Contents
QTC Early History
A COMPANY united
The Queensland Theatre Company (today, now known as “Queensland Theatre”) is the state theatre company of Queensland, established by statute
on 8 April 1970, with Royal Assent given to the Act of Parliament, which incorporated the company on April 10, 1970, and the 3rd largest in Australia. In 2020, it virtually celebrated 50 years.
In the 1960’s, a quasi-professional performing arts group called the “College Players” led by director Bryan Nason at the University of Queensland, having no theatre of their own, led the charge to establish a fully professional state theatre company had been attracting attention throughout Brisbane and the parts of the State to which they regularly toured.
In the late ’60’s, the Australia Council had made a decision to fund a state company in every Australian state. On February 11, 1969, the Queensland government State Cabinet decided that a Board be appointed to form a State theatre company. This was the first time in Australia that a theatre company had been incorporated by Act of Parliament and it was regarded by many as an unusual. In introducing the bill which became the Queensland Theatre Company Act 1970 to Parliament, The Hon. A.R. Fletcher (later Sir Alan), then Minister for Education and Cultural Activities stated, “The formation of the Queensland Theatre Company is a natural, logical and necessary stage in the growth of the creative and performing arts in this lusty young state.”
The Australian Elizabethan Trust, were suggesting that Peter Shaffer’s THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN could be presented as QTC’s first production. By coincidence, the College Players were planning a Brisbane season of the same play, to be directed by the Players’ leader, Bryan Nason. While on tour, the Players’ Production Manager, Don Batchelor, discovered the parallel plan.
A meeting between the QTC Board and the College Players was arranged, resulting in the appointment of Bryan Nason as guest director and Don Batchelor as Production Manager for QTC’s inaugural presentation of THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN which opened on 1 October 1969 at the SGIO, Produced, Directed and Designed by Bryan Nason with Reg Cameron, Jane Harders, Allen Lander, Peter Lavery and Rod Wissler. The opening night saw processions along Turbot Street accompanied by band music and flaming torches. Inside the SGIO Theatre the play was welcomed by an enthusiastic audience. The audience responded well to the play’s spectacle. By its closing date, over 8,000 people had attended. [See more images of QTC’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun]
Around the same time, the board had to choose between the various options of promoting one of the local amateur companies to professional or starting a new company. The board failed to come to an agreement and the government intervened. The Queensland Theatre Company (“QTC”) was established as a brand new entity, granted statutory recognition in 1970 and became the first federally funded professional theatre company in Queensland. It is a non-profit statutory authority governed by a Board of Directors and its Patron, the Governor of Queensland.
A recruitment campaign by the Queensland Theatre Company received a total 61 applicants scattered worldwide for the post of Artistic Director. Bryan Nason was not engaged as the founding artistic director in favor of Englishman Alan Edwards, at the time a tutor in acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) at the University of New South Wales. He’d been in Australia for 5 years and as well as teaching and directing at NIDA he had acted at Sydney’s Old Tote Theatre and on A.B.C. and commercial TV. He’d received his training at the Old Vic Theatre School, and, after acting in English theatre, films, radio and TV, he taught and directed plays at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art in London. He was considered (and proven to be) the most suitable. On July 15, 1969, Alan flew to Brisbane for the interview. While awaiting his return flight at the airport, he received a page to take a phone call, where the QTC board chairman, Sir David Muir, told him he got the job.
The QTC moved into the 611 seat SGIO Theatre.— “a theatre of distinction, and fully air-conditioned!” The SGIO Theatre served as the administrative, creative and marketing hub of the QTC, as well as providing rehearsal space and of course its primary performance space.
The first production Alan Edwards directed was the premiere of an Australian musical with book and lyrics by Rob Inglis and music by Robin Wood called A RUM DO! which opened on April 10, 1970 coinciding with the day that Royal Assent was given to the Act of Parliament which incorporated the Company and its selection influenced by the Captain Cook Bi-Centenary Celebrations. A RUM DO! was set in Sydney in 1825. It told the story of Governor Macquarie and his achievements as a builder and of Francis Greenaway the convict architect who helped him achieve his aims. In development, before transitioning to a musical form, it was called THE OLD VICEROY.
