04.08.22
Dear Grif-friend,
Where I dwell, within the Inner West, on Gadigal and Wangal Country, the wattle is in bloom. This feels serendipitous, given we’re deep within the throes of rehearsal for our subsequent Main Season present—the extreme, heart-hurting Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg. The yella tree in Dylan’s play will not be wattle—it’s a tree that bears an odd yellow fruit that confuses characters Ty and Neddy. But after that includes in our luminous present trailer, wattle now feels someway a part of the play’s cinematic universe…
I’m at the moment within the second-last week of rehearsals for Dylan’s play, working as co-director alongside the exceptional Amy Sole (who can also be the recently-appointed Creative Associate of Ilbijerri). Amy and I’ve been relishing within the intelligence, complexity, and creativeness of Dylan’s writing. As we watch the work taking form there may be a lot to be enthusiastic about. The performances of Guy Simon and Callan Purcell, the beautiful design by Mason Browne, lush sounds by Steve Toulmin, all of the shades of sundown in Kelsey Lee’s lighting design… Photographer Brett Boardman captured a few valuable moments within the rehearsal room final week, which I hope convey even a tenth of the enjoyment radiating out of this artistic course of.
If there’s any level of apprehension I really feel about Whitefella Yella Tree, it’s purely that it has a tricky act to observe…! Last Saturday was the ultimate efficiency of Merlynn Tong’s Golden Blood (黄金血液)—and we are going to actually miss Merlynn, Charles Wu, and the harmful, heart-rending world they evoked on the SBW Stables stage each evening beneath Tessa Leong’s route. I’m so happy with everybody who labored on the present and the Griffin workers supporting the artistic group each step of the way in which. It was totally deserving of its slate of glowing critiques and the viewers suggestions it obtained evening after evening.
Also, in different bittersweet information, you could have seen our announcement on our social pages in regards to the postponement of Blaque Showgirls into our 2023 Season. In case you didn’t catch this on the time, this determination was under no circumstances a simple one to make, however director Shari Sebbens has landed an thrilling new performing function (to be introduced quickly!), and playwright Nakkiah Lui simply introduced a beautiful new child into the world! You can study extra by studying the FAQs over on the Griffin weblog, and all ticket holders have been contacted by the Griffin Box Office with subsequent steps for his or her tickets. We’re so excited that Blaque Showgirls would be the glitzy, gargantuan jewel for subsequent yr—contemplate this a salacious sneak peek!
Even with out Blaque Showgirls there’s nonetheless lots extra theatre at Griffin in 2022. Our closing Griffin Lookout present for the yr, Mother May We (created and carried out by the magnificent Mel Ree) is gearing as much as take residence within the SBW Stables Theatre for 2 weeks throughout September and October, after which the despicably pleasant Ash Flanders is bringing his acclaimed one man present End Of. to the SBW Stables direct from Melbourne, directed by Stephen Nicolazzo, contemporary off the again of his beautiful manufacturing of Looking for Alibrandi. I hear very thrilling issues coming from the artistic group already—this one’s gonna be fairly particular.
And that’s every little thing from me. I can’t wait to point out you the fantastic thing about Whitefella Yella Tree in simply a few weeks’ time—I’ll see you on the theatre!
Much love,
Declan xx
Declan Greene
Artistic Director