SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS STOLEN BY JANE HARRISON
JIMMY
Jarron Andy
SANDY
Mathew Cooper
RUBY
Kartanya Maynard
ANNE
Stephanie Somerville SHIRLEY
Megan Wilding
DIRECTOR
Ian Michael
DESIGNER
Renée Mulder
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Trent Suidgeest
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER
James Brown
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Megan Sampson
MOVEMENT DIRECTOR
Danielle Micich
FIGHT DIRECTOR
Tim Dashwood
VOICE & TEXT COACH
Charmian Gradwell
TRAUMA SUPPORT
Mary Goslett
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Neville Boney
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Alexandra Moon
STAGE MANAGER
Tim Burns
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Jessie Byrne
COSTUME COORDINATOR
Scott Fisher
BACKSTAGE WARDROBE SUPERVISOR
Nicole Artsetos
LIGHTING SUPERVISOR
Amy Robertson
LIGHTING OPERATOR
Sam Scott
SOUND SUPERVISOR
Peter Hunt
STAGING SUPERVISOR
Chris Fleming
HEAD MECHANIST
Nate Williams
REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Prudence Upton
85 MINS, NO INTERVAL
THIS PLAY PREMIERED AT THE C.U.B. MALTHOUSE, MELBOURNE, ON 21 OCTOBER 1998
THIS PRODUCTION OPENED AT WHARF 1 THEATRE, SYDNEY ON 11 JUNE 2024
THIS PRODUCTION IS SUPPORTED BY THE STC ANGELS
Jane Harrison’s Stolen is without question one of the most important and impactful plays written in the last few decades. Since its premiere in 1998, it has seen countless productions, both here and abroad, reaching thousands of audience members and shedding light on the painful truth of the Stolen Generations. We could not be more honoured to be welcoming Jane and her extraordinary writing back to the Sydney Theatre Company stage in this new interpretation of her play.
In the 26 years since Stolen was first produced, it has truly become a contemporary classic, studied by students across the country, and revived regularly. We are delighted that over 100 schools and 2000 students will come to see this production. The original production of Stolen opened at the C.U.B Malthouse in the year following the release of the Bringing Them Home report, as wider public consciousness of the Stolen Generations was beginning to grow. Tragically, the stories inside this play continue to resonate today, while the need to listen and reflect remains as important as ever.
A MESSAGE FROM KIP WILLIAMS
Stolen is also celebrated for the formal inventiveness of its writing, and this element is something that this creative team has embraced in their interpretation of Jane’s work. I am thrilled that our brilliant Resident Director Ian Michael is leading this new production, the first full-scale season of this play STC has staged. Along with the multitude of talent that exists in this spectacular cast and creative team, Ian’s poetic, artful, and skilled directorial vision is the perfect match for Jane’s vital piece of dramatic writing.
“In the 26 years since Stolen was first produced, it has truly become a contemporary classic"
In this play you will hear stories and perspectives directly inspired by real testimonies from members of the Stolen Generations. It is a heartfelt and truthful reckoning with history, and, most importantly, an opportunity for all of us to come together and listen.
I look forward to welcoming you to this special production.
Thank you,
Kip Williams Artistic Director & Co-CEOSYNOPSIS
As children, Sandy, Ruby, Shirley, Jimmy, and Anne were all stolen from their families and put in government homes.
Sandy is a traveller, thinker and storyteller whose early experiences make him feel he never really belongs anywhere.
Ruby is victim of abuse who turns the poor treatment she’s received in on herself.
Anne is adopted into a wealthy family and is largely ambivalent about her Aboriginal heritage until she begins to feel a longing for ‘going back’.
Shirley is a stolen child who goes on to watch her own children be taken from her. There is nothing she can do to stop it.
Jimmy is a mischievous boy, turned sullen, angry man with just one ray of hope.
Each of them is forever changed by what happened to them. The result of all that has come before. They will never stop looking for that special place. Home.
WRITER’S NOTE: JANE HARRISON
It’s over 30 years since I began the process of writing Stolen Stolen, for me, began with a small ad in the newspaper in 1991: “writer/ researcher wanted for production of The Lost Children, no experience necessary”. That ad changed my life. It was an opportunity to learn how to write a play, but it was more an opportunity for me to explore my own Aboriginal heritage. I had grown up with an Aboriginal mother and had always known I was Aboriginal but was not connected to extended family or community.
What followed was six years of discovery. I read everything I could about the Stolen Generations, met with community, workshopped scenes with the members of Ilbijerri, some of whom were Stolen themselves. I learnt of the heartbreak and intergenerational trauma of the Stolen Generations, but also the burning desire to come back ‘home’ to family, place and culture. My brief was to tell many stories, not just one, and to not depict Aboriginal people as all having the same experiences. It was a huge privilege and responsibility to be the conduit for the telling of this story and I was supported throughout the writing process by Ilbijerri and all of the actors who workshopped the play throughout those years. We premiered the play the year after the Bringing Them Home report was delivered and the wider public was becoming aware of this terrible period of our shared history. People were shocked and upset – rightly
so. The play was an immediate success –a bittersweet experience for all of us.
Since then the play has been performed around Australia and in other parts of the world including Hong Kong, Japan, The UK and with readings in New York and Canada. The play has been placed on English and Drama curricula and it is heartening to know that younger generations get to know and understand about this story, as its impacts are still being felt today. In fact, First Nations children are still being removed from their families at much higher rates than the nonIndigenous population, which should shock and dismay us all.
