Brian Gregory Syron (19 November 1934 – 14 October 1993) was an actor, teacher, Aboriginal rights activist,

stage director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

and Australia's first

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

feature film director, who has also been recognised as the first First Nations

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

director. After studying in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

under

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

Australian National Playwrights Conference, the

Eora Centre TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

, the National Black Playwrights Conference, and the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust. He worked on several television productions and was appointed head of the ABC's new Aboriginal unit in 1988.

Life

Brian Gregory Syron was born on 19 November 1934 in the inner city suburb of Balmain,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

, New South Wales. His mother, Elizabeth Murray, was from

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England, while his father, a general labourer, was a

Birrbay The Birrbay people, also spelt Birpai, Biripi, Birippi and variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales. They and share a dialect continuum with the Worimi people. Language The Gathang language (aka Gadjang or Wor ...

man. Brian was one of eight children. Syron also lived an Indigenous life with his paternal Aboriginal grandmother, Suzie Syron, in his ancestral Birrippi lands at Minimbah,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, up the Coolongolook River from Forster and north of Balmain. Minimbah means in Birrippi dialect "home of the teacher". His traditional country encompassed

Taree Taree is a town on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. Taree and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then Taree has grown to a population of 26,381, and is the centre of a significant agricultural distr ...

, Forster and the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

area of the Wang Wauk and Coolonglook rivers on the North Coast. His paternal Dreaming was the eagle, although he described himself as a

magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is on ...

- half black, half white. He was also exposed to

Aboriginal reserve An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th c ...

life at

Purfleet Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England. It is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater Lon ...

and Forster through the 1930s and early 1940s, and spent time as a 14- and 15-year-old in

Grafton Correctional Centre The former Grafton Gaol, later called the Grafton Correctional Centre and then Grafton Intake and Transient Centre is a heritage-listed former medium security prison for males and females, located in , Clarence Valley Council, New South Wales, ...

. Even with this background, Syron told the

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but oper ...

(HREOC) on 15 November 1992:

I have no mortgage on being dispossessed or having a tough life. We've all had it. Every Aboriginal person I know of in my generation has had one hell of a time. Nobody has a mortgage on that. We've all been through it. Our obligation, our mandate, as artists is to communicate with our people first.

Brian Syron died of

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on 14 October 1993 in Sydney and was buried in

Botany Cemetery Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Eastern Suburbs Crematorium and Botany General Cemetery (aka Botany Cemetery), is a cemetery and crematorium on Bunnerong Road in Matraville, New South Wales, in the eastern suburbs district of Sydney, Australia. ...

Matraville Matraville is located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately by road south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. History M ...

Theatre

Syron did not identify as Aboriginal through the 1950s and 1960s. He moved to King's Cross in

, and began his artistic career in 1960 at the

Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first performa ...

Kirribilli Kirribilli is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the city's most established and affluent neighbourhoods, it is located three kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area administere ...

, Sydney under the guidance of New York-trained American actor/director and esteemed teacher of the Strasberg Method, the late Hayes Gordon.

New York and London

Syron decided to go to the United States because he was unhappy with the English style of acting being taught in Australia. He was forced to deny that he was Aboriginal in order to obtain an

Australian passport Australian passports are travel documents issued to Australian citizens under the ''Australian Passports Act 2005'' by the Australian Passport Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), both in Australia and overseas, which ...

. This was because Indigenous Australians were not allowed to have passports. Syron left Australia in 1961 to work in Europe as a fashion model with

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds 42.36% shar ...

Cardin Cardin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alberto Cardín (1948–1992), Spanish essayist and anthropologist * Annie Cardin (born 1938), French artist * Arthur Cardin (1879–1946), Canadian politician *Ben Cardin (born 1943), ...

and

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( ) is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Co ...

