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Writer’s Note: Melanie Tait, A BROADCAST COUP
A few months after the first lockdown in 2020, I was talking with one of my friends about the fate of A BROADCAST COUP. The play was in its first week of rehearsal the week the world changed and we were shut down. He said something interesting regarding male sexual harassment and misconduct, along the […]
Synopsis: RHINESTONE REX AND MISS MONICA
What do a classical violinist and country western lover have in common? Monica, a highly strung member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, is forced to give up the violin because of her RSI. Left to mope around her Glebe apartment full of resentment and anger, renovating her kitchen seems like a good distraction. Enter Gary, […]
Synopsis: CLYDE’S
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE On a long stretch of highway, in the middle of here and there, Clyde’s truck stop diner sizzles with the aroma of possibility and redemption. Between slinging grilled cheese and tuna melts, the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff at Clyde’s dream of creating the perfect recipe. Led by sandwich sensei Montrellous, can the team […]
Program: BOXING DAY BBQ
Discover more about BOXING DAY BBQ with our digital program. It’s packed full of info about the show including writer’s note, cast and creative bios, plus photos and more! DOWNLOAD YOUR PROGRAM Don’t miss this blisteringly comical yet moving family drama about the ridiculous holiday season in all its glory, on stage 5 Dec – […]
Writer’s Note: Sam O’Sullivan, BOXING DAY BBQ
Ensemble Theatre has been an important part of my life ever since I moved to Sydney. My first job was in their subscriptions department and since graduating from drama school, I have appeared in multiple Ensemble productions. When I was asked to work on a new play for them, this time as a writer, I […]
Director’s Note: Damien Ryan, A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Working on Dickens’ atmospheric novel and Hilary’s beautifully playful adaptation, I keep imagining what it must have been like to read the first editions of this book in the candled haze of 1843 London, a time when stories were so viscerally affecting, so necessary as an escape from the brutally industrialising world outside the frozen […]
Photos: A CHRISTMAS CAROL | In rehearsals
Spirits, music and magical surprises – this new adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL by Hilary Bell has got it all! Take a peek inside the rehearsal room and discover the ghostly world of Charles Dickens’ classic redemption tale. Ensemble Theatre’s commission of the adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL was made possible by the generous donation […]
2023 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Awards Recipients
We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Award, Emma Canalese and Margaret Thanos. Emma and Margaret will both work as Assistant Directors on two mainstage productions each in our 2023 season and we can’t wait to welcome them to Ensemble next year! “I am honoured to be […]
Synopsis: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER
Deep amongst the monstrous flytraps and ferns in Sebastian’s garden, tendrils of a sordid family secret are beginning to unfurl. Sebastian Venable died mysteriously last summer and his mother Violet will do anything in her power to protect his memory – and her own reputation. Young cousin Catharine was the only witness to this nightmarish […]
Synopsis: BOXING DAY BBQ
It’s Sydney. It’s Boxing Day. And it’s stinking hot. Grandad Stephen was the family’s BBQ king and his adult children have gathered to honour his memory. Wine snob Peter and cynical Connie reluctantly get the clan together for round two of festivities – they’ve survived the chaos of Christmas but Boxing Day is set to […]
Synopsis: A BROADCAST COUP
WORLD PREMIERE Cut-throat journalist Jez Connell is out for her next sting. It’s been a year since she brought down one of TV’s most lauded stars for behaving badly and now she’s got Michael King, the top-rated darling of public radio, in her sights. This time, it’s personal. With the loyalty of his longstanding producer […]
Synopsis: A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Gather your mistletoe, hang your stocking and join the Crummles family in their home as they bring to life this classic festive tale of villainy, injustice, transformation and redemption. This Victorian troupe will immerse you in the magic of Dickens’ ghostly world as they conjure up spirits with music, pantomime and other thrilling surprises. Visited […]
Program: THE CARETAKER
Discover more about THE CARETAKER with our digital program. It’s packed full of info about the show including a director’s notes, cast and creative bios, plus photos and more! + DOWNLOAD YOUR PROGRAM Playing 14 Oct – 19 Nov, discover Harold Pinter’s literary masterpiece exploring turbulent relationships between a homeless man and two polar opposite […]
Director’s Note: Iain Sinclair, THE CARETAKER
Aston: Where were you born then? Davies: (Darkly) What do you mean? Max Stafford Clark who ran The Royal Court Theatre in UK taught me the most important lesson I have ever learned in directing and he used the above two lines from THE CARETAKER to do so. You can feel the potential brimming out […]
Synopsis: THE CARETAKER
In Harold Pinter’s extraordinarily mischievous comedy, Aston asks down-and-out Davies to be a live-in caretaker. Davies leaps at the chance to change his fortunes, but the trouble is he doesn’t know what a caretaker should do, especially in a room filled with junk. When Aston’s manipulative brother Mick shows up, the power struggle begins. Why […]
Program: PHOTOGRAPH 51
Discover more about PHOTOGRAPH 51 with our digital program. It’s packed full of info about the show including writer’s and director’s notes, cast and creative bios, plus photos and more! DOWNLOAD YOUR PROGRAM On stage until 8 Oct, don’t miss out on this compelling story inspired by true events. BOOK NOW