Robyn Archer, AO, CdOAL (born 1948) is an Australian singer, writer, stage

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

, and public

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

of the arts, in Australia and internationally.

Life

Archer was born Robyn Smith in

Prospect, South Australia Prospect is the seat of the City of Prospect and an inner northern suburb of greater Adelaide. It is located north of Adelaide's centre. Surrounding suburbs include Kilburn, Fitzroy, Medindie and Devon Park. The suburb has boundaries of Ma ...

. She began singing at the age of four years and singing professionally from the age of 12 years, everything from folk and pop and graduating to blues, rock, jazz and cabaret. She graduated from

Adelaide University The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

and immediately took up a full-time singing career. Archer has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours English) and

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

from Adelaide University. Archer is gay.

Performance

In 1974 Archer sang Annie I in the Australian premiere of Brecht/Weill's '' The Seven Deadly Sins'' to open The Space of the Adelaide Festival Centre. She subsequently played Jenny in

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

's '' Threepenny Opera'' for New Opera South Australia where she met English translator and editor

John Willett John William Mills Willett, MBE (24 June 1917 – 20 August 2002) was a British translator and a scholar who is remembered for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English. Early life Willett was born in Hampstead and was educate ...

. Since then her name has been linked particularly with the German cabaret songs of Weill,

Eisler Eisler is a Jewish surname of German origin that may refer to: * Barry Eisler, American novelist * Brenda Eisler, Canadian long jumper * Georg Eisler, Austrian painter * Gerhart Eisler, German journalist and politician * Hanns Eisler, Austrian c ...

, and

Paul Dessau Paul Dessau (19 December 189428 June 1979) was a German composer and conductor. He collaborated with Bertolt Brecht and composed incidental music for his plays, and several operas based on them. Biography Dessau was born in Hamburg into a mu ...

and others from the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, a repertoire which Willett guided her to. Her one-woman cabaret ''A Star is Torn'' (1979) covering various female singers including

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

and her 1981 show '' The Pack of Women'' both became successful books and recordings, the latter also being produced for television in 1986. She played ''A Star is Torn'' throughout Australia from 1979 to 1983, and for a year at

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archite ...

in London's West End. Archer has continued to sing a wide-ranging repertoire and in 2008/2009 gave a series of concerts including ''iprotest!'' (with

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky (born 27 September 1958) is an Australian pianist and composer. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Papu ...

) and separate German and French concerts with Michael Morley. All were sell-outs and critically acclaimed. Robyn has written and devised many works for the stage from ''The Conquest of Carmen Miranda'' to ''Songs From Sideshow Alley'' and ''Cafe Fledermaus'' (directed by

Barrie Kosky Barrie KoskyBarrie Kosky's name is sometimes misspelled as Barry Kosky, Barrie Koski, Barrie Koskie. (born 18 February 1967) is an Australian theatre and opera director.Kosky also plays the piano, as he did in his production of Monteverdi's ''Po ...

to open the Merlyn Theatre at the

Malthouse A malt house, malt barn, or maltings, is a building where cereal grain is converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying it to stop further growth. The malt is used in brewing beer, whisky and in certain food ...

in Melbourne). In 1989 she was commissioned to write a new opera, ''Mambo'', for the Nexus Opera, London. In 2008 her play ''Architektin'' premiered in Adelaide and in 2009 she devised the ''Tough Nut Cabaret'' for a production in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylv ...

, USA.

Festival director and public speaker

Robyn Archer is also a director of arts festivals in Australia and overseas. Her career took this turn accidentally, with an invitation while she was performing her show ''Le Chat Noir'' in Canberra to direct the National Festival of Australian Theatre which was hosted by the national capital. She directed the 1993, 1994 and 1995 editions and this began a string of Artistic Director positions at the

Adelaide Festival of Arts The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

(1998 and 2000), the

Melbourne International Arts Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

(2002–2004). She created Ten Days on the Island, an international arts festival for Tasmania, spent two years as Artistic Director of the European Capital of Culture, and advised on the start-up of

Luminato Luminato Festival, Toronto's International Festival of Arts and Ideas, is an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, launched in 2007. In its first decade, Luminato presented over 3,000 performances featuring 11,000 artists f ...

in Toronto. In 2007 she created The Light in Winter for

Federation Square Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy rai ...

in Melbourne and in July 2009 was appointed Creative Director of the Centenary of Canberra 2013. She is in frequent demand as a speaker and public advocate of the arts all over the world, and her Wal Cherry and Manning Clark Memorial Lectures in 2008/2009 have increased that status. She was a commentator at the inaugural broadcast

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

for the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

, Australia. She has been a television guest on '' The Michael Parkinson Show'', ''

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Good News Week ''Good News Week'' is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and 11 February 2008 to 28 April 2012. The show's initial run aired on ABC until being bought by Network Ten i ...

'' (ABC); ''Adelaide Festival 1998'' (ABC National three-part series), the '' David Frost New Year Special'', '' The Midday Show'', '' Tonight Live'', ''

Review A review is an evaluation of a publication, product, service, or company or a critical take on current affairs in literature, politics or culture. In addition to a critical evaluation, the review's author may assign the work a rating to indic ...

'', ''

Dateline A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story was written or filed, though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted from wire services, the distributing organization is ...

