04.05.23
Dear Grif-friend,
There’s nothing quite like being in the Big Apple, is there? Last week, I joined a small group of intrepid Griffin Board members and donors on a theatre pilgrimage to Broadway for the opening of Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, directed by Justin Martin and starring Jodie Comer. On the back of two Olivier Awards, including Best New Play, and four Tony Award nominations, Suzie’s success and the impact of this work was palpable. There were articles in all the major newspapers from The New York Times to the LA Times and the star-spotting at multiple shows made us want to pinch ourselves.
At the same time, Griffin’s production of Prima Facie directed by Lee Lewis and starring Sheridan Harbridge was on a five-week Australian tour which finished in Toowoomba last night. Lee and Sheridan’s commitment to this work is also worthy of recognition and has been fundamental to its success. As we speak, the State Theatre Company of South Australia is presenting a brand new production of Prima Facie, directed by David Mealor and starring Caroline Craig. There are also plans for the work to be made into a film.
Not many Australian playwrights can boast this level of success and we could not be more proud. From little things, big things grow. By supporting only Australian playwriting on our small stage and wrapping everything we can around a work for it to succeed—we are saying that our stories matter. We support artists at a critical point in their career. And when they soar, like Suzie is, we’re right beside them.
Just around the corner (previews start next week) is another one-woman show that we’re super excited about: Pony by Eloise Snape, directed by Anthea Williams and starring Briallen Clarke. This is another powerhouse trio of women—in fact, the entire creative team of Pony is comprised of women. And hot on its tail will be Suzie’s next work: Jailbaby. Don’t forget, it’s definitely not too late to subscribe and get cheaper tickets and loads of benefits including discounts on drinks at The Penny Cook Bar, invitations to exclusive Griffin events and Mates Rates on the additional tickets you purchase for friends and family. You can book as few as 2 Plays in a package, which makes subscribing to Griffin a bit of a no-brainer.
It was great to see a heap of theatre in New York but TBH, the theatre we make in Sydney absolutely holds its own internationally. It was magic to travel halfway across the world and witness Suzie’s play landing so powerfully amongst a very theatre-discerning crowd. But magic also happens on the tiny SBW Stables stage (UFO, which just finished a sell-out season, was a great example of this).
I hope we see you in the foyer soon. There’s lots to be proud of, and more history to be made.
Love,
JC
Julieanne Campbell
Executive Director
