Belvoir Annual Report 2019
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BELVOIR CONTENTS 2019: At A Glance 04 Chair’s Report 08 Artistic Director’s Report 10 Executive Director’s Report 12 2019 Season 14 Belvoir 2019 in Review 32 Corporate Governance Statement 50 Board & Staff 54 Supporters, Trusts & Foundations, and Partners 55 Donors 56 In the Rehearsal Room 58 Tom Hobbs. Photo by Brett Boardman. BELVOIR 2019 AT A GLANCE 98,575 44% NEW SINGLE TICKET FEMALE 9,692 BUYERS IN 2019 ATTENDEES WRITERS AT BELVOIR PRODUCTIONS 6 AUSTRALIAN PLAYS PLUS ONE NEW AUSTRALIAN TRANSLATION $4,626,583 & 3 WORLD PREMIERS BOX OFFICE REVENUE OF A BELVOIR PRODUCTION 59% CALD ARTISTS ON STAGE WORKSHOPS HOSTED IN 3,240 IN A WORKSHOP PARTICATED STUDENTS 40 REGIONAL SCHOOLS WRITERS 56% FEMALE UNDER COMMISSION STUDENT WORKSHOPS DIRECTORS 21 175 6,701 ATTENDEES AT ATTENDEES 5,069 STUDENTS & TEACHERS TO UNWAGED who attended a schools 25A or evening performance PERFORMANCES 1,667 PERFORMANCE SUDENTS ATTENDED A SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE 6,374 APPLICATIONS 62,391 646 FOR FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS SOLD 163 FOR 25A SOCIAL PERFORMANCES BELVOIR’S POPULAR PRODUCTION CHALLENGE MEDIA INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL (OPEN TO ALL INDEPENDENT 247 COMPANIES & EMERGING ARTISTS) PROPS FOR ARTISTS 1,979,616 PAGE VIEWS FOLLOWERS COUNTING & CRACKING OVER 250 EMPLOYED 80 ARTISTS ENGAGED THROUGH 25A ACROSS 8 PRODUCTIONS 561 WESTERN SYDNEY STUDENTS IN WORKSHOPS AT THEIR SCHOOLS 104 4 5 HELPMANN AWARDS MATILDA AWARDS BEST WRITING / ADAPTATION FOR THE AUSTRALIAN STAGE (THEATRE BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY BEST MUSICAL OR CABARET COMPANIES) Counting and Cracking Fangirls Belvoir / Co-Curious Belvoir, Queensland Theatre and Brisbane Alana Valentine and Ursula Yovich, Festival, in association with Australian Barbara and the Camp Dogs, BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK Theatre for Young People Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack Music Productions Counting and Cracking Belvoir / Co-Curious BEST PRODUCTION (THEATRE SYDNEY THEATRE AWARDS COMPANIES) BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY BEST MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION Eamon Flack and S. Shakthidharan Barbara and the Camp Dogs, Counting and Cracking Belvoir in Association with Counting and Cracking Belvoir / Co-Curious Belvoir / Co-Curious Vicki Gordon Music Productions BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK BEST MALE ACTOR IN A PLAY S. Shakthidharan, Counting and Cracking Prakash Belawadi, Counting and Cracking Belvoir / Co-Curious NSW PREMIER’S LITERARY Belvoir / Co-Curious AWARD – NICK ENRIGHT BEST ORIGINAL SCORE BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING Stefan Gregory, Counting and Cracking ROLE IN A PLAY Belvoir / Co-Curious Vaishnavi Suryaprakash S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack Counting and Cracking BEST PRODUCTION OF A MAINSTAGE Counting and Cracking Belvoir / Co-Curious MUSICAL Fangirls BEST SCENIC DESIGN Belvoir, Queensland Theatre and Brisbane AUSTRALIA COUNCIL Dale Ferguson, Counting and Cracking Festival, in association with Australian AWARD FOR THEATRE Belvoir / Co-Curious Theatre for Young People Tommy Murphy BEST SOUND DESIGN BEST NEWCOMER Packer & Sons and other works Stefan Gregory, Counting and Cracking Chika Ikogwe, The Wolves / Fangirls Belvoir / Co-Curious BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A PLAY Kate Mulvany, Every Brilliant Thing VICTORIAN PREMIER’S Belvoir LITERARY AWARD BEST MUSICAL S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack Barbara and the Camp Dogs Counting and Cracking Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Music Productions Pty Ltd VICTORIAN PREMIER’S AWARD BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A MUSICAL FOR DRAMA Ursula Yovich, Barbara and the Camp Dogs S. Shakthidharan and Eamon Flack Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Counting and Cracking Music Productions Pty Ltd BEST FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MUSICAL GREEN ROOM AWARDS Elaine Crombie, Barbara and the Camp Dogs BEST PERFORMANCE (THEATRE Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon COMPANIES) Music Productions Pty Ltd Ursula Yovich, Barbara and the Camp Dogs, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon Ursula Yovich, Alana Valentine and Adm Music Productions Ventoura, Barbara and the Camp Dogs BEST MUSIC COMPOSITION AND SOUND Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon DESIGN (THEATRE COMPANIES) Music Productions Pty Ltd Adm Ventoura, Ursula Yovich and BEST MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING Alana Valentine, ROLE IN A PLAY Barbara and the Camp Dogs, Paul Blackwell, Faith Healer – a Belvoir Belvoir in association with Vicki Gordon production presented by State Theatre Music Productions Company of South Australia 6 Vaishnavi Suryaprakash. Photo by Brett Boardman. CHAIR’S REPORT Sam