INTROduction

Dear friends, supporters, and partners of Theatre Works,

As we look back on a truly transformative year for Theatre Works, we are filled with immense gratitude and inspiration. In 2022, we not only upheld our mission to be an artistic home and destination for the ambitious, the new, and the distinguished, but we also reinforced our commitment to our core values of Artist over Art, Empowering Risk, Creative Freedom, Sustainable Practice, Health, and Diversity and Anti-Racism. These values served as the foundation upon which we built a year of groundbreaking achievements.

We are delighted to share the remarkable success of our BY THEATRE WORKS program, which made a powerful debut with critically acclaimed productions such as The Human Voice and MEDEA: Out of the Mouths of Babes – the latter becoming our highest-achieving show in terms of box office sales and attendance. Our diverse range of festivals, including Mullet Festival, Midsumma Festival, Fringe Festival, Radical Acts Festival, Little Legend Children’s Festival, and the inaugural First Stories Festival, an initiative led by First Nations artists, showcased our dedication to diverse storytelling and representation, and inclusive training and development pathways.

Through our partnerships with numerous companies, such as Burning House, Neylon and Peele, The Danger Ensemble, Lyric Opera, The Voice in my Hands, Bullet Heart Club, and Victorian Theatre Company, we demonstrated our unwavering commitment to nurturing and showcasing independent theatre.

Despite the ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic early in the year, our resilient community produced an impressive 44 productions, earning 17 Green Room Award nominations for the 2022 season and winning five awards for our 2021 season. Our artist development programs, She Writes and the Associate Artists Program, continued to flourish, supporting the dreams and aspirations of the next generation of theatre-makers.

We are deeply grateful for the support of our new partners and the initiation of our philanthropy programs, such as CollArts, our Transformers Program, and the Guardian Angels. We also acknowledge the generous $1 million in funding from the Victorian Government for capital works, which will allow us to redevelop the Acland St site. This year, we welcomed Kristen Smith as our new board chair, marking a new chapter of visionary leadership.

As we look towards the future, we are excited to further elevate our BY THEATRE WORKS program and our Artist Development and Education Program. We will continue seeking new partners and enhancing our philanthropic efforts. With plans for the redevelopment of our site well underway, we anticipate beginning the execution of these projects in early 2024.

Thank you for being part of our journey in 2022. Your unwavering support empowers Theatre Works to be the Australian epicentre of independent theatre and independent theatre-makers, investing in, empowering, and supporting artists of all experience, identity, background, and aspiration.

Together, let us continue to push the boundaries of content, form, and scale, creating ambitious works that reflect, redefine, and reimagine contemporary Australia and contemporary Australian theatrical practice.

With heartfelt gratitude and optimism,

Dianne Toulson Executive Director and Creative Producer Theatre Works