. In 1961, he moved to

, living initially on

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping ...

with one of Australia's first "

supermodel A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the po ...

s", Pauline Kiernan. He was accepted as a student with the Stella Adler Studio, where he studied with fellow students

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker, whose career spans over six decades. He was nominated for 15 Academy Awards, including four for Best Actor, four for Best Picture, two for Best Director, ...

and

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Bogdanovich started as a film journalist until he was hired to work on ...

, and became a teacher himself. Completing his American training, he spent 12 months in Britain studying with Cicily Berry as well as Doreen Cannon, head of acting, at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

before returning to New York. There, he co-founded a theatre company based around the Caffè Lena in

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

in 1966, upstate New York while touring as a director with the

Boston Herald-Traveler The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Pulit ...

's Shakespeare Company and doing stints as a teacher for Adler's studio. Syron then returned to New York, where he worked as an actor on various American Shakespeare festivals and with the Establishment Theatre Company and The New Theatre, and also toured through the southern states.

Return to Australia

Syron returned to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

, in 1968, following the

1967 referendum The 1967 Australian referendum occurred on 27 May 1967 under the Holt Government. It contained three topics asked about in two questions, regarding the passage of two bills to alter the Australian Constitution. The first question (''Constitution ...

. In Perth, he directed at Aarne Neeme's The Playhouse, Perth for a short time, before being invited to return to Sydney and direct '' Fortune and Men's Eyes'' at his old alma mater the Ensemble. For this he received the inaugural Drama Critics' Award for Best Production and his leading man

Max Phipps Maxwell John Phipps (18 November 1939 – 6 August 2000) was an Australian actor, known for a number of roles in theatre, films and television during the 1960s until the end of the 1990s. Life and career Phipps was born in Dubbo and grew up i ...

received Best Actor for his role of "Queenie". He began teaching master classes to in the Stella Adler method to Aboriginal students. Syron was invited to join Sydney's

Old Tote Theatre The Old Tote Theatre Company (1963–1978) was a New South Wales theatre company that began as the standing acting and theatre company of Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). It was the predecessor to the Sydney Theatre Company ...

by Robert Quentin, Head of Drama at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

, and Robin Lovejoy, Artistic Director. He was the first Indigenous Australian to work as a director in the mainstream Australian theatre industry and in 1972 was appointed Theatre Consultant for the

Aboriginal Arts Board 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 ...

of the inaugural

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 ...

, headed for the first time by an Indigenous person, the artist

Wandjuk Marika Wandjuk Djuwakan Marika OBE (1927 or 1930 – 16 June 1987), was an Aboriginal Australian painter, actor, composer and Indigenous land rights activist. He was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land i ...

Australian National Playwrights Conference

The following year, 1973, Syron co-founded the Australian National Playwrights Conference (ANPC) with

Katharine Brisbane Katharine Brisbane AM (born 1932) is an Australian journalist and publisher, well known for her writings as a theatre critic. Early life and education Katharine Brisbane was born in Singapore in 1932, to David Williams, a civil engineer, ...

, which continued to take place annually until at least 2006.

Lloyd Richards Lloyd George Richards (June 29, 1919 – June 29, 2006) was a Canadian-American theatre director, actor, and dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1979 to 1991, and Yale University professor emeritus. Biography Richards was born in Toron ...

, then head of acting at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and artistic director of the American National Playwrights Conference wrote to the

of the

Australia Council 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 Austr ...

in September 1993:

The National Playwrights Conference of Australia exists because Brian Syron visited the National Playwrights Conference in Waterford, Conn. and recognised it as an important idea for Australia, and he went back to champion the possibility. Others visited and the rest is history."

Syron returned to the theatre again in 1976 with his direction of '' Dimboola'' (written by

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (born 12 April 1940 in Warracknabeal, Victoria) is an Australian playwright and physician. Biography Hibberd studied medicine at the University of Melbourne and resided in Newman College. He worked as a registrar in th ...