Meers As I write this, our only part of the work Belvoir undertakes theatre is dark for each year. We also continued our highly the first time in its acclaimed program for independent history and we are theatre makers, 25A; commissioned developing ways seven new Australian plays, including to sustain Belvoir’s our annual commission of an Indigenous creative energy, and playwright thanks to the Balnaves the community that Foundation (this year, Kodie Bedford); depends upon it. Yet developed 13 new works; delivered an as we wrestle with extensive, first-class Education Program the short and long term consequences in western Sydney and throughout of a global pandemic, we should draw regional NSW; collaborated with and some comfort from the fact that 2019 supported other arts companies, and was an exceptional year for Belvoir, both we continued to lead the sector by artistically and financially. This Annual presenting at international and national Report is an opportunity to celebrate that. conferences and hosting key industry Ayesha Madon. Photo by Brett Boardman. and community events. Throughout 2019, the Company stories with diverse perspectives. You all close working relationship and their continued to create outstanding theatre I have struggled to find the right words make an invaluable contribution to the life continuing belief in Belvoir’s vision. experiences, with the two bookends of to appropriately acknowledge the and success of this company: my deep the artistic season being Counting and bold and dedicated leadership of our I also acknowledge and thank our thanks go to each and every one of you for Cracking, which received seven of our co-CEOs, Artistic Director Eamon Flack government supporters – the Australia your faith in us. 13 Helpmann Awards, and the extended and Executive Director Sue Donnelly; Council for the Arts and Create NSW season of the highly anticipated it is their fearless and tenacious vision The Company B board again worked – whose core funding allows us to Packer & Sons. In between these two that puts artists at it centre and has tirelessly during 2019, and I am forever leverage further investment for Belvoir. extraordinary productions, we presented allowed Belvoir to deliver the successes grateful for their wisdom and dedication. Finally – last, but very definitely not a swathe of diverse and thought- articulated in this Annual Report, and I Particular thanks to our outgoing board least – none of the work we do would, provoking shows (who can forget thank them sincerely on behalf of us all. members Mitchell Butel, Luke Carroll and of course, be possible without the staff Fangirls?) that resonated with our loyal Peter Wilson, each of whom have been The success of our 2019 season, and at Belvoir and the many artists and subscribers and brought new audience integral to the success of the Company of the many other Belvoir programs creatives who work with us. These members through our doors. during their six year terms; they will be highlighted throughout this Annual talented and passionate individuals sorely missed. A warm welcome to our Counting and Cracking was an enormous Report, is reflected in our very pleasing dedicate countless hours to the new board members Raji Ambikarajah, undertaking for the Company, both financial result in 2019, with the Company because they believe, as you Kate Champion, Johanna Featherstone creatively and financially. heT biggest, Company achieving an operating surplus do, in the power of theatre to change and Mark Warburton; it is a tribute to the boldest work the Company has ever of $557k. This surplus was not only people’s lives. I thank them sincerely Company that we continue to attract staged, we were fortunate to be rewarded the result of strong box office results, for their support and extraordinary directors of such stature. I would be with a sold-out Sydney Festival season but also the hard work of the executive commitment to the Company. remiss in not giving particular thanks in January, and an Adelaide Festival and board in continuing a program of to our Deputy Chair, Patty Akopiantz, I know that all our artists will continue season in March. Led by the shared vision reviewing operations to ensure greater whose wisdom is indispensable, and finding new and different ways to tell our and creative energy of Eamon Flack operational efficiencies and enhanced whose ingenuity was responsible for our stories. In a fractured global environment and Shakthi Shakthidharan, 49 financial business planning. Needless to say, we highly successful Education fundraiser, in which so many are experiencing partners joined artists, creatives, crew and are very grateful for this small financial the Belvoir Bash; and director Stuart dislocation, isolation and loss, we need Belvoir’s exceptional staff to stage this buffer during our Covid-19 shut down. O’Brien, who is leading plans for building these stories now more than ever before ground-breaking epic. The many awards The Company could not do the work enhancements and whose inspired