'', '' Denton'', and ''Express''. On 1 April 2016 Robyn Archer AO was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

Videography

''Eating on the Plane'' (ABC for Kids film clip, 1990) (appeared on ''ABC for Kids: Video Hits'' from 1991) (Director: Tony Wellington; Producer: Vicki Watson)

Works

Stage works as writer, composer or devisor

* ''Live-Could-Possibly-Be-True-One-Day Adventures of Superwoman'' (1974) * ''Kold Komfort Kaffe'' (1978) * ''A Star Is Torn'' (1979) * ''Songs from Sideshow Alley'' (1980) * ''Captain Lazar and his Earthbound Circus'' (1980) * '' The Pack of Women'' (1981) * ''The Conquest of Carmen Miranda'' (1982) * ''Cut and Thrust'' (1983) * ''Il Magnifico'' (1984) * ''The 1985 Scandals'' (1985) * ''Akwanso, Fly South'' (1988) * ''Cafe Fledermaus'' (1990) * ''Mrs Bottle's Absolutely Blurtingly Beautiful World Beating Burp'' (1990) * ''Le Chat Noir'' (1991) * ''The Bridge'' (1992) * ''See Ya Next Century'' (1993) * ''Ningali'' (1994) * ''Sappho Sings the Blues'' (1997) * ''Boy Hamlet'' (2000) * ''Architektin'' (2008)

Other published works

* ''The Robyn Archer Songbook'' ( McPhee Gribble, 1980) * ''Mrs Bottle Burps'' (Nelson, 1983) * 'Introduction', ''Women's Role (''The National Times, 1983) * ''A Star Is Torn'' (with Dianna Simmonds) (

Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' (genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-āg ...

, 1986) *''The myth of the mainstream: politics and performing arts in Australia today'' (Platform paper no. 4) (

Currency House Currency House Incorporated is an independent not-for-profit organisation based in New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 2000 by Katharine Brisbane, the organisation seeks to advocate for and support the performing arts in Australia. In additio ...

, 2005) *''Detritus: addressing culture & the arts'' ( UWA Publishing, 2010)

Positions

Current positions held

* Creative Director, Centenary of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ...

* Artistic Director, The Light in Winter (

, Melbourne) * Member, European House of Culture * Co-patron, The Institute of Postcolonial Studies (Melbourne) * Patron, The Arts Law Centre of Australia * Patron, The National Script Centre (Tasmania) * Patron, Brink Productions (Adelaide) * Patron, The Australian Art Orchestra (Melbourne) * Ambassador, the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

* Ambassador, The International Women's Development Agency *

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scien ...

Global Sustainability Leader

Former positions held

* Artistic Director, Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008 (2004–2006) * Artistic Director
Melbourne International Arts Festival
(2002–2004) * Advisor to the Artistic Program of

10 Days on the Island 10 Days on the Island is a biennial cultural festival held in Tasmania, Australia. The first was held in 2001. It is Tasmania's premier cultural event, and presents exhibitions, performances and community events in 50 locations around the island. ...

(

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

)(2001–2005) * Artistic Director,

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

(1998 and 2000) * Artistic Advisor,

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Jac ...

Hannover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

EXPO 2000 * Artistic Director, National Festival of Australian Theatre (1993–95) in

* Chair, Community Cultural Development Board,

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 Austra ...

(1993-5) * Commonwealth Appointee to the Centenary of Federation Advisory Committee (1994) * Member of the Board of Directors, International Society of Performing Arts * Member of Council,

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...

* Inaugural Ambassador, Adelaide Festival Centre * Trustee, The

Don Dunstan Donald Allan Dunstan (21 September 1926 – 6 February 1999) was an Australian politician who served as the 35th premier of South Australia from 1967 to 1968, and again from 1970 to 1979. He was a member of the House of Assembly (MHA) for th ...

Foundation * Artistic Counsel, Belvoir Street Theatre (1986) * Patron, National Affiliation of Arts Educators * Member of the Board, Helpmann Academy.

Honours

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

(

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...

) *

Doctor of the University An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

(

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator M ...

) * Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(Australia) – 2000 *

Chevalier Chevalier may refer to: Honours Belgium * a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold * a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II * a title in the Belgian nobility France * a rank in the French Legion d' ...

of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose i ...

(France) – 2001 * Officer of the

Order of the Crown (Belgium) The Order of the Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne, nl, Kroonorde) is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors. History The Order was established on October 15, 1897 by King Leopold II in his ...

– 2008 *Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...

– 2014

Awards and nominations

* The Sydney Critics' Circle Award (1980) * Australia Council Creative Fellowship (1991–93)

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, '' The Pack of Women'' , Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Ph ...

, ''Mrs Bottle's Burp'' , Best Children's Album , , , -

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical th ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' (LPA) since 2001. In 2019, Archer received the

JC Williamson Award The JC Williamson Award (formally known as the James Cassius Williamson Award), is an lifetime achievement award presented annually as a sector of the Helpmann Awards, governed by Live Performance Australia. The awards are named after the Ameri ...

, the LPA's highest honour, for their life's work in live performance. , - ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, , Robyn Archer in ''Concert: Que Reste-t-il?'' , , Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer , , , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, , Robyn Archer , ,

, , , -

Henry Lawson Award

, - , 1980 , , Robyn Archer , , Henry Lawson Award , , , -

South Australian Music Awards

The South Australian Music Hall of Fame celebrates the careers of successful music industry personalities and creates relationships with the upcoming youth and future of South Australian Music. , - , 2016 , , Robyn Archer, , Hall of Fame , , , -

Victorian Honour Roll of Women

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. , - , 2001 , , Robyn Archer, , Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award , , , -

References

External links

Robyn Archer's web site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Robyn Living people ARIA Award winners Helpmann Award winners Australian theatre directors Australian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Australian dramatists and playwrights Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) 1948 births Lesbian musicians LGBT singers from Australia LGBT songwriters Actresses from Adelaide Musicians from Adelaide Australian women singer-songwriters Australian women guitarists Australian lesbian writers LGBT dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian women singers 21st-century Australian women singers Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Officers of the Order of Australia 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people