To have a new production almost 20 years after its premiere is amazing but again, the feeling is bittersweet, as it means that this story has resonance at this time. I have been blessed with amazing directors, cast and crew in the telling of this story – the director and cast bring their own rich lived experience to the storytelling and I am again so grateful for this glorious team and thank them for their commitment and craft in allowing an audience to witness this narrative. I thank audiences for opening their hearts and minds, and, in doing so, in a small but symbolic way, paving the way for better future outcomes for First Nations people in our country.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE: IAN MICHAEL
Directing Stolen has been and continues to be a process filled with a multitude of emotions. I find it difficult to find the words to express the depth of my gratitude to Jane for trusting me with bringing her words to life; the despair when reading the most recent statistics of our children in out-ofhome care, the overwhelming sadness I feel as I write this on Sorry Day, I’m reminded of the flicker of hope ignited by “the apology”, the grief I felt at the age of 25 when my Dad told me he and his siblings had been taken from their father in the early 1970s. I feel a deep responsibility to honour the truth, pain, tenderness, humour, and injustice within this timeless script; how thankful I am to the artists I’ve made this production with, for their collaboration and care for the work and each other, the desperation in hoping this production might change minds and open hearts. And I could share with you anecdotes about how the play has circled my life, how, when I used the monologue 'A Can of Peas' to get into acting school, when I toured a play across the country for four years and I would see the names of the original cast and creatives scrawled across theatre walls and dressing rooms, I feel that same invigoration today in walking in the footsteps of some of my biggest inspirations as an artist.
Though it may sound cliché, the process has been bittersweet. The bitterness lies in how resonant the lives of these characters feel today, how there isn’t a single First
Nations person in this country who hasn’t been affected by the government’s policies of forced removal. Amidst the bitter, there’s a sweetness found in the process too and this production is a testament to the work of the cast and creative team who filled our rehearsal room with endless generosity, possibility, love and dedication in bringing these vital stories to light and demanding they be heard.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, theatremakers like Jane, Wesley Enoch, Deborah Mailman, Tammy Anderson, Richard Frankland, Rachael Maza and so many others, were playing with form and style while pushing the boundaries of what black storytelling was and could be. They did this while upholding the stories of their communities and what it was to be black in this country at the time. These visionaries drew inspiration and told stories from both the present and the past which has shaped the landscape of First Nations theatre in various ways over the past twenty years. Premiering in 1998 to sold-out seasons across Australia and the world, the play has been revived in new productions for decades, and from the first standing ovation at its Melbourne premiere to today, it has been seen by over 150,000 people across the globe.
The legacy of Stolen extends beyond the stage, resonating as powerfully today as
it did when it premiered 26 years ago. This poignant script intricately weaves together the narratives of five characters – Ruby, Jimmy, Shirley, Sandy, and Anne – whose lives are forcibly disrupted as children, stolen from their families. The play unfolds through a nonlinear narrative, transitioning between past and present, sketching the memories and experiences of these children placed in repressive children’s homes and trained for domestic service. In many scenes they interact as though they’re in the home together, and throughout we see them navigate their lives as adults, as they find their way in a world where they have been told to forget their families, their communities and culture.
When thinking of this production early on and what the experience for the audience witnessing this story now might be, I considered the many who probably studied it in high school, are studying it now or have expectations of what a play about the Stolen Generations may be. The creatives and I held onto the idea that potentially, through design or in the making of the production we could somehow – like the original brief in writing the play – amplify and tell the multitude of stories, that we could honour that original production in 1998 and the people who made it, the ones who laid the path for us to be able to tell this story today. The setting notes from the original text continue to resonate with us, in particular, “Five old iron institutional
beds alternate across the stage. The beds are the base of the five main characters, representing their homes at various stages of their lives. At times they become, a children’s home; a prison cell, a mental institution, and a girl’s bedroom.”, and, “The only other props are a drab green metal filing cabinet, on the far of the stage right”. It felt significant in the making of this production that the world – an almost nightmarish playground of the characters’ memories and trauma – should be created through the imagination and memories of these characters, transposing across time and locations, both as children and adults. They are now in control of telling their story.
Jane once said “For audiences, I hope it brings understanding that we are all part of this story, it is part of our history and our present. For the Aboriginal community members in the audience, it is my profound hope that we do your stories justice.” In dedication to all of the children of the Stolen Generations and the children who continue to be taken from their families and communities, we offer this production in the hope we have done your lives justice.
JANE HARRISON
Playwright
Jane Harrison is descended from the Muruwari people of NSW. Her first play Stolen had productions across Australia and toured internationally. She was co-winner of the 2002 RAKA Kate Challis Award for Stolen. Rainbow’s End has had numerous productions since its premiere in 2003 and won the 2012 Drovers Award for best touring production. Both Stolen and Rainbow’s End have been placed on secondary school curricula. The Visitors premiered at Sydney Festival in 2020 and won the Sydney Critics Award for Best New Australian Work for 2021 and the Best Production and Best Ensemble for 2023. Her novel Becoming Kirrali Lewis won the 2014 Black & Write! Prize and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Her latest novel is The Visitors which won the Indie Book Awards Best Debut Novel for 2024. She is the Festival Director of Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival (2016, 2019, 2022, 2024).
IAN MICHAEL Director
Ian Michael is a Resident Director at Sydney Theatre Company and was the Richard Wherrett Fellow (2022-2023).
A Noongar man, he has carved out a career as an actor, director and writer following his graduation from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. For STC, Ian made his directorial debut at Sydney Theatre Company with Constellations (2023), he is Associate Director on Kip Williams’ adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray (2020-2024) and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2022-2023) which also toured to Perth Festival and Adelaide Festival, Assistant Director to Imara Savage on The Seagull (2023) and to Shari Sebbens for The 7 Stages of Grieving (2021). For Black Swan State Theatre Company, Ian directed The Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini (2023) and was the Associate Director on The Cherry Orchard and Assistant Director on Skylab (with Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company) and made his directorial debut with The Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini for The Blue Room Theatre (2021). In 2024, Ian has been Associate Director to Tom Creed on The President and will be Associate Director to Kip Williams on Dracula.