A RUM DO! was designed by Cliff Simcox with choreography by Keith Bain and a cast headed by Raymond Duparc, Elaine Cusick, Ken Kennett, Geraldine Turner and Murray Foy. None of the creative team was very happy with the final title, but all agreed it was better-suited to the regal occasion than the working title, EVERYBODY SNIFF YOUR NEIGHBOUR. A special performance on April 13, 1970 was held in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Princess Anne [Official Itinerary Book in PDF]. Critical reaction was mixed, ranging from David Rowbotham of the Courier Mail “The finest Australian musical I’ve seen” to “The disappointment of the decade”. Following a 4 week run of 27 performances, 11,076 people had attended. A RUM DO! toured Queensland to Stanthorpe, Toowoomba, Roma, Longreach, Innisfail, Cairns, Ingham, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Nambour. [See more images of QTC’s A Rum Do!]
The ‘Golden Years’
For the first years the company began each season with a musical and these were its best attended productions, for example, early musicals OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR (the first time the HOUSE FULL signs were produced and stayed on display); LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS; YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN; GODSPELL; GYPSY; ANNIE; HELLO, DOLLY! and APPLAUSE were some of the iconic QTC musicals.
A core group of now iconic actors formed the base acting company pool, and whom quickly became recognizable and adored by audiences. Alan Edwards regular performances were a feature of the QTC under his leadership.
The charity The Actors’ & Entertainers Benevolent Fund of Queensland was started by Alan in 1975 and he was the inaugural president of the organization. Alan served in that role until 1994.
As the company established itself the audience base grew, thanks additionally to a clever subscription program supported by large team of volunteers, the unique introduction of the Wednesday morning matinee with 100% attendances and a gutsy programming model including both commercial lineup of annual musicals, Shakespeare, famous dramas, along with Australian plays and occasionally edgy (for it’s time and place) picks…
The Queensland Theatre Company opened its 1975 season with Peter Shaffer’s EQUUS, complete with an infamous 3-minute nude scene. Under then Premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s conservative reign, the idea of the state theatre company staging a scene with actors in the buff made most of Brisbane very nervous, but the controversy meant the city was buzzing too. The young duo of David Waters and Gaye Poole would appear naked, and for whom the threat of arrest was very real. The Company soothed any jitters by agreeing to cover their legal fees. In the end, tact, diplomacy and cool heads prevailed. Despite a police presence at the show at the SGIO Theatre, there were no pickets, and more than 20,000 audience members saw EQUUS during its smash hit run. There was not a single complaint. [See more images of QTC’s Equus]
By 1979, total Queensland, attendance figures at QTC productions reached 2,078,326 theatregoers which included 1,155,197 primary and secondary school students throughout Queensland. Major productions in Brisbane hosted 749,363 patrons and some of the best of these shows toured the state to a further 173,766 ticket buyers.
In 1979 the QTC opened its first outdoor play, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, staged as part of the Warana Festival celebrations in Albert Park which was so successful, the annual tradition of performing a Shakespeare play continued in the Albert Park for many years, with AS YOU LIKE IT (1981), THE TEMPEST (1982), MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1983), HENRY V (1984) and THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR (1987).
Many of the Albert Park Shakespearean presentations aimed at celebrating the professional performing arts in Brisbane, and the standards they had reached in such a short time. They generally involved the 3 major state companies — the Queensland Theatre Company, the Queensland Ballet Company and the Queensland Opera Company. The Queensland Theatre Orchestra also participated along with dancers from the newly-formed Australian Youth Ballet.
In 1979, in place of a resident company of artists, the policy evolved to cast as wide as possible for the best ad hoc cast available for each production. This gave audiences a continual stream of new faces, many of them established identities. Resident Director Joe MacColum, finished his full time duties on December 31, 1978 and was replaced by John Krummel. Since his graduation from NIDA, where he had been a pupil of both Alan Edwards and Joe MacColum, John Krummel had won many acting awards but now turned his talents to directing and occasional acting.
Gregory Gesch was appointed as Resident Director in late 1982, replacing John Krummel, and stayed in that role until 1990. Greg first joined the QTC in 1972 for a Theatre in Education tour of ANTIGONE (1972) making his association one of the longest serving in company history, zig-zagging as both a beloved actor and director entirely during the golden years.
During the ‘golden’ period, some of the most loved plays were THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, HADRIAN VII, BREAKER MORANT, TRAVELLING NORTH, DEATHTRAP, AMADEUS, LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD, SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, RICHARD III, KING LEAR, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER and HEDDA GABLER.
Theatre in Education (TIE) was an important element of the company’s artistic creative work, reaching vast audiences and influencing many lives over a long period of time. One of QTC’s major objectives was to stress the “Queensland” part of its title by serving not just the capital city but the entire state and regularly to rural NSW. From the beginning, as part of its charter, the QTC reached out to the entire state. More than any other state company. See more about the extensive and incredible achievements of the Theatre in Education programs.
