Andrew Upton
Encyclopedia
Andrew Upton is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is the husband of the actress Cate Blanchett
.
, The Cherry Orchard
, Cyrano de Bergerac
, Don Juan
(with Marion Potts) and Uncle Vanya
for the Sydney Theatre Company
(STC) and Maxim Gorky
's The Philistines for London's Royal National Theatre
.
His original play Riflemind, with Hugo Weaving
as an ageing rock star planning a comeback tour, opened at the STC on 5 October 2007 to favourable reviews. Riflemind opened in London in 2008, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
but closed after a short run due to uniformly poor notices.
and the pressure of the Global Financial Crisis
.
In 2008, Upton and wife Cate Blanchett
became joint artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company
for a three-year term.
Upton and Blanchett formed a film production company, Dirty Films, whose projects include the short film Bangers
(1999) and the feature film Little Fish
(2006). Upton wrote, produced, and directed Bangers, which starred Blanchett. He was the associate producer on Little Fish, which also starred Blanchett. In 2006
, he wrote the film Gone which was directed by Ringan Ledwidge. Upton wrote the libretto
to Alan John
's opera
Through the Looking Glass
which premiered in May 2008.
, Australia.
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
.
Career
As a playwright, Upton created adaptations of Hedda GablerHedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
, The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...
, Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac (play)
Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. Although there was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, the play bears very scant resemblance to his life....
, Don Juan
Dom Juan
Dom Juan or The Feast with the Statue is a French play by Molière, based on the legend of Don Juan. Molière's characters Dom Juan and Sganarelle are the French counterparts to the Spanish Don Juan and Catalinón, characters who would later become familiar to opera goers as Don Giovanni and Leporello...
(with Marion Potts) and Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya
Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre, under the direction of Konstantin Stanislavski....
for the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
(STC) and Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
's The Philistines for London's Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
.
His original play Riflemind, with Hugo Weaving
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving is a Nigerian born, English-Australian film actor and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Agent Smith in the Matrix trilogy, Elrond in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "V" in V for Vendetta, and performances in numerous Australian character dramas.-Early...
as an ageing rock star planning a comeback tour, opened at the STC on 5 October 2007 to favourable reviews. Riflemind opened in London in 2008, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
but closed after a short run due to uniformly poor notices.
and the pressure of the Global Financial Crisis
Late-2000s financial crisis
The late-2000s financial crisis is considered by many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s...
.
In 2008, Upton and wife Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
became joint artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
for a three-year term.
Upton and Blanchett formed a film production company, Dirty Films, whose projects include the short film Bangers
Bangers
For the sausage, see Bangers and mashFor the Danish rap group, see B.A.N.G.E.R.S.Bangers is a 1999 Australian short film starring Cate Blanchett. Her real-life husband Andrew Upton wrote, produced, and directed the film...
(1999) and the feature film Little Fish
Little Fish (film)
Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. It was filmed in and around Sydney, in Cabramatta and in Fairfield...
(2006). Upton wrote, produced, and directed Bangers, which starred Blanchett. He was the associate producer on Little Fish, which also starred Blanchett. In 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
, he wrote the film Gone which was directed by Ringan Ledwidge. Upton wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
to Alan John
Alan John
Alan John is an Australian composer. He studied music at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1980. His compositions include original music for various plays, films and TV series , and the musical theatre works Jonah Jones, Orlando Rourke, and the musical Snugglepot and...
's opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Through the Looking Glass
Through the Looking Glass (opera)
Through the Looking Glass is a chamber opera by the Australian composer Alan John to a libretto by Andrew Upton, based on Lewis Carroll's book and on the life of Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Carroll wrote the story's prequel, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.The work was commissioned by the...
which premiered in May 2008.
Private life
Upton and Blanchett were married on 29 December 1997. They have three sons: Dashiell John Upton (born 3 December 2001), Roman Robert Upton (born 23 April 2004) and Ignatius Martin Upton (born 13 April 2008). They live in Hunters Hill, New South WalesHunters Hill, New South Wales
Hunters Hill is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hunters Hill is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Hunter's Hill.Hunters Hill is situated on a...
, Australia.