20 October 2021
Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director Kip Williams last night unveiled Act 1, six shows to kick off STC’s 2022 season that he says will “celebrate the joy, revelation and connection only theatre can offer” as the industry returns to the stage.
Highlights:
- International drag sensation Courtney Act makes her STC debut in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit alongside a stellar ensemble cast including Matt Day, Nancy Denis, Tracy Mann, Megan Wilding and Brigid Zengeni, directed by STC Associate Director Paige Rattray
- Artistic Director Kip Williams’ acclaimed production of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Eryn Jean Norvill returns for an encore season
- Glace Chase’s Triple X will finally have its Sydney premiere after COVID-related reschedules in 2020 and 2021. Also directed by Paige Rattray, Triple X is the first trans love story to appear on an Australian mainstage
- STC’s co-production with Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta, White Pearl by Anchuli Felicia King will also finally have its debut at the Wharf after its 2021 season was rescheduled
- STC Resident Director Jessica Arthur’s celebrated production of Bess Wohl’s Grand Horizons returns for an exclusive limited run after its 2021 season was cut short when restrictions in Greater Sydney began in 2021
- Landmark collaboration with Bangarra Dance Theatre - Wudjang: Not the Past - directed and choreographed by Stephen Page featuring 17 dancers, four musicians and five actors and premiering as part of Sydney Festival
Williams said it was thrilling to be returning to the theatre after an incredibly tough two years, and to be staging a number of shows that were sadly cancelled over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
“In putting together the 2022 season, I wanted Act One to be a theatrical treat to unleash some much needed joy after the year we’ve had. It’s time for our city to start a new chapter and what better way to do so than together in the theatre,” Williams said.
“From the return of shows that were forced to cancel in 2021, to new works from incredibly talented Australian writers, a co-production with Bangarra Dance Theatre and an exuberantly funny production of a Noël Coward classic – there’s lots of fabulous theatre to be excited for and all of us at STC are so happy to be back. We have soldiered on thanks to the generosity and support of our audiences and donors who have made it possible for us to return for what we hope will be a spellbinding start to 2022. We are so keen to celebrate this exciting new year and this new beginning.”
The year will start with Triple X – the semi-autobiographical trans love story by two-time Griffin Award-winning playwright and trans performer Glace Chase – which will finally see the Sydney stage after being cancelled due to lockdowns in both 2020 and 2021. White Pearl by Anchuli Felicia King –STC's 2019 Patrick White Fellow – will also finally play in The Wharf after seasons in Brisbane and Adelaide in 2021 and premiering at Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta in 2019.
Act 1 will also feature a new production of Noël Coward’s hilarious farce Blithe Spirit - starring international drag queen sensation Courtney Act in her STC debut alongside an ensemble cast featuring Matt Day, Nancy Denis, Tracy Mann, Megan Wilding and Brigid Zengeni. Directed by STC Associate Director Paige Rattray and presented in the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, this production will take Coward’s original camp sensibilities and wrench up the volume.
Stage legends John Bell and Linda Cropper will return to lead an exceptional cast in the Broadway comedy Grand Horizons – which is back at STC's Roslyn Packer Theatre for an exclusive limited run after its much lauded 2021 premiere season was cut short due to the Delta outbreak in June. Directed by STC Resident Director Jessica Arthur, the show was described by Time Out as “a deeply funny and poignant account of late-life crisis with honesty, humour, and hope” in its five-star review of the 2021 season.
Another returning show is Kip Williams’ acclaimed adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, which stars Eryn Jean Norvill in a “tour de force” performance playing all 26 characters. The Picture of Dorian Gray premiered to five-star reviews, sold-out audiences and two season extensions in 2020, and was due to play again in July/August 2021 before the NSW Government stay-at-home orders led to the show being rescheduled for the 2022 program.
