Belvoir have launched their 2014 Season featuring two versions of Oedipus, two of Ibsen’s great heroines, two of the most famous brothers in history and twenty questions.
First up, Oedipus Schmoedipus, a ridiculous romp through all the great death scenes of the western theatrical canon with the fabulous lunatics from post; to be presented as part of Sydney Festival.
From the ridiculous to the sublime, Once in Royal David’s City is the new play from the great Michael Gow. Mining similar territory as his 2007 hit Toy Symphony, it’s a play about cycles of history, mothers and sons and the brilliant possibilities of theatre. Eamon Flack (Angels in America) will direct; Brendan Cowell, Helen Buday and Gillian Jones will feature.
Simon Stone will return to Belvoir with a very modern take on The Philadelphia Story, while Matthew Whittet and Anthea Williams will create a very funny, adults-only Cinderella in the Downstairs Theatre.
Earlier this year, Jada Alberts won The Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award. In 2014 her play Brothers Wreck will be presented Upstairs, directed by Leah Purcell with a cast of young Indigenous actors.
Indigenous performers will also feature in 20 Questions, a talk show/cabaret hosted by Wesley Enoch with a different surprise guest each week. 20 Questions will run on Monday nights only in the Upstairs Theatre from April to August.
Belvoir’s new Resident Directors, Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks, will present two very different interpretations of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and A Doll’s House. Jacobs will direct Ash Flanders (Little Mercy, Sydney Theatre Company) in the title role of Hedda Gabler.
Sarks will direct Nora, an adaptation by Kit Brookman and Sarks that follows Nora out the door of her husband’s home and into the present day; Blazey Best (Medea) stars.
Back in the Downstairs Theatre, Melbourne theatre-makers THE RABBLE make their Sydney debut with those two famous brothers, Cain and Abel. Belvoir’s second Oedipus will be Adena Jacobs’ incisive and fixating Oedipus Rex. Also Downstairs, Zoë Coombs Marr’s Is This Thing On?, an hilarious and heartbreaking story of the life of a stand-up comic.
Back Upstairs, Eamon Flack will direct Tennessee Williams’ great memory play The Glass Menagerie with Luke Mullins as Tom and Pamela Rabe as Amanda. Belvoir will finish the year with a gleeful celebration of Christmas and grouchiness with A Christmas Carol.
“This year we introduce two new Resident Directors, Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks,” said Artistic Director Ralph Myers.
“We scoured the country for the two brightest and most exciting young directors we could find. And what do you know? They were right under our noses, just south of the border. I’m so glad they’ve agreed to come on board.”
“They join Associate Director Eamon Flack (Angels in America) and Literary Manager and all-rounder Anthea Williams (Forget Me Not) to round out what has to be the hottest team of theatre-makers this side of The Globe. Plus, we’ve invited a swag of freelance artists into the tent to weave their magic. What I’m excited about is how different they all are.”
“That’s one of the great joys of being an artistic director and curating a season. Juxtaposing tragedy with comedy, the intimate with the epic, the gentle with the rough and tumble,” concluded Myers.
For more information, visit: www.belvoir.com.au for details.
