Griffin Theatre Company

Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new writing . It is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia. It is the only professional theatre company in Sydney entirely dedicated to the development and production of new Australian writing for the stage.

The Artistic Director is Nick Marchand, who took up the position in 2007. Previous Artistic Directors include David Berthold (2003-06) and Ros Horin (1992-2003).

History

Named after Griffin Street, Surry Hills, where it first met, Griffin Theatre Company was formed in 1978 by graduates of the National Institute of Dramatic Art. It moved to the Stables Theatre in 1979 and incorporated in 1980.

In 1999, The Sun Herald described Griffin as Australia's ‘Theatre of the Decade'.

Cate Blanchett and Jacqueline McKenzie began their professional careers at Griffin. The films "Lantana", "The Boys", and "Heartbreak Kid" (which later spun-off into the television series "Heartbreak High") were based on plays produced by Griffin. "Away", Australia's most produced contemporary play, also started at the company.

2008 Season

* "Seasons" - by Nicki Bloom, Jonathan Gavin, Sue Smith and Rick Viede

* "China" - by William Yang

* "The Kid" by Michael Gow

* "Don't Say The Words" by Tom Holloway

* "The Modern International Dead" by Damien Millar

* "Tender" by Nicki Bloom

* "Impractical Jokes" by Charlie Pickering

2007 Season

* "Holding the Man" - Adapted by Tommy Murphy from the book by Timothy Conigrave

* "The Nightwatchman" by Daniel Keene [http://www.currency.com.au/product_detail.aspx?productid=1520 (text)]

* "October" by Ian Wilding [http://www.currency.com.au/product_detail.aspx?productid=1521 (text)]

* "The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table" by Wesley Enoch [http://www.currency.com.au/product_detail.aspx?productid=1568 (text)]

* "King Tide" by Katherine Thomson [http://www.currency.com.au/product_detail.aspx?productid=1628 (text)]

* "The Seven Needs" by 7-ON (Donna Abela, Vanessa Bates, Hilary Bell, Noëlle Janaczewska, Verity Laughton, Ned Manning and Catherine Zimdahl)

Commissioned and Premiered Works

Playwrights whose work has premiered at Griffin include:

* Glenda Adams - "The Monkey Trap" (1998)
* Richard Barrett - "The Heartbreak Kid" (1987)
* Hilary Bell - "Wolf Lullaby" (1996), "The Falls" (2000)
* Andrew Bovell - "After Dinner" (1989), "Whisky on the Breath of a Drunk You Love" (1992), "Speaking in Tongues" (1996), "Ship of Fools" (1999)
* Brendan Cowell - "Rabbit" (2003)
* Timothy Daly - "Kafka Dances" (1993), "The Moonwalkers" (1995), "Private Visions of Gottfried Kellner" (1999)cite web |title= Griffin Theatre Company Archives |publisher= Griffin Theatre Company |url= http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/documents/3/Griffin%20Production%20Archive.pdf |accessdate= 2008-06-25|format=PDF]
* Wesley Enoch - "The Story of the Miracles at Cookie's Table" (2007)
* Gordon Graham - "The Boys" (1991)
* Michael Gow - "Away" (1986), "Europe" (1987), "Live Acts on Stage" (1996)
* Noel Hodda - "The Secret House" (1987), "Half Safe" (1990),
* Ned Manning - "Us or Them" (1984), "Belonging" (2007)
* Tommy Murphy - "Strangers in Between" (2005), "Holding the Man" (Adapted from the book by Timothy Conigrave, 2006)
* Louis Nowra - "Death of Joe Orton", "The Boyce Trilogy":The Woman with Dog's Eyes (2004), "The Marvellous Boy" (2005), "The Emperor of Sydney" (2006)
* Debra Oswald - "Mr Bailey’s Minder" (2004), "The Peach Season" (2006)
* Stephen Sewell -"The Father We Loved On A Beach By The Sea" (1981), "In Stillness My Sister Speaks to Me" (1990), "The Secret Death of Salvador Dali" (2004), "Three Furies Scenes from the life of Francis Bacon" (2005)
* Katherine Thomson - "Wonderlands" (2003), "King Tide" (2007)
* Ian Wilding - "Below" (2000), "Torrez" (2004), "October" (2007)
* Catherine Zimdahl - "Clark in Sarajevo" (1998)

Griffin Award

Bestowed annually since 1998, the Griffin Award is offered to the most outstanding new work as read and judged by a panel appointed by the Griffin. One stipulation on entry is that all works submitted have not been performed or produced prior.

* 1998 - Catherine Zimdahl for "Clark in Sarajevo"
* 1999 - Neil Cole for "Alive at Williamstown Pier"
* 2000 - Ian Wilding for "Below"
* 2001 - Verity Laughton for "Burning"
* 2002 - Noelle Janacsewska for "Songket" and Patrick Van der Werf for "Presence"
* 2003 - Brendan Cowell for "Rabbit"
* 2004 - Debra Oswald for "Mr Bailey's Minder"
* 2005 - Ian Wilding for "The Carnivores"
* 2006 - Mary Rachel Brown for "Australian Gothic"
* 2007 - Damien Millar for "Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures"
* 2008 - Rick Viede for "Whore"

External links

* [http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/ Griffin Theatre website]

References

* [http://www.griffintheatre.com.au Griffin Theatre Company website]
* [http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/About-Us/company-profile.cfm 'Company profile', "Griffin Theatre Company" (2005)] . Retrieved August 25 2005.
* [http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/About-Us/griffin-history.cfm 'Griffin History', "Griffin Theatre Company" (2005)] . Retrieved August 25 2005.