Sydney Theatre Company

The Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is based in Sydney, Australia. It was founded in 1979 and is based in The Wharf Theatre, Walsh Bay, Sydney. STC's productions are predominantly performed at The Wharf Theatre, the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre and the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly the Sydney Theatre).

## History

In 1978, the Old Tote Theatre on the University of New South Wales campus closed. The theatre had been run by the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and administered by Elizabeth Butcher. A month after its closure, NSW premier Neville Wran approached Butcher and asked her to establish a state theatre company. This company would operate out of the Drama Theatre in the Sydney Opera House. Butcher established the company's managerial structure and named it the Sydney Theatre Company (STC). Director of NIDA, John Clark, was STC's first Artistic Director. In 1979, he invited five theatre companies to produce STC's first season of six plays. The first production was *A Cheery Soul*, by Patrick White, Australia's Nobel Laureate for Literature, directed by Jim Sharman, featuring Robyn Nevin as Miss Docker.

In June 1979, Richard Wherrett, one of Nimrod Theatre's co-Artistic Directors, was appointed Artistic Director of STC to plan the 1980 season. This would be the first season of specifically STC-produced plays. Their first play was *The Sunny South*, 1 January 1980, by George Darrell, with music by Terence Clarke, directed by Richard Wherrett, and assisted by John Gaden.

For the first few years of the company's life, they operated out of numerous rented premises and temporary theatre spaces. These included the Drama Theatre, the Stables Theatre in Darlinghurst (which they shared with Griffin Theatre Company and Ensemble), STC's rehearsal room in Potts Point, and the Theatre Royal. As the company gained momentum, it was clear they would need a permanent home. Butcher - still the administrator - was tasked with finding a single location to use as the company's headquarters and, most importantly, a theatre. She proposed the Walsh Bay Wharf 4/5 - a derelict former industrial wharf on the outskirts of Sydney's CBD. After extensive architecture-designed renovations, the company moved into the new Wharf Theatre, ready for their 1985 season. For the next 19 years, the STC were headquartered in the Wharf Theatre, and divided their productions between there and the Drama Theatre.

The first STC production in The Wharf Theatre, 17 January 1985, was *Late Arrivals*, by Pamela van Amstel, directed by Wayne Harrison in his directorial debut. (Wayne Harrison went on to become the second Artistic Director of the company, in 1990.) The play was part of a season of one-act plays called Shorts at the Wharf.

In 2004, the company expanded their operations into the newly built Sydney Theatre, which had been developed out of a derelict warehouse across the road from the Wharf Theatre.

Directors working regularly for STC include Robyn Nevin, Pamela Rabe, Gale Edwards, Neil Armfield and Benedict Andrews. Many Australian actors who would later find wider success both locally and internationally such as Hugo Weaving, Geoffrey Rush and Toni Collette have established their careers in STC productions.

## Artistic Directors

 2013-2015
 2008-2012
 1979-1990
 1979
 1978-79

## Seasons

The years below are linked to the seasons with details of the productions:

\*The season years are out of step with the Artistic Director years since each season is developed in the year prior to that which it is performed in. For example, a 2016 season would be developed in 2015.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "History," *Sydney Theatre Company. Retrieved 14 August 2*017.
2. ↑ "Sydney Theatre Company," *AusStage*. Retrieved 14 August 2017.