Belvoir Annual Report 2015 A Contents This Is Our Company 02 Core Values, Principles and Mission 03 Chair’s Report 04 Artistic Director’s Report 06 Incoming Artistic Director’s Report 08 Executive Director’s Report 10 2015 Season and Tours 12 Co-producer’s Season 25 National & International Touring 27 Education 32 Artistic and Programming 36 Development 38 Donors 40 Board and Staff 42 Financial Statements 47 Key Performance Indicators 48 Directors’ Report 50 Directors’ Meetings 54 Auditor’s Independence Declaration 54 Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income 55 Statement of Financial Position 56 Statements of Changes in Equity and Cash Flows 57 Notes to the Financial Statements 58 Directors’ Declaration 68 Auditor’s Report 69 Partners, Sponsors and Supporters 70 BMiranda Tapsell & Leah Purcell in Radiance. Photo: Brett Boardman. This Is Our Company OUR Core Values and Principles One building. • Belief in the primacy of the artistic process Six hundred people. • Clarity and playfulness in storytelling Endless stories. • A sense of community within the theatrical environment When the theatre in an old tomato sauce Belvoir’s position as one of Australia’s • Responsiveness to current social and political issues factory at 25 Belvoir Street was threatened most innovative and acclaimed theatre • Equality, ethical standards and shared ownership of with redevelopment in 1984, more than companies has been assured by such artistic and company achievements 600 people – passionate lovers and makers landmark productions as The Glass of theatre – formed a syndicate to buy Menagerie, Angels in America, The Wild • Development of our performers, artists and staff the building and save it. Duck, The Diary of a Madman, The Blind Giant is Dancing, The Book of Everything, It was an act of love, to theatre and to Cloudstreet, Keating!, Parramatta Girls, Exit our city. the King, The Alchemist, Hamlet, Waiting Thirty years later, Belvoir is still going for Godot, The Sapphires, Who’s Afraid of OUR Mission strong – producing fresh, dynamic and Virginia Woolf?, Stuff Happens and Medea. To produce theatrical works from a shared vision that challenging work here in Surry Hills. We love playing at our home in Surry Hills question and affirm our culture, extend and develop Belvoir has nurtured the finest theatrical but our work also goes further afield to our artists, and provide audiences with experiences of talents in this country – actors, writers, regional Australia, other capital cities and imaginative daring and emotional depth. directors, designers and arts workers. We to overseas festivals and venues. Australian fill our two beautiful theatres year-round artists are fantastic cultural ambassadors with performances that are visionary, and we are pleased to play our part. We bold and risky. Both the Upstairs and believe in the intrinsic value of theatre Downstairs stages have nurtured the and in its power to change our society for talents of many renowned Australian the better. Belvoir receives government artists: actors including Geoffrey Rush, support for its activities from the federal Cate Blanchett, Toby Schmitz, Robyn Nevin, government through the Major Performing Deb Mailman and Richard Roxburgh; Arts Board of the Australia Council and the writers such as Tommy Murphy, Rita state government through Arts NSW. Kalnejais, Lally Katz and Kate Mulvany; directors including Simon Stone, Anne- Louise Sarks, Benedict Andrews, Wesley Enoch, Rachael Maza and former Belvoir Artistic Director Neil Armfield. Acknowledgement We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Belvoir Street Theatre is built. We would also like to pay respect to the elders past and present. Colin Friels, Robyn Nevin, Leah Purcell, Hunter Page-Lochard, Emily Milledge, Nakkiah Lui 02 & Barry Otto. Photo: Brett Boardman. Chair’s Report Andrew Cameron AM 2015 was a year of funds for Belvoir’s creative projects and 2015 Sydney Best Actor in a transition for Belvoir. support productions. We are very grateful Awards Theatre Awards Supporting Role Again, this year for this ongoing support and all these in a Mainstage Production Belvoir won six industry Best Mainstage we presented 12 loyal friends who donate generously and Production John Howard (Ivanov) productions in total – advocate tirelessly for Belvoir. awards in 2015 Ivanov Best Actress in a eight in the Upstairs We are also extremely grateful to the Supporting Role theatre and four in the 2015 Helpmann Awards Best Direction of a Balnaves Foundation for their ongoing in a Mainstage Production Downstairs theatre. Best Play Mainstage Production commitment to Belvoir – specifically Blazey Best (Ivanov) In September, our The Glass Menagerie Eamon Flack (Ivanov) in supporting the production of two Artistic Director Ralph Indigenous theatre works each year. In Myers left Belvoir after 2015 