Annual Report 2016 A Contents Company Profile 2 2016: At A Glance 4 Chair’s Report 6 Incoming Chair’s Report 8 Artistic Director’s Report 9 Executive Director’s Report 12 2016 Season 14 National & International Touring 29 Awards 32 Board & Staff 33 Donors 34 Financial Statements 38 Partners, Sponsors & Supporters 62 Was thinking we could run the contents down the middle of that Blind Giant is Dancing pic? B Emma Jackson, Dan Spielman & Zahra Newman in The Blind Giant is Dancing. Photo: Brett Boardman. This Is Our Company Theatricality. Variety of life. Faith in humanity. Belvoir is a theatre company on a side At Belvoir we gather the best theatre street in Surry Hills, Sydney. We share our artists we can find, emerging and street with a park and a public housing established, to realise an annual season of estate, and our theatre is in an old works – new Australian plays, Indigenous industrial building. It has been, at various works, re-imagined classics and new times, a garage, a sauce factory, and international writing. Audiences remember the Nimrod Theatre. When the theatre many landmark productions including was threatened with redevelopment in The Drover’s Wife, Angels in America, 1984, more than 600 people formed a Brothers Wreck, The Glass Menagerie, syndicate to buy the building and save Neighbourhood Watch, The Wild Duck, the theatre. Thirty years later, Belvoir St Medea, The Diary of a Madman, Death of Theatre continues to be home to one a Salesman, The Blind Giant is Dancing, of Australia’s most celebrated theatre Hamlet, Cloudstreet, Aliwa, The Book of companies. Everything, Keating!, The Exile Trilogy, Exit the King, The Sapphires and Who’s Afraid In its early years Belvoir was run of Virginia Woolf? cooperatively. It later rose to international prominence under first and longest- Today, under Artistic Director Eamon Flack serving Artistic Director Neil Armfield and and Executive Director Brenna Hobson, continued to be both wildly successful Belvoir tours nationally and internationally, and controversial under Ralph Myers. and continues to create its own brand Belvoir is a traditional home for the great of rough magic for new generations of old crafts of acting and story in Australian audiences. Belvoir receives government theatre. It is a platform for voices that support for its activities from the federal won’t otherwise be heard. And it is a government through the Major Performing gathering of outspoken ideals. In short: Arts Panel of the Australia Council and the theatricality, variety of life, and faith in state government through Arts NSW. humanity. OUR Mission To produce theatrical works from a shared vision that question and affirm our culture, extend and develop our artists, and provide audiences with experiences of imaginative daring and emotional depth. Acknowledgement We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional custodians of the land on which Belvoir St Theatre is built. We also pay respect to the elders past and present. Will McDonald in The Drover’s Wife. Photo: Brett Boardman. 202 3 WORKSHOPS HOSTED IN at a 38 REGIONAL SCHOOLS glance APPLICATIONS 2016 SUBMITTED FOR THE 2,905 BELVOIR ARTIST ATTENDEES NEW WORKSHOP TO UNWAGED AUSTRAL AN PERFORMANCES 15 5 PLAYS 156 NEW WORKS UNDER COMMISSION 1 97,578 THEATRE 1,072 STUDENTS ATTENDEES TO 2016 PRODUCTIONS CAT LITRES PARTICATED OF WINE CONSUMED 1,770 IN A WORKSHOP NEW SOCIAL MEDIA NEW SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AT OPENING NIGHTS 6,775 $3,642,408 4,245 1,220 PERFORMANCES SCHOOL AT ATTENDEES BOX OFFICE 154 STUDENTS ARTISTS SUBSCRIPTIONS SOLD ATTENDED A REVENUE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE EMPLOYED 5,942 FREE OF CHARGE 382 THANKS TO OUR ON STAGE ACCESS PROGRAM SMOOCHES UNIQUE WEBSITE 10,623,828 VISITORS 270,274 TOTAL REVENUE 7:5 $ FEMALE-DIRECTED PRODUCTIONS : MALE-DIRECTED PRODUCTIONS 4 5 Chair’s Report Andrew Cameron AM This will be my last Our financial results for 2016 showed a broaden Belvoir’s reach and reputation. Finally, I am delighted that Sam Meers has Chair’s report as my small surplus. Our shows were well attended We are very grateful for all this work. agreed to take over as Chair of Belvoir. Sam time in this position and we were delighted at the quality and During the year we farewelled our brings enormous energy and experience has come to an end. breadth of new Australian writing in the much-loved Deputy Executive Director, to the position, as well as a great love for After nine years on season. In addition to the productions which Nathan Bennett, who left us to take up a Belvoir and a vision for its future. She and the Belvoir Board – made it to the main stage this year, we have position as Executive Director of the Perth her family have been generous supporters including six years as a large number of new Australian works International Arts Festival. This is a big job, of the company for many years, and she Chair and before that, under