Black Swan State Theatre Company

Black Swan State Theatre Company is Western Australias Flagship Theatre Company and one of Australias foremost theatre companies.

Since its inception in 1991, Black Swan has earned both critical and popular acclaim for its world premiere productions and highly distinctive (re)interpretations of international theatre classics - all of which are infused with the unique culture of Western Australia.

These have included such landmark productions as Bran Nue Dae, Sistergirl, Tourmaline, Corrugation Road (winner of the prestigious The Age Critics Award), The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea, Cloudstreet (Perth, Sydney, London and Dublin seasons) and The Odyssey.

As State Flagship Theatre Company, Black Swan presents a broad ranging program including the creation of new work, contemporary international works and reinterpretations of classic plays that reflects life in Western Australia.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Kate Cherry, Black Swan has also created the Rio Tinto Black Swan Commissions, a new commissioning program investing into WAs creative future and showcasing Western Australian stories. The Company also runs a professional development program for emerging Western Australian artists who become Associate Artists of Black Swan for a calendar year.

Black Swan State Theatre Company is the Resident Company in the new State Theatre Centre of Western Australia which opened in January 2011. In its first year of performing in the State Theatre Centre, Black Swan was the first Australian theatre company to broadcast a live stage performance, when Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream, directed by Kate Cherry, was broadcast in real time to audiences across regional Western Australia. In the same year, Black Swan presented the world premiere of Rising Water, the first piece written by Tim Winton specifically for the stage.

Overall, the year was an outstanding success for Black Swan, with over 52,000 people attending a Black Swan production and box office income increasing by 93% compared to 2010.

Also see State Theatre Centre of Western Australia