The Company is delighted to also be co-producing a new Australian work –Wudjang: Not The Past – in conjunction with Bangarra Dance Theatre as part of the Sydney Festival program. From the same team that created Bangarra’s Bennelong – led by Stephen Page – Wudjang will be an epic-scale piece featuring 17 dancers, four musicians and five actors. Composed of poetry, spoken word in Mibinyah language from Page’s home on Yugambeh Country, live music and dance, Williams says the show promises to be “an astounding, beautiful and urgent work”.
The final two productions of STC’s 2021 season – Julius Caesar, directed by Williams and Death of a Salesman directed by STC Associate Director Paige Rattray – are due to open in November and December respectively.
Explore the STC 2022 Act 1 season and ticket information at sydneytheatre.com.au/season-2022
Ends
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Act 1 announcement video
Notes to Editors
Casting:
Triple X - Glace Chase, Josh McConville, Christen O’Leary, Contessa Treffone and Elijah Williams
Grand Horizons - John Bell, Linda Cropper, Vanessa Downing, Johnny Nasser, Mansoor Noor and Guy Simon
White Pearl - Kristy Best, Nicole Milinkovic and Lin Yin (more to be announced)
Blithe Spirit - Courtney Act, Matt Day, Nancy Denis, Tracy Mann, Megan Wilding and Brigid Zengeni (more to be announced)
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Eryn Jean Norvill
Wudjang: Not the Past - Elaine Crombie, Jess Hitchcock, Trevor Jamieson, Elma Kris, Justin Smith and the Bangarra Dance Theatre dancers and musicians Brendon Boney, Amaru Derwent, Tessa Nuku and Véronique Serret.
Media enquiries for Wudjang: Not the Past can be directed to Kabuku PR:
Belinda Dyer
(02) 9690 2115
0415 686 014
Belinda@KabukuPR.com.au
Ticket On sale dates:
November 19 - Ticket packages on sale to general public
November 29 - Triple X and Wudjang: Not the Past single tickets on sale
December 16 - Grand Horizons, White Pearl, Blithe Spirit and The Picture of Dorian Gray single tickets on sale
Vaccinations:
STC Venues: The measures outlined for our reopening in 2021 - mask-wearing will be compulsory and all patrons, staff, cast, and crew will be required to be fully vaccinated as a condition of entry to STC premises - are currently being reviewed and may be amended for 2022 performances based on updated advice from the Government.
Sydney Opera House: Sydney Opera House has a comprehensive COVID-Safe plan. For the most up-to-date information around safety measures at the venue, please visit the Sydney Opera House website.
STC 2021 post-lockdown return to stage:
Julius Caesar was initially scheduled to play from November 1 and due to the impact of restrictions for Greater Sydney, the production will instead play from November 15 - December 24 in the Wharf 1 Theatre.
Death of a Salesman was originally scheduled to perform from October 26. Due to the impact of restrictions in Greater Sydney, the production will now play from 6 December - 23 December in the Roslyn Packer Theatre.
Performances rescheduled to 2022: In addition to the rescheduled productions announced for 2022 Act 1, the productions of The Lifespan of a Fact and A Raisin in the Sun will also be scheduled for 2022. Act 2 of the 2022 season will be announced in February.
The closure of the theatres again in 2021 has had a devastating impact on the Company’s revenue. In the five months from the introduction of restrictions for Greater Sydney in June until reopening in November this year, 335 STC performances were cancelled nationally across nine productions, resulting in a box office revenue loss of $10.5m to date.
The Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW supports entertainment professionals throughout NSW with critical financial help at their greatest time of need. actorsbenevolentfund.org.au/
STC Philanthropy: STC is one of the biggest employers and providers of creative opportunities in Australia and is proudly market-dependent – it’s the audience buying tickets to shows that keeps the Company going. Private donations directly support STC’s future capacity to create great theatre, with a full workforce made up of Australia’s most inspiring artists both emerging and established. sydneytheatre.com.au/support/donate/donate-now