Ian’s acting credits include The Tempest, City of Gold (with Black Swan State Theatre Company), Blaque Showgirls (Griffin Theatre Company), Cloudstreet, Blak Cabaret (Malthouse), Our Town, Cloudstreet and Let the Right One In (Black Swan State Theatre Company), The Kid (Melbourne Theatre Company/Melbourne Ring Cycle), The Noongar Shakespeare Project (Yirra Yaakin); HART (She Said Theatre) and Northwest of Nowhere (Ilbijerri Theatre Company).
As a writer, his credits include York (with Chris Isaacs) for Black Swan State Theatre Company; Another Day in the Colony (Critical Stages/Paines Plough) and HART (with Seanna van Helten).
He was a Resident Artist at Black Swan from 2018-2020, their Artistic Associate and Curator of the Maali Festival (2021) and a Besen Family Artist at Malthouse in 2017.
Ian has won numerous awards and nominations for his work, including six nominations for Constellations, at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards including Best Direction of a Mainstage Play and Best Production, a nomination for Best Performer in a Supporting Role in a Mainstage Production at the 2022 Sydney Theatre Awards for City of Gold, The Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting (York), at the 2022 PAWA Awards Ian won Outstanding Direction of an Independent Production and Best Independent Production (The Bleeding Tree) and has been nominated for Best Actor for Our Town and Let the Right One In, at the 2021 The Blue Room Awards, he won the Award for Direction and Members Choice (The Bleeding Tree), CHASS Australia Prizes, Green Room Awards (HART), Melbourne Fringe Awards and Adelaide Fringe Awards.
JARRON ANDY
Jimmy
Jarron is a proud Wannyi, Djiru, Kuku Yalanji & Yidinji man born in Gimuy (Cairns, FNQ) and raised on Mamu Country, in a township called Innisfail. Jarron now resides on Wangal Country of the Eora Nation in Sydney NSW. Sydney Theatre Company: Debut. TV: Black Comedy, Summer Love. Awards: ‘Apprentice of the Year’ National NAIDOC Award. Training: NIDA Studio Screen course. Pronouns: He/Him.
MATHEW COOPER
Sandy
Mathew is a Wongi from Kalgoorlie. Sydney Theatre Company: Hubris & Humiliation, Top Coat (as Understudy), City of Gold (with Black Swan State Theatre Company). Other Theatre: Queensland Theatre: Boy Swallows Universe, City of Gold (with Griffin Theatre Company). Belvoir: Coranderrk (with Ilbijerri Theatre). National Theatre of Parramatta: Stolen. Griffin Theatre Company: Blaque Showgirls, Whitefella Yella Tree, Cracked. Yirra Yaakin: The Sum of Us. Performing Lines: The Season. MTC/Neon: Lucky. Film: The Marshes, Last Drinks at Frida’s TV: Redfern Now, Janet King. Training: WAAPA.
KARTANYA MAYNARD
Ruby
Kartanya is a proud Truwulway and Nunga woman. Sydney Theatre Company: Debut. Other Theatre: Archipelago: The Bleeding Tree. TV: includes Heartbreak High, Gold Diggers, The Messenger, Deadloch. Training: Bachelor of Music at University of Tasmania Conservatorium of Music. Pronouns: She/Her.
STEPHANIE SOMERVILLE
Anne
Stephanie is a proud Martu woman. Sydney Theatre Company: Chalkface. As Understudy: Blithe Spirit, Julius Caesar. Other Theatre: Griffin: Blaque Showgirls. Black Swan Theatre: Bleeding Tree. KXT: A Little Piece of Ash. Belvoir 25A: Slaughterhouse. Bell Shakespeare: Macbeth (educational season). Subiaco Arts Centre: Lysistrata. Blue Room Theatre: Minus One Sister. Film: Halim. Awards: Sally Burton Award for Best Female Performance of a Shakespearean text. Training: WAAPA. Proud member of Actors’ Equity. Pronouns: She/Her.
MEGAN WILDING
Shirley
Megan Wilding is a proud Gamilaroi person. Sydney Theatre Company: A Fool in Love, The Seagull, The Importance of Being Earnest, Blithe Spirit, Banging Denmark, Blackie Blackie Brown (with Malthouse Theatre). As Assistant Director: Grand Horizons, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Other Theatre: As Director: The Old Fitz: Exit the King. As Actor: Seymour Centre: Made to Measure. The Old Fitz: Eurydice. Belvoir: The Rover As Actor, Writer and Director: KXT: A Little Piece of Ash. TV: Mystery Road: Origin, Gold Diggers, The Moth Effect. Film: We Are Still Here. Awards: 2021 Griffin Theatre Award. 2017 Balnaves Award for Indigenous Writers. Training: WAAPA. Proud member of Actors’ Equity. Pronouns: She/They.
RENÉE MULDER
Designer
Sydney Theatre Company: As Designer: Is God Is (with MTC), Julia, Grand Horizons, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Triple X (with QT), Banging Denmark, The Torrents (with Black Swan State Theatre Company), Black is the New White, The Bleeding Tree (with Griffin Theatre Company, presented by STC), Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark, Orlando, Battle of Waterloo, The Effect (with QT), Perplex, The Long Way Home, Dance Better at Parties, Mrs Warren’s Profession, Mariage Blanc. As Costume Designer: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Playing Beatie Bow, The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two, Saint Joan, Top Girls, Chimerica, Endgame, Children of the Sun, Vere (Faith) (with STCSA). As Set Designer: Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness (with La Boite). As Associate Designer: Cyrano de Bergerac. Other Theatre: As Designer: Queensland Theatre: Gaslight, First Casualty, Family Values, Boy Swallows Universe, Return to the Dirt, Mouthpiece, Nearer the Gods, An Octoroon, Sacre Bleu!, Fat Pig. MTC: Prima Facie, Home, I’m Darling, Arbus & West. Griffin Theatre Company: Dogged, Prima Facie, The Bleeding Tree, Rice, The Boys, A Hoax (with La Boite). La Boite: As You Like It, Ruben Guthrie, I Love You, Bro. Positions: Design Director at Queensland Theatre (2021). Sydney Theatre Company Resident Designer (2012–14). Awards: Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Stage Design of a Mainstage Production for The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Best Costume Design for Top Girls. A Green Room Award for Outstanding Design for Costume for Home, I’m Darling, Matilda
Award for Best Design for Edward Gant’s Amazing Feats of Loneliness and First Casualty. Training: NIDA, Queensland College of Art.
