baal april 2 - april 23 2011
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Malthouse Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company present
BAAL ....
By Bertolt Brecht Translated by Simon Stone & Tom Wright Director Simon Stone Set & Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper Costume Designer Mel Page Composer & Sound Designer Stefan Gregory Performed by Brigid Gallacher, Geraldine Hakewill, Luisa Hastings Edge, Shelly Lauman, Oscar Redding, Chris Ryan, Lotte St Clair, Katherine Tonkin, Thomas M Wright Stage Manager Lisa Osborn Assistant Stage Manager Tia Clark Associate Designer Tom Willis Secondment - Stage Management Ben Brockman Set & props constructed by Malthouse Theatre Workshop Costumes created by Malthouse Theatre Wardrobe This production of Baal opened in the Merlyn Theatre, CUB Malthouse on April 6, 2011
MERLYN THEATRE, APRIL 2 - APRIL 23 2011 Image credit opposite page: Thomas Wright. Photo: Terence Chin.
.... Baal is a difficult play. Brecht himself said, in his last year of life, “Be advised… this play lacks wisdom.” It’s about a man who society can’t control, who can’t control himself, and so ultimately is destroyed. What he says and does on the way there is alternately disgusting, horrifying, beautiful and sad. It’s one of the cruelest plays ever written. Nobody survives unscathed, especially not the women. Brecht wrote it after watching, as a stretcher-bearer, Europe immolate itself in the First World War. He was a teenager and a genius. But, as the play explores, ‘genius’ is a dangerous word. In the end, Baal has the courage to be what we might be in our darkest moments. He’s our mirror. SIMON STONE & TOM WRIGHT
Baal in rehearsal at Malthouse Theatre, March 2011. Photos: Lachlan Woods
BERTOLT BRECHT WRITER Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) is regarded as one of the most influential figures in European theatre. He was born in Augsburg in Germany, and studied philosophy and natural science in Munich and Berlin. Brecht wrote 39 plays, the first of which was Baal, written in 1918. When the Nazi Party came to power, Brecht left Germany and lived in exile in Scandinavia and the USA, where he continued writing plays. In October 1947 Brecht was called to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and although not an official member of America's Communist party, Brecht left the United States for Switzerland the next day. He soon reunited with his wife Helene Weigel, and they travelled to East Berlin in 1948 and set up the Berliner Ensemble with full support from the Communist regime. Brecht’s most well-known plays include Mother Courage and Her Children, The Threepenny Opera, The Good Person of Szechuan, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and The Life of Galileo. Brecht was also a prolific poet and theatre theorist who pioneered the concept of Epic Theatre.
TIA CLARK ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: The Production Company: The King and I, The Boy From Oz, Sugar (Some Like It Hot). Buzz Dance Theatre: At The Beach, Behind The Veneer. Spontaneous Insanity: The Hidden Forest. Shakespeare WA: A Midsummer Nights Dream. WA Ballet: The Nutcracker. Events: VicMoves 2010, Pipe Organ Plus Concerts, WA Youth Week Launch 2008, Northbridge Festival 2007. Education: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Stage Management). BRIGID GALLACHER PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), Love Play (Things on Sunday). Other theatre: MTC: Circle Mirror Transformation. The Hayloft Project: The Nest. Chunky Move: Connected. As Director: MTC: Directing secondment with Kate Cherry. Glitch Bar & Cinema: Sunny Side Up. St Martins Theatre: The Hatbox. Television: Underbelly Files: Tell them Lucifer Was Here, Summer Heights High. Film: Buses and Trains
STEFAN GREGORY COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), Thyestes (with The Hayloft Project). Other theatre: Belvoir: The Wild Duck, Measure For Measure, That Face, Peribanez (as guitarist). STC: The War of the Roses, Frankenstein. The Hayloft Project: B.C. B Sharp/Arts Radar: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Griffin Theatre Company: The Call. B Sharp/ Small Things Productions: Ladybird. B Sharp/ Frogbattleship: 2,000 Feet Away. Bell Shakespeare: King Lear, Hamlet, Othello. Bands: Faker. Awards: Jack Award for Best Newcomer (Faker), Platinum Single (This Heart Attack, Faker), ARIA nominations for Best Group, Single of the Year & Best Rock Album (Faker), Sydney Theatre Awards nomination (Measure for Measure), Green Room Award Nomination (Thyestes). GERALDINE HAKEWILL PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: WAAPA: Cloudstreet, Lysitrata, Dangerous Liaisons, The Innocent Mistress, Spring Awakening, Romeo & Juliet, Aftershocks, Animal Farm, The Cherry Orchard. Television: Rescue Special Ops. Film: Careless Love, Sellouts, Happy Bag, Found Footage, His Mama Always Told Him, Uninhabited, Wasted On The Young. Training: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2008).
