Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St TheatreinSydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre comprises two performing spaces: the Upstairs Theatre and the smaller Downstairs Theatre.
The theatre, converted from a former tomato sauce factory, opened in 1974 as the Nimrod Theatre for the Nimrod Theatre Company. The first production at the theatre was rock musical The Bacchoi.[1] It was renamed as "'Belvoir St" in 1984 by Sue Hill and Chris Westwood when the building was purchased by a syndicate of people (Belvoir Street Theatre Pty Ltd).[2]
Renovations costing around A$11.6 million commenced in 2005 and were delayed in 2006 with the discovery of asbestos in the building's roof. The theatre reopened in October 2006 with the Sydney season of It Just StoppedbyStephen Sewell.[3]
The theatre contains a 330-seat auditorium called the Upstairs Theatre, and an 80-seat performing space called the Downstairs Theatre.[4]
Belvoir began, in 1984, when two syndicates were established: "Company A" with shares at $1000 each, which would own the building, and "Company B", with shares at $10 each.[5][6] Company B aimed to stage theatre productions which were "contemporary, politically sharp, hard-edged Australian theatre; to develop new forms of theatrical expression; work by and about "Aboriginal Australians; work created by women; radical interpretations of the classics and work that is surprising, diverse and passionate.[7]
Belvoir was officially launched in February 1985.[5] Later that year, Signal Driver, written by Patrick White and directed by Neil Armfield, was 'the first play produced from the ground up by Belvoir'.[8] In the lead roles were Kerry Walker and John Gaden.[8][9] The theatre poster was designed by Martin Sharp.[5] Armfield later recalled that White, who had purchased ten shares in the theatre, was its 'greatest shareholder'.[8]
From its foundation, Belvoir also instituted a "parity pay policy" where all employees, from actors to stage hands, received the same hourly rate of pay.[10] This policy, which continued from 1985 to the end of the 2011 season,[11] prompted former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating to describe the Belvoir as "Australia's last commune".[12]
In 2005, Belvoir temporarily moved to the Seymour Centre, Chippendale, while the theatre building underwent an $11.6 million renovation, and returned the following year.[13]
In January 2011, Ralph Myers took over from Neil Armfieldasartistic director, stating 'There's a wealth of Australian playwriting and 2500 years of great plays to draw on, I don't see a need to import new plays from overseas.'[11] In July 2014, Myers announced that he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the 2015 season.[14] Myers said he had 'an "ideological" commitment to the regular turnover of artistic directorships'.[14]
Also in 2011, Belvoir appointed Simon Stone as the first director-in-residence.[15] Stone's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck, with the Belvoir, went on to win both Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Awards, in 2011, before being taken to Oslo for a three night performance as part of the 2012 International Ibsen Festival.[16] Stone resigned from his position in 2013,[15] and was replaced by dual directors-in-residence Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks.[17]
In 2016 Myers was succeeded as artistic director by Eamon Flack.[18] In February 2022 Carissa Licciardello and Hannah Goodwin were appointed directors-in-residence.[19]
In 2019 Belvoir collected an unprecedented thirteen Helpmann Awards, including Best Play, Best New Australian Work and Best Direction of a Play. In the same year actors in Belvoir productions collected Best Female Actor in a Play, Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play, Best Male Actor in a Play and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play.[20]
In 2011 the Balnaves Foundation established support for two Indigenous-led works per year at Belvoir. It also created the Balnaves Award, which evolved into the Balnaves Fellowship in 2021. The fellowship is awarded to a playwright or director or writer/director, who is given A$25,000 over 12 months to create a new work, spending two days a week over 10 months as a resident artist at Belvoir.[25]
Past recipients of the award or fellowship include:[25]
In 2018 philanthropist Andrew Cameron established support for an up and coming artist to have a two year residency at Belvoir. The fellowship is awarded to a designer, director or writer/director, who is employed by the company over two years as a resident artist at Belvoir.[28]
Past recipients of the award or fellowship include:[25]
The Belvoir's education program for students and teachers includes practical theatre workshops at the theatre or participating school, tours of backstage and behind the scenes areas of the theatre, technical tours led by a professional theatre technician and a Theatre Enrichment Program for "senior English and Drama students in Western Sydney and regional NSW". In addition, Belvoir's Outreach Program partners with local youth support organisations such as Youth Off The Streets, The John Berne School, Twenty10 and Regenesis Youth. Through the Priority Funded Schools Program Belvoir also allows selected students to attend some performances free of charge. Limited student work experience and work placement opportunities are also available.[31][needs update]
(Miss Peony was rehearsed and produced but the season was cancelled due to Covid restrictions. At What Cost?, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and Wayside Bride were likewise rehearsed but were postponed to the 2022 season.)
(Note that the outbreak of COVID-19 saw the theatre go dark after two performances of Dance Nation. The season resumed on 16 September with A Room of One's Own, followed by Cursed! and My Brilliant Career, which played into 2021. The productions of Escaped Alone and Summerfolk were cancelled.)
Medea, by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
Beautiful One Day, created by Paul Dwyer, Eamon Flack, Rachael Maza and David Williams
Don't Take Your Love To Town, created by Eamon Flack and Leah Purcell, based on the book Don't Take Your Love to Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi, directed by Leah Purcell
^This supported the writing of At What Cost?[26] (see 2022 and 2023 seasons). Maynard received a Churchill Fellowship in the same year and has been named Tasmanian Aboriginal Artist of the Year twice, among other awards.[27]
^Filmer, Andrew (6 July 2006). "A Place For Theatre: Performing at Belvoir Street". Backstage Space: The Place of the Performer(PDF). Department of Performance Studies, University of Sydney. p. 201. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