TRENT SUIDGEEST
Lighting Designer
Sydney Theatre Company: The Dictionary of Lost Words (with STCSA), The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Appropriate, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Hay Fever, Talk, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical (with Global Creatures) Other Theatre: Dark Mofo: Night Mass Exstasia. Shake and Stir Theatre Co: Frankenstein, Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas!, Fourteen. Belvoir Street Theatre: Miss Peony. Bell Shakespeare: The Lovers. Opera Australia: Carmen, Sydney Opera House – The Opera [The Eighth Wonder], The Rabbits (with Barking Gecko Theatre). Sugary Rum/LPD/Sydney Opera House: RENT. Redline Productions: The Seven Deadly Sins & Mahagonny Songspiel, Betty Blokk-Buster reimagined (with Sydney Festival). Australian Brandenburg Orchestra: Notre Dame, Paradisum. Griffin Theatre Company: Prima Facie, Feather In The Web, Wicked Sisters, First Love Is The Revolution, The Homosexuals or ‘Faggots’ (with Malthouse Theatre) Hayes Theatre Co: Dubbo Championship Wrestling, Young Frankenstein, Calamity Jane, The Rise and Disguise of Elizabeth R, Gypsy, Only Heaven Knows, Darlinghurst Nights, The View UpStairs. Darlinghurst Theatre: Let The Right One In, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice. Pinchgut Opera: Member Jesu Nostri, Women of the Pietà. The Production Company, Melbourne: Jesus Christ Superstar, Dusty, The Boy From Oz, Nice Work If You Can Get It, The King And I, Kismet. Ambassador Theatre Group: The Beast. Belvoir/BSSTC: The
Sapphires. Ensemble Theatre: Black Cockatoo, Folk. Performing Lines: I Am Eora (with Sydney Festival) QT/BSSTC: Managing Carmen, Gasp!, Other Desert Cities. MTC/ BSSTC: National Interest. Black Swan State Theatre Company: 20+ designs including Oklahoma! (co-design), When The Rain Stops Falling, Next To Normal, The White Divers of Broome, Summer Of The Seventeenth Doll, Extinction. Yirra Yaakin Noongar Theatre: Waltzing The Wilarra. Barking Gecko Theatre Company: Jasper Jones, Duck Death and the Tulip. As Set & Lighting Designer: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra: The Lover, Gloria & The Four Seasons, The Soprano, Noël! Noël!. Club House Productions: 44 Sex Acts In One Week. BSSTC: Shrine, Dinner, Death of a Salesman. Public Art Installations: A Mirrored City by WITCH+GHOST (Vivid Sydney, Illuminate Adelaide). As Assistant Lighting Designer: International Theatre Amsterdam/Wiener Festwochen: Kings Of War. Awards: 2015 Mike Walsh Fellowship, 2015 WA Department of Culture and the Arts Young People Fellowship. Training: WAAPA.
JAMES BROWN Composer & Sound Designer
Sydney Theatre Company: Constellations, Do not go gentle…, Home, I’m Darling, Rules for Living, The Deep Blue Sea, The Real Thing, Lord of the Flies, Mosquitoes, Who’s the Best? (with Post). Other Theatre: Darlinghurst Theatre: Let the Right One In. CDP: The Midnight Gang. Sport for Jove: Rose Riot. Erth: Winter Camp, The Liminal Hour, Bird. Fox. Monster. Darlinghurst Theatre: In Real Life, Broken. Malthouse: Revolt. She. Said. Revolt Again. Griffin Theatre Company: Smurf in Wanderland, Tribunal. The Farm:
Frank Enstein. Post: Ich Nibber Dibber, Oedipus Schmoedipus Urban Theatre Projects: Home Country. Carriageworks: Lake Disappointment. SOIT (Belgium): Nomads, We Was them, Messiah Run, The Lee Ellroy Show. ATYP: Dignity of Risk (with Shopfront’s Harness Ensemble), House on Fire. Campbelltown Arts Centre: Hole in the Wall. Dance: Queensland Ballet: Tethered. Kristina Chan: A Faint Existence, Mountain. Victoria Hunt: Copper Promises, Tangi Wai. The Australian Ballet: Scope. Sydney Dance Company: Cult of the Titans, Conform. Matthew Day:Thousands, Cannibal, Intermission. Film: We Circle Silently Fungus, Voice Activated, A Brilliant Genocide, Bloodlinks, Brown Lips TV: The Movement, Top of the Lake, One Day for Peace, Gingersnaps. Games: Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Shelter.
MEGAN SAMPSON
Assistant Director
Megan is a proud Dharug woman. Sydney Theatre Company: Debut. Other Theatre: Hayes Theatre Company and Heart Strings Theatre Company: Urinetown. New Ghosts Theatre Company: Hush. As Director: Old Fitz Late Night Program. Positions: Drama and English Teacher, International Grammar School (IGS), Coordinator of Indigenous Partnerships (IGS) Training: Bachelor of Arts Media and Visual Cultures, Western Sydney University (WSU), Master of Teaching (WSU), NIDA Actors Studio.
