12.03.20
Even if you’re trying to keep cool amidst COVID-19 hysteria, the last 48 hours have been pretty rattling. In Australia, as schools are closed, as festivals are cancelled, as the toilet paper aisles erupt in Karen-on-Karen violence, it’s getting harder to tell which responses are overly extreme and which are sensible. And as many of us repeat rhetoric about how it won’t have a serious effect on most of the population, it’s worth remembering how much of the population is made up of those with cause for concern. Our parents, our grandparents, those with suppressed immune systems or respiratory illness. If your line is ‘it’s not a big deal’, be careful to consider the very legitimate fear of vulnerable people around you.
Of course, the great news is that, amidst all this panic and conflicting information, we can always turn to a lucid, inspiring Prime Minister, with a record of excelling in times of crisis.
Griffin, like all Australian theatres right now, is in constant discussion about how we respond to this changing situation. We’re closely following recommendations in resources from the Department of Health: providing hand sanitiser in the foyer (next to Box Office), cleaning all our ticketing wristbands after each use with antibacterial solution, and ensuring we maintain our rigorous cleaning standards (particularly on shared surfaces). If recommendations change, we’ll let you know.
Last night Lee Lewis and her brilliant cast opened Family Values at Canberra Theatre Centre. It was truly exciting to hear David’s passionate arguments against offshore detention only a short distance from the place where this shameful legislation is maintained. During Saba’s climactic monologue (powerfully delivered by Sabryna Walters), you could feel the whole audience bracing.
Meanwhile, Mary Anne Butler brings her powerful and poetic play Cusp—produced by ATYP—to our beloved creaky kite-shaped theatre. It’s a short season so get in quick!
Stay safe and sensible Grif-friends.
Declan x
Recently seen: Liam Maguire’s very cook’d Shepherd at Belvoir 25A—a totally absurd and hilarious meditation on millennial pack mentality, which had one of the most stunning musical scores I’ve heard in a theatre in ages.
