Summary: In this companion episode Stages continues the conversation with our preeminent story-teller and acclaimed Director, Gale Edwards. In part 1 she shared with us her early life in Adelaide with an interrupted childhood, her forays into theatre-making with her company Energy Connection, time at NIDA, her early career as a director working with State Theatre Companies and a breadth of repertoire, and the arrival of Les Miserables in Australia. In Part 2, we learn about her extensive international career and the challenges presented to an artist as they navigate a precarious industry. Her American productions include:The White Devil, Don Carlos (Brooklyn Academy of Music); Hamlet, Richard 3, Titus Andronicus, Edward 2 (Shakespeare Theatre Company); Macbeth (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway). UK productions include; The Taming of the Shrew, The Duchess of Malfi, Don Carlos, The White Devil (Royal Shakespeare Company); Fortune's Fool, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice (Chichester Festival); The Far Pavillions, Saint Joan (West End), Maria Stuarda (The English National Opera); and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Whistle Down the Wind, Jesus Christ Superstar and Aspects of Love (West End and UK tours). Australian productions include God of Carnage, Arcadia, Coriolanus, Saint Joan (STC); King Lear, The Winter's Tale, The Glass Menagerie (SATC); The Tempest, Uncle Vanya (MTC), Nixon in China (Adelaide Festival) and The Magic Flute and Sweeney Todd (Australian opera). Gale Edwards is frank, astute, intuitive and possesses an infectious sense of humour. It is evident that she adores her role as a story-teller and is most reverential in her respect for the texts to which she gives life. The incredible joy she experiences in being in a rehearsal room is palpable. Hers is a fascinating story and it was a privilege to spend time with Gale as she shared insight, assessment and anecdotes of a celebrated and trailblazing career. The Stages podcast is available in iTunes, Spotify and Whooshkaa.
