ROBYN ARCHER: An Australian Songbook

Robyn Archer

Robyn Archer AO FAHA is a performer, writer, director, artistic director and public advocate for the arts. The span of her more than sixty-year career is best discovered at www.robynarcher.com .  In recent years she has been touring her recitals of French, German and American song  and since July 2022 Robyn Archer:an Australian Songbook has played Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin – and now Sydney and Hobart.  In November Robyn will give the inaugural biennial Robyn Archer Oration for the Flinders University Drama Centre. In addition to her stage successes, including the one-woman shows A Star is Torn (national tour and one year in London’s West End) and Tonight Lola Blau, Robyn has recorded eleven albums, including Robyn Archer Sings Brecht with the London Sinfonietta at Abbey Road, and her most recent Classic Cabaret Rarities (1919). Her Pack of Women soundtrack won an ARIA Award.  Robyn has published six books, numerous essays, and has written regularly for the Australian Book Review and Griffith Review. She is recognised internationally for her expertise in the Weimar repertoire, but also as a festival director. Beginning with the National Festival of Australian Theatre (Canberra), Robyn was the first woman appointed director of a major Australian international arts festival (Adelaide 1998 and 2000), then Melbourne Arts (2002-3-4),  and the Centenary of Canberra. She created and directed Ten Days on the Island (for Tasmania) and The Light in Winter (for Federation Square, Melbourne)

Robyn’s history with Belvoir begins with Nimrod where she devised and performed Downstairs with John Gaden in Kold Komfort Kaffee (1979) directed by Ken Horler, and designed by Martin Sharp. She was a founder shareholder in Belvoir, and since then her presence includes a period as artistic counsel and in the following roles: she directed David Holman’s ABC,  Noel Greig’s On Parliament Hill , The Pack Women and Akwanso Fly South (both of which she also devised), wrote Il Magnifico (directed by Aubrey Mellor) and Café Fledermaus ( directed by Barrie Kosky and starring Robyn), devised/performed in Scandals ( again with John Gaden) and wrote and performed in See Ya Next Century 1993.

Robyn’s awards and accolades include the International Society of Performing Arts’ International Citation, Sydney Theatre Critics Award, Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer, Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s Cabaret Icon Award, The JC Williamson Lifetime Achievement Award, the Premier’s Lifetime Achievement Award (SA), and the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award. Robyn is an Officer of the Order of Australia, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) and an Officer of the Crown (Belgium).

She is an Australian Book Review Laureate, an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and holds Honorary Doctorates from Flinders University (D Univ) , the University of Sydney( Hon D Litt),University of Canberra ( D Univ), University of Adelaide (Hon D Mus), Griffith University ( D Univ) and the University of South Australia ( D Univ).

She is the Patron of Brink Productions and Restless Dance Theatre.

George Butrumlis

George Butrumlis has played the Piano Accordion since the age of six. He was an original
member of Jo Camilleri’s Black Sorrows and features on all their early albums beginning with
“Sonola”. George’s band, Zydeco Jump, has been a feature on the Australian music scene for over 30
years.
George has worked and recorded with Robyn Archer, Mike Rudd of Spectrum fame, film
composer Cesary Skubiscewski, Jeannie Lewis, Paul Grabowsky , Kristina Olsen, Men At Work, Jane
Clifton, Ross Wilson, Archie Roach, Ted Egan, The Backsliders, The Three Tenors, Melbourne
Symphony ( also with Luciano Pavarotti) and the sadly departed musician extraordinaire Ross
Hannaford of Daddy Cool fame.
George has specialised in Brazilian music, tango, blues and of course, Zydeco and has been
working with Robyn Archer for over 10 years.
He is the musical director of the Melbourne Accordion Orchestra, a not for profit organisation in a
voluntary capacity.