By the end of its first 10 years, the Queensland Theatre Company emerged as one of Australia’s leading companies, riding high in public prestige in its own state and its interstate reputation had never been stronger. Lewis Savage’s subscription management with a stimulating innovation in 1979 was the formation of the Queensland Theatre Company Guild led by Magda Wollner, which helped season ticket subscriptions reach 10,000 patrons, an incredible achievement.
QTC Tangent Productions was formed in 1981 to mount experimental work in a converted office building on Edward Street. The plays were innovative and entertaining. QTC Tangent Productions gave artists a chance to extend and develop their horizons. QTC commissioned new works and music and produced world premieres. It’s 4 years of creative success was an important building block of the companies development.
The company sought and received a Royal Charter, and was granted the prefix “Royal” in 1984 when renamed the Royal Queensland Theatre Company (“RQTC”). This extraordinary achievement coming within 15 years since inception was celebrated with multiple Royal visits to company productions. Royal Charters are tightly controlled and reserved for Commonwealth organizations that work in the public interest, which helped greatly raise the public profile and status of the company. The RQTC became one of a tiny handful of theatre companies outside of the UK celebrated as such.
In 1985 the RQTC opened the new Cremorne Theatre in the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC) with a production of CHEAPSIDE by David Allen.
After 19 years, Alan Edwards retired as artistic director in 1988, but continued to direct and act in many productions.
Along with Alan’s vision, creativity and leadership, which can never be over-estimated or accurately assessed, a large number of people deserve tribute, not the least the hardworking and industrious members of the Board, executive and production staff. At the Board level the guidance and community influence inaugurated by Sir David Muir continued by his successor, W.R.J. Riddel. During his 7 years as Production Manager John Watson was responsible for the soaring growth of QTC’s technical production resources, from a work-bench to a thriving enterprise. Gillian Coar, the Executive Officer and Secretary to the Board, was the one member of the staff to have worked from the very beginning to Alan’s departure.
The names of Joe MacColum, Murray Foy, Gregory Gesch, Lloyd Nickson and Arthur Frame will always be found high on the list of those who shared the dedication, persistence, inspiration and hard work of Alan’s stabilizing and guiding influence.
See a glimpse behind the scenes of these golden years.
Reinvention
In 1997, the RQTC after complaining for serious need for a rehearsal space the State Government gave the QTC an old Brisbane building called “The Shed” so for the first time in its history the company now had its own rehearsal rooms, and a place in the emerging arts precinct of South Bank. This now gave the RQTC two places to perform… The Shed and The South Bank Playhouse.
On August 31, 1997 the RQTC production of Director Neil Armfield’s take on the 1778 play THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO — the basis for the Mozart opera starring Geoffrey Rush, Bille Brown, Robyn Nevin, Jennifer Flowers, Andrew Buchanan, Leah Purcell and Gerry Connolly, opened the new 850 seat South Bank Playhouse (then called “Optus Playhouse”) built within the QPAC complex.
Surprisingly, the company decided to drop the ‘Royal’ prefix from the company’s name in 2001 returning its name to the original iconic Queensland Theatre Company, yet while introducing an array of different brand logos under different Artistic Directors.
During rehearsals for THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE SECOND in September 2001, Alan Edwards made the painful decision to permanently retire from acting.
In 2002 the Queensland Theatre Company moved from its previous home in The Shed to a new purpose-built site on Montague Road. The building includes two performance spaces: Bille Brown Theatre and the Diane Cilento Studio, The Bille Brown Theatre is a 351-seat theatre and the main venue for Queensland Theatre which reopened in October 2018 after a $5.5 million renovation which converted it from the former 228-seat Bille Brown Studio. The new site brought together all sections of the company under one roof. The three-storey building contains costume and props departments, administration offices, a box office and production facilities. It is also next door to the company’s set construction warehouse.
In January 2003, QTC founding Artistic Director Alan Edwards AM MBE passed away.
Sadly the SGIO Theatre (renamed the Suncorp Theatre in 1986) was demolished in July 2007. In 2009, a permanent art installation to celebrate the vast production history of the QTC at the SGIO Theatre was unveiled on the exterior facade of Turbot Street.
The Queensland Theatre Company dropped the “Company” from its name in 2016, thereafter known only as “Queensland Theatre“.
