The Queensland Theatre Company was established in 1970, and was granted the prefix "Royal" in 1984. The Company is the state's flagship professional theatre company, headed up by multi-award winning playwright and director Wesley Enoch. Each year Queensland Theatre Company presents a season of mainstage plays which includes comedies, classic drama and new Australian work and a Studio Season which features theatre that breaks the rules.
The company has a strong history of development programs and is dedicated to encouraging artistic growth across the state through its emerging artists program, writing program – which includes the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award – and regional partnerships program.
Emphasis is also placed on developing and inspiring young people through the company's youth & education program, with specially devised education performances, theatre skills courses, a playwriting program and more. The Company is principally supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council.
Actors who began their career with Queensland Theatre Company include Geoffrey Rush, Bille Brown, Kate Wilson (Foy) (former Chair of the Board of the Queensland Theatre Company and Honorary Professor of Theatre at the University of Southern Queensland), Carol Burns, and many others. The late Babette Stephens, as well as Diane Cilento are among two of many other Queensland artists who have also worked with the Company during their careers.
The foundation Artistic Director was Dr. Alan Edwards AM MBE. He was succeeded in the position by Aubrey Mellor, Chris Johnson, Robyn Nevin and Director/playwright Michael Gow. In 2011, Wesley Enoch succeeded Michael Gow as Artistic Director and has become the first Murri to head a State Theatre company in Australia. Other directors for the company have included Gale Edwards, Joe McCallum, and Murray Foy.
Read more about Queensland Theatre Company: Productions
Famous quotes containing the words theatre and/or company:
“The theatre is the involuntary reflex of the ideas of the crowd.”
—Sarah Bernhardt (1845–1923)
“It has lately been drawn to your correspondent’s attention that, at social gatherings, she is not the human magnet she would be. Indeed, it turns out that as a source of entertainment, conviviality, and good fun, she ranks somewhere between a sprig of parsley and a single ice- skate. It would appear, from the actions of the assembled guests, that she is about as hot company as a night nurse.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)