) in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

as well as at Bonapartes Theatre Restaurant, Kings Cross, Sydney, where his stage production ran continuously for the next two years and four months. He followed "Dimboola" with a production of the American play ''Falling Apart'' at the New Theatre, Newtown, Sydney, and in 1978 he played the role of "The Actor" in a production of

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

's ''

The Lower Depths ''The Lower Depths'' (russian: На дне, translit=Na dne, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902 under the direction of Konstantin St ...

'' which ran for six weeks at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. In this same year, he opened the New Group Theatre at the All Nations Club, Kings Cross, where he directed among other productions ''A Tribute to Tennessee Williams'', before the ongoing costs of keeping an independent theatre going forced Syron to close after 12 months.

Eora Centre

In conjunction with the Aboriginal Educational Unit of TAFE, Syron founded the

Redfern, Sydney Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney located 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Strawberry Hills is a locality on the border with Surry Hills. The are ...

. He co-founded the

Aboriginal Theatre Company ''The Cake Man'' is a 1975 play by Aboriginal Australian writer Bob Merritt, notable for being the first play written by an Indigenous Australian person to be published, televised and to tour out of Australia. A telemovie was made of a 1977 per ...

(ATC) in 1981 with scriptwriter/playwright/director Robert Merritt in order to tour Merritt's play ''

The Cake Man ''The Cake Man'' is a 1975 play by Aboriginal Australian writer Bob Merritt, notable for being the first play written by an Indigenous Australian person to be published, televised and to tour out of Australia. A telemovie was made of a 1977 pe ...

'', under Syron's direction, to the 1982 World Theatre Festival in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where the play received a tremendous audience response. Following this success, the play then toured various colleges around the United States. ''The Cake Man'' was performed at the World Theatre Festival in

, Returning to Australia, Syron directed a season of ''The Cake Man'' at the

Universal Theatre The Universal Theatre was a theatre at 13 Victoria Street, Fitzroy in Melbourne, Australia which operated from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. It was established as part of the Universal Workshop in the mid-1970s by colourful barrister John Wel ...

in Fitzroy,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

after which it was funded by Australian federal government's Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs to play at the 1983 ''Warana'' - Commonwealth Arts Festival, Brisbane in Queensland where it was performed at the Edward Street Theatre. In 1986, Syron, on behalf of the Aboriginal Arts Board, published a "Questionnaire seeking support for establishment of National Aboriginal Theatre Company", ahead of a National Black Playwrights Workshop at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

National Black Playwrights Conference

In January 1987, Syron founded the National Black Playwrights Conference (NPBC), which was held at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...

, Canberra. In an interview with Angela Bennie, Australia's leading Indigenous actress

Justine Saunders Justine Florence Saunders, (20 February 1953 – 15 April 2007) was an Australian stage, television and film actress. She was a member of the Woppaburra, an Australian Aboriginal people, from the Kanomie clan of Great Keppel Island in Queens ...

commented :

It was Brian Syron, in fact, who was the instigator not only of the first National Black Playwrights Conference but the National Playwrights Conference. Syron always said our culture is an oral one, it comes through our painting, through our singing, through our stories that's how we pass down our laws, that's how we have passed down our history for 60,000 years

Eva Johnson was writer/director of the conference. During the conference, the delegates awarded Syron the 1987 inaugural

Harold Blair Harold Blair (13 September 1924 – 21 May 1976) was an Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist. He has been called the "last great Australian tenor of the concert hall era". Early life Blair was born at the Barambah Aboriginal Reserve a ...

Award for his Lifetime Achievements in the Performing Arts, which brought with it the additional honour of the title "Elder".

ANTT

As a result of the first NBPC, Syron, as a member of a

steering committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

which included

Rhoda Roberts Rhoda Ann Roberts (born 1959) is an Australian actress, director and arts executive. Born in Canterbury Hospital in Sydney in 1959, Bundjalung woman Roberts grew up and completed Year 10 in Lismore, then moved back to Sydney where she qual ...

