Success and renewal for the Griffin in 2024
Image: THE LEWIS TRILOGY. Credit: Brett Boardman
The Griffin Theatre has hit the Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon with the characteristic traits of ambition, energy and confidence often associated with that sign.
Ambitious was certainly the call when the theatre decided to stage the three plays of playwright Louis Nowra’s The Lewis Trilogy as a triple bill in weekend sessions; something that had many pundits tongues’ wagging, saying that it was too much for the actors and even more so for the audiences.
Proving them all wrong, The LewisTrilogy as been one of the Griffin’s success stories, with the weekends almost now sold out for the season.
For 10 weeks, with four weeks to go, Summer of the Aliens, Cosi and This Much is True have been playing nine shows a week, with This Much is True now sold out for the season except for the Trilogy Rush, Cosi almost sold out and Summer of the Aliens not far behind.
The weekend shows start at 1pm on either Saturday or Sunday and includes one short interval and a dinner break, while the available single shows play across Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
In its boldest move yet, once The Lewis Trilogy closes, the Griffin will be on the move with the Craigend Street premises closing for at least 18 months to undergo a complete rebuild. Plans include the installation of a lift and a new rehearsal studio among other changes.
The closure and rebuild has brought about mixed emotions from performers, many who have had long association with the space.
In a video released by Griffin featuring Ursula Yovich and Paul Capsis in conversation, Yovich said:
“I like to think of it as we all grew up; we move on and do different things and I suppose that it is the same for buildings as well, and I think it is going to have a bit of a grow-up, or glam-up, as long as the stage is still there.”
Yovich had previously performed Nailed at the Griffin in 2005, and in 2023, played Shari in Blaque Showgirls.
“I understand that we need to do things, the venue needs a lift, we need to have a bigger dressing room, ooh -la, or that toilet,” Paul Capsis said.
Despite the major surgery that the building will be undergoing, the plans are for it to retain its most unique quality for both the actors and the audiences.
“What’s nice about the Stables (Griffin) is that you really feel the emotions of the actors, it is so intimate and I think that’s what’s so special about this space,” Yovich said.
From late April, when The Lewis Trilogy closes, the Griffin’s season will continue with Ellen van Neerven’s swim being relocated to the Carriageworks Track8 Theatre July 10-July 27, while the musical Flat Earthers, directed by Griffin CEO and artistic director Declan Green, will find a home at the Hayes Theatre from October 11 to November 9.
Merlynn Tong’s Golden Blood is getting a reprise from its 2022 run at Griffin and will be staged at the Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 from October 13 to November 30.
For the Griffin, the next eighteen months is certainly not for the faint hearted and will be challenging for the company, but we all look forward to what emerges for both the actors and theatre goers.
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