15.03.12
On your last visit to The Stables you may have noticed our new Book Nook – a cosy corner where you can peruse (and buy!) past and current Griffin play texts while waiting for the show to start. Our scripts are published courtesy of Currency Press who are our partners in crime in celebrating new Australian playwriting. We asked them to explain our happy relationship through the theatre years.
‘The Current Theatre Series (CTS) partnership between Griffin and Currency Press began in the early 1980s; Currency started publishing scripts for Griffin’s plays, coinciding with their productions. It meant audiences could mull over the whole script of the play they’d just seen. By including production information too, Griffin could sell them as programs to audiences. The CTS initiative allowed both of us to promote new Australian plays that would not necessarily have been published otherwise. Neither was disappointed by the results. Griffin and Currency have co-published some of the most iconic Australian plays of the last few decades.
Bold works found life beyond the final curtain, devoured by hungry minds. It was (and still is) very exciting. Of course, Griffin and Currency accepted from the beginning that there is a bottom line which underscores creative nourishment. What bliss, then, that the CTS partnership has been so successful. At the time of writing, Michael Gow’s classic, Away (one of our earliest collaborations) has been reprinted over twenty-five times and is a staple in our schools.
It wasn’t always easy. Until recent years the cost of printing was often prohibitive for Griffin. Still, Currency has published lots of their plays outside the CTS partnership. There was never any doubt our commitments to Australian theatre were in tune. We both believe theatre is a cultural force, which turns thoughts into action – on stage and long after the applause. We also believe the development of new Australian theatre is an adventure, one we’re proud (and lucky) to be part of.
So what a joy it was that – under the Artistic Directorship of Nick Marchand – new printing technologies meant we could join again once more. When Sam Strong succeeded him he continued the tradition. Since 2007 we have published four or five CTS programs per year to coincide with Griffin productions.
As champions of Australian culture, we are heartened by Griffin’s commitment to the preservation of new Australian work through our CTS partnership. It has delivered a legacy of great Australian plays for future generations.’
We do hope you enjoy having a little look at our Book Nook. Past and present play texts are available to purchase for only $10 – bargain!
