AnnuAl RepoRt 2010 AnnuAl RepoRt 2010 5 Mission Statement and Board of Management 6 Artistic Director’s report 8 Chairman’s report The Plays 12 The Drowsy Chaperone by Lisa Lambert & Greg Morrison, Bob Martin & Don McKellar 14 The Swimming Club by Hannie Rayson 16 Madagascar by J.T. Rogers 18 The Grenade by Tony McNamara 20 Richard III by William Shakespeare 22 Boston Marriage by David Mamet 24 Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl 26 Let the Sunshine by David Williamson 28 All About My Mother by Samuel Adamson 30 Life Without Me by Daniel Keene 32 Songs for Nobodies by Joanna Murray-Smith 34 The Ugly One by Marius von Mayenburg 36 MTC on tour 37 Awards and nominations Literary and Play Development 38 Literary Manager’s report 39 Play readings Education 40 Education Manager’s report 42 Productions and Explorations The Company 46 General Manager’s report 48 MTC Staff during 2010 50 Actors and Artists 2010 52 Government Support and Sponsors 54 Patrons Financial Report 58 Key performance indicators 59 Income and expenditure 60 Audit certificate 61 Financial statements Cover image: Geoffrey Rush in The Drowsy Chaperone MtC Mission stAteMent To produce classic and contemporary Australian and international theatre with style, passion and world class artistic excellence in order to entertain, challenge and enrich audiences in Melbourne, Victoria and Australia. Board of Management 2010 Chairman Mr D Young Artistic Director Mr S Phillips General Manager Ms A Tonks Ms L Cattermole Professor G Davis Mr M Dempsey Mr J Feder Ms G Franklin Mr J Kirkwood Mr I Marshman Professor C Masters Mr M Myer Professor S Pretty MTC Headquarters 252 Sturt St Southbank VIC 3006 03 8688 0900 The MTC Theatre 140 Southbank Blvd Southbank VIC 3006 Box Office 03 8688 0800 mtc.com.au Venues Throughout 2010 MTC performed its Melbourne season of plays at the MTC Theatre, Sumner and Lawler Studio, and the Fairfax Studio and Playhouse at the Arts Centre. MtC is A depARtMent of the univeRsity of MelbouRne For a history of the Company and its relationship with the University see The Drama Continues – MTC the first fifty years; edited by Julian Meyrick, Simon Phillips and Ann Tonks: Melbourne Theatre Company, 2004. 5 ArtistiC DirectoR’S REPort I completed my eleventh season as The flight began and ended with song: So often, the success of a production absolute cynosure of that show. And Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre light and breezy with The Drowsy will rely on some unheralded actor for focusing on a star performance Company in 2010, by a good measure Chaperone in January and more chill bearing the weight of a crucial role. one cannot forget Songs For the longest job I’ve ever had; more and minor key in Joanna Murray- It seems to me we had a superfluity Nobodies, in which Bernadette than a fifth of my life, I’m shocked to Smith’s Songs for Nobodies before of such performances in 2010, but let Robinson’s uncanny incarnations realise. Where did all that time go? Christmas. Australian writing was me isolate as excellent examples, of the great singers of the twentieth I feel a victim of an outrageous theft strongly represented. As well as Humphrey Bower, a meld of upright century was matched by her uncannier until a perusal of the programmes Murray-Smith, Company favourites posture and crooked dealings as incarnations of ‘nobodies’ conjured and the season brochures, the board Hannie Rayson (The Swimming Club) Buckingham in Richard III; Nicholas from Joanna Murray-Smith’s papers and annual reports, photos and David Williamson (Let the Bell, solid and understated in imagination. and press cuttings, restores me to the Sunshine) spoke directly to their Madagascar; Sue Jones, marvellously sense that the time wasn’t stolen, theatrical constituencies of bemused drunk and disorderly in Dead Man’s You should always leave a party while it was spent. baby-boomers, Tony McNamara Cell Phone; and Alison Whyte, brilliant there are still enough people around lobbed over another satire of family – no better superlative, so why wishing that you wouldn’t. At the end Our annual report is a ledger of what anxiety with The Grenade, and Daniel scrabble for another? – brilliant in of 2010, I announced that 2011 would was spent – literally so, if you flip to Keene, who is big in Europe but a both All About My Mother and Richard be my last season. I am old enough to the back where we keep the graphs, neglected prophet in his own country, III. We list actors in alphabetical order have been schooled in the old imperial financial statements and various responded to our commission with on our posters as an expression of a measurements, so a dozen years has tottings-up of monies coming in and his poetic, existential comedy Life theatrical ideal – so often