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If you’re going to tell people the truth, you’d better make them laugh. otherwise they’ll kill you. George Bernard Shaw
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2012 Season
BURIED city I’m YOUR MAN Thyestes BABYTEETH EVERY BREATH FOOD STRANGE INTERLUDE OLD MAN DEATH OF A SALESMAN CONVERSATION PIECE PRIVATE LIVES MEDEA BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY don’t take your love to town
The theatre is the only institution in the world which has been dying for four thousand years and has never succumbed. John Steinbeck
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Contents
Ralph’s Message
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CARRIAGEWORKS Thyestes 10
Upstairs Buried City 12 Babyteeth 14 Every Breath 16 Strange Interlude 18 Death of a Salesman 20 Conversation Piece 22 Private Lives 24 Beautiful One Day 26
Downstairs I’m Your Man 30 Food 32 Old Man 34 Medea 36 Don’t Take Your Love to Town 38 Sunday Forum
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Subscribe 41 Belvoir Loyalty Program & 30-Down Club 43 How to Book 44 Prizes for Early Subscribers 46 Single Tickets 47 General Information 48 Thank You 52 2012 Season Calendar 54 Subscription Booking Form
Dear Friends,
When I sat down to write a note for our season book at this time last year, I really had no idea what lay ahead of us. To tell the truth we were making it up as we went along – programming the season by gut instinct, bluffing our way through. Now, as I write, we have just passed the halfway point in that first season. Already six shows have come and gone, and two more are currently playing. I cannot tell you how pleasurable it is to see a production come to life, to watch something that began as an idea in the mind of a playwright or a director be played out by living breathing people on one of our stages. But it is also sad; theatre is the most ephemeral of art forms, and those six shows are now just memories living in the minds of those of us who were lucky enough to see them. I’ll never forget Ewen Leslie’s devastating realisation that Hedvig is not his natural daughter in Simon Stone’s beautiful The Wild Duck. Or Emily Barclay’s breakfast of vodka and cornflakes in Benedict Andrews’ The Seagull. Or Robyn Nevin’s extraordinary embodiment of Ana in Lally Katz’s touching and original Neighbourhood Watch. But unlike a great film or a beautiful painting there is no way of revisiting those moments. They were the fleeting confluence of those particular actors on that particular stage saying those particular lines at that particular time. Like life, theatre must be enjoyed in the moment, because there is no going back. I’m enormously pleased that audiences have responded so enthusiastically to the 2011 Season so far. Several of our 66
shows virtually sold out to subscribers before they went on sale to the general public, and others just after they had opened. Hopefully you’ll all like our 2012 Season just as much. If so, buying a subscription may be the only way to guarantee that you’ll get a chance to see our shows. So, to 2012. We’ve kept our recipe intact: a mix of new plays by exciting local playwrights and classic plays re-imagined by the best and most original directors we could find. I’m excited about each and every one of the 14 projects. Programming a season is a ruthless process: we gather ideas and dreams from dozens of the country’s finest theatre-makers and then begin the painful process of culling that list down to fit into the time and space that we have in the year. Some beautiful ideas end up on the cutting room floor, but what remains, the season we present to you here in this book, are the most thrilling, the most original, and the most exciting projects that we could find. All bundled up into a delicious season, just for your dining pleasure. See you at the theatre, I hope. Ralph Myers ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PS. I must add one thank you: led by my partner-in-crime General Manager Brenna Hobson is the most dedicated, passionate and hardworking team imaginable. You may not see them on stage, but what you do see certainly would never happen without them. Thanks, team.
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RALPH
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upstairs
Thyestes 15 january – 19 february at CARRIAGEWORKS
It is the most infamous of all the ancients – the story of the deposed king whose sons were slaughtered and served to him by his brother in a feast.
groundbreaking – gentle, disturbing, funny, beautiful and chilling in 90 minutes. Sydney Festival and Belvoir head to CarriageWorks with this dangerously smart excavation of our ancient urges towards love and destruction.
