24.11.16
Greetings from beautiful Brisbane! I have spent time up with our partners Queensland Theatre in development on Michele Lee’s play Rice. We were in the building at the same time as a development of another of their plays for next year My Name Is Jimi. And if there is ever a reason to get on a plane up to Brisbane to see a play, it must be to see Jimi Bani! There was such a feeling of excitement in the building as the company started to gear up for Sam Strong’s first season up there – it is great for Griffin to be a part of it!
Back inside the Stables, it is our last week of Stephen Carleton’s fierce comedy The Turquoise Elephant. We will miss this extraordinary troupe of actors who have been making us laugh, cringe and think through such a turbulent political time in the world. The impact of this play will be felt for years to come.
And it is not possible to think about the legacy of plays this week without also thinking of the legacy of great performers. We lost an extroardinary actor this week in Russell Kiefel. The last time he was onstage at Griffin was in Tom Holloway’s play And No More Shall We Part, a play about not wanting to let go of those we love. We have to let go of him but we can keep all the memories of his performances always.
Love,
Lee
