Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 9 : Construction of the cultural centre, 1977-1981

ARTS • 1n. Queen THE arts ~ at last - are blossoming in Queensland at' every level from colleges and universities to the four Stat~ companies. The Queensland F'eall· val of the Ar.ta, which besan this week (Sep 1'l offers a IJO()d overview 'or the enthu1tum or thft people Involved and th– varlety ot tutes now being·ca:tered for. Probably one or .1he healthiest aspects or tlie cullural boom 1n the deep north I~ 1-he lively experi- Theatre festival part of the cultural booDI Paul de Ma•son or t11e Australian Ballet · will dance Sir Frederick Asll· ton's ballet. Plans ,arc also under way ror Queensland'• flral puppet festival, aI Kelvin Orove next Janu– ary with eight Queens• land puppet groups In• volved. T H E Queenslan visual arts scene It· come a,long way sin the days of one ·Sta gallery strugglin along In antiquat quarters in Grego Terrace in Brisban In case the nonsense P<>ems which set British 111:lO's soplety on Its ear scorn a little hard to grnsp for a Brisbane 19'10 1 1 society the program WIil also -Include Saint• Saens' oarnlvaj of the II Is leas than 20 yea An Im a 11 With the since thOie days when 'Queensland Director or was poaslble to see mental scene In cotJeae.• to r,roctuce hl1 play King has picked up Kini or advanced education Richard with the author Richard now hlghllghta By ELIZABETH JOHNSTON and unlverallles throu,h- advlsln11 on the produc- . the advantages or havlnr ---------- out the state _ partlou• lion. a 1troni non-State com- generate a lot or acttvlly CUiturai Activities Mr Plca 150 , or even a Reno on the 61dellnes. Kevin Slddell, r~adlng but very little else. "The result Is we · are the Ogden Nash verses. The State Gallery developing a •pool or ex- Planlsl,I Pamela Page now looking forward larly In the perfonn1n1 Kins Richard was to pany. arlll. . have been produped by On the college scene But overall there 11 a' the State co1npany, the the leading actor with fine Interaction between Queens Ian d Theatre Poland's famous Gro– the various levels. Por In- Company, but was reject· tows k I Labor a I or y stance Griffith UnlYersity · ed from th e final Theatre, Mr ZYlllllUnl has brought Steve J proarafll ror this year. Mollk, Is currently 1n– Spears to Brisbane to The '-ITC has denied struct1n1 students at the produce a new play, They speculatlo\l that the Jflay Kelvin Grove College ot Were Giants In Those wu rejected because or Advanced Education. Daya. , Its theme or political In· It Is t-he first time the Brisbane's bUlY little Irl~1•• concerning a Stale Orotowskl method has theatre In the 1'uhd, La Pr,•"'lle,·. However, former been ,taught outside ,the Bolte, haa Jumped at the chalrmari, Sir David Laboratory on a Iona opportunity provided by Muir, admits he person- term baxls. The results Orlfflth's runa1111 or ally did not like the play. will be seen by Invited Spears' trip to Brisbane 'Ilhe fact thal La Bolte audiences at two perror- mances at the college perts available on a rree- and Max Olding wlll moving from Its temp next Sunday and Mon- • lance basis for a Jot or present the music. ary premises· m the cl day. activities spinning orr , The Queensland Opera to a modern $19.1 mlll1 Plans are also under t·hat central generating Company mlases out on gallery In the new c way 'for Queensland'• core or state companies." Made ·but II has an Arts tural complex on 1 first puppet festival, at Batchelor Is artlJtlc co- 'Fastlval performance of south bank of the Br Kelvin Orove next Janu- ordinator for a produc- Ila. own with Oounod's bane River tr'I 1901. ary with eight Queens- tlon or Facnde to be per- Pius! which opens at The Instlt.ute or Mode land puppet groups In• formed In the City. Hall. Her Majesty's Theatre on Art ln Market Sire volved. t'l'norrow by three or the September 30 and Bizet's Brisban~, has brou1ht At North Brisbane rour Stnte companies. The Pearl Fishers on Oc· Queensland the m o CAE, Don Batchelor lee- At the same time he Is tober 5 _ austere and rlaor lures on the performing d Ire c t I n g Sophocles' avanle-garde. arts as well as combtnln·g Oedipus Al Colonus ' Margareta Elkins, Beryl Under the direction a freelance career as a be r d t tl Furlan, Robin Dona~ J h Bu '"I Qu per orme a le e nnd Donald Shanks WIil O n c. ey, ~e• director. Amphitheatre a'I Qu landers have seen al Batchelor'• experiences land Unlverulty on • present a festival or the Institute In the put t In Queensland theatre temb£• JO. i· opera concert al the months the tnstallatl neatly Par a 11 e I the "The two requlreJdf)me SOJO on September 25 · and sculptures by Amr. growth or the arts In the rapid gear changll'l,2 for The Queensland Opera can Carl Andre and 111 State since the mid- me," he said. "Fortun- Company this year has bcurne artist Rob 'alxUes. In those days he ately the wor'14 with gone all out ror Hunter. Brisbane ·art was a member of n group Fncndc Is not artistic or subscribers with a Joint Robert MacPherson ,, c a II e d The College Interpretive but, seeing subscription offer with. r.ecently _ exhibited Players who made a they all come on In order the Australian Opera In works there based 0 11 valiant attempt to run an d r 1 1 th lght a program which began h t I d lridependent theatre ~rrectl~~~.g n er In July With the Magic ~i°u:e~:la~ed :~Pt1 group. Fnc11de, whlchj Is rarely Flute. Queen1land Serles, ''We did our dough perrormed In Au'slrlllla, I& . The QUeensia nd com- tlonal Art- a atmplls completely. We went on " r;erles of nqnsense pany will perform three View. a country tour and came poems by Dame El'!lth Sit• operas an,d the Au 5 lra- At 'l'he Unlvc1·s1ty back broke nnd that was well, with musl"r by WII• llnn Opera Company two, Queensland Art Muse the end or us," he said. 11nm Walton Including th e rlnalj sea• under the directorship "In the late 'sixties no 'I' he Q ~ e en• Iand son, DenJarnln Br tten's Nancy Underhill, a p one could make a living Theatre Comp~'y•s nrtls- Albert Herring. manent collection out or theatre In Queens• tic dlrertor, Ian Ed· An lnler• st !ng note on being bulll up around land. Now there are wards, wlll 'Jl'd the th e C<rnpany 5 programs Behan and Darnell suttlclenl companies for verses. ,J . Is t·he number or private leotlons. a freelance like me to Th e Q u e,e n 3 I and companies now sponsor• Mrs Underhill survive. Theatre orchestra cOll• Inc th e opera. • the gallery to be used "We 11111 need govern- ducted by Oeorg Tlntner Private financial sup- ment money 10 keep wlll piny the music and port has also been strong– State companies going, 1111' Queensland Ballet er limn ever this Y<'llr for Dut the State companies wllh Jnnne . Blanch and the arts festival.