Commissions
In 2008, Merrigong Theatre Company announced the establishment of a Commissioning Program. The Company commissioned new works from a number of artists, including an international co-commission of a major new work from acclaimed Australian choreographer, Garry Stewart.
Simon Hinton, Artistic Director/CEO of Merrigong Theatre Company, said "The establishment of a commissioning program is an important step for us, and represents a milestone in the development of our artistic program. IPAC turned 20 years old in 2008, and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than to give ourselves (and our audience) the gift of creating great new theatre with some fantastic artists".
The three projects commissioned to date are:
4 Plays About Wollongong
Merrigong selected four playwrights - Van Badham, Simon Luckhurst (both from Wollongong), Mary Rachel Brown and Marcel Dorney - and asked them each to write a short play inspired by Wollongong, which was produced to conclude Merrigong's 2009 Season starring Adam Booth, Clare Bowen, Liz Burch and Terry Serio.
The Itch by Kate Smith and Drew Fairley
Drew Fairley (a Wollongong local) and Kate Smith have delighted audiences from Wollongong to Hong Kong with their shows Bangers and Mash and The No Chance in Hell Hotel. Based on the huge success of their productions in Wollongong, Merrigong decided to commission their next hilarious show.
Originally titled The Sex Pot!, this new play The Itch was written by Kate and Drew and developed at Merrigong in 2008. In 2009 it was further developed with Phillip Scott (The Wharf Revue) and played to Wollongong as part of Ruff! New Works in Progress. The Itch will soon be up and running - watch this space for further updates.
Garry Stewart's ‘G'
Garry Stewart's extraordinary work with Australian Dance Theatre (last seen at IPAC in Birdbrain in 2005) has led to his recognition internationally as one of the world's leading contemporary choreographers. Merrigong was delighted to co-commission his latest work, ‘G', a dynamic deconstruction of the ballet Giselle, with the Joyce Theatre (New York) and the Southbank Centre (London).
In 2008, Garry created the work with the company at their home base in Adelaide, presenting a work in progress showing during the Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts. Simon Hinton attended the final dress rehearsal of the work before it embarked on its 2008 European tour appearing in 26 cities between October and December, including Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and the UK. Merrigong hopes to present the work in a future season.
Garry Stewart of ADT says of the commission, "This investment by Merrigong Theatre Co is very important to us, not only because of the significant financial commitment it takes to produce a new dance work of this scale, but also because it represents a strengthening of the relationship between Merrigong and ADT. It is fantastic that a regionally-based Australian company such as Merrigong is co-commissioning the work with the likes of the Joyce Theatre (New York) and the Southbank Centre (London) - what a great mix of partners backing our work."
Image 1: 4 Plays About Wollongong.
Image 2: Drew Fairley and Kate Smith in The No Chance in Hell Hotel. Photo by: Jessica Millman.
