The Junction Theatre Company was South Australia’s first professional community theatre company, founded in 1984. It was located in the

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

suburb of

Thebarton Thebarton ( ), formerly Theberton, on Kaurna land, is an inner-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of West Torrens. The suburb is bounded by the River Torrens to the north, Port Road, Adelaide, Port Road and Bonython Park to ...

, until its closure in 2002. Its touring productions were performed in schools, factories and other workplaces, with the aim of reaching sections of the community who may not otherwise access theatre. In its early days it was a proponent of the ''Art and Working Life'' funding program. Geoff Crowhurst was its most prominent artistic director.

History

Junction Theatre Company was South Australia's first professional community theatre company, founded in 1983–4 by Malcolm Blaylock,Geoffrey Milne, Theatre Australia (un)limited: Australian Theatre Since the 1950s, Rodopi 2004 "with a mission to bring important social and workplace issues to the forefront". Geoff Crowhurst (23 March 1951 – 4 July 2009) was artistic director from 1990 until the closure of the company in 2001. Crowhurst was considered “a master of making theatre work for the good of whole communities”, and had an Arts South Australia Ruby Award category posthumously named in his honour, the

Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame Ruby Litchfield (1912–2001 ...

, for individuals who make "an outstanding contribution to community cultural development”."Ruby Awards have an art of glass for 10th Anniversary"
The Advertiser Through the use of its own venue, it also became known as having an important role in facilitating the work of smaller companies in South Australia.Don Rubin, Chua Soo Pong, Ravi Chaturvedi, The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia/Pacific, Taylor & Francis 2001

''Art and Working Life'' funding

In its early days, Junction Theatre was one of the country's main proponents of work supported by the funding program ''Art and Working Life'', along with companies such as

Melbourne Workers Theatre Melbourne Workers Theatre (MWT) was an Australian theatre company based in Melbourne, Australia. The company was founded in 1987 by Patricia Cornelius, Steve Payne and Michael White. It specialised in producing work from a left-wing stance, se ...

in Victoria. The ''Art and Working Life'' funding program supported projects created in partnership with trade unions. It was a joint funding initiative by the

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, which funded and promoted cultural activities by artists, art workers and unions in the workplace as well as elsewhere. The program aimed to "encourage art practice and policy, informed by the concerns and issues affecting workers own lives and acknowledges working class cultural traditions and the multicultural nature of those traditions". It ran until 1986.

Directors

Junction Theatre Company’s first artistic director was Malcolm Blaylock. The subsequent and artistic director was Geoff Crowhurst, who was in the role until the closure of the company in 2001. Geoff Crowhurst was considered “A master of making theatre work for the good of whole communities”, and had an Arts South Australia Ruby Award category posthumously named in his honour, the Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award, for individuals who make "an outstanding contribution to community cultural development”.

Touring

The Company created touring works in schools, factories and other workplaces, with an aim to “create theatre of a high artistic quality which is accessible to those sections of the community who have not traditionally participated in theatre as an accessible option for entertainment, learning and expressing issues”.

Selected productions

* ''Next Year's Model'' (1984), about the gradual closure of the

General Motors Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. It was an Australian automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter which sold cars under its own marque in Australia. In its last three ...

plant in Woodville, Victoria (first production) * ''The Keys to the Animal Room'' (1993) by Peta Murray, about an abusive marital relationship, which received the 1994 Gold AWGIE Award * ''Hello Down There'' (1993), about the collapse of the

State Bank of South Australia The State Bank of South Australia was a bank created in 1896 and owned by the Government of South Australia. The bank became the subject of a two-year South Australian Royal Commission upon collapse in 1991. The surviving part of the bank now ...

, which was named "Best Community Theatre for 1993" in The Advertiser * ''Love Land and Money'' (2002), relating to themes of reconciliation and mining industries,"The Adelaide Review, No.222, March, 2002. pp.22–23"
/ref> co-presented by

Adelaide Fringe The Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between mid-February and mid-March each year, i ...

and Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute (last production)

History

''Art and Working Life'' funding

Directors

Touring

Selected productions

References

Further reading