, Kevin Gilbert, Lydia Miller (later executive director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts at the Australia Council), Michael Johnson (who presented two

SBS Television The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is an Australian hybrid-funded public service broadcaster. About 80 percent of funding for the company is derived from the Australian Government. SBS operates six TV channels ( SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Wor ...

series in 1989 and 1991), Suzanne Butt, and Lesley Fogarty, with

as adviser, proposed and co-founded the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust (ANTT). ANTT was constituted as a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by shares, the li ...

in May 1988, and was staffed by Aboriginal artists who were committed to the promotion and protection of all Aboriginal arts. It founded a National Aboriginal Theatre, and provided advice to a number of Aboriginal and non-Indigenous production companies, theatre companies and educational institutions, and individuals. In May 1988 ANTT staged ''The Keepers'', by

Bob Maza Robert Lewis Maza (25 November 1939 – 14 May 2000), known as Bob Maza, was an Aboriginal Australian actor, playwright and activist. Early life and education Robert Lewis Maza was born on Palm Island in North Queensland on 25 November 1939, ...

, at the

Belvoir Street Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...

, which was the first all-Aboriginal production staged in Australia. The Second National Black Playwrights Conference was held in 1989 at

Macquarie University Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of ...

, which gave rise to the Corroboree of Aboriginal National Storytellers. In March 1990 ANTT staged the world premiere of ''Munjong'', by

Richard Walley Richard Barry Walley (born 1953) OAM is a Nyungar man, one of Australia's leading Aboriginal performers, musicians and writers, who has been a campaigner for the Indigenous cause. Walley is also a visual artist. Life and career Walley, born ...

and directed by Vivian Walker (son of

Oodgeroo Noonuccal Oodgeroo Noonuccal ( ; born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska, later Kath Walker (3 November 192016 September 1993) was an Aboriginal Australian political activist, artist and educator, who campaigned for Aboriginal rights. Noonuccal was best known for ...

), at the

Victorian Arts Centre Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central ...

. In June 1991, after its Board of Directors in protest against the lack of financial support from government, the ANTT ceased operations.

Last work

Syron carried out a two-week workshop, a stage reading, plus a production in 1991 at the

, Redfern, Sydney of Mudrooroo Narogin's "courageous and brave new play"Syron, Kicking Down the Doors: 370 ''The Aboriginal Demonstrators Confront the Declaration of the Australian Republic on 26 January 2001 with the Production of "

Der Auftrag ''The Mission: Memory of a Revolution'' (''Der Auftrag: Erinnerungen an eine Revolution''), also known as ''The Task'', is a Postmodernism, postmodern Play (theatre), drama by the (formerly German Democratic Republic, East) Germany, German playw ...

" by Heiner Muller'' and starring Justine Saunders, Michael Watson, David Kennedy, Pamela Young, Ray Kelly and Graham Cooper. The play and the production are also the subject of Mudrooroo Narogin's book ''The Mudrooroo/Muller Project - A Theatrical Casebook'', with a chapter by Syron and edited by Gerhard Fischer in collaboration with leading Indigenous academic Paul Behrendt and Syron. Syron was too ill to do more than direct the stage reading of the play.

Teaching

Following the success of "Fortune", Syron was approached by Sydney drama professionals to set up the Actors Master Class for those interested in studying the Stanislavski/ Adler technique and for which Syron had applied to his award-winning production. Following the success of the Master Class, Syron was requested to introduce an Intermediate classes and then a Beginners class, both of limited numbers. The School was kept open on an ad hoc basis over the next 23 years and moved many times between 1969 and 1992. In 1969 Syron taught the first group of urban Aboriginal actors to every study Stanislavski or acting from an Indigenous perspective. The classes were held at the Foundation of Aboriginal Affairs, George Street (near Central railway station),

Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often refer ...

and the actors included political and cultural historian/actor Denis Walker and actor/director/historian

Gary Foley Gary Edward Foley (born 1950) is an Aboriginal Australian activist of the Gumbainggir people, academic, writer and actor. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Abo ...