Green Room Awards 2015, the Balnaves Foundation supported five seasons. Ralph’s Contemporary the staging of Radiance and Kill the time at Belvoir has been transformative. Performance Text Messenger. The fourth annual Balnaves He has overseen generational change at Oedipus Schmoedipus Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award the company. I will mention just a few – (post, Arts House and Belvoir) was awarded to Katie Beckett. The Wild Duck, Neighbourhood Watch, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, The Dark During the year we made one new Room, As You Like It, Thyestes, Death of a appointment to the Board. After many Salesman, Private Lives, Strange Interlude, years on the Board, Gail Hambly stepped Angels in America, Peter Pan, Hamlet, The down, and I am delighted to say she has Government Inspector, A Christmas Carol, agreed to join our loyal band of Co- The Glass Menagerie, The Dog/The Cat, conspirators. We were thrilled that highly- Ivanov – all wonderful shows that were regarded actor Luke Carroll accepted our staged as part of Ralph’s five seasons at offer to join the Board. I would also like to Belvoir. Ralph has made an enormous thank all the hardworking members of the contribution to Belvoir. We will miss him Belvoir Board for their commitment, skill and we wish him well in his future career. and financial support. In September, Eamon Flack commenced None of what we have achieved in 2015 as the new Artistic Director of Belvoir. We would have been possible without the are delighted with the enthusiasm, vision outstanding Belvoir team, led by Brenna and excitement that Eamon has brought to Hobson. They have worked tirelessly and the role already. with great skill to deliver an ambitious program, strengthen the company Our financial results for 2015 were internally and broaden Belvoir’s activities disappointing and arose from the nationally and internationally. confluence of a number of factors – the loss of a major corporate sponsor Finally, without the artistic leadership after 14 years, significant investment in provided by Ralph Myers and Eamon capacity building technology, a couple Flack in 2015, together with all the talented of shows not meeting budget and a creatives who have worked at Belvoir during highly competitive market for performing the year, we would not have the many arts dollar in Sydney which affected productions that have sustained, intrigued subscriptions. We are addressing all these and delighted us this year. These shows issues and are approaching 2016 with have played to great acclaim in our beloved caution and financial discipline. Belvoir Street Theatre, on stages around Australia and overseas. On behalf of the Once again, we were delighted to be able Board, I thank and congratulate them. to present productions using funds from The Hive, the Creative Development Fund and the Chair’s Group. These are three of Andrew our valued supporter groups which raise Katie Beckett & Ralph Myers at the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Awards night. 04 Photo: Patrick Boland. Artistic Director’s Report Ralph Myers The task of sitting Each play we produced went from its Theatre is where we enter into a mutual great stories, the great human problems, down and writing this genesis as an idea, as a dream in the mind world of make-believe together. Children to present for our fellow humans the note for the Belvoir of one of our playwrights or directors, are brilliant at this. They instinctively know fundamental condition of being human. Annual Report has, to a living, breathing thing. And then it how to play, how to make a milk carton And five years may feel like a long time (to over these last five went back again to the realm of the mind, and a coat hanger into a spaceship. Or me), but really we are just the most recent years, been something to being just a memory. But now it is a a chair and a gumboot into a horse. We people to hold a flame that goes back to, that I always found collective dream, existing in the minds of old people are much less good at this – at I’m sure, before the invention of language, reasons to avoid. Every the thousands of people who were there playing along. We’re guarded and cynical to when we would play and mimic and year I would shunt to see it. and worried and tired. But by choosing to scare each other around the fire at night to it to the end of my come to the theatre, or to make it, we’re keep out the darkness. As an Artistic Director your job is to have to-do list until finally, electing to at least try to rediscover some faith in people’s dreams. My task was to Theatre really is a living, breathing thing. about a fortnight after of our childhood ability to play along – to provide venture capital to actual dreamers And we are part of something great. deadline, Gabe, our Publications Manager, suspend disbelief.