The Hayloft Project stunned audiences with this brilliant re-imagining at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre in 2010. Thyestes contains nudity, strong sexual Their starting point: THESE MYTHS ARE themes, violent references and very REAL. The action of the show, much like coarse language. It is not recommended our lives, takes place in the banalities and for people under 18. ordinarinesses between atrocities. A masterpiece of writing, a triumph Featuring three extraordinary of staging, and a sublime act of performances, the result is truly performance. The Age
Co-Written & Directed by SIMON STONE after SENECA Co-Writers THOMAS HENNING, CHRIS RYAN, MARK WINTER Set & Costume Designer CLAUDE MARCOS Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY Lighting Designer GOVIN RUBEN Dramaturg ANNE-LOUISE SARKS With THOMAS HENNING, CHRIS RYAN, MARK WINTER
Presented by Belvoir and Sydney Festival in association with CarriageWorks. Originally created by The Hayloft Project. A Malthouse Melbourne Commission. This production will be staged at CarriageWorks, not Belvoir St Theatre. 10 10
MARK
BURIED city 6 JANUARY – 5 FEBRUARY
Belvoir and the acclaimed Urban Theatre Projects (UTP) have joined forces for this big-picture show about a city and society redefining itself. Late one night in the gutted façade of a building primed for redevelopment, a group of security workers, labourers, and a local teenager find themselves haunting the same territory. One by one they rule a line in the sand, and by dawn they’re set for a showdown over who builds the future and who gets to own it. Buried City is an ambitious new work about ever-changing cities like, well, Sydney – where waves of immigrants
make new lives on old land. Director Alicia Talbot’s investigation of real-time action and filmic panorama continues in this special collaboration between Belvoir and Bankstown-based UTP. The work is being made in consultation with the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and their Retired Members Association, African Women Australia Inc and Gadigal Information Service Aboriginal Corporation. The troubadour of Redfern-Waterloo Perry Keyes makes his theatrical debut in this surprising show about the kindness of strangers and the brutality of old friends.
By Raimondo Cortese Original Concept & Director Alicia Talbot Set Designer Mirabelle Wouters Singer-Songwriter Perry Keyes Sound Designer Paul Prestipino Choreographer Kathy Cogill UTP Executive Producer Michelle Kotevski Community Liaison Annie Winter Co-Devisors & Performers Valerie Berry, Perry Keyes, Colin Moody, Effie Nkrumah, Hazem Shammas, Meyne Wyatt
A co-production with Urban Theatre Projects and Sydney Festival. This work was first developed through a commission from Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada. 12 12
PERRY
BABYTEETH 11 february – 18 march
Time for a comedy – a mad, gorgeous, bittersweet comedy about how good it is not to be dead yet. A group of more or less ordinary Sydneysiders go about their lives: Anna makes toast, Henry dresses for work, Milla catches the train to school, Moses deals drugs – that kind of thing. But hovering above this unholy parade of life is the sobering fact that Milla will die before her 17th birthday. Rita Kalnejais is a young playwright of uncommon genius. She looks at
the humdrum world around us and sees something radically alive. Dogs, Paganini, figs, an eight-year-old Vietnamese violin prodigy, morphine, clear skies and a Latvian immigrant are amongst the magnificent conflagration of ingredients which make up this wonderful, funny play. Written specially for Belvoir, its theme is what Rita calls the violent sweetness of life. Eamon Flack (The End, As You Like It) directs a play of unexpected brilliance about that very old and almost forgotten quality of life: grace.
By RITA KALNEJAIS Director EAMON FLACK Set Designer ROBERT COUSINS Costume Designer alice babidge Lighting Designer NIKLAS PAJANTI With EAMON FARREN, GREG STONE 14 14
EAMON
EVERY BREATH 24 MARCH – 29 APRIL
No-one would doubt that Benedict Andrews has a vivid imagination. As a director he has taken some of our most revered classics and turned them on their heads. The Seagull, Measure for Measure, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Sydney Theatre Company’s The War of the Roses and The Season at Sarsparilla thrilled and scandalised audiences with their audacity, clarity and theatrical chutzpah. Now Andrews has turned his hand to playwriting. A family under threat – from what, we don’t know – hires a young security
guard, Chris. He spends long hours, day and night, by the pool, watching. One by one, in their private universes of plate glass and good food, each family member is drawn to Chris. A dangerous game of fantasy and privilege begins. Every Breath is an extraordinary debut written by a theatre-maker at the top of his game. Darkly funny, sweetly eerie, and strangely familiar, this is about what happens when prosperity gives us the licence to see the world as we want to see it.
Written & Directed by benedict andrews Set & Costume Designer ALICE BABIDGE With ELOISE MIGNON, DYLAN YOUNG 16 16
ELOISE
STRANGE INTERLUDE 5 may – 17 june
Three decades before he wrote Long Day’s Journey into Night, Eugene O’Neill wrote a sprawling and adventurous masterpiece the likes of which Broadway had never seen. Almost a century later, there is still no other play like Strange Interlude. Twenty-year-old Nina Leeds has lost the love of her life in the war. Overcome with grief, she quits university, falls out with her father and moves away from home. What follows is a breathtaking journey through 25 years in Nina’s life, as she pursues a series of sexual flings to console herself, eventually settles down in a comfortable but unexciting
marriage with Sam Evans, then begins a 15-year affair with his best friend Ned Darrell. One of the few modern plays to interweave soliloquy and dialogue, Strange Interlude offers a touching insight into the minutiae of our daily worries, joys and hopes, set against the vast backdrop of life’s irreversible decisions. Emily Barclay (The Seagull, That Face, Gethsemane) takes on one of the great female roles of twentieth-century drama. In the vein of his 2011 rewrite of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, wunderkind Simon Stone creates a contemporary version of this truly amazing Pulitzer Prize winner.