. The situation was still so bad that at the end of each evening the actors had to be ferried back by taxi to their homes in Redfern, about 10 minutes' walk away, to avoid arrest by the police. He followed this in the early 1972 with workshops and acting classes held at the Black Theatre Arts & Cultural Centre (aka

Black Theatre Black theatre or black theater may refer to: * Black light theatre, a staging concept using black backgrounds and black light * Black Theatre (Sydney), an Australian Aboriginal theatre company 1972–1977 * African-American musical theater ...

), Cope Street, Redfern where his pupils included Jack Davis, Hyllus Maris, Lester Bostock,

Maureen Watson Maureen Watson, also known as "Aunty Maureen" (9 November 1931 – 4 January 2009), was a supporter of Aboriginal rights in Australia, actor, vocalist, writer, musician and storyteller. Early life and education Watson was born on 9 November 193 ...

and Gerry Bostock. In 1973, as a foundation member of the Peter Summerton Foundation, Syron organised with his mentor Stella Adler to travel to Australia and conduct a series of

master class A master class is a Class (education), class given to students of a particular Academic discipline, discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are b ...

es for people from all areas of the Australian entertainment industries. He then instigated The Artists' Group Theatre, with the first workshops being held in the sculpture studio of

Ron Robertson-Swann Ronald Charles Robertson-Swann OAM (born 1941, Sydney), is an Australian sculptor, best known for his controversial abstract public sculpture ''Vault'' (1980) located in Melbourne, he also known for his sculpture '' Leviathan Play'' (1985), l ...

before moving to

The Stables The Stables (also known as the Stables Theatre) is a music venue situated in Wavendon, a small village in south-east Milton Keynes. The Stables hosts over 400 concerts and around 250 education events a year including the National Youth Music ...

, Kings Cross. During this year he was invited to teach drama to The Resurgent Society inmates of Parramatta Gaol, and became involved with the Society for the next 12 months. His group included playwrights

Jim McNeil James Thomas McNeil (23 January 1935 – 16 May 1982) was an Australian award-winning playwright. While serving a 17-year sentence in Parramatta Correctional Centre for armed robbery and shooting a police officer, McNeil began writing plays. W ...

and Robin Thurston, and Syron is believed to be the first drama teacher to work in the prison system of New South Wales. At the end of 1974 Syron went to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to take up a Adler's invitation to work at the Stella Adler Los Angeles Acting Studio on

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

. Leading Indigenous academic and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

graduate

Roberta Sykes Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Patt ...

set up the

Black Women's Action Roberta "Bobbi" Sykes (16 August 194314 November 2010) was an Australian poet and author. She was a lifelong campaigner for Indigenous land rights, as well as human rights and women's rights. Early life and education Born Roberta Barkley Pat ...

(BWA) group in 1976 with Syron as a foundation member, joining other Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the support of the educational advancement of Indigenous women in their pursuit of academic success at leading international universities. Over the period 1986–1987 Syron became the first Indigenous Australian to lecture at the

Australian Film, Television and Radio School The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority. History Establishe ...

(AFTRS). In Australia's Bi-Centennial Year, 1988, Syron, as representative of actors and the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust, was invited back to AFTRS as a guest lecturer for the "Writing '88" Course.

Television

Syron was employed as children's dialogue coach on

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

's award-winning television production ''

Seven Little Australians ''Seven Little Australians'' is a classic Australian children's literature novel by Ethel Turner, published in 1894. Set mainly in Sydney in the 1880s, it relates the adventures of the seven mischievous Woolcot children, their stern army father ...

