truly special group of people, thank you to each and every one of them for the blood, sweat and tears. Belvoir is proud to be a member of the Australian Major Performing Arts Group (AMPAG) Design Alphabet Studio Photography All play images by Daniel Boud except: Counting and Cracking Nadie and Nipuni – Malith Hegoda Asha Thadani – Prakash The Wolves – John Marmaras Barbara and the Camp Dogs – Brett Boardman Packer and Sons – Peter Morris / Fairfax Syndication Printer Special T Print

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