LUISA HASTINGS EDGE PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: The Dog Theatre: Elektra. La Mama: Something Natural but Very Childish. Bell Shakespeare Company: The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, Hamlet. B Sharp/Belvoir: Death Variations. Seymour Centre: Handbag. Tamarama Rock Surfers: One Thumb Out. Tamarama Rock Surfers/Melbourne Fringe Festival/Live Bait Sydney Fringe: Weill Women – A Kurt Weill Cabaret. Brighton Fringe Festival: The Mistress. Hen & Chicken Theatre (London): Something Natural but Very Childish. Bar Me: A Jacques Brel Cabaret. Television: Neighbours, All Saints, Headland, Home and Away, Always Greener. Film: All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, Return. Training: Victorian College of the Arts, Bachelor of Dramatic Art (2001). University of New South Wales: Bachelor of Theatre and Film (1998). SHELLY LAUMAN PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: Belvoir/Hayloft Project: The Only Child, The Suicide. Hayloft Project: 3XSisters, Spring Awakening. MTC Education: Macbeth. STC: Macbeth. Split Second: The Kid Can Get Lost. QTC/Hit Productions: Travelling North. Theatre at Risk: Homebody/Kabul. Eleventh Hour Theatre Company: Othello Retold Film: Advantage Satan, Fences, The Driver and the Bride, Two Ducks. Training: Victorian College of the Arts, 2005.
LISA OSBORN STAGE MANAGER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), Sappho... in 9 fragments. Other theatre: BalletLab: Trilogy Presentation (Amplification, Miracle & Above.) Brink Productions: When the Rain Stops Falling. Patch Theatre Company: Me and My Shadow. Slingsby: Man Covets Bird. Australian Dance Theatre: G, Devolution, Ignition 06. State Theatre of South Australia: Metro Street, Attempts on Her Life, Triple Threat, Noises Off, Government Inspector. Ladykillers: Cake. Windmill Performing Arts: Afternoon of the Elves, Two Weeks with the Queen, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge. Events: WOMADelaide, The Helpmann Awards, Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 Cultural Festival. MEL PAGE COSTUME DESIGNER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), The Trial (with STC; as Assistant Costume Designer). Other theatre: STC/The Border Project: Vs. Macbeth. Stuck Pigs Squealing/MTC: The Apocalypse Bear Trilogy. Belvoir: The Promise. The Hayloft Project/B Sharp: The Suicide, The Only Child, Spring Awakening. Victorian Opera: Noye’s Fludde, How To Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints). ABC/Token Events: The Spicks and Speck-tacular. Film: (Short) Great Acts of Kindness, Hollow Bones. (Feature – Art Department) My Year Without Sex, The Tenderhook. Awards: 2008 Greenroom Nomination Best Design Independent Theatre (Spring Awakening). Training: VCA.
OSCAR REDDING PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Film & Television: Van Diemen's Land, Cop Hard. Training: Victorian College of the Arts, Grad. Dip. of Dramatic Art (Animatuering), Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting) CHRIS RYAN PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Thyestes (with The Hayloft Project), Elizabeth – Almost By Chance a Woman. Other theatre: Belvoir: Measure for Measure, The Promise. Griffin Theatre Company: Concussion (with STC), The Call. MTC: The Hypocrite. Bell Shakespeare Company: Hamlet, Othello, Actors At Work. Full Tilt: The Man With The September Face. The Hayloft Project: Platonov. Victorian College of the Arts: Hamlet, Translations, The Three Sisters. As CoWriter: Malthouse Theatre/Hayloft Project: Thyestes. Belvoir: The Wild Duck. Film: The Jammed, Numurkah (short), Skeletons (short). Award Nominations: Sydney Theatre Award for Best Newcomer (Othello), Green Room Award for Best Male Performer (Platonov, Thyestes). Awards: Green Room Award for Best Adaptation, Best Production and Best Ensemble (Thyestes). Training: Victorian College of the Arts, Bachelor of Dramatic Arts.