Written & Directed by SIMON STONE after EUGENE O’NEILL Set Designer ROBERT COUSINS Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY With EMILY BARCLAY, PATRICK BRAMMALL, MItchell butel 18 18
EMILY
DEATH OF A SALESMAN 23 JUNE – 12 AUGUST
Will you take that phoney dream and burn it before something happens? Willy Loman is feeling his age. He and his wife Linda are struggling to make their mortgage repayments. The company he works for is branching out in new directions and it looks like he’s about to be left behind. When his university drop-out son, Biff, moves back home after years of drifting, old tensions rise to the surface.
Arguably the greatest play of the twentieth century, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman is about a man refusing to let go of the false dreams we were all once promised. Returning to our corner stage after an absence of 30 years, Colin Friels tackles the role of a lifetime in Simon Stone’s take on this timeless masterpiece.
By ARTHUR MILLER Director SIMON STONE Set Designer RALPH MYERS Costume Designer ALICE BABIDGE Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY With COLIN FRIELS, GENEVIEVE LEMON 20 20
COLIN
CONVERSATION PIECE 25 august – 23 SEPTember
In every show we strive to be breathtakingly original. Choreographer Lucy Guerin’s new show for Belvoir takes this to an extreme by striving to be breathtakingly original every night.
will form the basis of the rather surprising performance that follows.
It sounds like it shouldn’t work. But in the hands of Guerin and her remarkable cast it does. The project began as a A group of actors and dancers meet on simple experiment: what happens when stage and begin the show with a short you put three dancers and three actors conversation about… Well, we don’t together in a room? The result is both a know yet. Each night it will be a different mesmerising cultural encounter conversation – just an ordinary prebetween two art forms, and a kind of show chat like you might have x-ray of the surprising hugeness that yourselves – and this short conversation lies beneath our daily chitchat. Choreographer & Director LUCY GUERIN With ALISON BELL, MEGAN HOLLOWAY, ALISDAIR MACINDOE, RENNIE McDOUGALL, HARRIET RITCHIE, MATTHEW WHITTET
A co-production with Lucy Guerin Inc. 22 22
MEGAN
PRIVATE LIVES 29 September – 11 November
AMANDA: Darling, I believe you’re talking nonsense. ELYOT: So is everyone else in the long run. Let’s be superficial and pity the poor Philosophers. Let’s blow trumpets and squeakers, and enjoy the party as much as we can, like very small, quite idiotic school-children. Let’s savour the delight of the moment. Come and kiss me, darling, before your body rots, and worms pop in and out of your eye sockets. Amanda has just married Victor and gone on her honeymoon. Elyot has just married Sybil and gone on his honeymoon.
To the same hotel. Elyot and Amanda are about to find out all over again why they got divorced in the first place. The censors did their best to ban the play when Coward wrote it in 1930 (as a vehicle for himself) and it has been refusing to behave for 80 years now. Its wit is definitive, its plotting almost perfect, and its critique of modernity dazzling. The great theatrical adventurer Ralph Myers finally gives himself a directing gig and his task is almost ridiculously pleasurable: to direct Toby Schmitz in Private Lives.
By NOËL COWARD Director & Set Designer RALPH MYERS Lighting Designer DAMIEN COOPER Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY With TOBY SCHMITZ 24 24
TOBY TOBY
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY 17 NOVEMBER – 23 DECEMBER
Palm Island. An Aboriginal man is arrested, allegedly for insulting a police officer. Within 90 minutes, he lies dead on the watchhouse floor, his liver cleaved in two. The community protests, the police station is torched. A Senior Sergeant stands trial for manslaughter but is acquitted. Questions are raised about manipulation of evidence and a court suppression order. A protestor, jailed for inciting a riot, is out on parole on condition that he speaks to no-one. Beautiful One Day is a theatrical documentary made by a group of Australians (black and white) seeking to interpret these events against the full
sweep of the island’s history. It seeks to grasp the ordinariness of brutality, charting the course of repression, resistance and racism but also the astonishing resilience of the people who call Palm Island home. Melbourne’s Ilbijerri Theatre Company (Jack Charles v The Crown) is a champion of Indigenous storytelling. version 1.0 (The Bougainville Photoplay Project, A Certain Maritime Incident) have turned tough, patient enquiry into an artform. Together with Belvoir they have set each other the task of trying to understand the horror of circumstance that we all find ourselves in.
