‘We could have done better’: Sydney Theatre Company addresses Palestinian protest furore

Sydney Theatre Company has admitted it could have done a better job of handling the furore that erupted over an onstage pro-Palestine protest last November, which triggered a donor and ticketing boycott and criticisms by Hugo Weaving that Australian institutions had been cowed into not speaking out about the war in Gaza.

Weaving’s son, Harry Greenwood, was one of three actors who donned a keffiyeh scarf in solidarity with Palestinians during a curtain call on the opening night of the STC’s production of The Seagull.

Lessons have been learned from The Seagull protest, says executive director Anne Dunn. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer

The fallout exposed cultural divisions within the company between politically active artists, on whom the company depends to attract audiences and those within its donor community who disagreed with the protest.

“We acknowledge there are things we could have done better,” chair Ann Johnson said in a statement issued in response to questions put by this masthead earlier this week before Weaving’s comments were made public.

“We know some of our donors felt we didn’t do enough, and we know some of our artists felt we didn’t do enough. We continue to listen and learn and are committed to finding a positive way forward.”

However, Johnson was clear that the STC “does not support individual political statements being made in curtain calls.”

On Thursday, Weaving, who is a foundation board director at the company, said he believed Australians were being cowed into not speaking out about Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

“I think the problem in our country is we’re all cowed into not speaking out. And that’s the problem I have. And I thought that was true of the STC. I think it’s true up to the highest echelons of power in our country and in the US.”

The backlash to the protest has threatened to damage STC’s reputation among donors and artists, significantly impacted staff morale, and cost the company over a million dollars in donations. The STC has announced seven redundancies and has not ruled out more.

In their first joint public interview since the crisis, Johnson, STC’s executive director Anne Dunn and artistic director Kip Williams, who is bowing out at the end of the year, outlined steps towards budget repair. All three said they had no inkling or prior notice of the protest.

Asked if its engagement with all parties could have been improved, Dunn said “lessons” had been learned and that St James Ethics Centre has been invited to lead internal conversations at the company to clarify its “purpose and values”.

“All of us need to be heard, and that’s true of our donor group, that’s true of our artists’ group,” Dunn said. “That’s true of our staff.”

Mabel Li (left), Harry Greenwood (right) and Megan Wilding (middle) wearing keffiyehs at the curtain call of the opening night of STC’s The Seagull, on November 25.Credit: Instagram

As the new chair, Johnson said she would lead conversations with all donors, including those who were disaffected. STC has also disclosed that its 2025 program, the last for Williams, who will depart for national and international projects at year’s end, is set to be cut from this year’s full season of 15 plays to 12 or 13 shows.

“It will be a smaller program than the usual 15 or 16,” he said. “One of the things I’ve looked at recently is programming more musicals at STC, which isn’t something that has happened in the previous ten years so much given the kind of broad appeal and impact that they bring.”

Williams added: “I’m mindful at this point of time, given the current financial climate, that I’m thinking of works that can deliver great box office impact.”

STC is seeking new revenue sources and wants to increase the use of the Roslyn Packer Theatre, which it staffs and manages. It has just introduced Sunday performances for the first time in several years.

Dunn revealed that the company will sink back into deficit in 2023 after recording a small surplus the previous year, due mainly to the end of COVID funding and cost-of-living increases, including a 44 per cent jump in its energy bill.

The prospect is a setback to the company coming so soon after STC battled through three years of COVID disruptions and a period of exile from its Walsh Bay home, precipitating one of its deepest financial winters in the company’s 46-year history.

Its return to a position of financial precariousness is a source of private frustration for some members of the STC board, which is set to lose Gretel Packer at the next annual general meeting in May, at the end of her two-term tenure. She will stay on as a foundation director.

Dunn said the extent of any donor exodus would not be felt until the 2024 financial statements and would be partially mitigated by the company’s strong box office performance this year. STC is currently riding a box office high, meeting ticket sales targets for its 2024 season in February after first going on sale in September.

The company has made a profit on RBG’s Sydney Opera House season, Into the Shimmering World, currently playing at the Wharf, and Dictionary of Lost Words’ Melbourne season.

Ticket sales for Weaving’s The President, opening on Wednesday, will likely make budget this weekend. However, government grants and philanthropy mostly underwrite its operational costs.

Dunn said it was “too early to say where we are with philanthropy for the year, but we, of course, continue to engage with donors and continue to look to that space as well as our self-generated revenues through new hires and food and beverage and so on”.

The company was continuing a “path of really careful cost control and budget review and continuing on a trajectory of refining operations to ensure there is long-term sustainability for the company”.

“In February, we had five shows on stage in four cities in three countries, which is perhaps the best marker of where the company is focusing its attention and efforts. The touring program for the company this year is robust ... and one of the mechanisms we’re using to ensure company growth and sustainability.”

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.