Cameron Goodall

Cameron is an award-winning performer, composer and theatre-maker. He last appeared for Belvoir in The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? for which he received a Helpmann nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Some of his theatrical highlights include the one man show Robyn Archer wrote for him, The Sound Of Falling Stars, in which he plays thirty rock stars who died young, Zazu in Disney’s The Lion King, and three years as part of Sydney Theatre Company’s full-time acting ensemble developing new works and performing in others including Under Milkwood, A History of Everything, Money Shots, The White Guard, The Oresteia, Leviathan, Versus Macbeth, The Mysteries: Genesis, Hamlet, Comedy of Errors, and Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Other theatre highlights include: for State Theatre Company of SA: Hedda Gabler, In The

Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Attempts On Her Life, Metro Street, Hamlet, The Goat or

Who is Sylvia? (Belvoir), The Duck Shooter, Drums In The Night (Brink), Holy Day

(Playbox), and The Great Man. For Queensland Theatre Company: The Fortunes of

Richard Mahoney (Playbox), Hamlet. For Brink Productions: The Ecstatic Bible (The

Wrestling School), 4:48 Psychosis, The Duck Shooter, The Clockwork Forest. For Patch

Theatre Company: Mr McGee and The Biting Flee, Emily Loves to Bounce, Who Sank The

Boat? For Windmill: The Sign of the Seahorse, The Snow Queen. For Adelaide Symphony

Orchestra: The Peasant Prince. For Flying Penguin: Assassins, The Juliet Letters

(Adelaide Cabaret Festival). For Slingsby: Man Covets Bird, Songs For Those Who Came Across The Seas. As a founding member of Mumpsimus, Cameron co-created and performed You, Me and The Bloody Sea. Cameron has also spent time living in Belgium working with Belgian company

Ontroerend Goed for whom his credits include The Smile Off Your Face, Internal, A Game

of You, Fight Night, and A History Of Everything.

As a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of The Border Project, Cameron co-created, performed in and composed music for all their productions including I Am Not An Animal, Trouble On Planet Earth, Half-Real, Please Go Hop!, Medea Material, Highway Rock’n’Roll Disaster, Versus Macbeth, Disappearance, Escape From Peligro Island (Windmill), Fight Night (Ontroerend Goed) and the Melbourne Zoo night-time audio tour I, Animal. He has also composed music for film and television and for advertising campaigns. Cameron has also been a reporter for Behind The News (ABC), played guest roles in tv shows including Preacher, and won an ARIA with his previous band The Audreys. Other awards include Oscart and Adelaide Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor, ATG, Mo and Matilda nominations for Best Actor, and Helpmann nominations for Best Actor (Hamlet), Best Supporting Actor (The Goat or Who is Sylvia?) and Best Original Score (Little Bird). Cameron graduated from Flinders Drama Centre in 2000 and is a proud member of Equity.

Enio Pozzebon

As Musician: Bella Ciao Combo; Casey Bennetto: Swinging Bella Christmas; Scott
Edgar: The Billy Joels
As Performer: Belvoir: Keating! The Musical (national tour); Bonkel Theatre – Melbourne Festival Of Puppetry: Rolling! & I Once Was A Tree; Auckland Live Festival: The Sound of Falling Stars; Adelaide Cabaret Festival: One Suitcase,
Four Stories; Tom E. Lewis: Walking with Spirits.
Positions: Creator/Composer, Bonkel Theatre & Bella Ciao combo

Jasmine Rizk

Jasmine is an accomplished Sydney-based theatrical lighting designer and programmer, working with both the professional and independent theatre community. Jasmine is part of Belvoir’s ongoing Co Curious associates program.

As Lighting Designer: ATYP – Mrock; Concertworks – Jekyll and Hyde 25th Anniversary Concerts; Kings of the Keys Tour; So Popera Production -Priscilla, Chicago, Jersey Boys; The Mitchell Old Company – Heathers; Belvoir St Theatre -The Boomkak Panto; NTofP – Zombie Thoughts; The Roxy Theatre – Henry V; Hayes Theatre Company – Well Behaved Women, Catch Me If You Can; Darlinghurst Theatre – Small Mouth Sounds; Merrigong Theatre CompanyLost Boys, Letters to Lindy (Remount) National Tour.

As Associate Lighting Designer: MonkeyBaa -Edward the Emu; Sydney Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Co. – City of Gold; Belvoir St Theatre – Opening Night; Terrapin Productions – Scaredy Cat.

Nominations: APDG 2022 – creative crunchers for Zombie Thoughts

Awards: Sparrow Mentorship program for lighting design with Trudy Dalgleish