Created by PAUL DWYER, EAMON FLACK, RACHAEL MAZA LONG, DAVID WILLIAMS
Supported by The Balnaves Foundation. A co-production with Ilbijerri Theatre Company and version 1.0. 26 26
RACHAEL
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DOWNstairs
I’m YOUR MAN 12 JANUARY – 5 FEBRUARY
The more you sweat, the less you bleed. glory, of a better life, where everyone wants to be special and only one thing is For 18 months theatre-maker Roslyn certain – that no matter how high you fly Oades and her trusty tape recorder you will eventually lose. I’m Your Man is followed a determined, young no ordinary slice-of-life. The actors wear boxer from Bankstown through his earpieces and take their lines directly preparations for a world-title fight. I’m from the ringsides, gyms and dressing Your Man is the story of who she and rooms of Oades’ recordings. This is her tape recorder met along the way: fuelled-up, high-stakes, real-deal theatre. past legends, up-and-comers and failed I’m Your Man is the third of a trilogy contenders whose lives have been by Oades about acts of bravery and irreversibly changed by the fight game. the psychology of respect. Behind the This Sydney Festival, Downstairs Belvoir thrilling, brutal sport lies a compelling tale turns boxing gym: place of dreams, of of courage and its cost. Creator & Director ROSLYN OADES Sound Designer BOB SCOTT Lighting Designer NEIL SIMPSON Movement Director LEE WILSON Dramaturg RAIMONDO CORTESE Project Manager TIM CARROLL With MOHAMMED AHMAD, BILLY MAC, KATIA MOLINO, JUSTIN ROSNIAK, JOHN SHRIMPTON
A co-production with Sydney Festival in association with BYDS. 30 30
MOHAMMED MOHAMMAD
FOOD 26 april – 20 may
A country highway. A greasy takeaway joint. Two sisters. One of them left, one stayed behind. One chose chaos, the other control. One chose sex, the other – food. Enter Hakan Leventoglu, aka Hassan the Beautiful. Kate Champion is riding the wave of a decade of brilliant work across theatre, opera and dance, notably with her celebrated company Force Majeure.
Steve Rodgers is a theatrical marvel who writes and acts with equal aplomb. Their work meets here within the classic architecture of great drama: feuding sisters, a charming man and the possibility of transformation. The sisters battle it out, trying to make sense of who they were, who they are and whether they can ever allow each other to be something else.
By STEVE RODGERS Directors KATE CHAMPION & STEVE RODGERS With FAYSSAL BAZZI, kate box, EMMA JACKSON
A co-production with Force Majeure. 32 32
KATE
OLD MAN 7 JUNE – 1 JULY
Daniel wakes up. Something is missing. The phone is not working, and the kids’ toys are not in their usual spot under the television. In fact, his wife and children seem to have disappeared.
Anthea Williams is an exciting young director who has been forging a career at the Bush Theatre in London.
You might know Matt’s touch of theatre magic from his performance as nine-yearOld Man is Matt Whittet’s extraordinary old Thomas in The Book of Everything. play about fathers and sons, love and loss, Well, he writes just as wonderfully. His play kindness and Newtown. It is a beautiful Silver won the 2010 Parsons Award. He and shockingly simple tale in two parts, has a mad talent for being totally honest which asks if it is possible to wake up one in the most unexpected ways, and it is day and make good-enough better. on full display in this gentle, discomforting play about adults growing up.
By MATTHEW WHITTET Director ANTHEA WILLIAMS Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY With GILLIAN JONES, BEN WINSPEAR 34 34
BEN
MEDEA 11 october – 25 NOVEMBER
Two young children on a stage play games to distract themselves. Off-stage and unheard their parents are having a very famous showdown. At some inevitable moment in the next hour the children will be drawn away from their games and into their parents’ bitter argument. From there they will enter mythology as the most tragic siblings of all time. Made specially for the Downstairs Theatre, Anne-Louise Sarks’ refocusing of Medea is an examination of the collateral damage of one of history’s
most famous family breakdowns. It is to Euripides’ Medea what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is to Hamlet: a behind-the-scenes look at the lives that minor characters live before the plot takes over. Artistic Director of Melbourne’s acclaimed The Hayloft Project, Anne-Louise is a canny and formidable theatrical mind. Her Medea is a smart, sharp and bittersweet look at the fine line that divides regular life and all-out tragedy.