In 2017, Queensland Theatre (company) reached its largest audience in the 50-year history of the entity when over 188,450 saw a Queensland Theatre (company) show in 55 theatres around the world. The season included the highest grossing show ever in Queensland.
In 2019, Queensland Theatre (company) maintained 6,869 season ticket holders, a 20 year high.
None of the Queensland Theatre Company’s success would have been possible without the financial assistance received from the Queensland State Government through Arts Queensland and the Commonwealth Government through the Theatre Board (Major Performing Arts Board) of the Australia Council, nor the QTC’s loyal and dedicated subscribers.
PRODUCTIONS
Queensland Theatre Company
Productions 1969-1989
The Royal Hunt of the Sun (SGIO) [1 October 1969] ★ A Rum Do! (SGIO & Tour) [10 April 1970] ★ Words and Music (TIE Tour) [1970] ★ Philadelphia Here I Come! (SGIO & Tour) [3 July 1970] ★ Wait Until Dark (SGIO) [23 September 1970] ★ A Great Prince in Prison Lies (TIE Tour) [1970] ★ The Jewel in the Head of the Toad (TIE Tour) [March 1970] ★ The Wrong Side Of The Moon (SGIO) [1971] ★ Oh What a Lovely War (SGIO) [12 March 1971] ★ Hadrian VII (SGIO) [10 April 1971] ★ The Ghost Train (SGIO) [8 May 1971] ★ A Cloak, A Crown and a Sword (TIE Tour) [1971] ★ Meet Mr. Brutus (TIE Tour) [1971] ★ Poetry is People (TIE Tour) [1971] ★ The Associates (SGIO) [5 June 1971] ★ She Stoops to Conquer (SGIO & Tour) [16 July 1971] ★ Burke’s Company (SGIO) [13 August 1971] ★ The Wind in the Sassafras Trees (SGIO) [10 September 1971] ★ The Legend of King O’Malley (SGIO & Tour) [29 December 1971] ★ Antigone (TIE Tour) [1972] ★ Puss in Boots (SGIO) [1972] ★ That’s What I Said (TIE Tour) [1972] ★ What’s In It For Me? (TIE Tour) [March 1972] ★ Lock Up Your Daughters (SGIO) [10 March 1972] ★ Assault with a Deadly Weapon (SGIO) [7 April 1972] ★ The Man, the Spirit Fish and the Rainbow Snake (TIE Tour) [31 May 1972] ★ The Badly Behaved Bunyip (TIE Tour) [31 May 1972] ★ The Schoolmistress (SGIO & Tour) [16 June 1972] ★ Twelfth Night (SGIO) [14 July 1972] ★ The Ruling Class (SGIO) [11 August 1972] ★ You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (SGIO & Tour) [September 1972] ★ A Masque in Honour of the City of Brisbane (SGIO) [29 September 1972] ★ The Masks (TIE Tour) [1972] ★ Rain, Rain Go Away (TIE Tour) [1972] ★ Mr Punch (TIE Tour) [1973/1974] ★ Expresso Bongo (SGIO) [1 March 1973] ★ Juno and the Paycock (SGIO) [29 March 1973] ★ The National Health or Nurse Norton’s Affair (SGIO) [26 April 1973] ★ President Wilson in Paris (La Boite) [22 May 1973] ★ White with Wire Wheels (La Boite) [4 June 1973] ★ The Chocolate Frog and The Old Familiar Juice (La Boite) [18 June 1973] ★ Pygmalion (SGIO) [5 July 1973] ★ The Imaginary Invalid (SGIO) [2 August 1973] ★ Old Times (SGIO) [30 August 1973] ★ The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (SGIO & Tour) [1 November 1973] ★ Suddenly at Home (SGIO) [29 November 1973] ★ Aladdin (SGIO) [27 December 1973] ★ The Two of Us (Tour) [1973] ★ Sir Oliver Crumple (TIE Tour) [1973/1974] ★ Dumb Waiter (TIE Tour) [1973] ★ Color Me Proper, Blue (TIE Tour) [1973] ★ Good Morning 9B2 (TIE Tour) [1973] ★ Mandrake (SGIO) [1974] ★ Godspell (Tour) [March 1974] ★ Death of a Salesman (SGIO) [21 March 1974] ★ Godspell (SGIO & Tour) [2 May 1974] ★ The Rivals (SGIO) [27 June 1974] ★ The Philanthropist (SGIO) [25 July 1974] ★ Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (SGIO) [22 August 1974] ★ Present Laughter (SGIO) [19 September 1974] ★ The Doll’s House (SGIO) [21 November 1974] ★ The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See… (SGIO) [26 December 1974] ★ Punch No. 11 (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ The Carrot & The Munchy Monster (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ The Maiden at the Gate (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ The Maiden and the Jester (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ Under Milkwood (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ An Evening with Merlin Finch (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ The Happy Journey (TIE Tour) [1974] ★ Butterflies are Free (Tour) [1975] ★ The Rainmaker (Tour) [1975] ★ Equus (SGIO & Tour) [12 February 1975] ★ The Taming of the Shrew (SGIO) [2 April 1975] ★ Coralie Lansdowne Says No (SGIO) [21 May 1975] ★ The Importance of Being Earnest (SGIO) [18 June 1975] ★ The Removalists (La Boite) [16 July 1975] ★ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (SGIO) [20 August 1975] ★ An Evening with Robert Burns (SGIO) [7 September 1975] ★ The One Day of the Year (SGIO) [24 September 1975] ★ Da (La Boite) [15 October 1975] ★ Springle (TIE Tour) [1975] ★ Abra-Ka-Dabra (TIE Tour) [1975] ★ Robbo (TIE Tour) [1975] ★ The Maiden at the Gate (TIE Tour) [October 1975] ★ The Carrot and the Munchy Monster (TIE Tour) [October 1975] ★ Equus (SGIO) [20 November 1975] ★ The Last Voyage of EggFroth the Frithed (TIE Tour) [February 1976] ★ Hamlet (SGIO) [11 February 1976] ★ Jumpers (SGIO) [24 March 1976] ★ Kingdom of Earth (SGIO) [28 April 1976] ★ Poetry is People (TIE Tour) [May 1976] ★ Tufff… (TIE Tour) [May 1976] ★ The Typists (TIE Tour) [May 1976] ★ The School for Scandal (SGIO) [26 May 1976] ★ Fourth of July (SGIO Event) [4 July 1976] ★ Savages (SGIO) [21 July 1976] ★ The Department (SGIO) [18 August 1976] ★ A Toast To Melba (SGIO) [15 September 1976] ★ The Mangrove Man (TIE Tour) [8 November 1976] ★ And the Big Men Fly (SGIO & Tour) [24 November 1976] ★ For Years I Couldn’t Wear My Black (SGIO) [9 February 1977] ★ Hobson’s Choice (SGIO) [16 March 1977] ★ The Merchant of Venice (SGIO) [13 April 1977] ★ Genesis (Darling Downs) [May 1977] ★ War Cry (TIE Tour) [1977] ★ Inside Out (TIE Tour) [1977] ★ Prunes (TIE Tour) [1977] ★ Tufff… (TIE Tour) [1977] ★ Eggfroth the Frithed (TIE Tour) [1977] ★ The Last of the Knucklemen (SGIO & Tour) [22 June 1977] ★ Why Not Stay For Breakfast? (Tour) [July 1977] ★ Saint Joan (SGIO) [20 July 1977] ★ The Brass Hat (SGIO) [24 August 1977] ★ Otherwise Engaged (SGIO) [26 October 1977] ★ Confusions (SGIO) [23 November 1977] ★ Flight Path (SGIO) [25 January 1978] ★ The Club (Theatre Royal) [7 February 1978] ★ When We Are Married (SGIO) [1 March 1978] ★ The Club (Her Majestys) [7 March 1978] ★ The Aussie Battler Show (Tour) [1978] ★ Don’t Piddle Against the Wind, Mate (SGIO) [5 April 1978] ★ Robbo’s Dream (Tour) [10 May 1978] ★ King Lear (SGIO) [17 May 1978] ★ Dreamtime and Dionysus (TIE Tour) [22 May 1978] ★ Then and Now (TIE Tour) [22 May 1978] ★ The Thoughts of Chairman Alf (Her Majesty’s) [12 June 1978] ★ Point of Departure (SGIO) [21 June 1978] ★ Dreamtime & Dionysus (Tour) [1978] ★ Then and Now (Tour) [1978] ★ Mangrove Man / Patchwork Poetry (TIE Tour) [3 July 1978] ★ City Slicks and Country Hicks (Tour) [10 July 1978] ★ Big Toys (SGIO) [16 August 1978] ★ The Cherry Orchard (SGIO) [20 September 1978] ★ Sleuth (Tour) [9 October 1978] ★ Habeas Corpus (SGIO) [25 October 1978] ★ Sleuth (SGIO) [6 December 1978] ★ Clowneroonies (SGIO) [8 December 1978] ★ You Never Can Tell (SGIO) [7 February 1979] ★ Breaker Morant (SGIO) [14 March 1979] ★ The 20’s and All That Jazz (Tour) [19 March 1979] ★ Hedda