How a billionaire and government saved a key Sydney theatre

Griffin Theatre Company gave the world Cate Blanchett and David Wenham, but a soaring budget for a much-needed rebuild almost took it away.

Michael BaileyArts & Culture editor

Updated Dec 4, 2024 – 2.24pm, first published at 9.00am

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Even the largesse of billionaire Kerr Neilson wasn’t going to be enough to save the theatre where Cate Blanchett got her start, until the Albanese government swooped in on Wednesday.

Griffin Theatre Company, which has originated Australian plays at Stables Theatre in Sydney’s Kings Cross since 1980, including Michael Gow’s seminal Away and Suzie Miller’s runaway hit Prima Facie, has won a $5 million grant from the federal government’s Thriving Suburbs Program, which will allow it to rebuild its 136-year-old home.

Michael Bailey writes on arts and culture, and edits Weekend Fin. He is a former editor of the Financial Review Rich List. He is based in Sydney.