01.06.23
Dear Grif-friend,
Call me controversial but I am delighted that today is the first day of winter. I love the crisp air, the emergence of checkered coats and the smell of a home-cooked pumpkin soup bubbling on the stovetop. The heaters have been turned on in the foyer of the SBW Stables Theatre and every night, cosy audiences gather to watch a pretty special show.
To warm your hearts and tickle you silly, you should come see Pony before it closes on Saturday 17 June. If you haven’t seen this new Australian work yet, you’re in for a whole lot of laughter with even more heart. The foyer is glistening, the Ginuwine is playing and the pinot gris is flowing (wink). And as a woman in her supposedly childbearing prime, I encourage those who don’t have kids to come along for a giggle and perhaps a sigh of relief! (Just kidding.) Once Pony leaves the SBW Stables, it’s heading to our nation’s capital; you can catch Eloise Snape’s comedy tour de force at Canberra Theatre Centre from 22 June.
This month also marks the time of year in which your inboxes are likely being filled with emails asking for donations marking the end of the financial year. As a member of our Grif-family, you understand that Griffin is a lot more that just an entertainment venue. You possibly also know that the very reasonable cost of a Griffin ticket does not cover the resources necessary to produce high-quality Australian theatre. From actors to writers, dramaturgy to developments, administrators to designers… there is so much that goes on behind the scenes to produce great new Australian works time and time again at our theatre.
What Griffin does is so much more than programming a new play and casting the right actors. We meet with early-career artists and hear their ideas, we regularly host creative developments for plays-in-progress, and we provide creatives with their very first chance to work on a professional production. At Griffin, we pride ourselves on taking work on a complete journey and supporting artists every step of the way. When you donate to Griffin, you play a vital role in providing artists with the support they need for the work to land in front of audiences in its best possible form.
As someone who has worked at Griffin since 2017, I feel so lucky to work for a company so deeply connected to its mission. I see the benefits of philanthropy every day at work and even if you don’t notice it, I’d say you enjoy the benefits too. Individual donations truly make a difference in the lives of artists and arts workers—on behalf of the whole team at Griffin, I would love you to consider making a donation to Griffin Theatre Company before 30 June.
Griffin is a people-first company, so if you’d like to talk about anything ‘Griffin’ or fundraising, my email and phone line are always open. Also, if you haven’t already, you should check out our 2023 EOFY video, which features the wonderful actors Michelle Lim Davidson and Rebecca Massey alongside our very own Declan Greene.
With warm winter wishes,
Ell
Ell Katte
Relationships Manager