Written & Directed by ANNE-LOUISE SARKS after EURIPIDES Set & Costume Designer MEL PAGE Composer & Sound Designer STEFAN GREGORY This production will play Thursday to Sunday only. 36 36
JASPER
don’t take your love to town 29 NOVEMBER – 23 DECEMBER
You can think of me as Ruby Wagtail Big Noise Anderson Rangi Ando Heifer Andy Langford. Ruby Langford Ginibi’s Don’t Take Your Love to Town is one of Australia’s great and abiding books. Everything and nothing happens – from the small to the absolute, from the simple to the diabolical. Spanning most of the last century, from Coonabarabran to Surry Hills, it is the chronicle of a life. And Ruby’s is one hell of a life.
Leah Purcell directs this one-woman show which attempts something a little bit glorious: to relive Ruby’s big and soulful 70-something years in an evening. Don’t Take Your Love to Town is about a lot of things – love, childhood, struggle, humour, family, work – but most of all it is a homage to Black Australia’s extraordinary spirit of endurance.
Created by EAMON FLACK & LEAH PURCELL Director LEAH PURCELL Based on the book Don’t Take Your Love to Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi
Supported by The Balnaves Foundation. 38 38
LEAH
Sunday Forum
The bigger picture, the story behind the show, the who’s who and the what’s what – Sunday Forum is the new window into our work. There’ll be a Sunday Forum for every Upstairs show in 2012, at 3pm on the second to last Sunday of the season. Join us in the theatre and we’ll have a panel of special guests – performers, creatives, commentators, reviewers, pundits – for a discussion on the show and how it fits into the world at large. You’ll have a chance to ask your burning questions during the forum,
and continue the discussion informally with us in the foyer afterwards. Sunday Forums are free, and you don’t need to have seen the show yet to be involved. Each topic will be firmed up once the show opens; check our website or call Box Office for updated information. See you there! Bookings are essential and are available four weeks before each forum. Book: www.belvoir.com.au/sundayforum or call Box Office on 02 9699 3444.
Buried City Sunday 29 January
Every Breath Sunday 22 April
Conversation Piece Sunday 16 September
Thyestes Sunday 12 February at CarriageWorks
Strange Interlude Sunday 10 June
Private Lives Sunday 4 November
Death of a Salesman Sunday 5 August
Beautiful One Day Sunday 16 December
Babyteeth Sunday 11 March
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Subscribe As a Belvoir 2012 subscriber not only will you experience a fabulous season of theatre across the year, you will get the best seats, save a substantial amount of money on tickets, and be entitled to a great range of benefits. Guaranteed seats You’ll never miss out on tickets, and you are guaranteed the best available seats to every show. Plus if you’re a 2011 subscriber your 2012 renewal will be processed first, if you renew by 6pm Tuesday 27 September 2011. Discounted tickets You can save up to 45% of the single ticket price. The more shows you see the more money you’ll save. A free ticket If you were a subscriber in 2011 and we receive your 2012 booking form for a 7-play package or more before 6pm Friday 4 November 2011 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 booking 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 only your first exchange for each play and is subject to availability. Subsequent ticket exchanges will incur a fee.
Special ticket offers When you book your subscription, you can purchase discounted single tickets to all Belvoir performances both Upstairs and Downstairs to bring along family and friends. 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.) 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. The Bugle We’ll send you our complimentary midyear magazine, chock full of interviews with artists, company and program updates, articles, and news about upcoming shows. 25 Belvoir Street Get $10 off the RRP of our beautiful coffee table book, 25 Belvoir Street. Pay only $67 (incl GST) for a signed hardback edition.
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Exclusive Discounts
Use your 2012 Belvoir subscriber card to receive these exclusive discounts. 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. The Monthly Receive two free issues of this magazine when you take out a one-year domestic subscription to it. Palace Cinemas Two concession price tickets for all screenings at Palace Verona and Chauvel Cinema, Paddington, and Palace Norton St, Leichhardt (excludes festivals and special events). Seymour Centre Get 10% off the single ticket price to selected Seymour Centre productions (phone bookings only). Musica Viva Get a 10% discount on single tickets to Musica Viva’s 2012 International Concert season.
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Belvoir Loyalty Program
30-Down Club
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.
Aged 30 or under? You can join our 30-Down Club and save!
To say thank you, we offer special treats to all of our Treasured, Devoted and Loyal subscribers. If you renew your subscription for 2012 you will receive a Belvoir 2012 Season key ring entitling you to $1 discount on all your wine, beer and soft drink purchased at Belvoir St Theatre’s Hal Bar. Throughout the year you will also receive invitations to these exclusive benefits… Treasured Subscribers (10+ consecutive years) Invitations to a Palace Cinemas film screening, a Berkelouw book launch, and a chance to participate in a special Belvoir backstage tour.