'' (1974), a series adapted from the

Ethel Turner Ethel Turner (24 January 1870 – 8 April 1958) was an English-born Australian novelist and children's literature writer. Life She was born Ethel Mary Burwell in Doncaster in England. Her father died when she was two, leaving her mother Sarah J ...

novel of the same name. In 1976 Syron was cast as Sweet William in the television adaptation of the Robert Merritt play ''The Cake Man'' (1977). Almost immediately after this production Syron was cast as Ray in "Ray's Story" a one-hour episode of ''Pig in a Poke'' (1977) a five-part series screened on ABC TV starring Justine Saunders, Athol Compton, Gary Foley and

Paul Coe Paul Coe (born 4 February 1949), a Wiradjuri man born at Erambie Mission in Cowra, is an Australian Aboriginal activist. He is known for his advocacy of Aboriginal rights, with involvement in the publicity drive for the 1967 referendum, and the ...

, and described as the first modern urban Aboriginal drama screened on Australian television. Syron then played the leading role of "The Wife Abuser" in director

Stephen Wallace Stephen Henry Wallace A.M. (born 23 December 1943) is an Australian film and television director, screenwriter, producer, published author and acting coach. He has directed eight feature films, nine telemovies, numerous short films, worked on ...

's telemovie ''Women Who Kill'' (1983) which screened on ATN Channel 9. In 1987 Syron was executive producer of the documentary-drama film production ''Karbara: First Born'' (1987), directed and produced by Richard Guthrie, during and following the 1987 Australian National Playwrights Conference. The film featured Lydia Miller and

Ernie Dingo Ernie is a masculine given name, frequently a short form (hypocorism) of Ernest, Ernald, Ernesto, or Verner. It may refer to: People * Ernie Accorsi (born 1941), American football executive * Ernie Adams (disambiguation) * Ernie Afaganis (born ...

and screened at the

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

in 1987 and on ABC TV. In 1988 he was appointed head of the ABC's new Aboriginal unit. Syron and Saunders were co-presenters of the ABC TV Aboriginal entertainment series ''The First Australians'' (1988–1990). This series of 18 × 1-hour programs featured leading Aboriginal people in the fields of performance, music and art, and presented Indigenous Australian political and commercial leaders in discussions on various topics important to Indigenous Australians.

Film

In 1970 Syron left Australia for the USA where he took up a position as Attachment / Assistant on the feature film '' What's Up Doc?'' directed by

. Syron's next film project was the short film ''Jeremy and Teapot'' (1976) starring

Patrick Thompson Hugh Patrick Thompson (born 21 October 1935), known as Patrick Thompson, is a British Conservative Party politician. Early life Educated at Felsted School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Thompson was a schoolmaster, teaching physics. From 1960 ...

as Jeremy and Syron as Teapot with the Narrator

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

, shot on location at Thompson's property at Upper Bo Bo, via Ulong, northern New South Wales. The film went on to win Best Film, 1982 Women's International Film/Video Festival,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, USA. Syron was employed on director

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He's known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ''Gallipoli'' (1981), ''Witness ...

's feature film ''

The Last Wave ''The Last Wave'' (also released, in the US, as ''Black Rain'') is a 1977 Australian Mystery film, mystery Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Peter Weir.''Variety Film Reviews, Variety'' film review; 16 November 1977, p. 21. It ...

'' (1977) as a consultant. The

Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a producti ...

awarded Syron a grant in 1980 for his script ''Australian Aboriginal Achievers'' (1980), which was a biographical documentary recounting the achievements of seven leading Aboriginal achievers: actor/historian

, potter Thancoupie, artist Jean Jimmi, bureaucrat Charles Perkins, academic Miriam Rose Ungunmeer-Bauman and artists Jimmy Bienderry and Stumpy Martin Jempijimpa. The script never received production funding and was later used as the basis for the Clare Dunn book ''People Under the Skin - An Irish Immigrant's Experience of Aboriginal Australia''. In 1981, Syron played a small role of "The Neighbour" in ''

The City's Edge ''The City's Edge'' is a 1983 Australian film co-written by Aboriginal Australian writer Bob Merritt. Plot Andy comes to Sydney and falls in love with the sister of a heroin addict. Cast * Tommy Lewis * Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving ...

