14.10.21
Dear Grif-friend,
The day finally arrived! On Monday this week, Sydney finally took its first steps to re-opening. Many of us flooded back to bars, to restaurants, to the homes of our loved ones. And like a true playwright, I celebrated by sitting indoors in my pyjamas and glowering at the rain. It’ll be baby steps for the hermit-inclined amongst us. But by way of an incentive, I’m ecstatic to announce that Griffin will be back in action from November, with two shows before the end of 2021!
In July, our production of Kendall Feaver’s Wherever She Wanders was postponed for the second time (you might remember it was part of our 2020 Season as well). We are overjoyed to announce that Kendall’s incisive, bristling drama will finally reach the SBW Stables stage from Friday 5 November – Saturday 11 December.
Another casualty of the latest lockdowns was our triumphant return season of Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie. Sheridan Harbridge managed to deliver three stand-out performances of her landmark solo performance before we were forced to shut the doors here in Sydney. But she will set the Seymour Centre stage ablaze once more from Wednesday 24 November – Saturday 11 December.
If our last postponed season of Prima Facie is anything to go by, you’ll need to snap up those tickets fast. Because this is going to be your last chance to see the play for a while. That is… Unless you feel like a casual jaunt to the UK via plane (remember those?!) to see Prima Facie on the West End.
Just two weeks ago, in yet another remarkable coup for this multi-award-winning play, it was announced that Prima Facie will have a brand new production at the Harold Pinter Theatre in 2022, with Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer picking up the hallowed mantle of its lead role. This is huge and deeply deserved recognition for playwright Suzie Miller. It is also testament to the vision of Lee Lewis and her creative team, who first ushered this game-changing play into the world on the tiny SBW Stables stage. And sure, Jodie Comer is no Sheridan Harbridge… but we reckon she’ll have a decent crack at it! 😉
As we take our first steps to re-opening the theatre, it would be remiss of me not to reflect on the last 18 months. The history of Griffin is a story of triumph in the face of near-disaster… from internal strife, to funding cuts, to threats of eviction (John Senczuk’s Griffin Rising is a wonderful record of this—including Dr Rodney Seaborn’s remarkable purchase of the Stables as a permanent home for the company).
What has always kept this company afloat is the loyalty and belief of its supporters: be they subscribers, donors, or regular ticket-holders. The intrepid true believers who not only take risks time and time again on brand new plays, but—in 2020 and 2021—have also taken these risks at a time of huge social uncertainty. Your emails and phone calls of support have meant the world to our team, as has your patience while we regroup and reschedule. We are so excited to welcome you back to the SBW Stables Theatre—and, shortly, to show you what we have planned for 2022.
Much love,
Declan xx
Declan Greene
Artistic Director
