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played a short return season in Sydney as the opening production of what was now The Actors
Company Theatre. An American programme of âPromenade, Allâ by David Robison (another Australian premiere) and Eugene O'Neill's little-seen âDesire Under the Elmsâ played through April and May. At the same time, âThe Golden Pathway Annualâ and âPlay It Again, Samâ were revived in Adelaide, South Australia at the invitation of the Adelaide Festival Centre. In June âHamletâ, with Matthew O'Sullivan in the title role, was staged at the Bondi Pavilion Theatre. Official recognition also came with a one-off grant of $ 8,000 from the Australia Council and $ 1,000 from the NSW Government. July saw a return season of âPlay It Again, Samâ, followed by the company's first children's show, âThe Happy Applesâ. A double bill of Ionesco's âThe Lessonâ and Olwyn Wymark's âLunchtime Concertâ played through SeptemberâOctober; âWaiting for Godotâ by Samuel Beckett was staged in OctoberâNovember. The year ended with a revue, âAnd Now at Last the Nibble Nobby's Nuts Showâ, devised and directed by Rodney Delaney (who was also in the cast) and, by day, Matthew O'Sullivan's adaptation (he also directed) of âWinnie The Poohâ.
125:
this time by Alan
Faulkner, but the repertoire system of two plays was resumed in June with âThe âNakedâ Hamletâ, Joseph Papp's radical reworking of âHamletâ, and Tom Stoppard's âRosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Deadâ. The latter play hadn't been seen in Sydney since its original production and became one of the company's biggest successes. Both plays were directed by Rodney Delaney with a total of twelve actors - the largest casts employed so far. The cast played the same roles in both productions with Peter de Salis as Hamlet, Les Asmussen and Scott Lambert as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. September and October saw a children's play, âThe Tails of Koalarooâ during the day, and Ibsen's âGhostsâ and âCity Sugarâ by Stephen Poliakoff with Bevan Wilson(another Australian premiere) alternating at night. NovemberâDecember brought another Pinter play, the Australian premiere of âNo Man's Landâ with Rodney Delaney directing veteran British actor
142:
800-seat Hoyts cinema in the Sydney CBD, was offered as an alternative. âOthelloâ transferred there for a further week before a short tour to NSW regional centres. Othello was initially played by Fred Steele, the first time in
Australia that the role had been played by an African-American actor. The Actorsâ Company Theatre reopened with a production of âRomeo and Julietâ directed by Steve Agnew. This was followed by the company's most successful production, both critically and financially: Rodney Delaney directed âThe Glass Menagerieâ with Shirley Cameron and Diana OâConnor. âRazzle Dazzle, the Silver Screen Bluesâ with Sally McKenzie occupied the late-night spot. Amanda Field directed another children's show at this time: âThe Ugly Ducklingâ with Bernadette Ludwig.
78:
Delaney, directed by
Matthew O'Sullivan, with Rodney Delaney as Geoffrey and Betty Cheal as Helen. Neither play had been seen in Sydney for many years. They were performed on alternate nights for six weeks. The season returned a small net profit allowing token fees for the cast and crew. . With the success of this first outing, the group decided on a second season keeping to the same formula of two plays in repertoire, with the same cast where ever possible.
