When it burst onto the Sydney theatre scene in 1970, Nimrod was the place to be. As author Julian Meyrick observes, it had elan, pace and style. Its language was blue (on and off stage), its personnel young and good-looking, and it vibrated colour and energy. It was upbeat. It was hot. For the rest of the decade, Nimrod continued to be in the right place at the right time. It moved to a bigger building in 1974 and its output, its structure and even its funding seemed set to grow forever. This book tells the story of Nimrod from its genesis as a small company full of ideas and energy to its third bankruptcy in 1985 and the departure of its longest-serving director, John Bell. In a story told from many angles, Meyrick analyses: the theatre's repertoire and the ethos which informed it; the public face of the company and the tensions behind the scenes; the changing role of government subvention over the period; why the theatre became overburdened by its own administration; the contrasting approaches of different generations of theatre professionals; the effect of Nimrod's competitors -- especially the demise of the Old Tote and the rise of the Sydney Theatre Company -- on its own position; and the company's revenue and expenditure profile.<

Author Biography

Julian Meyrick was born in the UK and attended the University of Exeter and later, Kansas University where he gained an MA in Theatre Studies. He was the last assistant director of the Nimrod Theatre and has been an affiliate director for the STC, assistant director at the QTC and Artistic Director for Kickhouse Theatre. He has directed Luke Devenish's 'Fun and Games with the Oresteia', Garcia Lorca's 'Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter' and the award-winning 'Who's Afraid of the Working Class?' He is actively involved in arts politics and has published a number of papers in the arts policy area. Julian is currently Associate Director at the MTC.