THE WEEKEND

  • 5 AUG – 10 SEP 23 Upstairs Theatre
  • 1 hour & 40 minutes (no interval)
Archived

THE WEEKEND

Based on the novel by Charlotte Wood
Adapted by Sue Smith
Directed by Sarah Goodes

  • Venue Upstairs Theatre
  • Dates 5 AUG – 10 SEP 23
  • Duration 1 hour & 40 minutes (no interval)
  • Content warning

    The Weekend uses strobe lighting and herbal cigarettes.

    Should you wish to speak to speak to a member of staff regarding running times, content warnings or any other show related queries, our box office can be contacted on 02 9699 3444.

  • Supported by
    • The Group
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A sophisticated new adaptation of Charlotte Wood’s bestselling novel of friendship and the wisdom of age.

People went on about death bringing friends together, but it wasn’t true…”

Four women have known each other for decades, and have a friendship that goes with it – good-humoured, caring, and forthright when required. But Sylvie has died, and when the remaining three come together to pack up her beach house, they find maybe they haven’t been as honest – or as good friends – as they thought.

Adele, a once-well-known actress, Wendy, a high-profile academic, and Jude, who ran one of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, learn things they should have learned years ago. There’s a difference between growing old, and growing wise.

And at the heart of it all, an old dog keeps them company, silently bearing witness to the folly of age, and the warmth of true friendship.

Charlotte Wood’s novel really struck a chord with many readers, so when a playwright as fine as Sue Smith approached us about turning it into a play for Belvoir we jumped. This is a special play – moving, honest, thoughtful, and a gift for three of our finest actors. This is heartland stuff. – Eamon

The Weekend is the proud recipient of a Blake Beckett Trust Award.

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TEAM

  • Charlotte Wood
    Original Author
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    Charlotte Wood is the author of ten books. She has won several prestigious awards including the Stella Prize and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, and her works have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin, Christina Stead, the ALS Gold Medal and many other prizes. Her novel The Weekend was an international bestseller, and The Natural […]

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  • Sue Smith
    Adapter
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    THE WEEKEND is Sue Smith’s Belvoir debut. Her theatre credits include Hydra (Queensland Theatre & State Theatre Company of South Australia), Machu Picchu and Kryptonite (State Theatre Company of South Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company), The Kreutzer Sonata (State Theatre Company of South Australia), Strange Attractor (Griffin Theatre/Riverside Productions), Rembrandt’s Wife (Victorian Opera), and […]

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  • Sarah Goodes
    Director
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    Sarah commenced 2023 with a sell-out production of SUNDAY by Anthony Weigh, opening the season for the Melbourne Theatre Company starring Nikki Shiels. She also directed the recent production of Virginia Gay’s CYRANO for the MTC which toured to the Perth Festival, and STC’s critically acclaimed production of Joanna Murray-Smith’s new play JULIA which sold […]

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  • Cast

  • Roman Delo
    Joe Gillespie & Others
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    Roman Delo is a 2019 graduate of NIDA’s BFA Acting course. The Weekend marks his Belvoir debut. Having recently made his mainstage debut leading Hubris and Humiliation at the Sydney Theatre Company (dir. Dean Bryant), Roman’s other theatre credits include God of Carnage (NIDA, dir. Judy Davis) and Roberto Zucco (NIDA, dir. Robert Schuster). Upon […]

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  • Belinda Giblin
    Adele
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    Belinda Giblin is one of Australia’s most distinguished stage and screen actors. Her most recent theatre credits include Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (Redline Theatre Co at the Old Fitz Theatre); John (Outhouse Theatre Company); Doubt (The Old Fitz); Blonde Poison (Strange Duck productions, The Old Fitz, Sydney Opera House and MTC at the Lawler), for […]

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  • Melita Jurisic
    Wendy
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    Melita has worked for many leading & alternative theatre companies in over 100 productions in Australia & Europe. Some of these include: The Wizard of Oz, Capricornia (Belvoir St), Poppea (Sydney Opera House), Women of Troy (STC/Malthouse), The Lost Breath (Melbourne International festival), Titus Andronicus, King Lear (Bell Shakespeare), Suddenly Last Summer, Macbeth, Mourning Becomes […]

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  • Toni Scanlan
    Jude
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    Toni trained at the Drama Centre, London. Her theatre credits include for Belvoir Opening Night, Stop Girl, Ruben Guthrie; for Sydney Theatre Company Blood Wedding, Our Town, Troupers, King Lear, Cuckoo’s Country and Madras House; for Black Swan Theatre Hir and Angels In America – Part One; for Ensemble Theatre Richard 111, Let The Sun […]

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  • Keila Terencio
    Puppeteer
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    Keila is a performance artist born and raised in Brazil. Her artistic practice intertwines physical theatre and visual arts through the mediums of aerial dance, puppetry, and movement. Keila’s creations are multi-dimensional, incorporating objects, installations, and audience engagement. Her works have been programmed for a number of festivals and events across Australia and abroad. Recently, […]

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  • Creatives

  • Stephen Curtis
    Designer
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    Stephen’s extensive design career spans four decades and embraces set and costume design for features, short films, dance, drama, opera, physical theatre and musicals, including major collaborations with Australia’s leading directors, choreographers, festivals and performance companies. He designed the sets for Company B Belvoir’s first production Signal Driver and has subsequently designed sets and or […]

