Adelaide’s State Theatre Company (STC) will play on stages across South Australia, around the country and, for the first time ever, in London in its 2016 season. The 10 show season, announced today, will include 6 co-productions, reaffirming the Company’s position as a major player in the national theatre sphere and nurturing a new relationship with leading UK company, Frantic Assembly.
The new relationship has been 2 years in the making and comes to fruition in London with the world premiere of Things I Know To Be True, a new work by leading Australian playwright Andrew Bovell. “The 2016 Season is one of our strongest yet.” says Artistic Director Geordie Brookman.
“It retains the Company’s commitment to new Australian writing and our South Australian artists as well as bringing some of the best of the best from around the country to create work right here in Adelaide.”
The 2016 season sees State Theatre work with some of Australia’s leading artists including Gold Logie award-winning actress Lisa McCune, who will make her STC debut in Machu Picchu. The play, directed by Brookman, tells the story of two mid-life civil engineers whose lives are changed after one is badly injured in a horrifying car accident. It explores mindfulness, altruism and the challenge of staying true to oneself.
Machu Picchu builds on an already strong relationship with Australia’s largest theatre company as a brand new Australian play that will be co-produced with Sydney Theatre Company. Sue Smith’s perceptive new work opens in Sydney before transferring to the Dunstan Playhouse for its Adelaide season.
Catherine McClements will also return to STC in The Events directed by Clare Watson. The season opener, and a co-production with Belvoir and Malthouse Theatre, it was written in response to the 2011 Norway murders committed by Anders Breivik. The play follows a community’s search for compassion, peace and understanding in the wake of the unthinkable violence. The Events will feature as part of the Adelaide Festival before returning to Sydney for a Belvoir season and on to Melbourne to close its Australian tour at Malthouse.
The critically acclaimed Paul Capsis will also return to STC in Rumpelstiltskin. A co-production with Windmill theatre, it takes on the famous fairy-tale with the addition of Windmill’s unique style, inventive music and extravagant performance.
State Theatre Company local favourite’s Paul Blackwell and Nathan O’Keefe will grace the stage in Moliere’s Taruffe, directed by Chris Drummond and co-produced by Brink. First performed in 1664, the classic comedy combines adultery, betrayal, seduction, lies and deceit with the precisely organised chaos of farce.
STC will also partner with Queensland’s La Boite Theatre Company for the first time to bring New York playwright Young Jean Lee’s razor sharp Straight White Men to the Australian stage for its national premiere. Directed by Nescha Jelk it tells the story of the widowed Ed, and his three middle aged sons, who, after welcoming them home at Christmas, finds himself exploring identity, privilege and the real value of being a ‘straight white man’.
Brookman goes on to say that “the diversity and depth of our local theatre sector is something we love to celebrate, and we’re delighted that in 2016 we’ll get to play with a number of South Australia’s best and brightest companies.”
STC will also collaborate closely with Country Arts SA to tour both The Red Cross Letters and its Education production Gorgon to regional South Australia.
In the last three years, Adelaide’s State Theatre Company has become a major player on the national theatre scene, regularly exporting its productions around the country, co-producing with companies interstate and touring within regional South Australia.
“Not only do co-productions bring new energy to creative collaborations, they also provide fantastic opportunities for South Australian artists to strut their stuff on the national stage and very significantly extends periods of employment for our fine cohort of actors, directors, and designers” says CEO and Producer, Rob Brookman.
State Theatre Company productions have, in the last few years, played in every State and Territory in Australia as well as on Broadway.
More information about the season and a sneak peek of the shows is now available on the STC website at statetheatrecompany.com.au
2016 State Theatre Company Season
25 Feb to 5 Mar – The Events by David Greig
13 Apr to 1 May – Machu Picchu by Sue Smith
3 May to 7 May – Gorgon by Elena Carapetis (State Ed Show)
13 May to 4 Jun – Things I Know To Be True by Andrew Bovell
1 Jul to 23 Jul – Straight White Men by Young Jean Lee
3 Aug to 6 Aug – The Red Cross Letters Devised by Verity Laughton (State Extra)
19 Aug to 11 Sep – The 39 Steps Adapted by Patrick Barlow
8 Sep to 30 Sep – Red Sky Morning by Tom Holloway (State Umbrella)
11 Oct to 30 Oct – Rumpelstiltskin by Rosemary Myers & Julianne O’Brien
4 Nov to 20 Nov – Tartuffe by Moliere
Paul Rodda
Adapted from a media release
