TRUST NEWS is a publication of THE AUSTRALIAN ELIZABETHAN to THEATRE TRUST n sid e (incorporated in [h e ACT) 13 7·139 Regent St Chippendale NSW 1008 Sydney (02) 698 1688 Also offieu in Melbourne (03) 612 2777 Brisbane (07) 221 9528 FOLLOW SPOT • an update on the performing arts around Australia Adelaide (08) 231 8256 3 Perth (09) 321 4953 .~ Parron Her Majesty The Queen CHESS President multi-million dollar blockbuster musical is on its way 8 Sir Ian Potter Chairman Mr James A. Strong Deputy Chairman Mr Frank M. Hooke FRONT ROW GUIDE Chief Executive Exclusive national entertainment diary Mr Adam Salzer, OAM. 9 Directors Mrs Jessica Dames, Mr Andrew Brigger, A.M., Dr Toby Manford Mr Brian Larking, Lady Potter, A.O. Dr Rodney Seaborn, 0.8.E., FOLLOW SPOT continued . Mr Leonard Tea Ie, more and more info on Australian performing arts 33 Mr Lloyd Waddy, R.F.D., Q.C., Mr Timothy Yates Finance Director & Corporate Secretary Mr William Cottam ACTORS' EQUITY Celebrates its 50th Birthday The Board also acknowledges 34 the generous support of The Australian Government through the Perfonning Arts and Literature Board of the Australia Council, the Federal Government's Arts Funding and Advisory Body, NEW ZEALAND'S and the Department of Foreign Affairs International Festival of the Arts earns its title 37 State Governments: Victoria (thro ugh the MiniSCT), for the Arts) New South Wales (through the Ministry for the Am) LADY POTTERLY'S CHATTER Western Australia or - Lady Potterly's Shutter - photos galore (through [he W.A. Department for the Am) 38 The following Corporations and Foundations: ANZ Trustees Esso Australia Ltd T Adam Salzer, O.A.M.:. Chief Executive Australian Airlines FRONT COVER: BP Australia R William Cottam: Finance Director lanet Vernon and Commonwealth Bank of Australia U Wendy Blacklock: .... Australian Content Director Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation Ross Phillip from the Le sley Allen:.. Mngr Aust. Business Support for the Arts Holden's Motor Company bathroom scene in S Warwick Ross:. .. Australian Orchestral Enterpri ses Ian Potter Foundation Graeme Murphy 's T Carol·Lee Aquiline:. The atre Of The Deaf Artistic Director Qantas Airways Ltd SOME ROOMS. Rosalind Richards: .. Theatre Of The Deaf Administrator Royal Antidiluvian Order Of Buffaloes David Goodwin: Elizabethan Philharmonic Adminstrator The Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation M Kim Lofthouse: ....... Halftix Manager Sidney Myer Foundation A Wayne Kellett: ....... Prop s & Electrics Manager Show travel Tours N Michael James: ....... Costume Hire Manager Smorgon Family Charitable Foundation Margaret Zimi tat : .... Acco unt ant Thomas Nationwide Candace Gibbons: ... National Patrons Unilever Australia Ltd A Honeysett Printing Group G Carol Martin: ......... Membership Sec retary · Triumph-Adler E Michael Harrington:. Assistant to Chief Executive Grace Removals (a division of Brambles) M Gaille Jang: ........... NSW Manager ~. E Charmaine Hart: ..... Victoria Mana ge r © 1989 Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust Helen Rayson-Hill: .. Queensland Manager N Charmaine Moldrich: South Australia Manager Pubu,hed on behalf of The T"''' Iry Roughedge T Penny Suthe rl and . Western Australia Manager TRUST NEWS 2 OCT/NOV 1989 ollow S ot DAVID WILLIAMSON, ON THE ABC • DAVID WILLIAMSON, arguably the tallest playwright in Australia, is getting his own radio show. On Tuesday evenings (8pm) from October 3 to 28 November, arguably the tallest radio personality in Australia, presents The National Theatre, a two month season of nine Australian plays on ABC-FM Stereo. You'll be hearing the original cast from MTC's production of Gordon Francis' God's Best Country and an 'in-performance' recording of STC's production of The recording cast of PARIS Summer Rain by Nick Enright and Terence Clarke complete with theatre audience. However, many of the plays have been adapted by the authors. Hate was on the PARIS - ENGLISH VERSION playlist but author Stephen Sewell prefers not to OF GREEK MYTH truncate his work. Other works to be aired include: • A new rock opera conceived and written by JON Patrick White's Ham Funeral, Janis Balodis' Wet And ENGLISH, with the help of London-based Australian Dry, John O'Donoghue's Essington Lewis: I Am Work, Jill DAVID MACKAY is to feature a cast most producers Shearer's A Woman Like That, Peta Murray's would give more than their eye teeth. Wallflowering, Linda Aronson's Redinka's Lesson and Called PARIS, it tells the story of the siege of Troy, from the ubiquitous Mr Williamson - Emerald City. the love of Paris for Helen, and its glorious music is now in the recording stage. MY SON THE LAWYER Jon English is to play Hector, with John Parr in the title role, plus Doc Neeson (Archilles), John Waters IS DROWNING (Agamemnon), Joe Fagin (Menelaus), Harry Nilsson . Brisbane's LA BOlTE THEATRE has decided to stage (Ulysses), Terry Donovan (Priam), Trevor White Doug McLeod's hilarious play My Son The Lawyer Is (Aeneas), Mariette Rups-Donnelly (Hecuba) and Drowning. The play premiered at Melbourne's Playbox in Angela Ayres (Slave). late 1987. The plot involves a Jewish couple living in David (Danein' Man) Atkins, Francis Rossi and Keith Melbourne who are paid an unexpected visit from God. Kerwin are cast as guards, with two English sisters, Sheila It seems the Almighty is not too happy with the way and Sheryl Parker, in the roles of Helen and Cassandra. things are going. Part of His plan is to build another ark Philip Quast, who has spent much of this year and repopulate the planet with dinosaurs. Sounds recreating his role of Javert in the West End production excruciatingly silly and a lot of fun. Directed by Ian of Les Miserables, will also be featured. Leigh-Cooper, My Son The Lawyer Is Drowning plays Employing the 'Cameron Mackintosh strategy', Wed-Sat, Nov 8-25. producer Peter Rix intends to release the album of Paris early next year. Then, after the expected hit success of FRONT ROW - IN DEMAND several of its songs, the stage show of the rock opera Paris will have its premiere early in 1991 - probably at . The Trust's recently promoted FRONT ROW Booking the Victorian Arts Centre in a joint production with the Service has certainly hit the spot. Passengers flying with Victorian State Opera. Australian Airlines have seized the opportunity to book ahead for shows through Front Row's preferential seating service. LOBSTERS AND LEMONS? This booking spree has subsequently meant more . Not long after Leo Schofield's dinner repeated on him enquiries for Trust Membership and busy, busy telephone in the nastiest way, another reviewer is in the firing line. lines - Front Row has taken more than 500 bookings a Fellow Fairfax contributor JOHN CARMODY, has had a fortnight since the service was launched through statement of claim issued against him by playwright Australian Airlines' Flight Deck. JUSTIN FLEMING. Now with more buying power behind it, The Trust is set to obtain better discounts and a wider booking Mr Fleming who, incidentally, has the benefit of a service. Trust members are the lucky ones who'll benefit legal background, apparently took umbrage with from improved services and discounts (something Front Carmody's review of Harold In Italy which appeared in Row offers only to Trust members). The Sun-Herald July 30. TRUST NEWS 3 OCT/NOV 1989 ollow S ot DIRECTOR'S IN BRIEF . LEX BUZO makes a welcome return to the mainstream Sydney stage with a new play, Shellcove Road. Set in Neutral Bay, the script wages war on the developers who, it seems, will allow nothing to stand in the way of their relentless desire for change. But the residents of Shelleove Road have other ideas ... Shelleove Road's world premiere is at the Northside Theatre Company. Plays till Nov 4. GALE EDWARDS is rapidly establishing herself as one of our foremost (and busiest) directors. Having " recently directed All My Sons for the Sydney Theatre SARCOPHAGUS - a passionate play written by PRAVDA's Science Editor about the CheT710byl nuclear accident. Company and A Dolls House for Belvoir St Theatre she is in Brisbane directing Dorothy Hewett's The Man From CHERNOBYL PLAY HITS SYDNEY Mukinupin for the Queensland State Theatre Company which plays Nov 14 to Dec 2. erHE NEW THEATRE in Sydney, now 56 years old, IN ADELAIDE Rodney Fisher directs Jean Anouilh's continues to present a challenging repertoire with social enchanting play Ring Round The Moon with Hugo commentary being the essential ingredient in its artistic Weaving in the lead role as twin brothers Hugo (the programming. good one) and Frederick (the bad one). Expect the show Its latest production Sarcophagus, which runs Oct 7 to to look absolutely gorgeous as Roger Kirk (whose Nov 25, is about the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. stunning creations include Melba, Les Liaisons When the Chernobyl accident happened, Vladimir Dangereuses and Anything Goes) is designing the Gubaryev, Science Editor for PRAVDA, was on the costumes. Ring Around The Moon plays the Adelaide scene almost immediately and, devastated by what he Playhouse Nov 25-Dec 16. saw, decided a play would be more effective than a newspaper report. After its translation into English, the EGOS IN BRIEFS play was snapped up by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Set in a radiation clinic, Sarcophagus is an account of . 'Nobody ever said to Ziegfeld, 'what's it about?' They the human suffering that resulted from this tragedy. It just said, 'we're putting on a show'," says actor/director observes characters who, in some cases, have less than 24 and clown extraordinaire, GEOFFREY RUSH. hours left to live. And using the revues of the 1920s - the Ziegfeld The play's importance is not to be overlooked. Follies, the Garrick Gaities and the Earl Carroll Vanities Neil Kennedy directs the New Theatre production.