14.04.15
The Griffin Studio turned 21 this year! Last night we celebrated the 5 years and 21 artists who have now participated in the residency program with some of the donors who make it happen. With Caress/Ache closing on Saturday after a hugely successful season (playwright Suzie Miller Studio 2); The House on the Lake starting rehearsals, welcoming back Jeanette Cronin and Huw Higginson to the Stables stage (director Kim Hardwick Studio 5); and the realisation that the year is moving so fast that A Rabbit for Kim Jong Il (playwright Kit Brookman Studio 3) will be upon us soon, it is clear how successful the program has been in bringing new artists in to Griffin. For donors who like to see their contributions going directly to artists, supporting the Studio is perfect.
Of course people support Griffin in many different ways. Sponsorship, donation, subscription, volunteering, advice, bringing friends to shows – there is a huge community of people who make up the Griffin family. We all believe that contributing to a company like Griffin is a way of ensuring that the creative life of this city is rich and complex. Reading Simon Garfield’s book, On The Map, I was struck by this thought:
“Paul Theroux has made the point that great explorations demand fine writers to bring it all home – the fierce desperation, the unbound elation, the emotional and humane mixed with the procedural. This explains why we know what cold feels like, but we don’t really know what it’s like to walk on the moon.”
If the idea of Australia is a great exploration, then it is in the crucible of Griffin that we will find the writing that will show us where we are going.
Love,
Lee
