New Theatre was born from a democratic voice and from the very beginning we’ve done things our way.
We’re not slick, we’re not refined and we don’t conform. We believe in artistic and social expression, not just escapism. When we take the stage, we’re for real.
Our doors are open to everyone – from those looking for their start, to those who never want it to end.
We’re a beacon for social movement; a hub for local enthusiasts. We’re driven by passion, not money.
We’re not interested in awards or accolades, we act out of love.
You can’t define us or second guess us. We won’t just invite you to take a seat, we invite you to take part.
And we’ll always stay true to what we do.
Always real. Always raw. Always New.
New Theatre was set up in 1932 as the Sydney Workers Art Club, opening with the slogan “Art is a Weapon”. The first full-scale production in 1933 was The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. The theatre helped galvanise opposition to Nazism in the 1930s and led the ultimately successful fight against stage censorship from the 40s to the late 60s, culminating in the now legendary staging of the banned America Hurrah in 1968. It has produced plays on important political and human rights issues through the struggles of anti-apartheid and black deaths in custody, to political satire on the Howard government. Since 1994 it has also regularly mounted Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras productions.
In the 1950s, new theatre staged the first Australian production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and performed his All My Sons before Paul Robeson. In 1954 new theatre produced Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets, which went on to become a Broadway hit, playing coast to coast in twenty American cities. The company performed for builders in the bowels of the Sydney Opera House while it was being built, went out to the factories and the shop floors with revues and satires, and took a production down a mine in Glen Innes to entertain striking miners.
The theatre has mounted some 550 productions, and is one of Australia’s oldest continuously performing theatres. Moving from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street and then to Kings Cross, until finally settling in its current home on King Street in 1973. In 2007, New Theatre was honoured by the National Institute of Dramatic Art for its contribution to the Australian Performing Arts and 75 years of continuous production.
New theatre has played a major role in educating young talent, providing a career springboard for new performers, directors, artists, technicians and playwrights. The large number of artists who have benefited by their association with New Theatre include Maggie Kirkpatrick, Nick Enright, Dinah Shearing, Noeline Brown, Alex Buzo, Linal Haft, Tasma Walton, Simon Burke, Carol Skinner, Lyn Collingwood, Doreen Warburton, Elaine Hudson, John Hargreaves and Steve Peacocke.
New Theatre does not receive any on-going grants or subsidy. It relies solely on the voluntary work of its members and volunteers and the support of its audiences. [spacer]
testimonials
New Theatre is the proud recipient of the 2016 ACON Honour Award for Arts & Entertainment.
The citation read: “New Theatre has not only provided a unique platform for LGBTI stories to be told on the stage, but has also fostered the careers of hundreds of LGBTI theatre practitioners. New Theatre has been nominated for their 25-year commitment to LGBTI content and productions for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and for recognising diverse sexualities and genders as an important demographic within the theatre’s community and audience.”
“That it is the New Theatre that finds the wherewithal to produce contemporary work with a cast larger than ten on a consistent basis tells us something of that company’s commitment to good and significant writing” – Kevin Jackson
“New Theatre has an admirable tradition of staging plays that commercially focused companies wouldn’t touch” – Time Out Sydney
“New Theatre was born from the ideal of wanting to provide the opportunity and avenue for one and all, where raw artistic expression would be encouraged, embraced and showcased. They should be applauded for their passion and fortitude” – www.weekendnotes.com
“New Theatre’s ability to showcase as well as nurture both mainstream and fringe elements of theatre is a rare gift to be treasured by the Australian arts community” – Inner West Courier