31.03.22
Hello hello!
I’m Alex, and I am so thrilled to be joining the Griffin team as the new Front of House Manager. I’ve spent the last few days getting properly acquainted with my wonderful new colleagues and the beautiful venue we call home. What a bunch of legends! Any Grif-friend of theirs is a Grif-friend of mine—so I look forward to meeting you all when you’re next in.
Please do say hi over at The Penny Cook Bar! I am always keen for a chat and happy to provide that all-important pre- or post-show libation to round out a great night in the theatre. We’re all about local, quality thirst-quenchers—come try our incredible natural vinos from the awesome folks at P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants, or the refreshing ales and lagers from the team up the road at Sydney Brewery in Surry Hills. Or perhaps a Griffin classic—a G&T made on the delicious Four Pillars (literally voted the world’s best gin two years running, not bad for an Aussie craft distillery!).
But slingin’ drinks is not the only passion of mine—like many of you, I am a theatre addict and have been coming to Griffin for over 15 years. As a second-year acting student, I sat in that intimate space we all treasure and wept for Tim and John in the original season of Holding the Man—and year after year since I have been drawn to, then blown away by the new Australian works the company so proudly champions: The Bleeding Tree, Kill Climate Deniers, Prima Facie, City of Gold—I could go on listing but you don’t need me to tell you what incredibly powerful and vital theatre Griffin makes. I am so excited to now be a part of the team that helps support and nurture this vital and urgent work.
Speaking of! We’re kicking off the season of A is for Apple tonight and it is shaping up to be a cracker. A team of talented people making excellent theatre. It’s raucous, feminist, colourful and fun and we are so keen to share it with you all—it’s the perfect antidote to the wet and gloomy Sydney we find ourselves in, and a joyful escape from the madness of life in 2022.
Griffin is once again going all-city! Orange Thrower has just opened its Parramatta season—big chookas to the cast and crew. We know that the Riverside audiences will be so thrilled to partake in its heartwarming and vibrant world.
Moving ever onward, the team has assembled for Ghosting the Party and rehearsals kick off on Monday. With Easter coming up, there may be for some a focus on another story of someone who ghosted the party only to come back because it was too much fun. But once all the chocolate has been eaten and the public holidays are in the rear-view, we are so excited to share Melissa Bubnic’s wonderful work with you in all of its light and shade, poignancy, and hilarity.
That’s all from me! I look forward to seeing you, meeting you, laughing with you, and talking shop with you. Make yourselves known at the bar when you next visit!
Cheers (literally),
Alex x
Alex Bryant-Smith
Front of House Manager