NICK SCHLIEPER SET AND LIGHTING DESIGNER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: As Set Designer: Opera Queensland: Don Giovanni. State Opera of SA: Salome. QTC: Good Works. Expressions Dance Theatre: Under Her Breath. New Zealand Opera/Minnesota Opera: Macbeth. As Associate Set Designer: SOSA: Wagner’s Ring Cycle. As Lighting Designer: MTC: Richard III, The Visit, Great Expectations, Proof, The Tempest, Ninety. STC: Uncle Vanya, Hedda Gabler, A Streetcar Named Desire, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Dissocia, War of the Roses. Bell Shakespeare: Hamlet, Othello, Troilus and Cressida. STCSA: Cosi, The Idiot, Marat/Sade, Kafka Dances. QTC: The Tempest, XPO. Belvoir: Measure for Measure, Lulu, Black Mary. Royal Shakespeare Company: The Hostage. State Theatre, Bavaria: Peer Gynt, Macbeth. West End & Broadway: Priscilla. Schillertheater Berlin: Michael Kramer, Ein Florentinerhut. State Theatre Hamburg: Armut, Reichtum, Mensch und Tier, The Ginger Man. Theatr Clwyd, Wales: The Government Inspector. Opera Australia: Don Giovanni, Nabucco, Tannhäuser, Il Trovatore, Falstaff. Hamburg State Opera: Billy Budd, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Awards: Green Room Awards: Falstaff, The Visit, Boomerang, The Season at Sarsparilla. Sydney Theatre Critics Awards: The Serpent’s Teeth, The War of the Roses. Helpmann Awards: Bush, The War of the Roses.
LOTTE ST CLAIR PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: STC: Macbeth. Belvoir: Homebody/Kabul. Bell Shakespeare Company: The Taming of the Shrew. Griffin Theatre: The Distance from Here. Red Shift: This is a Play, Never Swim Alone. Television: Darwin’s Brave New World, All Saints, Home and Away. Film: Loveless (short), Fear (short), Dive (short), The Shadow of Him (short). Awards & Nominations: WA Screen Nomination (The Shadow of Him). Training: Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. SIMON STONE DIRECTOR & CO-TRANSLATOR Malthouse Theatre: As Adaptor & Director: Baal (with STC). As Writer & Director: Thyestes (with The Hayloft Project). Other theatre: As Adaptor & Director: The Hayloft Project: The Suicide, Platonov, Spring Awakening, 3xSisters. As Writer & Director: Belvoir: The Wild Duck. The Hayloft Project: The Only Child. As Director: Belvoir: The Promise. The Hayloft Project: B.C. As Actor: Belvoir: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Film: Jindabyne, Kokoda, Balibo, Blame. Awards: Green Room Awards Best Production, Best Adaptation (Thyestes), Melbourne Fringe Festival Best Performance (Thyestes), Sydney Theatre Award Best Independent Production (The Only Child), George Fairfax Memorial Award. Other: Founder and Co-Artistic Director of The Hayloft Project. Resident Director at Belvoir.
KATHERINE TONKIN PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), The Eisteddfod, OT: Chronicles of the Old Testament. Other theatre: Stuck Pigs Squealing/MTC/MIAF: Apocalypse Bear Trilogy. MTC: A Streetcar Named Desire, Cloud Nine. Insite Arts: Duets for Lovers and Dreamers. Auspicious Arts Projects/Uninvited Guests: The Man With the September Face. The Hayloft Project: 3 x Sisters. Uncle Semolina & Friends: Festivals of Small Pieces, Gilgamesh. Theatreworks: Jet of Blood. The Storeroom: Smashed. Television: Kick, City Homicide, Snake Tales, Blue Heelers. Film: Macbeth, Punch, Pervert. Radio Plays: Smashed, The Spook. Training: Advanced Diploma of Performance Arts/Acting, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (2002). TOM WILLIS ASSOCIATE DESIGNER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC). Other theatre: Belvoir: Measure for Measure. MTC: Realism, Moonlight and Magnolias. STC: The Year of Magical Thinking, The Serpent's Teeth.As Lighting Designer: Griffin Independent: The Pigeons. Four Larks Theatre: Peer Gynt, Orpheus. Hoy Polloy: Dying City, Purgatorio. Union House Theatre: Sweeney Todd, Rhinoceros. Training: Victorian College of the Arts, Bachelor of Production.
THOMAS M WRIGHT PERFORMER Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), Furious Mattress, Avast I & II (with Black Lung Theatre). Other theatre: MTC: Lovesong. Beggars Theatre: Hamlet. Film: Van Diemen’s Land, Balibo, Torn. Other: Co-Founder and Director of The Black Lung Theatre Company and Whaling Firm. TOM WRIGHT CO-TRANSLATOR Malthouse Theatre: Baal (with STC), Optimism (with STC), Criminology, The Odyssey, Babes in the Wood, Journal of the Plague Year. Other theatre: STC: The Mysteries: Genesis, The Duel, The War of the Roses, Tales from the Vienna Woods, The Lost Echo, Oresteia, Women of Troy. Belvoir: Ubu, The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Other: Associate Director of STC.