DANIELLE MICICH Movement Director
Sydney Theatre Company: The President, Perplex. Other Theatre: Belvoir: Food. Griffin: Dogged. Monkey Baa Theatre: Goodbye Jamie Boyd, The Peasant Prince. Black Swan Theatre: Flood. Barking Gecko: Driving Into Walls, 1507. Pinchgut Opera: Rameau. Steamworks: Standing Bird. As Director: Shiver, Overexposed As Performer: Night Train Production: WISH, Orpheus and Eurydice, Masks. As Artistic Director of Force Majeure: Off the Record, You Animal, You, Flock, Masters of Modern Sound, The Last Season, IDK. TV: BUMP, Significant Others, The Unlisted, The Other Guy 2. Film: Berlyn Syndrome. Training: VCA (BA Dance). Pronouns: She/Her.
TIM DASHWOOD Fight Director
Sydney Theatre Company: A Fool in Love, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Death of a Salesman, No Pay? No Way!, Lord of the Flies Other Theatre: Opera Australia: Miss Saigon, Whiteley, West Side Story on Sydney Harbour, Krol Roger, Faust. shake & stir theatre co.: Fourteen, Fantastic Mr Fox, Jane Eyre, George’s Marvellous Medicine. Griffin: Jailbaby, Ulster American, The Lewis Trilogy. The Ensemble: Alone it Stands. ATYP: Saplings, The Deb, Intersections: Arrival, War Crimes. Belvoir: Tell Me I’m Here, Fangirls, Opening Night, The Life of Galileo, Zombie! The Musical. Hayes Theatre Company: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Dubbo Championship Wrestling. National Theatre of Parramatta: Girls in Boys’ Cars. Bell Shakespeare: The Players Darlinghurst Theatre Company: Let The Right One In. Kwento: One Hour, No Oil, Ate Lovia. Merrigong Theatre Company: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As Luck Would Have It. New Theatre: Loot, The Removalists. Outhouse Theatre Co: Ulster American. Empress Theatre: Cyprus Avenue. Sport for Jove: Rose Riot, Servant of Two Masters, Measure for Measure, Fallen As Actor: shake & stir theatre co.: Fantastic Mr Fox, Animal Farm, Dracula, Wuthering Heights, George’s Marvellous Medicine. Kay & McLean Productions: The Graduate Bell Shakespeare: Richard III Darlinghurst Theatre Company: A Chorus Line (As Understudy), Deathtrap. Gordon Frost Organisation: Fame: the Musical Queensland Theatre Company: Managing Carmen, The Odd Couple, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Rabbithole, The Importance of
Being Earnest, The Exception and the Rule. The Escapists: Packed La Boite Theatre Company: The Year Nick McGowan Came to Stay Other: President of the Society of Australian Fight Directors incorporated. Training: University of Southern Queensland, Certified by the Society of Australian Fight Directors incorporated.
CHARMIAN GRADWELL Voice & Text Coach
Sydney Theatre Company: A Fool in Love, The Seagull, The Importance of Being Earnest, Constellations, Do not go gentle..., Fences, The Tempest, The Lifespan of a Fact, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Fun Home (with MTC), The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Mary Stuart, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two, The Long Forgotten Dream, Saint Joan, Blackie Blackie Brown (with Malthouse Theatre), Still Point Turning, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Lethal Indifference, Top Girls, Dinner, The Father (with MTC), Black is the New White, Talk, Chimerica, A Flea in Her Ear, All My Sons, Disgraced, Hay Fever, Arcadia, The Golden Age, King Lear, The Present, Suddenly Last Summer, After Dinner, The Long Way Home, Travelling North, Machinal, Waiting for Godot, Romeo and Juliet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Storm Boy (with Barking Gecko), The Maids, Mrs Warren’s Profession, Sex with Strangers, Under Milk Wood, Gross und Klein, Bloodland, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Uncle Vanya, A Streetcar Named Desire, The War of the Roses, Tot Mom As Director: The Comedy of Errors. Other Theatre: As Voice & Text Coach: QT: Triple X (with Sydney Theatre Company). Royal Shakespeare Company: The
Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, The Tempest, The Canterbury Tales (tour), A Winter’s Tale, Pericles, Days of Significance, Macbeth, Macbett, The Penelopiad, Noughts and Crosses, The Comedies London Season, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The London Gunpowder Season, Romeo and Juliet, Comedy of Errors As Dialect Coach: Musicals: Muriel’s Wedding: The Musical (with Global Creatures), Aladdin, Assassins, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, The Tap Brothers, Xanadu the Musical As Director/ Trainer: A year with Space 2000 in Kaduna, Nigeria Film: As Dialect Coach: Elvis, Peter Rabbit 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Reaching for the Moon, Truth, Ginger & Rosa Other: Voice trainer for London School of Puppetry. Member of London Shakespeare Workout, which brings Shakespeare into UK prisons. Training: Central School of Speech and Drama.
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Ann Johnson (Chair) & Warwick Johnson, Frances Allan & Ian Narev, Jillian Broadbent AC , Mark Burrows AO, Andrew Cameron AM & Cathy Cameron, Robert Cameron AO & Paula Cameron, Michael & Helen Carapiet, Bella & Tim Church, Anne & David Craig, Ian Darling AO & Min Darling, Heather Doig & Rob Koczkar, David Gonski AC & Orli Wargon OAM , Sandra Levy AO, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Peter Mason AM & Kate Mason, Mark & Louise Nelson, Gretel Packer AM , Paul Robertson AO & Lenore Robertson AM , Anne & John Rumpler, Ian & Kelly Saines, Richard Shemesian, Greg Schneider & Gabbi Phillips, Tony Scotford, Antony Spanbrook & Chris Yeo, Vaux Family Education & Learning Foundation
Thank you to our donors at all levels. You support a bright future for STC.
