Hole In The Wall

Thanks for that Craig.

A few corrections regarding the State Theatre Company drawn from a great little record of this period; a small volume of interviews broadcast on 720 6WF by Peter Holland, talking theatre. I remember hearing several of these broadcast. This slim paperback records interviews with Bill Dunstone, Andrew Ross, Alan Becher, Angela Chaplin, Barry Moreland, Edgar Metcalfe, David Britton, David Hough, David Williams, Geoff Kelso and Ray Omodei - who was the first and only artistic director of the State Theatre Company, not Aarne. Although I believe Aarne and Ray were the front runners for the role.

Liberally plagiarising Holland's introduction (any omissions or errors are my own), the decision to establish a State Theatre Company was  taken in 1990 by then Labor Minister for the Arts, Kay Hallahan MLC. The company was supposedly formed from the combined resources of the Hole in the Wall and the WA Theatre Company in 1991. The appointment of Ray Omodei as artistic director was one of several highly controversial issues surrounding the company. Holland's introduction notes that three board members resigned at the time of Omodei's appointment.

The company completed a full year's programme in 1992 at the Subiaco Theatre Centre but on 11 March 1993 after only two productions the directors announced that the company had ceased operation. The company's request to the state government for advance funds due later that year had been rejected. The same day, Arts Minister Peter Foss, in the newly elected Liberal government announced a review into the theatre industry in WA.

Whatever the controversy surrounding his appointment, Omodei in his interview mentions that the State Theatre Company was promised $1.2m - equivalent to the combined funding of both original companies - but "got six hundred thousand, plus some extra bits that were bled in on a non-regular basis".

Cheers
Grant

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Director, actor and administrator of this website