Murray Bramwell surveys theatre during The Adelaide Review’s quarter century.
With the Adelaide Review celebrating 25 years publication earlier this year it is a good time, in the immortal words of Dame Edna Everage, to look back retrospectively. In 1984 the two strands of theatre in Adelaide – amateur and professional – were , and still are , recognisably evident . The Adelaide Rep was the stalwart it remains, as were the Adelaide University Theatre Guild, Therry,
Matt Byrne Productions, and others, including Rob Croser’s steadfast Independent Theatre .
My main interest here, though, is in tracing the fortunes of state-funded theatre, brought into being by Government legislation in 1972, when the long-awaited South Australian Theatre Company – so long the dream of then Premier, Don Dunstan, theatre pioneer Colin Ballantyne, John Bray, Max Harris, and others – was finally established.
By 1984 the Festival Centre was celebrating its first ten years and the State Theatre Company, as it had then become, was in a transition year from Jim Sharman’s celebrated Lighthouse program – two years of dazzling work which saw his version of A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Neil Armfield’s tropical Twelfth Night and the Stephen Sewell classic The Blind Giant is Dancing. Lighthouse remains a beacon – Sharman at his best and a brilliant showcase for actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Gillian Jones, Robert Menzies, Jacqy Phillips and others.
Keith Gallasch was in charge until the end of 1985 – a troubled year for State, with some awful productions and an even more awful box office. It was a time when support for the company itself was at risk. Waiting in the wings was John Noble’s Stage Company, working out of the Space and specializing in new Australian work – some of it likeable, most of it well presented but, with the exception of Dave Allen’s Cheapside, little of its repertoire has endured. Elsewhere, Troupe Theatre was busy at Unley Town Hall and out at the Port, Vitalstatistix, in its zany first incarnation featuring writer/ performers Margie Fischer, Roxxy Bent and Ollie Black.
State’s troubles turned round quickly when John Gaden took charge in 1987 bringing charm to the subscribers and excellence to the stage. His collaborations with director Gale Edwards saw State again leading the country in Shakespearean productions with a fine Much Ado starring William Zappa, a capable Lear and a memorable A Winter’s Tale – the latter two with typically nifty design by Mary Moore. Edwards’ production of Aphra Benn’s The Rover was especially spry, with John Howard in the swashbuckling lead. At this time also, the second tier was busy – Junction Theatre with its workplace touring, Patch for the kids, and, by 1987, the newly formed Red Shed Company.
Located at the present Bakehouse site, the Red Shed took up from Troupe, a commitment to UK alternative theatre and new writing with plays from David Carlin and Cath McKinnon. But it was the link formed with Melbourne writer Daniel Keene that proved most enduring with remarkable premiere productions, directed by Tim Maddock, of All Souls, Terminus and the festival commission, The Architect’s Walk.
After four years splendid service, John Gaden left the building leaving State in exceptionally good shape. It had its highpoints, Gow’s Away, and its horrors, the Bicentennial flop, 1841, also by Michael Gow. Plus some excellent Chekhov, plenty of stylish comedy and a brilliant Strindberg –Dream Play. Then, in 1990 aged 31, Simon Phillips took over with as much dash as Gaden had shown. Phillips’ ensemble of players immediately produced two heavy hits (both superbly designed by Shaun Gurton) Marat/ Sade, again with Geoffrey Rush in the lead, and A Comedy of Errors. Based on painterly motifs from Magritte, it featured local favourite, Paul Blackwell, at his best.
Less fortunate was the tenure of Chris Westwood as Executive Producer at State, when competition from the Festival Centre’s theatre program prompted her to a millennial countdown of five years of Australian-only productions. It couldn’t last, as old texts were exhumed with too little dramatic juice left in them to succeed. Rodney Fisher was brought in to steady the ship of State but creatively it became almost becalmed. The vivacious presence of assistant director, Rosalba Clemente, however, led on to her much loved stewardship of the company.
In a further baton change, Brink Productions took over from the Red Shed via Benedict Andrews’ Blueprint company, which first presented Howard Barker’s Wounds to the Face in 1996. Andrews, now a high profile director in Berlin, also pioneered adventurous work with State’s short-lived Magpie 2 project. Brink’s alliance with Barker proved a valuable one, culminating in the festival work The Ecstatic Bible. Brink, now under the direction of Chris Drummond, has achieved a spectacular success with Andrew Bovell’s When the Rain Stops Falling, currently playing a season in Sydney, with Melbourne to follow.
Looking at the current landscape there are signs of diligent continuation and some of economic and creative fatigue. Adam Cook has a challenge with State Theatre’s ageing subscriber list, although the same was said of John Gaden. The pressures on him to deliver to a diminishing dollar are considerable and he does well to respond with popular fare and new directions – such as his upcoming Mnemonic and director Geordie Brookman’s works for the company.
Elsewhere, among the freelances, the Bakehouse and Holden Street provide welcome initiatives. Recently both David Mealor’s Flying Penguins production of True West by Sam Shepard and Corey McMahon’s five.point.one company’s Osama the Hero are indications of green shoots – although the lack of audience commitment is a concern. Adelaide produces its share of quality theatre and the second-tier activity is essential to maintain craft skills and repertoire range. But if the city’s audiences don’t support our artists, we will lose them – as well as their priceless invention and enthusiasm.