Brink Productions is an Australian theatre company based in Adelaide, South Australia, specialising in the ensemble-development of new writing.

History

Brink was established in 1996 as a collective of seven actors, primarily graduates from the drama school of Flinders University,[1] in order to "improve artistic production" in Australian theatre.[2] Brink's founding members were Michaela Cantwell, Michaela Coventry, Lizzy Falkland, Victoria Hill, Richard Kelly, David Mealor, John Molloy and Paul Moore, joined soon after by director Benedict Andrews. Director Chris Drummond was appointed artistic director in 2004.[3]

One of Brink's most successful collaborations was When The Rain Stops Falling,[4] written by Andrew Bovell with designs by visual artist Hossein Valamanesh and music by Quentin Grant. During 2008-2010 the Brink cast performed the play to over 60,000 people in Adelaide (2008, 2010), Sydney Theatre Company (2009), Melbourne Theatre Company (2009), Queensland Theatre Company (2010), Canberra Theatre Centre (2010) and the Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs (2010).[5][6][7][8] The script has been performed all over the world including seasons at the Almeida Theatre in London[9] and the Lincoln Center in New York City.

In 2016–17, Brink worked in association with Far & Away Productions to produce Ancient Rain,[10] created with songwriter Paul Kelly, singer Camille O'Sullivan and musician Feargal Murray. The theatrical song cycle featured the poems of Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Patrick Kavanagh, Paula Meehan, Padraic Pearse and WB Yeats and was presented at the 2016 Dublin Theatre Festival, 2016 Melbourne Festival, Canberra Theatre Centre, Merrigoing Theatre, 2017 Dark Mofo, QPAC and the 2017 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.[11][12][13][14]

In 2018, Brink premiered Memorial at the 2018 Adelaide Festival, before touring it to the 2018 Brisbane Festival and the Barbican Centre.[15][16][17] Memorial was a stage adaptation of Alice Oswald's Memorial: An Excavation of the Iliad,[18] with music by Jocelyn Pook. Staged as a theatrical soliloquy performed by Helen Morse, it featured 200 chorus members[citation needed]

In 2018, the also company toured The Aspirations of Daise Morrow[19] to Canberra Theatre Centre, Merrigong Theatre, the 2018 Galway Festival and the Assembly Rooms at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe.[20][21][22] The Aspirations of Daise Morrow is Brink's adaptation of Patrick White's short story Down at the Dump, from The Burnt Ones.[citation needed]

Brink has worked with a broad array of artists, including Benedict Andrews, Howard Barker, Paul Blackwell, Andrew Bovell, Kate Box, Geordie Brookman, Paul Capsis, Geoff Cobham, Robert Cousins, Cameron Goodall, Lenny Grigoryan, and Slava Grigoryan.[citation needed]

People

Chris Drummond was artistic director of the company from 2004 until the end of July 2023, when he stepped down. He continued to work part-time on several projects during the recruitment process for a new AD.[23] In November 2023, Stephen Nicolazzo, who had been working in theatre in Melbourne, was appointed, undertaking part-time work before coming on board full-time in April 2024.[24]

Productions

Brink's repertoire of work includes "epic narrative, re-imagined classics, music theatre and children's theatre".[25]

Past productions include:[26]

Awards

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References

  1. ^ Milne, G, 2004, Theatre Australia (un)limited, Rodopi Press, p289
  2. ^ "The Sydney eScholarship Repository: Longing to Belong: Trained Actors' Attempts to Enter the Profession". Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  3. ^ "Our history". Brinkproductions.com. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  4. ^ "When the Rain Stops Falling – Brink Productions". Brink Productions. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: When The Rain Stops Falling. YouTube.
  6. ^ "Review: When the Rain Stops Falling - Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts | ArtsHub Australia". Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  7. ^ "When the Rain Stops Falling | Sydney Theatre Company and Brink Productions". Australianstage.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  8. ^ Boland, Michaela (19 May 2009). "When the Rain Stops Falling". Variety.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  9. ^ "When the Rain Stops Falling, theatre review". The Guardian. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Ancient Rain – Brink Productions". Brinkproductions.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  11. ^ "DUBLIN THEATRE FESTIVAL: Ancient Rain – Olympia Theatre, Dublin". Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Melbourne Festival Review: Ancient Rain". Beat.com.au. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  13. ^ "Ancient Rain, Dark Mofo 2017". Adelaidenow.com.au. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Review: Ancient Rain". InDaily.com.au. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  15. ^ Meyrick, Julian. "Memorial is a shattering excavation of the scars of war through poetry, dance and mind-blowing score". The Conversation. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  16. ^ "2022 Program". Brisbanefestival.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  17. ^ "Memorial review – Alice Oswald's exquisite elegy to Iliad's lost mortals". The Guardian. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  18. ^ "*from* Memorial – The Poetry Society". Poetrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  19. ^ "The Aspirations of Daise Morrow – Brink Productions". Brinkproductions.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  20. ^ "Canberra Critics Circle: The Aspirations of Daise Morrow". Canberracriticscircle.blogspot.com. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  21. ^ "The Aspirations of Daise Morrow | GIAF 2018 | Black Box Theatre | Galway International Arts Festival". Giaf.ie. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Theatre review: The Aspirations of Daise Morrow at Assembly George Square Gardens". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  23. ^ Aldahn, Tom (30 June 2023). "Green Room: Big news from Brink, writers wanted". InReview. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  24. ^ Keen, Suzie (2 November 2023). "Green Room: A new AD for Brink and a farewell at ACE". InReview. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Brink Productions". Brinkproductions.com. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Brink Productions, past shows". Brinkproductions.com. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  27. ^ Knight, David (28 March 2017). "Long Tan and Stories from the Brink". Adelaidereview.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  28. ^ Brooker, Ben (10 November 2016). "Tartuffe (State Theatre Company of South Australia and Brink Productions)". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 17 December 2021.

External links

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