‘Does the show always need to go on?’ Qld Theatre chief addresses POTUS cancellation

Queensland Theatre’s chief executive, Criena Gehrke, has spoken out about the cancellation of the company’s entire run of its production POTUS, which sparked widespread industry dismay in August.

The American comedy about a Trump-like president’s long-suffering female staff was cancelled after two of its cast members dropped out, one reportedly due to an on-set injury.

The cast of Queensland Theatre’s cancelled production, POTUS.Credit: Morgan Roberts

“After considerable deliberation, [the board] unanimously determined that there were too many uncertainties to fulfil their duty of care and for the company to deliver a successful and safe season,” the company stated at the time.

Prior to the launch of the company’s 2025 season on Wednesday, Gehrke told this masthead there was a “bigger discussion to have” about cast wellbeing and the point at which productions should “not go ahead because it’s not in the best interests of those artists, or the production itself”.

“Does the show always need to go on, and what are the repercussions of that?” she said.

“We know there are a lot of surveys and data out there at the moment from the sector …

“I think there is an opportunity for Queensland Theatre to really lead that conversation nationally.”

With revenue losses that this masthead estimates based on previous ticket sales at more than $300,000 due to the cancellation, pressure was on Queensland Theatre to demonstrate its viability into the future, despite being without an artistic director since the departure of Lee Lewis in March.

Enter Mr Darcy, stage left. A new stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Regency romance Pride and Prejudice will be Queensland Theatre’s summer season opener, and it looks to be as bracing for the box office as a dip in the pond in the grounds of Pemberley.

Associate artistic director Daniel Evans said the novel was having another resurgence thanks to Netflix series Bridgerton, while the production, which he is directing, marked the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

“It’s a way to honour the mother of romantic comedy, because in Elizabeth Bennet you have the prototype for characters like Bridget Jones and Fleabag, and Mr Darcy is almost this iconic character,” he said.

Andrew Hearle as Mr Darcy and Madison Burridge as Elizabeth Bennet in Queensland Theatre’s Pride and Prejudice.Credit: Sam Scoufos

In the absence of an artistic director, Evans, his co-artistic associate director Fiona MacDonald and Head of First Nations Theatre Isaac Drandic have collectively curated a 2025 season packed with audience favourites, popular stars and proven hits.

Finishing the year will be the Queensland premiere of Aaron Sorkin’s military courtroom drama A Few Good Men, which was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson.

Queensland Theatre’s current leadership team: Daniel Evans, Fiona MacDonald, Criena Gehrke and Isaac Drandic.Credit: Morgan Roberts

Rhinestone Rex and Miss Monica, a 2010 comedy by legendary Australian playwright David Williamson, plays mid-year, with stars Georgie Parker and Glenn Hazeldine reprising the roles they played in the original Sydney production.

“David’s thrilled to be back, and it will be the first time [Parker] is back with the company in 30 years,” Evans said.

Justine Clarke will give her landmark portrayal of Julia Gillard in Sydney Theatre Company’s Julia, and Richard Carroll is directing his take on the western musical comedy Calamity Jane, which he originally staged for Sydney’s Hayes Theatre.

There are two world premieres in the season: Dear Son, about First Nations men’s letters to their sons, and Malacanang Made Us, Jordan Shea’s Queensland Premier’s Drama Award-winning play about a Filipino-Australian family.

Perhaps the most emotive production will be Back to Bilo, a new work about the Sri Lankan family living in Biloela that spent four years in immigration detention fighting deportation.

Onlookers might assume the season’s strong commercial focus was related to the POTUS cancellation. Gehrke said this wasn’t the case.

“The plan for 2025 was well under way, we were pretty much locked and loaded as we went into POTUS as a season,” she said.

Evans added: “We just wanted to give audiences a real wild ride, get a bit ambitious, get blockbustery, and create some event theatre.”

Gehrke said she was hopeful the Queensland Theatre board would appoint a new artistic director by the end of October.

Queensland Theatre season ticket packages are now on sale. Tickets to individual performances go on sale on Friday, October 11.

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