Gabler (SGIO) [18 April 1979] ★ Whatsisname (TIE Tour) [May 1979] ★ I Know the Type (TIE Tour) [May 1979] ★ Who’ll Come a-Flying? (TIE Tour) [May 1979] ★ The Man Who Stole the World (TIE Tour) [May 1979] ★ The Boy Who… (TIE Tour) [May 1979] ★ Gone with Hardy (SGIO) [6 June 1979] ★ A Streetcar Named Desire (SGIO) [11 July 1979] ★ Deathtrap (SGIO) [15 August 1979] ★ A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Albert Park) [26 September 1979] ★ Clowneroonies (Tour & Sydney Festival) [1979] ★ The Man Who Came to Dinner (SGIO) [31 October 1979] ★ Damper: a Poetry Anthology (TIE Tour) [1980] ★ The Boy Who… (Tour) [1980] ★ The Voices of Green Willow Pond (Tour) [25 February 1980] ★ Accommodations (Tour) [March 1980] ★ Gypsy (SGIO) [7 March 1980] ★ The Taming of Dennis and Sharon (Tour) [April 1980] ★ The Playboy of the Western World (SGIO) [18 April 1980] ★ Richard III (SGIO) [23 May 1980] ★ Travelling North (SGIO) [4 July 1980] ★ Mourning Becomes Electra (SGIO) [8 August 1980] ★ Deathtrap (Tour) [September 1980] ★ Outside Edge (SGIO) [12 September 1980] ★ Geraldine Turner Sings (SGIO) [25 September 1980] ★ Candida (SGIO) [17 October 1980] ★ Accommodations (Tour) [1980] ★ The Taming of Denis & Sharon (TIE Tour) [1980] ★ The Boy Who… (TIE Tour) [1980] ★ The Voices of Green Willow Pond (Tour) [1980] ★ Is He Talking to Me? (EDU) [1980] ★ Crushed by Desire (SGIO) [21 November 1980] ★ Annie (SGIO) [13 February 1981] ★ Aesop’s Fables (Roadwork Tour) [23 March 1981] ★ MachinACTions (Roadwork Tour) [23 March 1981] ★ Coming! Crazy or Not! (Roadwork Tour) [23 March 1981] ★ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (SGIO) [27 March 1981] ★ The Circle (SGIO) [8 May 1981] ★ Eat Your Heart Out (Tour) [30 May 1981] ★ No Names … No Pack Drill (SGIO) [12 June 1981] ★ A Season at Clayton’s (Tangent / Edward St) [24 June 1981] ★ The Seagull (SGIO) [17 July 1981] ★ Upside Down at the Bottom of the World (Tangent / Edward St) [22 July 1981] ★ Is He Talking to Me? (Tour) [3 August 1981] ★ I Sent a Letter to My Love (SGIO) [21 August 1981] ★ As You Like It (Albert Park) [25 September 1981] ★ New Sky (Tangent / Edward St) [14 October 1981] ★ Travelling North (Tour) [1981] ★ Eat Your Heart Out (Tour) [1980] ★ On Our Selection (SGIO) [6 November 1981] ★ Annie (Tour & Her Majesty’s) [26 November 1981] ★ Hello, Dolly! (SGIO) [2 February 1982] ★ Long Day’s Journey into Night (SGIO) [16 March 1982] ★ The Warhorse (SGIO) [27 April 1982] ★ Amadeus (SGIO) [8 June 1982] ★ Virginia (Tangent / Edward St) [7 July 1982] ★ Saturday Sunday Monday (SGIO) [13 July 1982] ★ Einstein (SGIO) [24 August 1982] ★ The Tempest (Albert Park) [5 September 1982] ★ Demolition Job (Tangent / Edward St) [3 November 1982] ★ The Company We Keep (Tour) [1982] ★ That’s Me (Roadwork Tour) [1982/1983] ★ The Lamplighter (Roadwork Tour) [1982/1983] ★ Aesops Fables (Roadwork Tour) [1982] ★ The Front Page (SGIO) [9 November 1982] ★ Applause (SGIO) [1 March 1983] ★ The Perfectionist (SGIO) [12 April 1983] ★ Betrayal (Tangent / Edward St) [11 May 1983] ★ Cannibals in the Wet Heat (Tangent / Edward St) [22 May 1983] ★ The Life of Galileo (SGIO) [24 May 1983] ★ The Little Foxes (SGIO) [28 June 1983] ★ Beecham (Tangent / Edward St) [27 July 1983] ★ The Parker Pen (Tangent / Community Arts) [7 August 1983] ★ Signal Driver (SGIO) [9 August 1983] ★ The Company We Keep (Tour) [1983] ★ Scratch and Scamper (Roadwork Tour) [1983/1984] ★ Signal Driver (Athenaeum, Melbourne) [7 September 1983] ★ Much Ado About Nothing (Albert Park) [13 September 1983] ★ 84 Charing Cross Road (SGIO) [25 October 1983] ★ Educating Rita (SGIO) [November 1983] ★ Cloudland (Tangent / Edward St) [2 November 1983] ★ The Trial of Brer Rabbit (SGIO) [5 December 1983] ★ They’re Playing Our Song (SGIO) [21 February 1984] ★ Duet for One (SGIO & Tour) [27 March 1984] ★ The Parker Pen (Tangent / Edward St) [8 May 1984] ★ Side by Side by Sondheim (Tangent / Edward St) [1984] ★ Love for Love (SGIO) [29 May 1984] ★ Love for Love (Rialto) [15 June 1984] ★ Gulls (Edward St) [17 July 1984] ★ Godsend (SGIO) [7 August 1984] ★ Henry V (Albert Park) [25 September 1984] ★ The Devil I Know (Roadwork Tour) [1984] ★ Percy & Rose (SGIO) [23 October 1984] ★ In Duty Bound {RQTC} (SGIO) [27 November 1984] ★ Insomnia {QYT/RQTC} (SGIO) [5 November 1984] ★ In Duty Bound {RQTC} (SGIO) [27 November 1984] ★ The Real Thing {RQTC} (SGIO) [12 February 1985] ★ The Jade Garden {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [25 February 1985] ★ Tufff… {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [25 February 1985] ★ Three Sisters {RQTC} (SGIO) [12 March 1985] ★ Once a Jolly Jumbuck {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [29 April 1985] ★ Flowers for Algernon {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [29 April 1985] ★ Cheapside {RQTC} (Cremorne & Redcliffe) [30 April 1985] ★ Pack of Lies {RQTC} (SGIO) [11 June 1985] ★ Side by Side by Sondheim (Tour) [1985] ★ Salonika {RQTC} (Cremorne) [2 July 1985] ★ Insignificance {RQTC} (SGIO) [30 July 1985] ★ Macbeth {RQTC} (Suncorp) [3 September 1985] ★ The Family Room {RQTC} (Lyric) [8 October 1985] ★ The Legend of King O’Malley {QYT/RQTC} (Woodward) [21 October 1985] ★ Stranger than Reality {QYT/RQTC} (Woodward) [1985] ★ A Pair of Claws {RQTC} (Cremorne) [October 1985] ★ Pride and Prejudice {RQTC} (Tour) [26 November 1985] ★ Baby {RQTC} (SGIO) [18 February 1986] ★ Flowers for Algernon {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [10 March 1986] ★ New Australian Kid {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [10 March 1986] ★ Sons of Cain {RQTC} (Suncorp) [8 April 1986] ★ The Jade Garden {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [28 April 1986] ★ Tufff… {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [28 April 1986] ★ Benefactors {RQTC} (Cremorne) [15 May 1986] ★ The Slaughter of St. Teresa’s Day {RQTC} (Suncorp) [3 June 1986] ★ Who Cares? {RQTC} (Cremorne & Tour) [8 July 1986] ★ Animal Farm {RQTC} (Suncorp) [12 August 1986] ★ Love’s Labour’s Lost {RQTC} (Lyric) [23 September 1986] ★ Camille {RQTC} (Suncorp) [October 1986] ★ The Adventures of Awful Knawful {QYT/RQTC} (Brisbane) [1986] ★ Snoopy {RQTC} (Cremorne) [28 October 1986] ★ Shutterbug {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [1987/1988] ★ Tufff… {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [1987] ★ A Chorus of Disapproval {RQTC} (Suncorp) [17 February 1987] ★ The Jade Garden {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [23 February 1987] ★ Skinfree {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [16 March 1987/1988] ★ Emerald City {RQTC} (Suncorp) [24 March 1987] ★ Away {RQTC} (Cremorne & Gold Coast) [5 May 1987] ★ I’ve Come about the Suicide {RQTC} (Cremorne) [24 May 1987] ★ Arms and the Man {RQTC} (Suncorp) [9 June 1987] ★ Snoopy {RQTC} (Gold Coast) [1987] ★ Comrades {RQTC} (Cremorne) [7 July 1987] ★ Briefs {RQTC} (Cremorne) [7 July 1987] ★ Polychrome {RQTC} (Cremorne) [7 July 1987] ★ Well, You Can’t Win em All {RQTC} (Cremorne) [7 July 1987] ★ Comrade {RQTC} (Cremorne) [7 July 1987] ★ God’s Best Country {RQTC} (Suncorp) [8 September 1987] ★ The Merry Wives of Windsor {RQTC} (Albert Park) [29 September 1987] ★ Hard Times {RQTC} (Cremorne) [10 November 1987] ★ Who Cares? {RQTC} (Tour) [1987] ★ Count Dracula {RQTC} (Suncorp) [24 November 1987] ★ The Sentimental Bloke {RQTC} (Suncorp & Expo) [2 February 1988] ★ Les Liaisons Dangereuses {RQTC} (Suncorp) [8 March 1988] ★ A Different Drummer {RQTC} (Suncorp) [12 April 1988] ★ Night and Day {RQTC} (Suncorp) [19 July 1988] ★ A Spring Song {RQTC} (Cremorne, Expo & Tour) [23 August 1988] ★ The Recruiting Officer {RQTC} (Albert Park) [4 October 1988] ★ Invaders {RQTC} (Tour) [Roadwork 1988] ★ Peacemaker {RQTC} (Roadwork Tour) [1988] ★ The Barretts of Wimpole Street {RQTC} (Suncorp) [22 November 1988] ★ Major Barbara {RQTC} (Playhouse, S.A.) [1989] ★ Dinkum Assorted {RQTC} (Suncorp) [21 February 1989] ★ A Month of Sundays {RQTC} (Cremorne) [March 1989] ★ Major Barbara {RQTC} (Suncorp) [23 May 1989] ★ The Barretts of Wimpole Street {RQTC} (Marian St) [7 June 1989] ★ Ghosts {RQTC} (Cremorne) [4 July 1989] ★ Kaspajack {RQTC} (Cremorne) [27 July 1989] ★ The Taming of the Shrew {RQTC} (Suncorp) [17 August 1989] ★ Lost Weekend {RQTC} (Cremorne) [28 September 1989] ★ The Man From Mukinupin {RQTC} (Suncorp) [16 November 1989]
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
- Alan Edwards AM MBE
(QTC/RQTC from 1970 to 1988) - Aubrey Mellor
(RQTC from 1988 to 1993) - Chris Johnson
(RQTC from 1993 to 1996) - Robyn Nevin AM
(RQTC from 1996 to 1999) - Michael Gow
(RQTC/QTC from 1999 to 2010) - Wesley Enoch AM
(QTC from 2010 to 2015) - Sam Strong
(QTC/QT from 2015 to 2019) - Lee Lewis
(QT from 2019)
QTC FUNCTIONS
The functions of the Company as set out in section 12 of the Queensland Theatre Company Act of 1970 are:
- to promote and encourage the development and presentation of the arts of the theatre;
- to promote and encourage public interest and participation in the arts of the theatre;
- to promote and encourage either directly or indirectly the knowledge, understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of drama and other arts of the theatre in all their expressions, forms and media;
- to produce, present and manage plays, and other forms and types of theatre and entertainment in places determined by the theatre company;
- to establish and conduct schools, lectures, courses, seminars and other forms of education in drama and other arts of the theatre;
- to teach, train and instruct persons and promote education and research in drama and other arts of the theatre;
- to provide or assist to provide theatres and appurtenances of theatres;
- to encourage the involvement of persons resident in Queensland in the writing of plays and other aspects of the arts of the theatre;
- to perform the functions given to the theatre company under another Act;
- to perform functions that are incidental, complementary or helpful to, or likely to enhance the effective and efficient performance of, the functions mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (i);
- to perform functions of the type to which paragraph (j) applies and which are given to the theatre company in writing by the Minister.
QTC LINKS
- AusStage database:
https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/organisation/2047
. - Website of “Queensland Theatre”:
http://www.queenslandtheatre.com.au
. - Official Facebook QTC colleagues history:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/qtc.colleagues
with thousands of production photos and programs.
Offices: S.G.I.O. Theatre, Turbot Street, Brisbane, 4000 (Telephone: 221 3861)
Workshop: Precision Street, Salisbury North, Queensland 4107 (Telephone: 277 4722)
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