65:. The company was established in late 1974 by four actors and directors â Rodney Delaney, Matthew O'Sullivan, Betty Cheal and Lynne Porteous. The fledgling company, with Rodney Delaney and Matthew O'Sullivan as co-artistic directors, secured, for their opening productions, the building in King's Cross that had been the
124:
The company went into its third year with a major reconfiguration of the acting space. A triangular stage was created in the centre of the hall with raked bench seating on two sides, seating approximately 100 people. The year began with a revival of Harold Pinter's âThe
Caretakerâ in March, directed
171:
The Actorsâ Company was dismantled after that production. It had lasted over four years. Matthew OâSullivan left the company in 1978 to further his career in theatre and film. Rodney
Delaney became, for a time, the Regional Theatre Co-ordinator for the NSW government and has continued his successful
106:
A search led them to the Esme
Hackett Memorial Hall in the inner-city suburb of Ultimo. It was an all-purpose community hall dating from the 1950s, ill-served by public transport â but it was available and it was cheap. At the beginning of 1976, âThe Golden Pathway Annualâ toured to Queensland, then
97:
The critics and audiences were divided on the merits of the somewhat confronting (for its time) âThe
Foursomeâ, but âPlay It Again, Samâ was a runaway hit playing an additional two weeks. The company could not meet the costs of operating in what was basically a commercially-run theatre. At the end
152:
The Actorsâ Company did its first (and as it turned out, only) musical in
December 1978. This was Kander and Ebb's âCabaretâ featuring Anne Phelan as Sally Bowles and Les Asmussen as the Emcee. The children's play during January, again directed by Amanda Field, was âPhoebe Moonglow and the Singing
77:
On
Thursday, March 27, 1975 The Actors Company opened their first season. Dubbed a âSeason of Angerâ, it comprised John Osborne's âLook Back in Angerâ directed by Rodney Delaney, with Matthew O'Sullivan as Jimmy Porter and Lynne Porteous as Helena and (two days later) âA Taste of Honeyâ by Shelagh
115:
The company comprised a core group of five people â Rodney Delaney and Matthew O'Sullivan (the two artistic directors), administrator Michael Tobin, Sonia Lester (public relations and marketing) and stage manager Tony Wright (who also directed âThe Happy Applesâ). Guest directors were hired for
93:
The company was offered the chance to take over the Downstairs Theatre of the newly opened Seymour Centre, a three-theatre complex on the campus of the University of Sydney. For the third season, their first in the new theatre, the company staged two Australian premieres: Woody Allen's âPlay it
141:
was the opening production of 1978, and Matthew O'Sullivan's final production as co-artistic director. The eight-week season was almost booked out before it opened but a huge fire in the block behind the Ultimo theatre forced the closure of the building for some weeks. The Mayfair Theatre, an
81:
The Loft was no longer available. so the next season was staged in the Village Centre Playhouse, a converted church hall in Paddington. The season comprised the Australian premiere of âThe Golden Pathway Annualâ by John Harding and John Burrows, and Harold Pinter's âThe Caretakerâ.
69:, the Nimrod company having moved to their new space in Belvoir Street, Surrey Hills. The Nimrod Street Theatre had been renamed the Loft. (Currently home to the Griffin Theatre Company, it is now known as the Stables Theatre.)
156:
A new production of âOthelloâ directed by David Goddard and starring Monroe Reimers, opened in late March and played through till May. This became the final production in the Actorsâ Company Theatre.
149:
and âAn Evening with Adolf Hitlerâ. This latter was the world premiere of a play co-written by poet and playwright Jennifer Compton and Matthew OâSullivan, who also directed and played Hitler.
85:
The critics were unanimous in their praise and both productions were picked up by the Arts Council of New South Wales for a seven-week tour of regional centres.
45:
in the UK in 1972. (The title was again used for an ensemble of actors created by the Sydney Theatre Company which functioned between 2006 and 2008.)
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The last Actorsâ Company production opened on August 8, 1979 at another Hoyts cinema, the Paris. It was a revival of the previous year's
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In SeptemberâOctober the Company did three Australian works: David Williamson's âThe Removalistsâ, âHalloranâs Little Boatâ by
94:
Again, Samâ (with Les Asmussen as Allen) and âThe Foursomeâ by E.A.Whitehead, plus a late night show, âBrecht on Brechtâ.
53:
Between 1975 and 1979, the company staged more than 40 productions at various venues in Sydney, many of which then toured
514:
761:
Performing Arts Yearbook of Australia Vol 4 (1979, published 1980). Showcast Publications P/L. Annual ISFN 0313-0555.
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of their first year of operation, with three seasons in three different venues, they were again looking for a home.
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directing career. Sonia Lester, publicity officer for the company, remarried and, as Sonia Gidley-King, created
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66:
758:
Performing Arts Yearbook of Australia Vol 3 (1978). Showcast Publications P/L. Annual ISFN 0313-0555.
755:
Performing Arts Yearbook of Australia Vol 2 (1977). Showcast Publications P/L. Annual ISFN 0313-0555.
752:
Performing Arts Yearbook of Australia Vol 1 (1976). Showcast Publications P/L. Annual ISFN 0313-0555.
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in 1975. It was the first serious attempt at a professional co-operative theatre in that city.
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765:
625:
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Piermont, John (28 July 1977). "'Naked' Hamlet-Enough to Make Shakespeare Turn in His Grave".
