A Shark Island Productions Film
Festival Screenings
Melbourne International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
DOCNZ Documentary Film Festival
St Tropez - Rencontres Internationales du Cinema des Antipodes
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The London Australian Film Festival 2008
Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films
Sydney Film Festival - 10 & 14 June 2007
In 2004, a new adaptation of Hedda Gabler by writer Andrew Upton premiered to great acclaim at the Sydney Theatre Company. Almost two years later, the original performers - Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Justine Clarke, Anthony Weigh, Aden Young, Julie Hamilton, Annie Byron - begin preparing for the presentation of the STC's production at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. The documentary follows the process from the first readings where every word is analysed and questioned, to the rehearsals where movements and gestures are recalled or re-determined, and finally the performance. Along the way we are given a rare look at the creative process involved in shaping a production, with actors, director Robyn Nevin and stage technicians working closely together. Ian Darling's involving documentary clearly demonstrates that behind every seemingly effortless performance is a complex, detailed, technical and exhausting process. JN
Melbourne International Film Festival - 5 August 2007
Two of the world’s finest actors, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, prepare to perform the Sydney Theatre Company’s version of Hedda Gabler in New York. Normally, the rehearsal room is a sacred space, a private domain for taking risks, exposing vulnerabilities and, at its best, creating magic. This documentary gives unprecedented access to a demanding five-week rehearsal process, observing the highly collaborative nature of theatre as a production takes shape. Penned by Blanchett’s partner, Andrew Upton, the New York season of Hedda Gabler sold out before opening night, the weight of expectation bearing down on everyone’s shoulders. “We were invited in by some of the greatest stage actors in the world, who not only opened their rehearsal space to us but, in the process, also opened their hearts.” – filmmaker Ian Darling
RiverRun - April 27th 2008
In the Company of Actors will be shown at RiverRun International Film Festival on Sunday April 27 at 1.00pm. RiverRun is in Winston-Salem, North Carolina USA
Vancouver International Film Festival - September 30/October 5
The character of Hedda Gabler is often called the female Hamlet. Whether she is perceived as a doomed Machiavellian schemer or feminist heroine, who better to play such a creature than Cate Blanchett, the reigning queen of Australian theatre and international film superstar? Director Ian Darling's fascinating documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the remaking of a theatrical warhorse. (Ibsen's masterpiece is given a new interpretation by writer Andrew Upton, who also happens to be Ms. Blanchett's husband.)
While Blanchett is ostensibly the star of the show, she is at pains to demonstrate the ensemble nature of acting. The film works hard to give equal time to each cast member including Hugo Weaving, Anthony Weigh and Justine Clarke. As the actors hash it out in the tropical heat of a Sydney summer, the wheels of mounting a major production grind slowly forward. Every aspect from music to costumes to lighting and set design is given time to shine, but it is the play's director Robyn Nevin who must marshal all these forces into a cohesive and powerful experience. After a successful run in their hometown, the show is remounted at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Soon Blanchett's face is plastered all over New York City, and the pressure begins to mount for everyone involved. By the time the end arrives, your heart will be in your mouth: What will The New York Times say...!?
DOCNZ Documentary Film Festival - September 27/November 21
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin
From a rehearsal room in Sydney through to opening night in New York, a company of actors reveals the magic and struggle of creating theatre.
In 2004, after an extended Hollywood-induced absence, Aussie thespian Cate Blanchett made a much-heralded return to the boards of the Sydney Theatre Company. Spearheading her return was her hubby and frequent collaborator Andrew Upton, who adapted Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler” for the Sydney Theatre. Eighteen months on, the troupe, including Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Aden Young and Justine Clarke, were invited to reunite and re-stage the play at New York’s Harvey Theater for the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The New York season was sold out before opening night and the weight of expectation is bearing down on everyone’s shoulders.
Normally, the rehearsal room is a sacred and private domain for taking risks, exposing vulnerabilities and, at its best, creating magic. Director Ian Darling obtains unprecedented access to the demanding five-week rehearsal process, observing the highly collaborative nature of theatre as a production takes shape.
In the Company of Actors follows the process from the first readings where every word is analysed and questioned, to the rehearsals where movements and gestures are recalled or re-determined, right to the performance itself. Along the way, we are privileged to view stage director Robyn Nevin’s creative process in shaping a production with actors and the stage crew’s magic. We also come to understand that behind every seemingly effortless performance is a complex, detailed, technical and exhausting process.
St Tropez - Rencontres Internationales du Cinema des Antipodes - 11 October 2007
Within the world of theatre the rehearsal room is a sacred space – the private domain where boundaries are pushed, risks are taken, mistakes made, vulnerabilities exposed and, at its very best, magic created. It is not a place into which the public is often, if ever, invited. Until now… In The Company of Actors features an ensemble of Australia’s finest actors, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Anthony Weigh, Justine Clarke, Aden Young, Julie Hamilton and Annie Byron as they prepare to perform the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Hedda Gabler, at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Opening night is just five weeks away and the pressure is on...
OzFlix Ontario - February 22 - 24 2008
In 2004 a new adaptation of the play Hedda Gabler, featuring two of the world's finest actors - Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving - premiered to great acclaim at the Sydney Theatre Company. Two years later, the original performers reunite under the leadership of director Robyn Nevin to prepare the production for a remount at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music in new York. IN THE COMPANY OF ACTORS gives us unprecedented access to the rehearsal room during the five week period before the show opens in New York, providing a rare and insightful look at the creative process involved in shaping a stage production. A once-in-a-lifetime backstage pass to the method and the madness of the craft of acting, ian darling's engaging, intimate documentary clearly demonstrates that behind every seemingly effortless performance is a complex, detailed, technical and exhaustive process.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival - 24 January to 3 February 2008
Cate Blanchett will be receiving the 2008 Modern Master Award at the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
"IN THE COMPANY OF ACTORS is an enchanting, transatlantic tour of the theatrical experience. Lifting the curtain, this intimate documentary follows the development of the Sydney Theatre Company's staging of Hedda Gabler. The play, which opened at the Wharf Theatre in 2004, premiered in the United States at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2006. From dress rehearsals to interviews with the ensemble (Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving), the film reveals the creative collaboration and artistic dilemma which arise as actors find their way from text to stage. The missteps of articulation, the gestures of meaning and the sweetness of finding rhythm and music in speech are captured for our scrutiny and inspiration. It is a celebration of the crafting of a performance, and a tribute to the uniqueness of every curtain call."
Dana Simpson
“In the Company of Actors” will be screened from Saturday 25 Jan, visit the link to see details.
The London Australian Film Festival 2008 - 8 March 2008
The London Australian Film Festival is an annual event at the Barbican. In the Company of Actors (U*) A documentary breaking down the barrier between theatre audiences and actors, featuring Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving
Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films - February 3 - 9 2008
In the Company of Actors was selected for a special screening in the Mumbai International Film festival.