You can choose to see previews or Wednesday performances of 9, 8, 7, 6 or 5 plays in the Upstairs Theatre, or 5 plays in the Downstairs Theatre on selected dates, or combine the two into one bumper 2012 subscription. With an Upstairs Theatre 30-Down subscription you can see performances of 9 plays for only $209 – that’s just over $23 per show – or 5 in the Downstairs Theatre for just $100! That’s a small price to pay to see some of Australia’s most renowned actors, directors and designers in action. Upstairs Theatre 9 Plays
$209
$23.22 per play
8 Plays
$196
$24.50 per play
7 Plays
$184
$26.29 per play
Devoted Subscribers (7–9 consecutive years) Invitations to a Palace Cinemas film screening and a Berkelouw book launch.
6 Plays
$170
$28.33 per play
5 Plays
$157
$31.40 per play
Loyal Subscribers (4–6 consecutive years) Invitation to a Palace Cinemas film screening.
5 Plays $100
Downstairs Theatre $20.00 per play
THE LOT 14 Plays $309
$22.07 per play
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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 2011? Use the personalised booking form sent with your 2012 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 $196)
Seniors * Concession † 30-Down (Save up to $169)
(Save up to $106)
(Save up to $169)
9
$362
$299
$272
8
$346
$286
$244
$209 $196
7
$331
$275
$219
$184
6
$299
$251
$191
$170
5
$273
$227
$168
$157
DOWNSTAIRS theatre Plays
5
Full price (Save $40)
$170
Seniors * Concession † 30-Down (Save $35)
$145
(Save $35)
$125
(Save $60)
$100
THE LOT – All 14 Plays Plays
Full price
Seniors * Concession † 30-Down
(Save $245)
(Save $213)
14
$523
$435
(Save $150)
$388
(Save $229)
$309
* 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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Auto-renewal For the first time we are offering autorenewal. If you’ve previously been a subscriber and you are renewing with any of the following packages: all 14 plays, 9 plays Upstairs or 5 plays Downstairs, you can just tick the box to automatically renew and we’ll do all the work for you. We’ll pick the dates and times, but you are free to change them if you need to. It’s that easy. Planning a year ahead is difficult… You can choose a day and time that you’re generally free and we’ll do the rest. For example, write “any Saturday at 2pm” and we’ll give you the best available seats. 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 p49 for more accessibility information. How we process your booking form All subscription renewals received before 6pm Tuesday 27 September 2011 will be processed first, after which all forms will be processed strictly in order of receipt. It takes 4–6 weeks for bookings 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 2012, 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 p48 for opening times). And also… 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 39% 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!
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Fabulous Prizes For Early Subscribers
Send us your 2012 subscription form before 6pm Friday 4 November 2011 and you could win… A trip for two to New York Including two return economy class flights and tickets to the Belvoir touring season of The Book of Everything (20 – 29 April) at the New Victory Theater.* Or these great prizes… A weekend in the Hunter Valley Win a three-night weekend (or mid-week stay) for up to eight guests in one of the Events and Stays in the Vines unique country house properties in the heart of the Hunter Valley wine country. Prize includes gourmet local products, a private wine tasting and a three-course dinner cooked at the property by your personal chef from Monkey Place Catering. Tickets to Sydney Festival’s I Am Eora One of two double passes to one of Sydney Festival’s centrepieces in 2012. Directed by Wesley Enoch, I Am Eora is a new commission for the 2012 Festival and breaks new ground in Indigenous performance. This important new work showcases the talents of established and emerging Aboriginal artists and celebrates Sydney’s Indigenous history.
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Free movies at Palace One prize of 25 double passes to see releases of your choice at Palace Cinemas throughout 2012. MCA membership One of two dual memberships to the Museum of Contemporary Art for one year including free entry to ticketed exhibitions, subscriptions and a range of discounts, as well as a selection of catalogues. Opera Australia tickets Two premium reserve tickets (or best available) to an opera of your choice at the Sydney Opera House in 2012. 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 monthly subscription to Look magazine, free exhibition viewings and a range of gallery discounts. Winners will be drawn at random on Monday 5 December 2011 and notified by phone. NSW Permit Number LTPS/11/07371 * Accommodation not included, travel taken before 29 April 2012 and some restrictions apply.
Single Tickets
Single 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 single ticket prices. Remember: if you are a subscriber, you are entitled to purchase discounted single tickets to all Belvoir performances, so you can bring along family and friends.
UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS Full Price
$62
$42
Subscriber Discounted Rate
$55
$38
Seniors*§ /Industry/Groups (10 or More)
$52
$36
Concession†
$42
$32
Previews $42
$32
Student RushII $29
$25
‡ Booking fees may apply. * 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. § Seniors single tickets not available on Friday or Saturday evenings. II Student Rush available Tuesday 6.30pm and 7pm and Saturday 2pm and 2.15pm performances, from 10am on the day subject to availability.
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General Information
Medea Thursday & Friday 7pm Saturday 4pm & 7pm Sunday 5.15pm *Also Wednesday 2pm matinees for some plays. 48 48
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Downstairs Theatre Tuesday 7pm Wednesday* to Friday 8.15pm Saturday 2.15pm & 8.15pm Sunday 5.15pm
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Upstairs Theatre Tuesday 6.30pm Wednesday* to Friday 8pm Saturday 2pm & 8pm Sunday 5pm
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Performance times
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* Belvoir has two Box Office locations: at Belvoir St Theatre (25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills) and at our administration warehouse (18 Belvoir St, Surry Hills). The Box Office is open at either one of these locations depending on the time and day. Please check via phone or website.
ELIZABETH ST
Please note these hours may change during non-performance periods and on public holidays.
Location & 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 www.131500.com.au
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Phone bookings close one hour prior to performance times.
Swearing, nudity and other bits Some of our productions at Belvoir in 2012 may contain strong language, nudity, violence, 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.
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Box Office hours* Monday 9.30am – 6pm Tuesday 9.30am – 6.30pm Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am – 8pm Sunday 2.30pm – 5pm
Ticket prices 2012 subscription prices are on p44 and single ticket prices are on p47 of this season book.
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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
Parking There is NO onsite parking, and limited timed parking (one- and two-hour) is available on the streets around the theatre. CarriageWorks Please note that our production of Thyestes will be staged at CarriageWorks, not Belvoir St Theatre. CarriageWorks is located at 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh. The nearest train stations are Redfern and Macdonaldtown. For more parking and transport information visit carriageworks.com.au Accessibility At Belvoir St Theatre there is lift access to the foyer and theatre, a hearing loop in both theatres and this year we have scheduled three captioned performances (see below). If you have specific accessibility or seating requirements, please do not hesitate to contact our Box Office on 02 9699 3444.
Captioned performances This year we have three captioned matinee performances: Babyteeth 2pm Saturday 3 March Death of a Salesman 2pm Saturday 14 July Private Lives 2pm Saturday 20 October Food & drink Silver Spoon Caterers provide delicious meals from 90 minutes prior to each performance at Belvoir St Theatre. Wraps, rolls and ice-creams are also available before the performance and during interval. And you can enjoy a drink at the Hal Bar in the foyer. 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 before dinner there are shows at 6.30pm and 7pm on Tuesdays, and 5pm and 5.15pm on Sundays.
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At Optus, we know our role in theatre. OK, so Optus may not be the world’s finest thespians. But we do know how to make theatre possible for everyone, through our special collaboration with Belvoir. Our unique ‘Charitable Tickets’ and ‘Unwaged Performance Programs’ offer free tickets to those who rarely have the opportunity to enjoy the theatre.
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The Balnaves Foundation Supporting the presentation of Beautiful One Day and Don’t Take Your Love to Town in 2012.
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 each of the Upstairs and Downstairs Theatres. A range of access programs are attached to both productions, including an unwaged performance and schools matinees. The Balnaves Foundation is a private philanthropic organisation that was established in 2006 by Neil Balnaves 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. In 2011, The Balnaves Foundation supported the presentation of Jack Charles v The Crown and Windmill Baby.
Belvoir has a long history of working with Indigenous directors, designers and actors, and of portraying unique Indigenous stories. Under Artistic Director Ralph Myers, we have renewed 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.
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Thanks To Our Sponsors Corporate Partner
IT Projects Partner
Supporters
Major Sponsors
Indigenous Theatre at Belvoir supported by The Balnaves Foundation
Associate Sponsors
BOUTIQUE STUDIO ACCOMMODATION
Besen Family Foundation Coca-Cola Australia Foundation Enid Irwin Charitable Trust managed by Perpetual Gandevia Foundation The Greatorex Foundation Media Tree Teen Spirit Charitable Foundation managed by Perpetual Thomas Creative Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation
Event Sponsors
Government Partners
One Earth Foods Silver Spoon Caterers
For more information on partnership opportunities please contact our Development Manager Katy Wood on 02 8396 6224 or email katy@belvoir.com.au 52 52
Thank You Our production partners Bankstown Youth Development Service, CarriageWorks, Force Majeure, the hayloft project, Ilbijerri Theatre Company, Lucy Guerin Inc, Sydney Festival, Urban Theatre Projects, version 1.0.
