Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack.
Belvoir receives government support for its activities from the federal government through the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts and the state government through Arts NSW.
Belvoir began, in 1984, with a unique action taken to save the Nimrod Theatre building. Two syndicates were established, 'Company A' with shares at $1000 each, which would own the building, and 'Company B', with shares at $10 each. 'Company B' aimed to stage theatre productions which were 'contemporary, politically sharp, hard-edged Australian theatre; to develop new forms of theatrical expression; work by and about Aboriginal Australians; work created by women; radical interpretations of the classics and work that is surprising, diverse and passionate'.
Belvoir was officially launched in February 1985. Later that year, Signal Driver, written by Patrick White and directed by Neil Armfield, was 'the first play produced from the ground up by Belvoir'. In the lead roles were Kerry Walker and John Gaden. The theatre poster was designed by Martin Sharp. Armfield later recalled that White, who had purchased ten shares in the theatre, was its 'greatest shareholder'.
From its foundation, Belvoir also instituted a 'parity pay policy' where all employees, from actors to stage hands, received the same hourly rate of pay. This policy, which continued from 1985 to the end of the 2011 season, prompted former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating to describe the Belvoir as 'Australia’s last commune'.
In 2005, Belvoir temporarily moved to the Seymour Centre, Chippendale, while the theatre building underwent an $11.6 million renovation, and returned the following year.
In January 2011, Ralph Myers took over from Neil Armfield as artistic director, stating 'There's a wealth of Australian playwriting and 2500 years of great plays to draw on, I don't see a need to import new plays from overseas.' In July 2014, Myers announced that he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the 2015 season. Myers said he had 'an "ideological" commitment to the regular turnover of artistic directorships'.
Also in 2011, Belvoir appointed Simon Stone as the first director-in-residence. Stone's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck, with the Belvoir, went on to win both Helpmann and Sydney Theatre Awards, in 2011, before being taken to Oslo for a three night performance as part of the 2012 International Ibsen Festival. Stone resigned from his position in 2013, and was replaced by dual directors-in-residence Adena Jacobs and Anne-Louise Sarks.
In 2015 Myers was succeeded as Artistic Director by Eamon Flack.
Jasper Jones - adapted from the Craig Silvey novel by Kate Mulvany, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
The Blind Giant Is Dancing - by Stephen Sewell, directed by Eamon Flack
The Great Fire - by Kit Brookman, directed by Eamon Flack
The Events - by David Greig, directed by Clare Watson
The Tribe - by Michael Mohammed Ahmad & Janice Muller
Back at the Dojo - by Lally Katz, directed by Chris Kohn
The Drover's Wife - by Leah Purcell, directed by Leticia Cáceres
Twelfth Night - directed by Eamon Flack
Title And Deed - by Will Eno, directed by Jada Alberts
Ruby's Wish - by Holly Austin, Adriano Cappelletta & Jo Turner
Faith Healer - by Brian Friel, directed by Judy Davis
Girl Asleep - by Matthew Whittet, directed by Rosemary Myers
Radiance - written by Louis Nowra, directed by Leah Purcell
Kill the Messenger - written by Nakkiah Lui, directed by Anthea Williams
Blue Wizard - by Nick Coyle
Elektra / Orestes- written by Jada Alberts & Anne-Louise Sarks, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
The Wizard of Oz - adapted by Adena Jacobs
Samson - written by Julia-Rose Lewis, directed by Kristine Landon-Smith
Mother Courage and Her Children - translated by Michael Gow, directed by Eamon Flack
The Dog / The Cat - written by Lally Katz & Brendan Cowell, directed by Ralph Myers
Seventeen - written by Matthew Whittet, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
La Traviata - written by Ash Flanders & Declan Greene, directed by Declan Greene
Ivanov- written & directed by Eamon Flack (after Chekhov)
Mortido - written by Angela Betzien, directed by Leticia Caceres
Oedipus Schmoedipus - created by Zoe Coombs-Marr, Mish Grigor & Natalie Rose
Once In Royal David’s City - written by Michael Gow, directed by Eamon Flack
The Government Inspector - directed by Simon Stone
20 Questions - with Wesley Enoch
Cain And Abel - created by Kate Davis & Emma Valente, directed by Emma Valente
Brothers Wreck - written by Jada Alberts, directed by Leah Purcell
Hedda Gabler - directed by Adena Jacobs
Nora - written by Kit Brookman and Anne-Louise Sarks, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
