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Mitchell Butel

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Mitchell Butel
Born
Mitchell Patrick Butel

(1970-02-10) 10 February 1970 (age 54)
EducationBachelor of Arts
Alma materUniversity of NSW
Occupation(s)Actor, singer, writer, director
AwardsHelpmann Award (4)
Green Room Award (2)
Sydney Theatre Award (4)

Mitchell Patrick Butel (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian actor, singer, director and writer. He is best known for his work in theatre, including musical and opera productions. He was the artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia from 2019 to 2024 and will take up the position of artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company in November 2024.

Early life and education

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Mitchell Patrick Butel[1] was born on 10 February 1970[2] and educated at Marcellin College Randwick.[3] He became interested in theatre as a child after seeing the musical Song and Dance and later Little Shop of Horrors.[4]

He attended the University of New South Wales and studied for a degree in arts/law, majoring in Theatre Studies and working as a paralegal in a law firm between terms.[5][2]

Theatre

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Acting

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Butel was part of the original cast of the Australian production of Avenue Q in 2009, playing the roles of two puppet characters, Princeton and Rod.[6] He has since then worked for many theatre companies.[7][8][9]

In 2012 he played Friar Laurance in Kip Williams' production of Romeo and Juliet with the Sydney Theatre Company.[10]

He has also worked in a number of musical theatre productions, and as of 2018 was the voice of the Play School theme song.[11][12][13]

In 2017, Butel played two characters, Mr Burns and Gibson, in Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, a co-production between Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre and the State Theatre Company South Australia.[14] His performance was met with good reviews,[15][16] and won a Helpmann Award.[11] The play was performed at Space Theatre in the Adelaide Festival Centre in April–May 2017[17] and at the Belvoir in May–June 2017.[18]

Writer and director

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Butel's writing credits include Excellent Adventure and Killing Time and he wrote additional material for Meow Meow's Little Match Girl, Belvoir St Theatre's production of The Government Inspector[19] and Opera Australia's production of The Mikado.[11]

His directing credits include Violet at the Hayes Theatre which was awarded Best Production of an Independent Musical at the 2015 Sydney Theatre Awards and for which he was awarded Best Director of a Musical.[20] Violet had its Melbourne season at Chapel Off Chapel.[21]

He directed the winning play of the 2016 Lysicrates Prize for New Australian Playwriting, Mary Rachel Brown's Approximate Balance.[22] In 2016, Butel directed Spring Awakening for Australian Theatre for Young People which won Best Production for Young People at the Sydney Theatre Awards and Porgy and Bess at the Sydney Opera House for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.[21]

In 2018 Butel co-directed An Act of God for the Darlinghurst Theatre Company and directed the Australian premiere of Jordan Harrison's play, Marjorie Prime as part of the Ensemble Theatre's 60th Anniversary Season.[23] Also in 2018, directed Funny Girl and The Bernstein Songbook for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.[citation needed]

In September 2018, he directed a production of the operetta Candide, staged at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs,[24] Sydney Youth Orchestra, and stars from Opera Australia, and also played the part of Dr Pangloss as well as the narrator. Alexander Lewis played Candide, Annie Aitken was Cunegonde, and veteran actress Caroline O'Connor took the part of The Old Lady.[25]

In 2019, he directed Mary Rachel Brown's Dead Cat Bounce for Griffin Theatre and Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Caroline, Or Change for the Hayes Theatre.[citation needed]

State Theatre Company of South Australia

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In March 2019 Butel was appointed artistic director of State Theatre Company South Australia (STCSA),[26] taking over from Geordie Brookman.[11] He oversaw a project called Decameron 2.0, a collaboration between STCSA and ActNow Theatre consisting of a series of 10 stories written, directed and acted by a diverse group of local talent. They were released as videos online from June 2020, when theatres were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.[27] It was one of largest pieces of online theatre in the world.[28]

In 2021, he directed Gli amori d'Apollo e di Dafne for Pinchgut Opera.[citation needed]

In February–March 2022, he directed Dennis Kelly's one-woman play, Girls & Boys, staged by STCSA at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival, and stars Justine Clarke.[29][30]

In September–October 2022, Butel acted in The Normal Heart, a play set in the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s in New York City,[31] in an STCSA production directed by Dean Bryant.[32][33]

In May 2024, he again directed and performed Candide in a co-production by the STCSA and State Opera South Australia, performed for three nights in Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, with the three main actors reprising their roles.[34][35]

Sydney Theatre Company

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In 2024, Butel was appointed as the artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company, replacing Kip Williams.[36] He will take up the position in November 2024.[37]

Film

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Butel has acted in a number of films, including Strange Fits of Passion (1999); Dance Academy: The Movie; and A Sunburnt Christmas (2020), as well as many TV series, including Bordertown (1999); Janet King, Deep Water (2016); and Stateless (2020).[38]