$10,000-$19,999
Colin & Richard Adams, Phil & Beverley Birnbaum, David Z. Burger Foundation, Heather & Malcolm Crompton, Edward Federman, Liz Gibson, The Hilmer Family Endowment, Victoria Holthouse, The Knights Family Jabula Foundation, Mountain Air Foundation, Paul Robertson AO & Lenore Robertson AM , Louise Taggart & Peter Homel, The Late Shirley Warland, James & Clytie Williams, Yim Family Foundation, Anonymous (2)
$5,000-$9,999
Wayne Adams in memory of Liz O’Neill OAM , Walter Barda, Andrew & Natalie Best, Sandra Bourke, Mitchell Butel, Nerida Caesar, Wayne Cahill, Doherty Swinhoe Family Foundation, Donus Australia Foundation Ltd, Camilla Drover, Deborah & David Friedlander, Anne Galbraith, Jinnie & Ross Gavin, Wendy Gavin, Michelle Guthrie, Meredith Hellicar, Sally Herman OAM , I Kallinikos, Anna Katzmann, Kay Swaney Family, Virginia Leitch, Philip Mason & Alexandra Joel, Sara McKerihan, Sam Meers AO, Sheridan Lee, Karen Moses, Natasha Nankivell, Christopher Nicolosi, Amy Payten, Caroline Perkins, Jonquil Ritter, Sally & Jonathan Rourke, Anne Schofield AM , Susan & Ian Thomas, Christine Thomson, Gai Wales, Annie & Graham Williams, Boh Yeng & Peter Hunt, Prof John Yiannikas, Anonymous (7)
$2,000-$4,999
Berg Family Foundation, Christine Bishop, Phil Breaden, Dr Sharron Brown, Christopher J Browne, Gerard Byrne & Donna O’Sullivan, Hon J C Campbell KC & Mrs Campbell, Dr Bishnu Dutta & Ms Jayati Dutta, Terry Fahy, Sandra Forbes, Marguerite Gregan & Billy Bennett, Priscilla Guest, Cheryl Hatch, Linda Herd, Roslyn Johnson, The Alexandra & Lloyd Martin Family
LIFE PATRONS
Frances Allan & Ian Narev, Mr Giorgio Armani, Anita Belgiorno-Nettis AM & Luca Belgiorno-Nettis AM , The Caledonia Foundation, Crown Resorts Foundation, Ian Darling AO & Min Darling, Catherine Dovey & Kim Williams AM , Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, David Fite, Stephen Fitzgerald AO & Julie Fitzgerald, Girgensohn Foundation, David Gonski AC & Orli Wargon OAM , John & Frances Ingham Foundation, W & A Johnson, Mark & Anne Lazberger, Danita R. Lowes, Minderoo Foundation, Simon Mordant AO & Catriona Mordant AM , Cameron & Ilse O’Reilly, Origin Foundation, Packer Family Foundation, Gretel Packer AM , Mrs Roslyn Packer AC , The Paradice Family Foundation, The Petre Foundation, Anne Schofield AM , Shi’s Family Foundation, Mr Andrew Stuart, Upton Blanchett Family, Carla Zampatti AC , Anonymous
Foundation, The McBriarty Family, In Memory of Helen McFadyen, Alexis & Dominic Patterson, Dr. Judy Ranka, Mark Scott, John & Christina Stitt, Augusta Supple, Sydney Theatre Company Pier Group, Wendy Trevor-Jones, In memory of Diana Caroline Ware, Anthony & Annie Whealy, Anonymous (9)
$1,000-$1,999
Michael Adena & Joanne Daly, Pam Anson, Victor Baskir, Susan Bennett, Mrs Geraldine Bull, Stephen & Annabelle Burley, Anthony & Bronny Carroll, Joseph Catanzariti AM , JT Clark, Simone Clow, Angela Compton, Nick & Carol Dettmann, Eve Draper, Lou & Peter Duerden, Diane & John Dunlop, Dana Dupere, Suellen Enestrom, Hon Ben Franklin MLC , Valmae Freilich, Judy Friend, Frances Garrick, Sharon Goldschmidt, Geoffrey Graham, Anna Gray, Ginny & Leslie Green, Chris & Gina Grubb, Sophie Guest, Lisa Hamilton & Rob White, Louise Hamshere, Margaret R Hawkins, Donald Hector & Sandra Ollington, Andreas & Danielle Heidbrink, Jennifer Hershon, Dorothy Hoddinott AO, Andrew Housen, Dr George Jacobs, Dr Theresa Jacques, Julia Jane Pty Limited, Brigit & David Kirk, Lesro Pty Ltd, Cheryl Lo, Anne Loveridge, Michael Lynch, Lyon Family, Michele Marquet, Rob & Rosemary McCullough, Edward McMahon, Judith McKernan, Fiona Merritt, Phillip Mitchelhill, Jacquie Murray, Cynthia Nadai, Marion Nicholas, Sue O’Keefe in memory of Lynda Shearer, Greg Peirce, Christina Pender, Raffi Qasabian & John Wynter, Anne Rein & Rod Gilmour, Robin Rodgers, Emine Sermet, Mr Andrew Stuart, Josie & Graeme Thompson, Alistair Thomson, Sue Thomson, Dr David Throsby AO & Dr Robin Hughes, Daniela Torsh, Suzanne & Ross Tzannes AM , Victoria Waldock, Joel Watkins, Tony Williams, Julia Wokes, Anonymous (25)
SOULMATES
Colin & Richard Adams, Andrew Benson, Mitchell Bourke, Rob Brookman AM , The Late Stephen Center, Sarah Cruickshank, Jayati Dutta, Terry M Fahy, The Late Nancy Fairfax OBE , The Late Denise Robyn Fairservice, The Late Ronald Falk, Jennifer Fulton, Ros Gestier, Girgensohn Foundation, The Late Diane Patricia Hague, Louise Hamshere, Dorothy Hoddinott AO, The Late Isabelle Joseph, Iphygenia Kallinikos, The Late Denis Stanley Klein, Wolf Krueger, Peter Louw, The McBriarty Family, DiAnne McDonald, Justin Miller AM , Christopher John Nicolosi, Mr Mark Neilsen & Mr Tim Trollip, Jonquil & John Ritter, Trudie Anne Rogers, Emine Sermet, Lynette Shelley, William Turbet, The Late Shirley Warland, Boh Yeng & Peter Hunt, Anonymous (16)
