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Flagship Theatre for Tasmanian Audiences

On the 27th of May, the Tasmanian Arts landscape changed.

On the stage of the Theatre Royal, Tasmania’s Deputy Premier, the Hon. Lara Giddings MHA and internationally regarded star of stage and screen, Essie Davis, launched the new Tasmanian Theatre Company.

This new company is expected to fill a void that has existed in Tasmania’s performing arts scene since its last professional theatre company, Zootango, closed in 1997.

Artistic Director of the new TTC, Charles Parkinson, is heading up this new venture which he describes as a “flagship company” for Tasmania, that will sit compliment existing cultural products.

“Tasmania is recognised internationally for the quality of its orchestra, its dancers, its visual artists and its writers. There is no reason why it can not, and indeed should not, also be recognised for world-class theatre”

In a state that has developed a thriving culture of community theatre, Parkinson believes that it is important that Tasmania is home to a company that is able to pay theatre practitioners for their skills and time.

“Since the closure of Zootango, Tasmanian audiences have thrived on a diet of community and independent productions. Theatre is the most expensive of the performing arts to produce and more often that not, performers themselves have enabled theatre in this state by volunteering their time for productions they have been passionate about. I am pleased that, through the Tasmanian Theatre Company, there will be more paid opportunities for local artists”

Adding a touch of glamor to the recent launch and lending her support to the new company was self proclaimed “Proud Tasmanian” Essie Davis. Davis is one of Tasmania’s best known acting exports and has starred in major feature films including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Matrix Reloaded and, most recently, Baz Lurhmann’s Australia opposite Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Essie’s talent was recognised when she was awarded the United Kingdoms 2003 Olivier Award for her portrayal of Stella in Streetcar Named Desire opposite Glenn Close. Essie was also awarded a 2004 Tony Award nomination from the American Theatre Wing for her performance in Jumpers on Broadway.

“Tasmania is an incredibly rich and diverse place, a wonderfully creative place to live and grow up. A new Tasmanian theatre company will make it even richer.

Having a state theatre company, here, will reemploy Tasmania’s bounty of industry professionals and entice fresh Tasmanian graduates home to perform as professionals in their own state, and perhaps become part of a new burgeoning industry… so that not everyone who wants a career in theatre and film has to leave.”