Overview
It starts with an encore run of a Helpmann winner, ends with a real-life couple taking on a famous dissection of marriage, and features everything from a play about cinema employees to the world premiere of a lauded and applauded script in between. Yep, it's Queensland Theatre's 2017 season, with the Brisbane-based company championing a diverse lineup under new artistic director Sam Strong — and a diverse makeup behind the scenes.
Crowd-favourite Ladies in Black may kickstart the theatre troupe's new year in January, complete with over 20 original songs by Crowded House's Tim Finn, however February is when eager audiences can start flocking to fresh content. Telling a tale of selling popcorn and falling in love with a projectionist, international hit The Flick won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for drama, and earned rave reviews in London and New York. That the production will be directed by screen veteran Nadia Tass (Malcolm, The Big Steal) feels rather appropriate.
Debuting in March, the Kat Henry-directed science-infused romance Constellations similarly looks set to be a standout, as does the Nakkiah Lui-helmed provocative interrogation of identity, An Octoroon, which makes its way to the stage in September. Throughout the rest of the year, other highlights include Strong's farcical first Queensland Theatre directorial effort Noises Off, as well as Michelle Lee's Queensland Premier's Drama Award-winning multicultural exploration Rice. The Torres Strait-set, multi-generational My Name is Jimi also ranks among the season's must-see productions, as does Scenes from a Marriage, with actors Marta Dusseldorp and Ben Winspear tackling relationship issues in Joanna Murray-Smith's adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's television classic.
So far, so filled with options — and if it seems like ladies feature prominently in the lineup, that's by design. Indeed, gender parity is one of the newly renamed Queensland Theatre's key commitments for 2017, with their nine shows achieving an even split of male and female writers and directors.
To see the full Queensland Theatre 2017 program and to book tickets, visit the Queensland Theatre website.