'' (1983) (aka ''Running Man'' ''Edge of the City'')", co-written by Robert Merritt the first Australian Indigenous scriptwriter of a feature film and the Nightclub Manager in '' Coolangatta Gold'' (1983). ''

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

'' (1986) directed and produced by

Bill Bennett William Richards Bennett, (April 14, 1932 – December 3, 2015) was the 27th premier of British Columbia from 1975 to 1986. He was a son of Annie Elizabeth May (Richards) and former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed ...

featured Lydia Miller with Syron in the role of The Executioner or Kadachi Man. Syron and the lead actors were the co-writers of this production although they were uncredited by Bennett. The script improvisation by the actors is confirmed by ''Encore''

"Bill Bennett's "Backlash", for instance, is a film for which the principals improvised their dialogue...in this his latest effort he tested this technique to its limit" (''Encore'', 24 April - 7 May 1986 : 6)

Syron and

Rosalie Kunoth-Monks Rosalie Lynette Kunoth-Monks (4 January 193726 January 2022), also known as Ngarla Kunoth, was an Australian film actress, Aboriginal activist and politician. Early life Rosalie Lynette Kunoth was born on 4 January 1937 in Utopia, Northern ...

were employed as Co-Aboriginal Consultants on the television production '' Naked Under Capricorn'' (1989) directed by Rob Stewart, produced by Syron's brother-in-law Ray Alchin and starring

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war drama ...

. From 1990 to 1992 Syron directed the first

by an Indigenous Australian, ''

Jindalee Lady ''Jindalee Lady'' is a 1992 Australian film about an Aboriginal Australian woman who is a successful fashion designer. Directed by Brian Syron, it is the first feature film directed by an Aboriginal person in Australia.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Austra ...

'' (1992), and he is recognised as being the first First Nations director of a feature film. Nearly all cast and crew were also Aboriginal, and one scene featured the

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born ...

Lowitja O'Donoghue Lowitja Lois O'Donoghue Smart, (born 1932) is an Aboriginal Australian retired public administrator. In 1990-1996 she was the inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (dismantled in 2004). She is p ...

, Chair of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

wrote saying

Mr Syron is held in high esteem by both indigenous and non-indigenous Australians for his work as our first indigenous feature film director..He has made a valuable contribution to indigenous art in this country and has been a strong and articulate advocate in the movement to raise and promote the status of indigenous theatre and film as an integral part of Australia's cultural heritage" (O'Donoghue, letter to Russell Mulvey, Edmonton, Canada, 8.12.1992)

Briann Kearney and Syron applied in a joint application for a Literary Fellowship from the Australia Council and were awarded $20,000 to co-write ''Kicking Down the Doors - a History of Indigenous Filmmaking from 1968–1993 including non-Indigenous films for and about Indigenous people'', based on research collected by Syron for his submission to the 1992

HREOC The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but oper ...

submission.

Founder / member

* Black Theatre Arts & Cultural Centre (1972) - Artistic Director / Foundation Member *

Bondi Pavilion The Bondi Surf Pavilion in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is an outstanding beach cultural icon of Australia, together with the beach, park and surf lifesaving club. The structure is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register 01786 a ...

Theatre (1973) - Co founder / Artistic Director * Peter Summerton Foundation (1969) - Foundation member / Organiser "Stella Adler Master Classes" (1973) * The Artists' Group Theatre (1973) - Foundation member * The Australian National Playwrights Conference (1973) - Co-founder * The New Group Theatre(1978) - Founder * The Aboriginal Theatre Company (1981) - Co-founder * Black Women's Action Group (1985) - Foundation Member / Honorary Secretary * The Australian Black Playwrights Conference (1987) - Founder * The Aboriginal National Theatre Trust (1987) - co-Founder / co-Director

Recognition

* 1969 Winner, Inaugural Drama Critics Award - Best Production, ''Fortune and Men's Eyes'' * 1970 Polish Government Scholarship to study with

Jerzy Grotowski Jerzy Marian Grotowski (; 11 August 1933 – 14 January 1999) was a Polish theatre director and theorist whose innovative approaches to acting, training and theatrical production have significantly influenced theatre today. He was born in Rzesz ...

in Wroclaw ($10,000) * 1978 Script development grant,

, "Cape Hawk - A Work in Progress" * 1978 Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Aboriginal Overseas Study Grant * 1978

BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...

