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| Slingsby Theatre Company | |
|---|---|
| Name | Slingsby Theatre Company |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Location | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Genre | Theatre, Adaptation, Ensemble |
Slingsby Theatre Company
Slingsby Theatre Company is an Australian ensemble-based theatre company known for cinematic stage adaptations and ensemble storytelling rooted in Adelaide, South Australia. The company creates theatre from literature, history and myth, producing national tours and international festival presentations in collaboration with arts institutions and councils. Its work intersects with publishing houses, museums, orchestras and universities, generating cross-disciplinary projects that engage audiences across Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.
Slingsby emerged in 1995 out of the Adelaide Festival environment alongside Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Festival of Arts, State Opera of South Australia, OzAsia Festival, Australian Theatre for Young People, and Sydney Theatre Company. Early milestones included seasons at Her Majesty's Theatre (Adelaide), collaborations with Black Swan State Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, Brisbane Festival, and partnerships with Arts South Australia, Create NSW, Australia Council for the Arts. The company toured to venues such as Perth Festival, Canberra Theatre Centre, Adelaide Fringe, and presented work at international platforms including Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Barbican Centre, Brixton Academy, and festivals in Singapore and Tokyo International Arts Festival.
Throughout its history Slingsby worked with national cultural institutions like State Library of South Australia, National Library of Australia, South Australian Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and academic partners including University of Adelaide, Flinders University, and University of Melbourne. Funding and support came from entities such as Australia Council, Don Dunstan Foundation, South Australian Government, and philanthropic bodies like Australia Foundation for the Arts.
Slingsby's aesthetic blends ensemble physicality, narrative adaptation and theatrical design drawing on influences from Brecht, Chekhov, Ibsen, Shakespeare, and practitioners associated with Complicite, Frantic Assembly, DV8 Physical Theatre, Punchdrunk and Forced Entertainment. Design partnerships often referenced practitioners linked to Robert Lepage, Julie Taymor, Simon McBurney, Emma Rice and Griffin Theatre Company methodologies. Productions utilize collaborative dramaturgy informed by collections at National Museum of Australia, British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, and archives like Trove and National Archives of Australia.
Technical approaches integrated scenography influenced by designers connected to National Theatre (UK), Sydney Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Company, and sound design practices from artists linked to Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and composers associated with ABC Classic. Costume and multimedia collaborators have included creatives from Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and film practitioners with credits at Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.
Notable productions include stage adaptations drawing on texts and authors associated with Colin Thiele, Patrick White, Tim Winton, David Malouf, Hans Christian Andersen, Lewis Carroll, Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Grahame, Mark Twain, Stevenson, and Rudyard Kipling. Slingsby also adapted material relating to figures such as Ludwig Leichhardt, Matthew Flinders, Ned Kelly, Banjo Paterson, and national stories preserved by State Library of South Australia and National Library of Australia.
Their repertoire featured works linked to adaptations of novels and short stories by Miles Franklin, Arthur Upfield, Ethel Turner, Colleen McCullough, Helen Garner, Catherine Helen Spence, Joseph Furphy, and international writers like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and Haruki Murakami in collaborative seasons and festival contexts.
Key artistic figures associated with the company include directors, actors and designers who have worked with institutions such as Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Melbourne Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Black Swan State Theatre Company, La Boite Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre, and training roots from National Institute of Dramatic Art, VCA, Flinders Drama Centre, and Adelaide College of the Arts. Collaborating creatives have histories with St Martin's Youth Arts Centre, Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Brink Productions, State Opera South Australia, and international companies like Royal Court Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre, and Wellcome Collection.
Artistic leadership and guest practitioners have included alumni from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, and choreographers linked to Sydney Dance Company and Chunky Move.
Slingsby maintained extensive touring networks with venues and festivals including Adelaide Festival, Perth Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Singapore Arts Festival, Japan Foundation, British Council, and residency relationships with institutions such as State Library of South Australia, Art Gallery of South Australia, National Library of Australia, Adelaide Hills Council, and university theatre departments at University of Adelaide and Flinders University.
Collaborative partners span orchestras, museums and publishers such as ABC Classics, Wakefield Press, Penguin Random House Australia, Allen & Unwin, Text Publishing, New South Books, Big Sky Publishing, and cultural organizations like Carclew, Country Arts SA, Regional Arts Australia, and Creative Victoria.
The company's productions have been acknowledged in awards and nominations connected to institutions such as the Helpmann Awards, Green Room Awards, Adelaide Critics Circle Awards, Australian Dance Awards, Sydney Theatre Awards, Premier's Arts Awards (South Australia), Australia Council Fellowships, and festival prize programs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Perth Festival. Individual collaborators have received recognition from bodies like Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards, Don Dunstan Foundation Awards, and state-based arts councils.
Educational initiatives have linked the company with tertiary programs at University of Adelaide, Flinders University, University of South Australia, vocational training via TAFE SA, youth development through Carclew and Stretton Centre, and community projects in partnership with Country Arts SA, regional councils, public libraries, and schools across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Outreach programs have intersected with literacy campaigns by State Library of South Australia, creative writing programs with Australian Society of Authors, and residency-based learning with Museums and Galleries NSW.
Category:Theatre companies in Australia