Bankstown Youth Development Service, Force Majeure, Sydney Festival, Urban Theatre Projects and version 1.0 are supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts NSW. Ilbijerri Theatre Company and Lucy Guerin Inc are supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts Victoria.
The 2012 season book and launch would not have been possible without the valued contribution of: Mohammed Ahmad, Emily Barclay, Kate Box, Michael Corridore, Natalie Dives, Eamon Farren, Colin Friels, Megan Holloway, Perry Keyes, Justine Lewis, Rachael Maza Long, Catherine McClements, Eloise Mignon, Leah Purcell, Toby Schmitz, Greg Stone, Jasper Whittet, Matthew Whittet, Ben Winspear and Mark Winter.
And also, Art Gallery of NSW, Berkelouw Books, Coopers, Events and Stays in the Vines, EYE, The Monthly, Museum of Contemporary Art, Musica Viva, One Earth Foods, Opera Australia, Palace Cinemas, Seymour Centre, Sydney Festival, Wine iQ.
And the wonderful Belvoir marketing team and Alphabet Studio. Design Alphabet Studio Photography Michael Corridore Styling Mel Page Hair & make-up Claire Thomson and Desiree Wise
Printer immij Mailing House COJO The paper used in this book is derived from forests promoting sustainable management.
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2012 Season Calendar
Upstairs Theatre JANUARY S M T 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31
W 4 11 18 25
APRIL S M 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
T 3 10 17 24
W T F S 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28
T 3 10 17 24 31
W T F S 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28
JULY S M 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
T F S 5 6 7 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28
OCTOBER S M T W T F 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
Buried City Babyteeth Every Breath Strange Interlude Death of a Salesman Conversation Piece Private Lives Beautiful One Day
FEBRUARY S M T W T F 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
MARCH S M T
W
T F 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
MAY S M
JUNE S M T
W
T 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
T F S 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 24 25 26 31
T
F 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
AUGUST S M T
SEPTEMBER S M T W 30 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26
NOVEMBER S M T W
DECEMBER S M T W T F 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
W T F 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 F 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
T
F
S 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
CarriageWorks JANUARY S M T 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31
Thyestes
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W 2 9 16 23 30
W 4 11 18 25
T F S 5 6 7 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28
FEBRUARY S M T W T F 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
Downstairs Theatre JANUARY S M T 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31
W 4 11 18 25
APRIL S M 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
T 3 10 17 24
W T F S 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28
T 3 10 17 24 31
W T F S 4 5 6 7 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28
JULY S M 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30
T F S 5 6 7 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28
OCTOBER S M T W T F 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
I’m Your Man Food Old Man Medea Don’t Take Your Love to Town
FEBRUARY S M T W T F 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
MARCH S M T
MAY S M
JUNE S M T
T 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
W 2 9 16 23 30
T F S 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 24 25 26 31
4 11 18 25
W
T F S 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30 31
W
T
F 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
AUGUST S M T
SEPTEMBER S M T W 30 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26
NOVEMBER S M T W
DECEMBER S M T W T F 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
W T F 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 F 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
Preview/ 30-Down
Unwaged Performance, 2pm
Opening Night
Captioned Performance
Sunday Forum
Wednesday 2pm Matinee
T
F
S 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
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25 Belvoir Street Edited by Robert Cousins. Foreword by David Marr.
This stunning new book, full of essays, memories and vivid photographs, celebrates a quarter of a century of theatre at Belvoir. Including a collection of essays by Robert Cousins, Ralph Myers, Benedict Andrews, Neil Armfield, Robert McFarlane, Rhoda Roberts, James Waites, Alan John and Rita Kalnejais, 25 Belvoir Street traces the social and political background from which Belvoir emerged and looks at the way the building itself has found a way into our imaginations.
Pick up a copy now from the Belvoir Box Office RRP $77 or only $67 if you become a 2012 subscriber. For a mailed copy, add $20 for postage & handling (within Australia). Also available at selected bookstores.
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From its first mercurial decade when it teetered on the edge of oblivion on more than one occasion, through to the appointment of Neil Armfield as Artistic Director, and beyond to a new generation of theatre-makers headed by Ralph Myers, this book provides an extraordinary and intimate record of a company that has been described simply as the “heart and soul of Australian theatre�.
25 Belvoir St, Surry Hills NSW 2010 Administration 612 9698 3344 Fax 612 9319 3165
Box Office 612 9699 3444 Email mail@belvoir.com.au Web belvoir.com.au
Cover: Colin Friels. Photographer: Michael Corridore.
Corporate partner
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