commission and in development. and we wish him well. I am delighted that previously sat on the Belvoir Board from five years on the board New Australian and Indigenous writing and Aaron Beach has accepted our offer to be 2006 to 2008. I am very grateful that of Belvoir St Theatre development of new work remain a core the new Deputy Executive Director. she agreed to take on this role and I look Ltd – it’s time to leave part of Belvoir’s mission. forward to working with her in the future. Without the brilliant artistic leadership the stage. Our Government partners continue to provided by Eamon Flack in 2016, I am passionate about Belvoir and will For the past six years, everyone has support our activities. We are very grateful together with all the hugely talented and remain connected through my ongoing been hard at work to protect and build to the Australia Council and Create NSW for hardworking creatives including actors, involvement with the nascent Belvoir on the extraordinary legacy left by my their invaluable ongoing financial and project set and costume designers, lighting and Foundation. We will be working to build predecessor, Louise Herron, and founding specific support. We also value all our sound designers, and our production team, up an endowment fund from bequests Artistic Director, Neil Armfield. Personally, partners from the small to medium sector none of this would have been achieved. and donations to help support and sustain I have had the great pleasure to work with with whom we collaborate closely, and We will remember 2016 as a year with Belvoir’s future. The last nine years have two hugely talented Artistic Directors: continually draw inspiration, talent and ideas. many highlights. These productions have been quite a ride, but I wouldn’t have firstly, Ralph Myers who brought enormous continued to sustain, intrigue and delight missed it for anything. In addition, we have increasingly looked energy, panache and generational change us. On behalf of the Board, and in saying to private philanthropy to help fund our to Belvoir; and more recently, the brilliant farewell, I congratulate everyone at Belvoir. Andrew ambitions, and have significantly extended Eamon Flack, who is one of Australia’s the reach of these activities. In 2016, we most acclaimed theatre directors, and has added the Honey Bs, a group of women brought a clear and passionate artistic in business looking to support women in vision to Belvoir. the arts, to our existing stable of supporter During my tenure, I have enormously groups. Once again, we were delighted to enjoyed working with all Board members present productions with funds from The – Anne Britton, Michael Coleman, Peter Hive, the Creative Development Fund and Carroll, Rob Brookman, Frank Macindoe, The Chair’s Group. We are very grateful Richard Evans, Gail Hambly and Olivia for this ongoing support and all these Pascoe, as well as current Board members, loyal friends who donate generously and Ian Learmonth, Tracey Driver, Mitchell advocate tirelessly for Belvoir. Butel, Peter Wilson and Luke Carroll. As We are also extremely grateful to the a group, we have delighted in Belvoir’s Balnaves Foundation for their ongoing many successes and triumphs on so commitment to Belvoir – specifically many fronts – artistic achievement, the in supporting the production of two development of new work and talent, Indigenous-led theatre works each year. In Indigenous theatre making, education and 2016, the Balnaves Foundation supported outreach, and international touring. We the staging of the wonderful have also weathered some storms along The Drover’s and . The fifth the way. I have greatly appreciated the Wife Title and Deed annual Balnaves Foundation Indigenous ideas, commitment and generosity that all Playwright’s Award was awarded to the the Board members have shown over the very talented Ursula Yovich. period of my chairmanship. The Belvoir Board continues to work diligently to build None of this would have been achieved a stable, robust platform from which our without the outstanding Belvoir team, led artists can make great theatre. by Brenna Hobson. Brenna and her team have worked with great skill to deliver an ambitious program, strengthen the company’s governance and systems, and 6 Eamon Flack and Ursula Yovich at the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award presentation. Photo: Patrick Boland. INCOMING Chair’s Report Artistic Director’s Report Sam Meers Eamon Flack What a privilege it Belvoir’s outgoing chair, the remarkable Like all beginnings it walking into the future which we now know is to step into the Andrew Cameron, leaves a significant came about somewhat remains as troubled as the past. The show’s Chair role of this legacy: he has stewarded the company by accident, but it was own simplicity seemed like a reminder glorious theatre with great care and skill over an important a marvellous beginning of what an open mind can do for us.