Donations to the STC Foundation are recognised for 12 months from the date of donation. Donations of $100 and above are recognised on our website. This listing is current as at 06 Mar 2024
To join our donor community, please make a donation online at sydneytheatre.com.au/donate For further information, please contact the STC Philanthropy team on (02) 9250 1976 or foundation@sydneytheatre.com.au
Board of Directors
Ann Johnson (Chair), Anita BelgiornoNettis AM , Brooke Boney, Mark Coulter, David Craig, Anne Dunn, Heather Mitchell AM , Gretel Packer AM , David Paradice AO, Annette Shun Wah, Kip Williams
Executive
Artistic Director & Co-CEO Kip Williams
Executive Director & Co-CEO Anne Dunn
Executive Assistants
Batsheva Abrahams, Poppy Tidswell
Artistic
Director, New Work & Artistic
Development Paige Rattray
Casting Director Michael Topple
Casting Associate Jocelyn O’Brien
Senior Producer Ben White
Associate Producers
Zoe O’Flanagan, Alice Hatton
Company Manager Sarah Stait
Acting Company Manager Minka Stevens
Artistic Administrator/Assistant
Company Manager Nicola Stavar
New Work Development Producer
Jonathan Ware
Resident Directors
Kenneth Moraleda, Ian Michael
Patrick White Playwrights Fellow
Joanna Murray-Smith
Dramaturg Jules Orcullo
STC Writers Under Commission
Andrew Bovell, Glace Chase, Wesley Enoch, Jane Harrison, Kim Ho, Tom Holloway, Emme Hoy, Nakkiah Lui, Nathan Maynard, Joanna Murray Smith, Kate Mulvany, Eryn Jean Norvill, S. Shakthidharan, Emma Valente, Meyne Wyatt
Watershed Writers Grace Chapple, Abbie-lee Lewis, Emmanuelle Mattana, Gary Paramanathan, Daley Rangi
Finance & Administration
Director, Finance & Governance
Penny Scaiff
Human Resources Manager
Bettina Sammut
Human Resources Coordinator
Amelia Engel
People & Safety Advisor Mary Moon
Finance Manager Reinaldo Rahn
Acting Accountant Helen Ban
Acting Assistant Accountant
Klara Harvey
Payroll Assistant Carina Mision
Archivist Judith Seeff
Receptionist Elisabeth Tuilekutu
Marketing Director, Marketing Sophie Withers
Marketing Manager, Strategy
Meera Gooley
Marketing Manager, Content
Patrick Carey
Marketing Coordinator, Content
Rebecca Duke
Marketing Specialist, Paid
Rebecca Warrand
Marketing Specialist, CRM & Audience
Fiona Moody
Marketing Assistant Courtney Henson
Graphic Designer Joanna Shuen
PR & Media Relations
Public Relations Manager Helene Fox
Senior Publicist Georgia Fox
Customer Experience
Director, Customer Experience
Heath Wilder
Ticketing Manager Bonnie Pares-Carr
Ticketing Specialists Tomoko Tamura
Public Programs & Ticketing Specialist
Jess Zlotnick
Application and Database Administrator
Aista Adhikari
Business Data Analyst Dominic Ball
Customer Services Manager
Alison Cooper
Wharf Theatre Box Office Manager
Jo Jenkins
Roslyn Packer Theatre Box Office
Manager Dominic Scarf
Customer Service Supervisors
Jodie, Jonathan, Lauren, Lily, Lisa, Lucy, Nancy, Sheanna
Customer Service Representatives
Amy, Chloe, Chris, Georgie, Kate, Lisa, Mary, Quinn, Tara, Tom
House Services Manager
Edward Whitmarsh-Knight
Deputy House Services Manager
Milan Monk
House Manager Callum Bright
Casual House Managers Andrea Beaumont, Erin Bruce, Jen Batman, Jessie Lancaster, Alison Lee Rubie, Estevan Martin, Rafael Barroso, Myles Horton
Philanthropy
Director, External Relations & Private Giving Danielle Heidbrink
Head of Partnerships Miranda Purnell
Head of Philanthropy Tom Tansey
Senior Manager, Major & Planned Giving
Rebecca Warren
Individual Giving Manager Sally Crawford
Donor Communications and Campaign
Manager Lina Stein
Donor Engagement Manager
Christina Blanco
Major Gifts & SoulMates Coordinator
Mitchell Bourke
Annual Giving Executive Richard Cox
Philanthropy Administrator Tamika Paul
Operations & Public Programs
Chief Operating Officer Caroline Spence
Venue Manager Ben Stern
Venue & Events Specialist
Kendra Murphy
Head of Public Programs & Engagement
Tory Loudon
Creative Learning Program Manager
Kaylee Hazell
School Drama Program Associates
Professor Robyn Ewing AM , John Nicholas Saunders
Teaching Artists Michelle Robin Anderson, Tegan Arazny, Bronwyn Batchelor, Neville Williams Boney, Margie Breen, Victoria Campbell, Branden
Christine, Katrina Douglas, Robyn Ewing, Kaylee Hazell, Estevan Martin, Suzannah McDonald, Vaishanavi Suryaprakash, Jennifer White, Linden Wilkinson, Kate Worsley, Kelly Young
