Andrew Upton appointed Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company
Andrew Upton appointed Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company
Andrew Upton appointed Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company
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“One <strong>of</strong> the key things that attracted me to stay was the opportunity tocontinue my working partnership with Patrick McIntyre. Patrick will workin very close collaboration with me as Executive <strong>Director</strong> <strong>of</strong> the company. Atthis point in STC’s development, I believe it is important to have a strongpartnership between the artistic and business aims <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Company</strong>,”<strong>Andrew</strong> <strong>Upton</strong> said. “I relish the opportunities for change and growthahead.”Patrick McIntyre said: “It has been incredibly exciting pr<strong>of</strong>essionally and agreat privilege to work with the team at STC during a period <strong>of</strong> change andrenewal. Especially because – like <strong>Andrew</strong> and Cate – my career in the artsstarted <strong>of</strong>f here. Performing arts organisations are getting more and morecomplex. It’s an exciting challenge and one that relies on a strong alignmentbetween artistic and business leadership. It’s fantastic that <strong>Andrew</strong> will bestaying on – it very much feels like we have more to do.”Cate Blanchett said: “My first job as an actor was at STC and many <strong>of</strong> mymost influential experiences have been here. I will always maintain a strongpersonal connection to the <strong>Company</strong>.“I was very excited for STC when <strong>Andrew</strong> was <strong>appointed</strong> for another term.We weighed up all <strong>of</strong> our personal and pr<strong>of</strong>essional needs and felt that –with Australia as our home – it was a great way to bring all <strong>of</strong> our initiativesat the <strong>Company</strong> to fruition. It is very important for STC to consolidate andbuild at this time,” she said. “I’ve always said he was the brains behind theoperation!”<strong>Andrew</strong> <strong>Upton</strong>’s association with <strong>Sydney</strong> <strong>Theatre</strong> <strong>Company</strong> spans thirteenyears and he has been Co <strong>Artistic</strong> <strong>Director</strong> since January 2008. As writer,his first adaptation for STC was Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergeracwhich debuted in 1999 and was reprised at Melbourne <strong>Theatre</strong> <strong>Company</strong> in2005. His adaptation <strong>of</strong> Moliere’s Don Juan was produced by STC in 2001.A third major adaptation, Hedda Gabler, was staged by STC in 2004 andtoured to New York in early 2006. His adaptation <strong>of</strong> Anton Chekhov’s TheCherry Orchard was presented by STC in 2005. In 2010 his adaptation <strong>of</strong>Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya was presented at <strong>Sydney</strong> <strong>Theatre</strong>. The productiontoured to the United States in 2011 and 2012 to extraordinary acclaim andwas named the best play <strong>of</strong> the year by Washington Post critic Peter Marks,after what he described as the strongest year <strong>of</strong> theatre in a decade. In TheNew York Times, Ben Brantley declared that he considered the three hours<strong>of</strong> the show “among the happiest <strong>of</strong> my theatergoing life”.Other works for STC include his play Riflemind, staged as part <strong>of</strong> the 2007STC main stage season and in London in 2008 for the Ambassador <strong>Theatre</strong>Group.He has a long association with the National <strong>Theatre</strong> <strong>of</strong> Great Britain. Hisadaptation <strong>of</strong> Maxim Gorky's Philistines was presented there in 2007, andhis adaptation <strong>of</strong> Bulgakov’s The White Guard was commissioned andpresented by the National in 2010. <strong>Andrew</strong>’s own production <strong>of</strong> The WhiteGuard was presented by STC in 2011, and later in that year his adaptation