Oedipus Rex - directed by Adena Jacobs
The Glass Menagerie - directed by Eamon Flack
Is This Thing On? - written by Zoe Coombs-Marr, directed by Kit Brookman & Zoe Coombs-Marr
A Christmas Carol - adapted by Benedict Hardie & Anne-Louise Sarks, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
Cinderella - written by Matthew Whittet, directed by Anthea Williams
Peter Pan - adapted by Tommy Murphy, directed by Ralph Myers
This Heaven - written by Nakkiah Lui, directed by Lee Lewis
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Simon Stone
Stories I Want to Tell You In Person written and performed by Lally Katz, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
Forget Me Not - written by Tom Holloway, directed by Anthea Williams
Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches
Angels in America Part Two: Perestroika - directed by Eamon Flack
Persona - adapted and directed by Adena Jacobs
The Baulkham Hills African Ladies Troupe written and directed by Ros Horin
Miss Julie adapted by Simon stone, directed by Leticia Caceres
Small and Tired - written and directed by Kit Brookman
Hamlet - directed by Simon Stone
The Cake Man - written by Robert J. Merritt, directed by Kyle J. Morrison
Coranderrk - written by Andrea James & Giordano Nanni, directed by Isaac Drandic
Buried City - written by Raimondo Cortese, conceived and directed by Alicia Talbot
I'm Your Man - creator and director Roslyn Oades
Thyestes - co-written by Thomas Henning, Chris Ryan, Simon Stone and Mark Winter after Seneca, directed by Simon Stone
Babyteeth - written by Rita Kalnejais, director Eamon Flack
Every Breath - written and directed by Benedict Andrews
Food - written by Steve Rodgers, directed by Kate Champion and Steve Rodgers
Strange Interlude - written by Simon Stone after Eugene O'Neill, directed by Simon Stone
Old Man - written by Matthew Whittet, directed by Anthea Williams
Death of a Salesman - written by Arthur Miller, directed by Simon Stone
Conversation Piece - choreographer and director Lucy Guerin
Private Lives - written by Noël Coward, directed by Ralph Myers
Medea - written by Kate Mulvany and Anne-Louise Sarks after Euripides, directed by Anne-Louise Sarks
Beautiful One Day - created by Paul Dwyer, Eamon Flack, Rachael Maza and David Williams
Don't Take Your Love To Town - created by Eamon Flack and Leah Purcell, based on the book Don’t Take Your Love to Town by Ruby Langford Ginibi, directed by Leah Purcell
The Wild Duck - written and directed by Simon Stone, After Henrik Ibsen
Jack Charles v the Crown - written by Jack Charles and John Romeril, directed by Rachael Maza Long
Cut - written by Duncan Graham, directed by Sarah John
The Business - based on Vassa Zheleznova by Maxim Gorky, adapted by Jonathan Gavin with Cristabel Sved, directed by Cristabel Sved
The Kiss - written by Anton Chekhov, Kate Chopin, Peter Goldsworthy and Guy de Maupassant, directed by Susanna Dowling
The Seagull - written by Anton Chekhov, directed by Benedict Andrews
Neighbourhood Watch - written by Lally Katz, directed by Simon Stone
Windmill Baby - written by David Milroy, directed by Kylie Farmer
Human Interest Story - choreographed by Lucy Guerin
And They Called Him Mr Glamour - written by Gareth Davies, directed by Tom Wright
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll - by Ray Lawler, directed by Neil Armfield
The Dark Room - written by Angela Betzien, directed by Leticia Cáceres
As You Like It - written by William Shakespeare, directed by Eamon Flack
That Face - written by Polly Stenham, directed by Lee Lewis
Love Me Tender - written by Tom Holloway, directed by Matthew Lutton
The Power of Yes - written by David Hare, directed by Sam Strong
Measure for Measure - written by William Shakespeare, directed by Benedict Andrews
Gwen in Purgatory - written by Tommy Murphy, directed by Neil Armfield
Namatjira - written by Scott Rankin, directed by Scott Rankin and Wayne Blair
The Diary of a Madman - written by Nikolai Gogol (adapted by David Holman with Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush, directed by Armfield)
The Belvoir's education program for students and teachers includes practical theatre workshops at the theatre or participating school, tours of backstage and behind the scenes areas of the theatre, technical tours led by a professional theatre technician and a Theatre Enrichment Program for 'senior English and Drama students in Western Sydney and regional NSW'. In addition, Belvoir’s Outreach Program partners with local youth support organisations such as Youth Off The Streets, The John Berne School, Twenty10 and Regenesis Youth. Through the Priority Funded Schools Program Belvoir also allows selected students to attend some performances free of charge. Limited student work experience and work placement opportunities are also available.