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  • Ella Butler
    Costume Designer
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    Ella is a Sydney-based designer for theatre, film and live performance. In film, Ella has worked as the series Set Decorator on ‘Born To Spy’ (SBS, Aquarius), ‘While The Men Are Away’ (SBS, Arcadia) and Art Director on the experimental, operatic film ‘A Delicate Fire’ with Pinchgut Opera. In collaboration with CATSinAM, The Congress of […]

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  • Damien Cooper
    Lighting Designer
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    Damien designs lighting for Dance, Theatre, Opera and Film.  Designs for Belvoir include Into the Woods, Light Shining In Buckinghamshire, Wayside Bride, Things I Know To Be True, Counting and Cracking, Mark Colvin’s Kidney, The Dog/The Cat, Radiance, The Glass Menagerie, Coranderrk, Miss Julie, Stories I Want to Tell You in Person, Cat on a Hot Tin […]

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  • Steve Francis
    Composer
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    Steve has worked extensively in theatre, dance and screen. His Belvoir credits include Cursed!, My Brilliant Career, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To Be True, Winyanboga Yurringa, Every Brilliant Thing, The Sugar House, The Book of Everything, The Power of Yes, Ruben Guthrie, Baghdad Wedding, and Capricornia. His other theatre credits include The Children, […]

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  • Madeleine Picard
    Sound Designer
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    Madeleine is a sound designer & technical theatre practitioner. Credits include: As sound designer & composer: How to Win a Plebiscite (and tennis) (NIDA); Picnic at Hanging Rock (NIDA); Promethia (NIDA). As sound design & composition secondment: Julia (Sydney Theatre Company). As lighting & video designer: The Writer (NIDA). As stage & production manager: New Balance (Redline); Othering (Sydney Festival); Twelfth Night (Virginia Plain); Neighbourhood Watch (New Theatre).

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  • Alice Osborne
    Puppetry and Movement Director
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    ALICE OSBORNE is a theatre maker, director and puppeteer. For Belvoir, she was Puppetry Director for RUBY’S WISH. For Sydney Opera House, she co-wrote and directed WHAT THE OCEAN SAID and multiple productions for the Creative Leadership in Learning program. Alice was Puppetry and Movement Director for the Australian production of WAR HORSE (National Theatre […]

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  • Indigo-Rose Redding
    Puppet Maker – Body and Skin Covering
  • Philip Millar
    Puppet Maker – Head
  • Susie Henderson
    Video Design
  • Charmene Yap
    Choreographer
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    Charmene is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, rehearsal director and dance educator. She graduated from WAAPA and has trained at Purchase College in New York. She has danced for Chunky Move, Tasdance, Dancenorth and Lucy Guerin Inc. and performed with Sydney Dance Company for ten years, where she is now the Rehearsal Associate. Her stage works […]

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  • Ruth Little
    Dramaturg
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    Ruth Little is a theatre and dance dramaturg, a teacher and writer. She lectured in English literature at the University of Sydney, was literary manager at Griffin Theatre Company, Out of Joint, Soho Theatre, Royal Court, and artistic associate at the Young Vic (London). She was dramaturg for Akram Khan Company from 2010-2021. Previously associate […]

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  • Abbie-Lee Lewis
    Assistant Director
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    Abbie-Lee Lewis is a Kalkadoon actress who trained on the Aboriginal Theatre and Acting courses at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Perth.Her credits include Seanna Van Helten’s Fallen, directed by Penny Harpham, for Sport for Jove; Our Town, directed by Clare Watson, for the Black Swan State Theatre Company of Western Australia; a […]

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  • Amelia Fell
    Special Effects Makeup Artist
  • Luke McGettigan
    Stage Manager
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    Luke is Belvoir’s Resident Stage Manager. For Belvoir, he has stage managed The Jungle and the Sea, Tell Me I’m Here, Opening Night, The Boomkak Panto, Stop Girl, My Brilliant Career, A Room of One’s Own, Packer & Sons, Things I Know To Be True, Counting and Cracking, The Dance of Death, A Taste of […]

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  • Mia Kanzaki
    Assistant Stage Manager
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    Mia Kanzaki is a Sydney based stage manager who is passionate about diverse stories and inclusive practices in the arts. She is a graduate of WAAPA’s Bachelor of Performing Arts (Stage Management). As Stage Manager, her credits include Tiddas (Belvoir) and The Face of Jizo (Red Line Productions). As Assistant Stage Manager, her credits include Blessed Union, the At What Cost? National […]

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Information
for schools

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    TERM 3

    Recommended for Years 11 – 12

    Schools Performances

    Tickets are only $25 per student with one complimentary teacher ticket for every ten students booked.
    • Wed, 23 Aug 2023 11:30am

    All schools performances are followed by a Q&A session with the cast.

    School groups can book any general public performance. Book our Thursday 1PM matinees for the schools performance price of $25 per ticket, or an evening performance from $43 per student.

    What to expect

    Belvoir creates for a wide audience and our productions may contain mature content. Accurate information about productions including running times and content is available once rehearsals have begun.

    Contact Us

    For more information about our education programs, please get in touch.

    Head of Education Jane May
    Education Manager Stevie Bryant
    +61 (2) 8396 6241

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