Queensland Theatre Company

Queensland Theatre
General information
Name Queensland Theatre
Previous names Royal Queensland Theatre Company (1984-2001)
Queensland Theatre Company (2001-2016)
Year founded 1970
Founders Alan Edwards
Principal venue Bille Brown Studio,
Diane Cilento Studio
Website queenslandtheatre.com.au
Senior staff
Director Amanda Jolly
Artistic staff
Artistic Director Sam Strong

The Queensland Theatre was established in 1970 by Alan Edwards AM MBE, and was granted the prefix "Royal" in 1984.[1] The company is the state's flagship professional theatre company, headed up Executive Director, Amanda Jolly, and Artistic Director, Sam Strong. Each year Queensland Theatre presents a season of mainstage plays which includes comedies, classic drama and new Australian work. Each year a number of shows are co-produced with other state theatre companies and key performing arts organisations. Actors from around the country appear for the Company.

The company has a strong history of development programs and is dedicated to encouraging artistic growth across the state through its emerging artists program, writing program – which includes the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award – and regional partnerships program.

Emphasis is also placed on developing and inspiring young people through the company's education & youth program, with programs including The Scene Project, Youth Ensemble, Theatre Residency Week, Young Playwrights and other master classes. The Company is principally supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council.

Actors who began their career with Queensland Theatre include Geoffrey Rush, Bille Brown, Kate Wilson (Foy) (former Chair of the Board of the Queensland Theatre Company and Honorary Professor of Theatre at the University of Southern Queensland), Carol Burns, David Waters and many others. The late Babette Stephens, as well as Diane Cilento are among two of many other Queensland artists who have also worked with the company during their careers.

The foundation Artistic Director was Dr. Alan Edwards AM MBE. He was succeeded in the position by Aubrey Mellor, Chris Johnson, Robyn Nevin and Director/playwright Michael Gow. In 2011, Wesley Enoch succeeded Michael Gow as Artistic Director and became the first Murri to head a State Theatre company in Australia. Other directors for the company have included Gale Edwards, Joe McCallum, and Murray Foy.

The current chair of the Company is Elizabeth Jameson.

Productions

Productions have included: many Shakespeare's plays (presented in the Roma Street Parkland Amphitheatre (formerly called the Albert Park Amphitheatre), as well in the Lyric Theatre and the Playhouse at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.[2] Other productions have included: Black Diggers, Macbeth (directed by internationally renowned Michael Attenborough CBE), Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Alchemist by Ben Jonson, That Face by Polly Stenham, God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, 25 Down by Richard Jordan, The School of Arts by Bille Brown, Ninety by Joanna Murray-Smith, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Toy Symphony by Michael Gow. In 2017 the company staged a production of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage starring Marta Dusseldorp and Ben Winspear.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Queensland Theatre Company - Queensland Government Legislation
  2. ↑ Eckersley, M. 1997. Soundings in the Dramaturgy of the Australian Theatre Director. University of Melbourne. Melbourne. p33.
  3. ↑ Symonds, Kristy (October 24, 2017). "Marta Dusseldorp and husband Ben Winspear to star on a Brisbane stage in a marriage of talent". The Courier Mail. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
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