Sydney Theatre Company was formed in December 1978, following the closure of the Old Tote Theatre Company the month before.[2] The then premier, Neville Wran, approached Elizabeth Butcher who had been seconded from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) to administer the Old Tote and asked her to set up a new state theatre company to perform in the drama theatre of the Sydney Opera House. Butcher established its legal identity and managerial structure and proposed the name 'Sydney Theatre Company' with John Clark (director of NIDA as the artistic adviser of the first season, five theatre companies were invited to produce six plays to be presented by STC as the 1979 interim season in the drama theatre. The first production, by the Paris Company, was A Cheery Soul by Patrick White (an Australian Nobel Laureate for Literature), directed by Jim Sharman and featuring Robyn Nevin as Miss Docker.
In June 1979, Richard Wherrett, then one of Nimrod Theatre's co-artistic directors, was appointed artistic director of STC to plan and organise activities for the 1980 season. The first STC-produced play was The Sunny South (1 January 1980) by George Darrell with music by Terence Clarke, directed by Richard Wherrett and assisted by John Gaden.
In its early years the company operated out of several rented premises around the city, producing 38 productions in five separate venues. Elizabeth Butcher, STC administrator, was given the task of finding one location that could house all the activities of the company, and a theatre. After an extensive search, Butcher had the vision to propose the derelict Walsh Bay Wharf 4/5 as STC's new home, immediately envisaging the capacity of the building to fulfil all requirements of space, location and additional venue. On 12 September 1983, the premier, Neville Wran, announced that the state government had approved the expenditure of $3.5 million to finance the project. The 60-year-old ironbark timber wharf warehouse was converted into premises suitable for creating, producing, performing and enjoying theatre.
The Wharf was officially handed over to STC in a plaque-unveiling ceremony on 13 December 1984. In 1985, The Wharf, by architects Vivian Fraser in association with NSW Govt Architect JW Thomson, won the Sir John Sulman Medal awarded by the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) for a work of excellence in public and commercial architecture. The first STC production in The Wharf Theatre (now Wharf 1), 17 January 1985, was Late Arrivals by Pamela van Amstel and directed by Wayne Harrison in his directorial debut. (Harrison went on to become the second artistic director of the company, in 1990.) The play was part of a season of one-act plays called Shorts at the Wharf.
The Sydney Theatre Company operates out of a heritage site of the wharf area of Sydney Harbour. Under the leadership of Blanchett and Upton, STC initiated a comprehensive large scale environmental program called Greening the Wharf, investing in solar energy, rainwater harvesting, energy efficiency measures and best practice waste management. The program goes beyond infrastructure projects to include employees, environmentally responsible theatre production, community engagement and education.[8] The program won two Green Globe Awards.[9]
Awards and nominations
Helpmann Awards
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001.[10] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meyrick, Julian (2002). See How It Runs Nimrod and the New Wave. Crows Nest, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin. ISBN0-86819-651-7.
Parsons, Philip; Chance, Victoria (1995). Companion to theatre in Australia. Sydney : Currency Press in association with Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-86819-357-7.
Wherrett, Richard (2000). The floor of heaven my life in theatre. Sydney: Hodder Headline. ISBN0-7336-1049-8.