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54:
764:
Companion to Theatre in Australia. General Editor: Philip Parsons. Currency Press 1995.
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168:, again directed by Rodney Delaney, but with a different cast. It closed August 25.
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was a co-operative theatre company formed by a group of actors and directors in
775:
A Leader of His Craft: Theatre reviews of H.G. Kippax. Currency House (2004).
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646:
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Kessell, Norman (15 December 1975). "Late-night Show a Real Winner".
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Astronautâ. Late night: Tim Gooding's âThe Amazing Optisimo Showâ.
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The company's name was inspired by the Actorsâ Company founded by
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Kessell, Norman (1 November 1975). "Lively Company in Top Form".
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Kessell, Norman (9 November 1975). "So Obscene It's a Shocker".
386:
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Martin, Smith (February 1977). "Revue is Anything But Dead".
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360:
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Kessell, Norman (7 July 1975). "Send-up Scores a Hit".
116:âHamletâ, âLunchtime Concertâ and âWaiting for Godotâ.
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Hoad, brian (12 April 1975). "A Taste of Bitterness".
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672:
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225:"All-too-fleeting pleasure of the Actors Company"
8:
673:"Menagerie: a Potent Evocation of Memory"
464:(Seventieth Anniversary). 7 January 1976.
697:Constantino, Romola (22 November 1978).
279:See How It Runs:Nimrod and the New Wave
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251:"Youth and Enthusiasm Beats Subsidies"
176:in 1992, for which she was awarded an
729:The Society of Arts and Crafts of NSW
7:
385:Sargent, Virginia (7 October 1975).
359:Darlington, Dorothy (10 July 1975).
16:Theatre company in Sydney, Australia
517:from the original on March 3, 2007.
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622:Companion to Theatre in Australia
501:Steel, Anthony (MayâJune 1976).
475:Mortimer, Derek (5 April 1976).
334:copy in Mitchell Library, Sydney
797:Theatre companies in Australia
596:"The Best of Sydney This Week"
507:Adelaide Festival Centre Diary
387:"News From the Seymour Centre"
249:Hoad, Brian (3 October 1978).
223:Waites, James (9 April 2010).
1:
671:Kippax, H.G. (22 June 1978).
647:"A Fine Feast of Shakespeare"
645:Lowe, Barry (28 April 1978).
458:"Most Successful New Venture"
477:"Faith, Hope but no Charity"
391:Seymour Centre press release
302:Travers, w (16 April 1975).
813:
567:"Development applications"
503:"Adelaide Festival Centre"
281:. Sydney: Currency Press.
393:. Seymour Centre Archives
365:The Sydney Morning Herald
267:Copy in Mitchell Library.
651:Newcastle Morning Herald
624:. Currency Press. 1995.
565:City of Sydney Council.
511:Adelaide Festival Centre
277:Meyrick, Julian (2002).
530:"Sam Slays 'Em Again!"
703:Sydney Morning Herald
677:Sydney Morning Herald
600:Sydney Morning Herald
528:J.B. (21 July 1976).
361:"An Auspicious Start"
67:Nimrod Street Theatre
199:"Ian McKellen Stage"
180:. She died in 2010.
166:The Glass Menagerie
39:Edward Petherbridge
20:The Actorsâ Company
462:American "Variety"
304:"Anger Comes Back"
127:Alexander Archdale
308:Wentworth Courier
102:Their own theatre
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602:. 6 August 1977
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513:: 3, 5, 7, 9.
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481:The Australian
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73:First season
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35:Ian McKellen
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734:21 November
708:21 November
682:21 November
656:21 November
606:21 November
535:21 November
486:21 November
397:21 November
370:21 November
313:21 November
261:25 December
234:25 December
208:21 November
43:John Moreno
747:References
120:Third year
59:Queensland
133:Last year
28:Australia
791:Category
552:Campaign
515:Archived
584:: 4, 5.
160:Closing
139:Othello
49:History
779:
768:
628:
285:
24:Sydney
332:: 51.
184:Notes
111:Staff
777:ISBN
766:ISBN
736:2012
710:2012
684:2012
658:2012
626:ISBN
608:2012
537:2012
488:2012
399:2012
372:2012
315:2012
283:ISBN
263:2012
257:: 73
236:2012
210:2012
61:and
41:and
178:OAM
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