CATE AND ANDREW: WHEN NO NEWS IS NEWS
Dateline: January 21, Hickson Road. Over the past couple of days the Sydney Twitterverse has been … um … twittering with the sound of tiny minds in a state of feverish excitement. The "news" that sparked the tweeting was of the impending departure of current co-artistic directors Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton from the Wharf, global HQ of the Sydney Theatre Company.
The announcement of their departure can only be a surprise to anyone who hasn't heard them say, over and over, that they would stay two terms and be gone by the end of 2013. Which is exactly what will happen and which was announced by the STC today (Saturday) in a terse media release. The tight-lipped nature of the communique is because of the story in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning that begins, "It's been an interesting experiment but enough is enough."
The story is a masterpiece of innuendo and confected phraseology such as "…deciding to end the reign…" (Trs. they were given the shove and didn't want to go.) And "It is believed…" (yellow journalese for - nudge nudge wink wink, know what I mean?). While descriptions such as "the high-profile couple" (tall poppy hideously famous pair) and thoughts attributed to "some members" of the theatre community (aka "sources close to the whatever" or "someone we talked to in a queue for the loos").
Then there's the "Hollywood fix", which is what they apparently were, and Andrew's "erratic" personality. First things first. The "Hollywood fix" is about Cate's international reputation and pulling power with audiences. Not only has she been able to attract capacity audiences to the opening of a recycled envelope, but also, she and Andrew invited OS mates to work at the Wharf. Like many endeavours by many people in many spheres, this generated headlines, a lot of public interest and mixed success.
According to "sources close to members of the cast" (that's made up, geddit?) Liv Ullmann's input in her role as director of the fabulously successful A Streetcar Named Desire was minimal. Whatever. Fact is, the design and performances were brilliant and the New York Times reviewer said Cate's turn as Blanche Dubois was seminal - which was correct. Steven Soderbergh's work with the company to create Tot Mom was one of the most exciting and rewarding theatre nights in recent times; and brought Essie Davis back to centre-stage Sydney where she belongs – albeit off it in a claustrophobic cubicle. Long Day's Journey Into Night was saved by Robyn Nevin despite the worst efforts of superstar William Hurt - he was definitely on the downside of the Up-Chett balance sheet. And quite why Philip Seymour Hoffman had to be imported to direct Wayne Blair and Brendan Cowell is one of life's little mysteries; there are at least a dozen directors in Australia who would have been a local call away and who could have done as good or a better job. But hey ho.
Then there's Andrew's "erratic" personality. This is an odd one; what does it mean? Okay, so he makes fairly crapulous opening night speeches, but they're a lot better than those of previous incumbent Nevin, whose post-show rattling off of thanks to cast and crew were notorious for their graceless delivery. The role of magnanimous host was one that Nevin never seemed to get her head around, which is odd for one of our finest actresses. Andrew, on the other hand, is merely a somewhat cerebral loon who's just not at home on the public platform; but he tried and he's never nasty. He has flaws and faults that "sources close to disgruntled members of the theatre community" (fabrication alert) might care to list, but being "erratic" is probably not high on the list.
The SMH story also goes on to mention "valuable corporate sponsorships from the likes of Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani (whose sponsorship has now ended)". And that means "we couldn't be bothered to check or list other sponsors, we just want to mention the heavily tanned fashion queen". Additionally, there is an implied thumbs-down for Blanchett in the bracketed element of the sentence. As in: "Oooh! Giorgio has crossed Cate off his list, nyagh nyagh nyagh!" No mention here of the even more valuable - and ongoing - Audi principal sponsorship and major sponsors the Sydney Morning Herald (que? now there's irony and conflict). Plus presenting sponsors Allens Arthur Robinson, Bank of America Merril Lynch, Colonial First State, Commonwealth Bank, Investec, Medina Hotels, Qantas, UBS - and on and on and on.
It was left to STC general manager Patrick McIntyre to mention the very significant Blanchett-driven "Greening of the Wharf" - the biggest program of water and sunlight capture of its kind in the country. There's also the largely successful drive to attract younger audiences through the programming of Wharf 2, the beefed up Education program and the kids' programs in the Richard Wherrett Studio.
Whether or not the last three years' influx of yuppies will stay post-Cate is another matter, but hardly her fault. These are the sections of STC audience who were attracted to the stardom and glamour and didn't really care, or know, whether she was doing Tennessee Williams or a Wiggles medley. What her drawcard presence did mask, however, was the sharp drop-off in subscriptions. This was probably caused by the decision to cease programming an annual "David Williamson". As the numbers seem to correspond with the upping in subs at the Ensemble - where Williamson plays are now domiciled - you have to wonder.
Whatever the truth of the board's discussions with its artistic directors, the current pair has done better by the company than the board itself. That body was responsible for permitting Robyn Nevin to stay on long past a properly reasonable time to hand over; then allowed itself to be steamrollered, or dazzled, by her personal pick of her successors. It would be more useful for the Sydney Morning Herald to take a long hard look at that than start sniping at the Up-Chetts. Or at least do a decent job of analysing their tenure in a fair and unbiased manner.
Meanwhile, this afternoon brings the media release from the STC that states:
"The board of Sydney Theatre Company today said that there was absolutely no truth in a newspaper report today that the board had decided not to renew Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s contracts for a third term.
"The reality is that the board asked Cate and Andrew to stay on after their current term ends in 2013", STC Chairman David Gonski said today.
"As Co Artistic Directors and CEOs, with inspirational leadership Andrew and Cate turned around the STC's finances and made it a sustainable business while taking it to new artistic heights. They are a couple not only of extraordinary talents and profile but they have a strong business sense and a strong financial rigour.
"They have worked collegiately with the rest of the arts community to raise the profile of Australian talent overseas. The success of the company's touring productions, particularly in the USA has been very significant. Andrew Upton's work as a director and writer has resulted in the strong relationship between STC and Britain's National Theatre.
"All of the board members recognise the contribution Cate and Andrew have made over the last four years and look forward to working with them for a further two years.
"As they announced at the launch of the 2012 season, it was always their intention to only stay for two terms. We asked Cate and Andrew to stay on but we respect their decisions to leave in two years time to pursue other professional interests." Mr Gonski said."
Okay, so where is the news?
(Photo borrowed from Time Out Sydney, by Daniel Boud.)