Building Facilities Manager Barry Carr
Stage Door Attendant Errol Robertson
Casual Stage Door Attendants
Geoffrey Murray, Maurice Zancanaro
Technical and Production
Director, Technical and Production
James Wheeler
Head of Technical Operations
Andrew Richards
Head of Production Joe Fletcher
Technical & Production Administrator
Hannah Waters
Workshop Manager Mark Rowley
Production Managers Elizabeth Jenkins, Ryan Garreffa, Alexandra Moon
Deputy Production Manager
Julia Orlando
Head of Stage Management Roxzan Bowes
Resident Stage Manager Sarah Smith
Lighting Manager Andrew Tompkins
Lighting Supervisors Jesse Greig, Tim McNaught, Amy Robertson
Lighting Workshop Technician
Filip Wyker
Sound & Video Manager Ben Lightowlers
Sound & Video Supervisors Ben Andrews, Hayley Forward, Luke Davis, Michael Hedges
Sound & Video Technician Peter Hunt
Staging Manager Chris Fleming
Staging/Fly Supervisor Zachary White
Set Construction Manager Boaz Shemesh
Deputy Head of Set Construction
Ashley Watts
Senior Set Constructor Joseph Gleeson
Set Constructors Alex Casalini, Tim Hill
Draftspeople Andrew Powell, Dallas Winspear
Logistics Manager Julian Duxson
Logistics Supervisor Hamish Bell
MR Driver Michael Apoifis
Props Manager Emily Adinolfi
Deputy Head of Props Jason Lowe
Props Supervisor Leandro Sanchez
Scenic Art Manager Neil Mallard
Deputy Head of Scenic Art Ron Thiessen
Scenic Artist Emily Borghi
Driver/Buyer Ashley Trotter
Costume Manager Scott Fisher
Costume Coordinator Sam Perkins
Costumier Mary Anne Lawler
Costume Stores Coordinator
Hazel Fisher
Wig, Make-Up & Wardrobe Supervisor
Lauren A. Proietti
Wig Makers Carla D’Annunzio, Stefanie Paglialonga
Program
Program Editor Patrick Carey, Rebecca Duke
STC Casual and Seasonal Staff
Costume Charlie Aplin, Kristi Archer, Nicole Artsetos, Patricia Barker, Alicia Brown, Nyok Kim Chang, Simone Edwards, Diane Kanara, Roslyn Keam, Catriona McCabe, Phoebe Mitchell, Mathilde Montredon, Marie-Lyne Morant, Kia Snell, Ellen Parrett, Catherine Rennie.
Front of House Lucy Bassant, Andrea Beaumont, Aimee Bosco, Annie
Brockenhuus-Schack, Kate Bubalo, Stephen Byrnes, Talia Clements-Oliveiro, Lesley Colborne, Margaret Collinson, Amelia Robertson-Cuninghame, Sonia Fabbro, Annabel Fraser, Larry Fazzalari, Alexandra Gooley, Harry Harvey, Nic Hiatt, Lily Horton, Shannon Johnson, Ondine Karpinellison, Kirsty Kiloh, Grainne King, Jessie Lancaster, Crawford Lees, Michael Medcalf, Levi Meltzer, Aarthi Muvva, Ezara Norton, Esther Randles, Marianna Rahn Martinez, Anthony Sandler, Hanna Sandler, Alexandra Simpson, Anna Summerhayes, Christine Suter, Finn Stewart, Tyran Stig, Adriane White, Samuel Carr, Harrison Mills, Jacqueline Nagy, Harrison O’Shanesy
Lighting McClane Catterall, Corinne Fish, Jemima Flett, Annabel Fraser, Ethan Hamill, Travis Kecek, Jesse Kooraram, Cameron Menzies, Anastasia Mowen, Matthew Quince, Mali Tauro-Cesca, Sam Scott, Andrew Williams
Logistics Daniel Body, Thomas Carrol, Chris Colla, Eric Dole, Jack Gordon, Chris Hearn, Rory Hill, David Lee, Jai MorrisSmith, Jaccamo Mullen, Jack RobertsField, Aiden Stone
Props Isabell de Laurentis, Melita Tickle Scenic Chris Hearn, James Jones, Gawaa Lundaa
Set Construction Reuben Alexander, Kallan Crosbie, David Drake-Brockman, Jack Gordon, Scott Marcus, Darren Tilley Sound & Video Oliver Beard, Thomas Bensley, Steven Coyle, Zoe Davis, Tahira Donohoe-Bales, Zoltan Jonas, Charlie Kember, Chloe Langdon, Patrick Middleton, Rose Mulcare, Zac Saric, Benjamin Sheen, Cameron Smith, Samuel Steinle, Solomon Thomas, David Trumpmanis, Annika Unsen, Joshua Vellis, Corey Wiles
Staging Anthony Arnold, Oscar Broadhead, Samuel Carr, Grant Finlay, Jhet Finlay, Ashley Lyons, Maite Masch Marchiori, Stephen Mason, Scott Marcus, Scott Milander, Kane Mott, Tarn
Mott, Andrew Murray, Ulisses Palla, Nathan Seymour, John Shedden, David Tongs, Nathan Williams
Stage Management Tim Burns, Katie Hankin, Brooke Kiss, Stephanie Storr, Zoe Davis, Jaymii Knierum, Sean Proude, Sybilla Wajon, Chloe Langdon, Tanya Leach, Edwina Guinness
Oral Historian for STC Archives’ Oral History Project Dr Margaret Leask
STC is a member of Live Performance Australia and the Confederation of Australian State Theatres.
Auditors KPMG
Legal Representatives Allens
STC Overseas Representatives Thompson Turner Productions (New York)
STC Doctors Holdsworth House
OUR PARTNERS
Sydney Theatre Company celebrates the support of our valued Partners.
For further information on partnership opportunities please contact Miranda Purnell, mpurnell@sydneytheatre.com.au