Queensland Theatre
Queensland Theatre | |
---|---|
General information | |
Name | Queensland Theatre |
Previous names | Royal Queensland Theatre Company (1984–2001) Queensland Theatre Company (1970–1983), (2001–2016) |
Year founded | 1970 |
Founders | Alan Edwards |
Principal venue | Bille Brown Theatre, Diane Cilento Studio |
Website | queenslandtheatre.com.au |
Senior staff | |
Director | Amanda Jolly |
Artistic staff | |
Artistic Director | Lee Lewis |
Queensland Theatre, formerly the Queensland Theatre Company and Royal Queensland Theatre Company, is a professional theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. It regularly performs in its own Bille Browne Theatre and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Playhouse.
The company was founded in 1970 by British actor and director Alan Edwards with a full company of performers. It was granted the prefix "Royal" in 1984.[1] It is currently headed by executive director Amanda Jolly and artistic director Lee Lewis.
History
The company has a strong history of development programs and has always aimed to encourage artistic growth across the state. There is an emerging artists program, writing program, including the Queensland Premier's Drama Award, and regional partnerships program.[citation needed]
Emphasis is also placed on developing and inspiring young people through the company's education and youth program, with programs including The Scene Project, Youth Ensemble, Theatre Residency Week, Young Playwrights and other
People
Actors
Actors who began their career with the original Queensland Theatre Company 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 and David Waters. Many Queenslanders including Babette Stephens and Diane Cilento have worked with the original Queensland Theatre Company during their careers. A large number of Sydney- and Melbourne-based actors have performed with the company, which some considered controversial as it reduced the number of opportunities for Queensland-based actors within the state-funded professional theatre.[citation needed]
Artistic directors
The foundation
From July 2010,
Other directors have included Gale Edwards, Joe McCallum, Rodney Fisher, Arnie Neeme and Murray Foy.[citation needed]
In 2019 it was announced that Artistic Director Sam Strong would be stepping down and that Lee Lewis would succeed him.
Chairs
The current chair of the company is Elizabeth Jameson.[citation needed]
Venues
For almost thirty years the Queensland Theatre Company used the purpose-built 600 seat SGIO Theatre in Turbot Street, Brisbane, as their chief venue for productions. In 1996 they moved to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre at South Bank. Queensland Theatre is based in its own complex at South Brisbane. It performs in the much smaller venues than the original SGIO Theatre, named after two well known Brisbane theatre actors, Bille Brown and Diane Cilento. It has in the past performed in the Playhouse Theatre, Cremorne Theatre and at one time in the Lyric Theatre, all part of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
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, Cremorne Theatre and the Playhouse at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.[5] Other productions have included: Black Diggers, Macbeth (directed by Michael Attenborough), Twelfth Night, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, 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,
In 2017 the company staged a production of Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage starring Sydney-based actors Marta Dusseldorp and her husband Ben Winspear.[6]
In May 2021, the company staged an adaptation of William Shakespeare's
References
- ^ Queensland Theatre Company – Queensland Government Legislation
- ^ "Wesley Enoch takes top job at QTC". AussieTheatre.com. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Queensland Theatre Company (2011). Annual Report 2011 (PDF) (Report). p. 5,81.
- ^ Queensland Theatre Company (2015). Annual Report 2015 (PDF) (Report). p. 8.
- ^ Eckersley, M. 1997. Soundings in the Dramaturgy of the Australian Theatre Director. University of Melbourne. Melbourne. p. 33.
- ^ Symonds, Kristy (24 October 2017). "Marta Dusseldorp and husband Ben Winspear to star on a Brisbane stage in a marriage of talent". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ "Taming of the shrew, 8 May – 5 Jun". Queensland Theatre. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
External links
- Official website
- Royal Queensland Theatre Company at AusStage (plays presented until 2001, list incomplete)
- Queensland Theatre Company at AusStage (plays presented from 2001, list incomplete)