Griffin Season 2010
They say you can measure the decades by the number of aspirin you take the morning after the night before. Well, after Griffin’s thirtieth anniversary at the SBW Stables Theatre, the empty packet on the sideboard has dispelled that particular myth.
Watching the last truck leave Nimrod Street, after the street party to end all street parties, the Griffin team looks pretty clear-eyed and purposeful in the morning. The reasoning is simple – the real celebrations begin here.
For the year ahead brings with it long-awaited opportunity. We mark the anniversary of Griffin’s residency with renovations to the SBW Stables Theatre, a new identity to match the pioneering spirit of our artists and embracing the chance to create larger-scale work across Sydney and beyond.
Over the next six months the daunting process of bringing one of the city’s oldest theatre venues up to date begins. Retaining the much-loved aesthetic is of course, the key. By the time we emerge mid-year, we hope that while the best new work will never be truly comfortable, the experience of coming to the theatre can be.
2010 kicks off in style, with an extraordinary collaboration between playwright Tom Holloway and director Matthew Lutton. Following their highly acclaimed Don’t Say The Words (premiered by Griffin in 2008), the pair have reunited with Love Me Tender, a bold, visceral and daring new work inspired by Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis. With the SBW Stables Theatre in temporary recess, partnering with Company B Belvoir will allow this production a larger canvas to dream on.
From Surry Hills to Walsh Bay, and a partnership with Sydney Theatre Company for Like A Fishbone by Anthony Weigh. Played out against a backdrop of public memory and commemoration, Weigh’s masterful control of emotional suspense creates a compelling and profoundly moving new play, to be directed by Tim Maddock and presented at the Wharf 1 Theatre.
With the first stage of our renovations completed, we return to the SBW Stables Theatre for Quack, a biting new satire from Ian Wilding, the writer of October. A play about action, oration, the mainstream, independence and spin, its historical setting belies contemporary angst. Wilding’s humour is barbed and downright dangerous, so Chris Mead – a man used to the warzones of The Modern International Dead – will pull on his directing gloves for this one.
Ending the year with a flourish, comes Paul Capsis and Angela’s Kitchen, an intimate, affectionate and celebratory play inspired by the remarkable journey, love and life-force of Paul’s grandmother. Playing a cast of many, Capsis takes us on a voyage of his own, conjuring magic from a Surry Hills kitchen to create a unique and intensely theatrical experience. Directed by long-term collaborator Julian Meyrick (Doubt), with support from playwright Hilary Bell (The Falls) this is a true labour of love.
Of course, our commitment to new voices across the season continues, with Graces, three short plays by some of the most exciting playwrights to emerge in recent years – Angus Cerini, Elise Hearst and Lachlan Philpott. Adventurous in form and vivid in their imaginings, we welcome all three writers to the Griffin fold.
Now we welcome you to play your part. Yes, we encourage you to contribute to the next generation of theatre artists through our capital works campaign. Most importantly, however, our playwrights ask for just one thing. Your presence.
See you in 2010.
Nick Marchand
Artistic Director
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