realised last a right and fitting sound. Next year’s going out. But also figuratively spent, Without Me. And you might also want year – in which all performances, no annual report is the proper place for in terms of the time, effort and skill to house in the Australian corral, matter how few the lines or brief the a valedictory address; for now it’s required to place a full season of All About My Mother, which, though minutes on stage, contribute their enough to make the obvious point productions before a discerning based on the stunning Spanish film magic to the marvel. that such a long artistic tenure could public. You’ll find our accounting of by Pedro Almodóvar, was astutely not have been possible without the these human resources the feature adapted for the stage by London- That’s not to say we shun stars – sustained support, friendship and (at in the front part of the report, though based ex-pat Samuel Adamson. With by which, incidentally, I don’t mean times) forbearance of the hardworking inevitably our representation of it is the year tricked out with plays by ‘celebrities’. Fame and a fan club will and expert MTC Staff – my esteemed threadbare. A single enigmatic photo Sarah Ruhl, David Mamet and William not carry a show. The much-vaunted colleagues. from each production must stand for Shakespeare, it was another strong charisma of stars means nothing all the hours of performance (and year for writing. without a depth of talent. Or, rather weeks of rehearsals, too). A paltry the talent is the charisma. It’s what credit list must stand for all the And, it strikes me, an extraordinary they do that dazzles. The way, for individual brilliancies of actors and year for performances. The heart of instance, Geoffrey Rush at crucial creative people over the length of the theatre, its beat, its life-giving energy, moments could invest a seemingly production. A bare numeral stands for is the actor. Lope de Vega captured flyweight character with power and everyone who paid for a ticket and it when he said that the minimum Simon Phillips reach, so that The Drowsy Chaperone Artistic Director enjoyed the show, or enjoyed great requirement for theatre is ‘two planks landed an unexpected emotional parts of it (or – shame! – slinked off and a passion’. He didn’t need to add punch. Or Wendy Hughes, working at interval). Finally, the press quotes, that the passion is supplied by the the opposite trick in All About My choice cutlets trimmed of their grizzle, actor. The actor is elemental, as Mother, could find vulnerability in her stand for the bulk of thoughts, everyone who saw The Ugly One tough-as-nails diva, and thereby lead opinions and impressions of all who can attest. Peter Evans’s production, the audience carefully down those witnessed the spectacle. A theatrical stripped back to a few props and slippery steps, to understanding, then year is a bird on the wing and such a small lighting rig, thrilled its sympathy. Obviously, Ewen Leslie is snapshots can only suggest the audience by placing the focus on a star in all but household renown wonder of her flight. the performances and the telling of a (though I suspect his time is perfect little parable. It offers the key, approaching) since his Richard I think, to how the Lawler might best Gloucester, prowling on Shaun be used in the future. Gurton’s revolving set, was the 6 7 CHAiRMAN’S REPort While 2009 was a year of great developed new work and new artists note is that, thanks to the strength of Jonathan Feder, Senior Associate physical change as we embraced the through commissions, public and the box office, improved interest rates at Middletons. The Company is lucky new MTC Theatre and moved into private play readings, employment and controlled expenditure, we made to have a Board full of genuine refurbished headquarters in Sturt St, opportunities for young directors and an operational surplus of $1.6million. enthusiasts who give generously 2010 was a year of different sorts of debut opportunities for many actors. This is after returning some of the of their time and expertise. changes. The major one was when surplus to our hard working staff, Simon Phillips, our brilliant Artistic Audience who accepted modest pay rises at the Conclusion Director, announced his intention to beginning of the year because of our leave us at the end of 2011. There can We hoped that 220,000 people would nervousness about the economic Under the artistic leadership of Simon be no greater change than the pay to see our main subscription climate. Our surplus will enable us to Phillips, MTC achieved great artistic leadership of an arts organisation, but season and considerably more did repay in full the amount we used from results for an increased audience, there’ll be plenty more to say about so.