sydneytheatre.com.au Sydney Theatre Company has been a major force in Australian drama since its establishment in 1978. The Company presents an annual twelve-play program at its home base The Wharf, on Sydney’s harbour at Walsh Bay, the nearby Sydney Theatre, which STC also manages, and as the resident theatre company of the Sydney Opera House. Current Artistic Directors, Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton joined the Company at the beginning of 2008. Sydney Theatre Company offers an eclectic program of Australian plays, lively interpretations of the classic repertoire and the best of new international writing. It seeks to produce theatre of the highest standard that consistently illuminates, entertains and challenges. It is committed to the engagement between the imagination of its artists and its audiences and the development of the theatrical art-form. The Company also produces a significant education program for schools, STC Ed, and in its studio space produces work devised by, and for, developing artists, originating in 1987 with Baz Lurhmann’s Six Years Old and, in its current identity, as Next Stage. The Company reaches beyond its home state, touring productions throughout Board of Directors David Gonski (Chair), Jonathan Biggins, Cate Blanchett, John Connolly, Sandra Levy, Catherine Martin, Martin McCallum, Justin Miller, Simon Mordant, Sam Mostyn, Andrew Stuart, Andrew Upton
Patron Mr Giorgio Armani
Australia and internationally. It plays annually to audiences in excess of 300,000. Sydney Theatre Company actively fosters relationships and collaborations with international artists and companies. Renowned directors Michael Blakemore, Max StaffordClark, Howard Davies, Declan Donnellan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Liv Ullmann, Steven Soderbergh and Tamás Ascher have worked with STC in recent years, and in 2011 Luc Bondy will direct for the Company. STC has presented productions by Complicite, Cheek by Jowl, Out-of-Joint, National Theatre of Great Britain and Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and in 2011 presents Abbey Theatre’s Terminus. The Company has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York with its productions of The White Devil (2001), Hedda Gabler (2006) and A Streetcar Named Desire (2009). A Streetcar Named Desire also toured to the Kennedy Center in Washington, where the Company will return in 2011 with its production of Uncle Vanya. Other STC productions to tour internationally in the last few years include The Cherry Pickers (UK 2002), Riflemind (UK 2008), Blackbird (NZ, Germany 2008) and Long Day’s Journey Into Night (US 2010).
Artistic Directors Cate Blanchett & Andrew Upton General Manager Patrick McIntyre Associate Director Tom Wright Executive Producer Jo Dyer Casting Director Serena Hill Head of Marketing & Customer Services Nicole McPeake
Corporate Partnerships Manager Anna McPherson Head of Philanthropy Danielle Heidbrink Head of Production Annie Eves-Boland Finance Manager Claire Beckwith Acting Company Manager Colm O’Callaghan
....
gratefully acknowledges its supporters
PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
MALTHOUSE THEATRE IS SUPPORTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT THROUGH THE AUSTRALIA COUNCIL, ITS ARTS FUNDING AND ADVISORY BODY
MAJOR PARTNER
PRODUCTION PARTNER
MEDIA PARTNER
CORPORATE PARTNERS
CORPORATE ASSOCIATES TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS Annamila Pty Ltd
Artists in Residence Program
The Tom Kantor Fund and Dara Foundation
Education & Youth Access Program
Indigenous Theatre Program
Slome-Topol Family Charitable Trust Company in Residence Program
Artist Program
The Malcom Robertson Foundation
At the CUB Malthouse - 113 Sturt Street Southbank VIC 3006 Box Office +61 3 9685 5111 Administration +61 3 9685 5100 Facsimile +61 3 9685 5112 Email admin@malthousetheatre.com.au Web www.malthousetheatre.com.au BOARD OF DIRECTORS Simon Westcott (Chair), Frankie Airey, John Daley, Michele Levine, Ian McRae, Neil Smart, Thea Snow, Sigrid Thornton, Leonard Vary.
