A Note from Khym, 30 July
30.07.26
Dear Grif-friend,
New voices. New stories. New possibilities.
Independent theatre is a unique but essential part of our sector ecology. It’s a training ground for people looking to hone their craft. My first show in the SBW Stables Theatre was part of Griffin Independent in 2013 (the predecessor to Griffin Lookout). It’s where I learned the skill of scheduling rehearsals around the availability of people with full-time jobs. It’s where I learned how difficult it is to perform magic tricks when you have an audience on two sides. It’s where I learned you can hold mostly anything together with gaffer tape and positive thinking.
Griffin is currently smack-bang in the middle of our Griffin Lookout season for 2026, where independent artists step onto our stage and into our community. Griffin Lookout is one of our ways of bridging the gap between independent theatre and mainstage theatre. We bring exceptional talent into our fold to see how a company works, nurture emerging artists in a supportive environment and let them put exciting and joyful work in front of our audiences. My career path was shaped by just a few conversations people had with me while working in independent theatre and I hope we continue to pass this forward.
On Sunday night: We farewelled the trans-rom com barbershop quartet, Afterglow by Sheanna Parker Russon and Lillian M. Hearne presented by Purple Tape Productions that brought harmony, tears and whiskey across sold-out performances. Monday morning: We brought in the luscious set of lacuna by Eric Jiang presented by Essential Workers, ahead of preview performances starting tonight. Come see what Declan is calling “a suburban-Australian Everything Everywhere All At Once“.
One show packed down and off to its (eco-friendly) end-life. Onto the next, new story.
The same Sunday I attended a lecture by Dr John Senczuk, presented by the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation and Theatre Heritage Australia. John is a former Chair of Griffin’s Board (amongst holding many other roles in his life) and has written numerous books on Australian theatre history, including Griffin’s. In one afternoon John covered over two centuries of history—detailing our former theatre’s connection all the way back to the Third Fleet in 1791. His lecture finished with photographs of an event Griffin held in December 2024 to mark the closing of the SBW Stables Theatre—an evening I will remember for a long time.
John describes Griffin as one of Australia’s longest running “provincial” theatres (the term that we use in the office is “local”). But he reminded me that at the foundation of Griffin is a group of artists who got together for morning tea and decided to put on a show, independent of anyone else. I like to think that the plans for a lot of independent theatre are still hatched in the same contagious way. While Griffin Lookout helps shape the next generation of artists, moments like these remind us of the generations of independent theatre makers whose work made this possible.
The plans for the next great Australian play probably aren’t being made in a boardroom. They’re being written in a notes app on a phone, shared over coffee, in someone’s share house. That’s where Griffin began and it’s why we’re excited to welcome another group of artists through Griffin Lookout this year.
We hope to see you there.
Khym x
Khym Scott
General Manager
