Belvoir St Theatre

Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney has been a leading platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander playwrights, actors and directors, commissioning and presenting First Nations work that shifts Australian stages towards truth-telling and cultural sovereignty. Since formalising its First Nations program with the Balnaves Foundation, Belvoir has funded fellowships and residencies that nurture and support Indigenous voices, notably supporting the Balnaves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Fellowship.

The company regularly commissions Indigenous writers and places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists at the centre of major productions, creating pathways from community to national stages. Belvoir’s programming foregrounds truth-telling by staging work that confronts colonial histories, social injustice and lived experience; festival collaborations and community liaison projects in Redfern further connect performance to local First Nations audiences.

Belvoir has employed and supported numerous Yuin artists and cultural workers: the company awarded a Balnaves fellowship to Yuin playwright Jorjia Gillis and has engaged community liaison artists such as Angeline Penrith; it has also featured Yuin actors such as Kevin Smith and Bee Cruse in prominent seasons. These commitments build professional pathways, commissioning and mentoring that help translate community knowledge into contemporary theatre.

By investing in leadership and mentoring and by integrating community programs with main stage programming, Belvoir St Theatre has expanded Australian theatre’s First Nations truth-telling and provided critical platforms for Yuin artists and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to shape national cultural conversations.