Building Manager Frank Stoffels Bar Manager Cherry Rivers Front of House Managers Tristan Watson & Sean Ladhams Production Manager David Miller Technical Manager Baird McKenna Operations Manager Dexter Varley Artistic Director Marion Potts Production Coordinator Lucy Birkinshaw Executive Producer Jo Porter Head Electricians Michele Bauer & Interim Business Manager Stewart Birkinshaw Campbell Emma Calverley Head Mechanist Andy Moore Workshop Supervisor David Craig Company Managers Nina Bonacci & Head of Wardrobe Amanda Carr Julian Hobba Wardrobe Assistant Chloe Greaves Dramaturge in Residence Steel Fabricator Goffredo Mameli Maryanne Lynch Workshop Staff Dan Talbot Assistant to the Dramaturge Petra Kalive Scenic Artist Patrick Jones Artist in Residence - Design Props Master Ross Murray Anna Cordingley (lifetime recognition) Artist in Residence - Lighting Design Paul Jackson Front of House/Bar Staff Matt Adair, Milo Adler-Gillies, Mira AdlerEducation Program Manager Gillies, Rebecca Bower, Jacqui Brown, Fiona James Rowan Michael Davie, Alice Dixon, Graham Finance Manager Mario Agostinoni Downey, Tanja George, Kate Golding, Finance Assistant Liz White Chloe Greaves, Kate Gregory, Simon Philanthropy Manager Tamara Harrison Jeanes, Paula Lay, Gabrielle Lowe, Bridie Marketing & Communications McCarthy, Ruby Nolan, Felix Preval, Sara Coordinator Nicole Smith Retallick, Claire Richardson, Caleb Shea, Communications Coordinator Mimosa Schmidt, Kathryn Stuckey, Jade Jaclyn Birtchnell Thomson, Lee Threadgold, Pete Walker, Media Manager Annette Vieusseux Andy Wall, Janine Watson. Media Assistant Lucy Forge Ticketing Manager Emma Howard Box Office Staff Interim Administration Coordinator Liz Bastian, Mark Byrne, Rachel Dyson Kate Gregory McGregor, Cindy Elliott, Rachel Gelzinnis, Kate Gregory, Michelle Hines, Philip Holyman, Mike McEvoy, Fiona Wiseman, Liz White.
With special thanks to Stephen Armstrong, Catherine Jones & Michael Kantor. This program has been printed on 100% recycled paper using soya based inks.
MUSE DONOR PROGRAM
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the following donors: URANIA (Muse of the Stars) Anonymous (1) CLIO (Muse of History) Berry Liberman & Daniel Almagor
THALIA (Muse of Comedy) John & Lorraine Bates, Daniel & Danielle Besen, Eva Besen AO & Marc Besen AO, Debbie Dadon, Roger Donazzan & Margaret Jackson, Colin Golvan SC, John & Janet Calvert-Jones, Neilma Gantner, Richard Leonard, Philanthropy Squared, Trawalla Foundation MELPOMENE (Muse of Tragedy) Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Terry Cutler, D.L & G.S Gjergja, Peter & Anne Laver, Tim & Lynne Sherwood, Neil & Barbara Smart, Anonymous (1) EUTERPE (Muse of Music) Ingrid Ashford, Carolyn Floyd, Brian Goddard, Scott Herron, Ian Hocking & Rosemary Forbes, Michael Kingston, Naomi Milgrom AO, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch A.C., D.B.E., Rae Rothfield, Elisabeth & John Schiller, Marshall Segan, The Bardas Foundation, The Pratt Foundation, Leonard Vary & Matt Collins, Simon Westcott, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (2) TERPSICHORE (Muse of Dance) Graham & Anita Anderson, Sally Browne, Diana Burleigh, Min Li Chong, Sieglind D’Arcy, Rev Fr Michael Elligate, Taleen Gaidzkar, Brad Hooper, Susan Humphries, Graeme & Joan Johnson, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, K & J Lindsay, Pamela McLure, James Penlidis & Fiona McGauchie, Robert Peters, Rosemary Ricker, Robert Templar, Gina Stuart, Jenny Schwarz, Fiona Sweet, Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Dr. Victor & Dr. Karen Wayne, Angelika & Peter Zangmeister ERATO (Muse of Love) John Carruthers, Diane Clark, Chris Clough, Patricia Coutts, Callum Dale, Doreen Dempster, Peggy Hayton, Shirley Hickey, Leonie Hollingworth, Irene Irvine, Irene Kearsey, Ruth Krawat, Anna Lozynski, Gael & Ian McRae, Dr. Kersti Nogeste, John & Margot Rogers, Karen Russell, John Thomas, Ann Tonks, Rosemary Walls, Bruce Wapshott & Daryl Moon, Jan Watson, Joanne Whyte, Dr. Roger Woock & Fiona Clyne, Barbara Yuncken, Anonymous (11) To find out more about the Malthouse Theatre Muse program, please contact Philanthropy Manager Tamara Harrison on 03 9685 5162 / tharrison@malthousetheatre.com.au. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
unDer eXtreme tHreat, PeoPle are CaPaBle oF anytHIng. monsters aPPear.
a golem story By Lally Katz Directed by Michael Kantor A Malthouse Theatre production
june 10 – july 2
Media Partner
BooKings malthousetheatre.com.au or 03 9685 5111