Airdate: Raising the Curtain

One for true thespians, as STUDIO brings some of Australia’s leading names of the theatre to the small screen next month.

For the first time on television, STUDIO brings the stories of the Australian stage to life in the landmark series Raising the Curtain. Speaking to the biggest names in the industry including Cate Blanchett, Robyn Nevin and Geoffrey Rush, this is the tale of how Australia has entertained, been entertained and used theatre to speak to the world.

From the entrepreneurial risk-takers that brought the first Australian plays to life, to the struggle to define an Australian voice on the worldwide stage, Raising the Curtain is the first in-depth exploration of the people and tales of Australia’s live theatre. This series uses archival footage and intimate interviews with a roll call of our lauded theatre professionals to illuminate hundreds of years of the Australian stage.

Premiering on Wednesday 14 November at 7.30pm, the three hour-long episodes feature interviews and insights with some of Australia’s most influential actors and theatre makers including Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton, Robyn Nevin, Geoffrey Rush, Barrie Kosky, Simon Stone, John Bell, Louis Nowra, Jack Charles, Wesley Enoch and many more.

Episode One – “Movers and Shakers”
7.30pm Wednesday 14 November 2012
The World Premiere episode of Raising the Curtain celebrates the energy and innovation of the entrepreneurs, both Aboriginal and European, who not only brought theatre to Australia, but who now take Australian theatre to the world. Looking back at the Indigenous and early settler theatre, this episode tracks the evolution of Australian theatre and the people that created an industry through their shared passion for performance.

Episode Two – “Not The Queen’s English”
7.30pm Wednesday 21 October 2012
The Australian voice in our modern theatre is loud and clear, but it took 150 years to escape the vision and accents of the British Empire. This episode looks at the struggles to determine our identity through theatre, and how censorship and restrictions were overcome in the 60s and 70s.

Episode Three – “The Shock of the New”
7.30pm Wednesday 28 October 2012
The age of contemporary Australian theatre is the age of iconoclastic directors and actors embracing the shock of the new. From 1970 to today Australian theatre has embraced the new and avant-garde, and here guests discuss the similarities it now holds to circus and vaudeville along with the ongoing success our latest works have had around the world.