Specials Directors' Course for Emerging Nations * 1987 Winner, inaugural Harold Blair Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Performing Arts * 1987 Awarded the title of "Elder" by BNPC Delegates * 1990 Ikkeman Sacred Feather, International First Nations Film and Art Festival, Canada * 1992 Best Feature Film and first feature film by a First Nations Director, Dreamspeaker International Film and Arts Festival,

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, Alberta, Canada * 1992 Nominee, East West Award - Best Feature Film,

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...

Hawaii, USA Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is ...

* 1993 Co-recipient, Literary Fellowship - Australia Council, for "Kicking Down the Doors: A History of Australian Indigenous Filmmakers: 1968 to 1993"

Selected publications

* ''Entertainment Arts in Australia'', 1968, Ed. John Allen, Paul Hamlyn, Dee Why, Australia, 81:82 * ''People Under the Skin - An Irish Immigrant's Experience of Aboriginal Australia'', Clare Dunne, Lotus Publishing House, Carlingford, Australia. 1988 : vi:viii + * ''Aboriginal Voices - Contemporary Aboriginal Artists, Writers and Performers'' 1990, 138:142, Liz Thompson, Simon & Schuster, Brookvale, Australia, * ''Voices of the First Day - Awakening in the Aboriginal Dreamtime'', 1991, 1 : 5, Robert Lawlor, Inner Traditions International, Vermont, USA, *Interview - 23 June 1993 - Brian Syron with Trevor Ellis, National Films Canberra, ACT, Australia - 16 mm - Last Interview * "Screening the Past : The Sixth Australian History & Film Conference Papers - Aboriginal Cultural Identity", 1993, 54 : 58, Media Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia, *
Kicking Down the Doors - A History of Indigenous Filmmakers from 1968-1993
', 1996, with co-author Briann Kearney, Donobri International, Hawaii/Sydney, (2nd Edition 2007. Lulu Inc. ) * ''Mudrooroo/Mueller Project - A Theatrical Casebook'', Edited by Gerhard Fisher, Paul Behrendt, 1993, New South Wales University Press, Kensington, Australia, * ''Media Ethics, an Aboriginal Film and the Australian Film Commission'', 2002, Thomas G. Donovan, Brody T. Lorraine, Universe, Lincoln, U.S.A.,

Papers

* "The Population Future of Indigenous Peoples", 1983 United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations, Representative of the Aboriginal Arts Board of Australia Council, Bucharest Romania * "Colonialism, Loss of Land & Our Legal Rights", 1988 Fifth Festival of Pacific Arts, Representative of the Aboriginal National Theatre Trust, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia * "Indigenous Feature Filmmaking", 1991 World Festival of Indigenous Motion Pictures, Pincher Creek, Canada * "Indigenous Fimmaking in Australia". 1991 AFC Film Funding Policy Conference, Institute of Cultural Policy, Griffith University, Brisbane, Qld. Australia. * 1992 Human Rights & Equal Right Commission submission dealing with Australian Film Commission's denial of Equal opportunity in the Australian feature film industry. * "The Making of an Indigenous Feature Film", 1992 Hawaii International Film Festival, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA * "Aboriginal Films in Focus", The 1993 Writers Festival, Mitchell Library, Sydney, NSW, Australia * "History of Indigenous Oppression", 1993 Pacific Islanders in Communication, Honolulu, Hawaii * "Aboriginal Theatre in the 90s - Still Working from the Fringe", 1993 National Playwrights Conference, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Syron, Brian 1934 births 1993 deaths Indigenous Australian writers Male actors from Sydney 20th-century Australian non-fiction writers Australian film directors Australian Aboriginal culture