Opera

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In May 2011, Butel made his Opera Australia debut in the Gilbert and Sullivan production The Mikado where he played the comedic role of Ko-Ko.[39] In February 2013, he took part in another Opera Australia production, Orpheus in the Underworld, where he played the role of John Styx.[40][41] Later in 2013, Butel performed the part of Luther Billis in Bartlett Sher's production of South Pacific for Opera Australia.[42]

Music

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Killing Time is a live album Butel recorded during the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2010, and consists of songs with a time-related theme, as well as poetry and anecdotes. The album features a mixture of genres including jazz and cabaret.[43][44] The album was released in March 2012 and was mixed and mastered by Tony King.[45][44]

He can also be heard on the original cast recordings of The Republic of Myopia, Meow Meow's Little Match Girl and Opera Australia's The Mikado.[7]

Other roles and interests

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Butel was a member of Actors Equity from 1988,[46] and was deputy president of Actors Equity and vice president of superseding body the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance from 2009 to 2013.[28]

He was a member of the National Performers Committee from 2007 to 2018, and on the board of Belvoir Theatre from 2012 to 2019.[28]

As of 2022 Butel is a trustee of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, a member of the advisory councils of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, a peer of the Australia Council, and a fellow at the Australian Institute of Music.[28]

Awards

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As of October 2022 Butel has been awarded four Helpmann Awards (one for Mr. Burns, a post-electric play[11]); two Green Room Awards and four Sydney Theatre Awards.[28] He was also awarded Best Actor in Play in the 2017 Broadway World Sydney Awards for Mr. Burns, a post-electric play.

He received Helpmann nominations for Little Me (2008),[47] Summer Rain (2006)[48] and The Republic of Myopia (2004).[49]

He was nominated for two Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Feature Film for Gettin' Square (2003) and Strange Fits of Passion (1999).[38]

References

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  1. ^ "Current details for ABN 65 694 620 364". ABN Lookup. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Mitchell Butel". BONZA - Australia & New Zealand. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019.
  3. ^ Meegan, Gen (5 May 2023). "Mitchell Butel's best life". SALIFE. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  4. ^ "This Is Your Brain on Musical Theatre – 7 Questions with (Funny Thing!) Mitchell Butel". Australia.broadwayworld.com. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  5. ^ "Ko-Ko the new Hamlet". Opera Australia. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Avenue Q : The Musical : Comedy : Michala Banas : Mitchell Butel". Web Wombat Theatre. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  7. ^ a b Face To Face | Sydney Theatre Company | Mitchell Butel Interview
  8. ^ "Sydney Theatre Awards 2013 nominees announced | Daily Review: film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more". Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  9. ^ Williamson, David (2014). Emerald City. Currency Press. pp. 81–82. ISBN 9781925005264.
  10. ^ Simmonds, Diana (6 October 2022). "Romeo And Juliet". Stage Noise. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e Marsh, Walter (17 December 2018). "New State Theatre Company artistic director revealed". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Mitchell Butel". Opera Australia. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  13. ^ Bublitz, Jacqueline (5 December 2012). "This Is Your Brain On Musical Theatre - 7 Questions with (Funny Thing!) Mitchell Butel". Broadway World.
  14. ^ Washburn, Anne (29 September 2021). "Mr Burns". Belvoir St Theatre. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ^ Lenny, Barry (5 October 2022). "Review: Mr. Burns – A Post-Electric Play at Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre". Broadway World. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  16. ^ Grubel, Maxine (13 May 2017). "Mr Burns". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  17. ^ Dexter, John (27 April 2017). "Review: Mr Burns: A Post-Electric Play". The Adelaide Review. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  18. ^ McPherson, Angus (23 February 2019). "Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play (Belvoir & State Theatre Company South Australia)". Limelight. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  19. ^ "The Government Inspector Belvoir Sydney 2014". Belvoir St Theatre. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Sydney Theatre Awards 2015: The full winners list". 18 January 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Act of devotion". 25 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Lysicrates Prize goes to play about addiction". 31 January 2016.
  23. ^ Ben, Neutze (7 August 2017). "Ensemble Theatre Reveals 60th Anniversary Season". Daily Review. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  24. ^ Eccles, Jeremy (30 September 2018). "Political Correctness on hold: Candide in Sydney". Bachtrack. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  25. ^ Lancaster, Lynne (1 October 2018). "Candide: musically and vocally stunning". Sydney Arts Guide. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  26. ^ Smith, Matthew (17 December 2018). "Actor Mitchell Butel named new artistic director of SA State Theatre Company". ABC News.
  27. ^ Keen, Susie (10 June 2020). "100 SA tales to be shared in a bold new form of theatrical storytelling". InDaily. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d e "Mitchell Butel". State Theatre Company. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Girls & Boys". Adelaide Festival. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Girls & Boys". State Theatre Company South Australia. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  31. ^ Smith, Matthew (24 September 2022). "State Theatre Company South Australia boss takes to the stage in play The Normal Heart about AIDS crisis". ABC News. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  32. ^ "The Normal Heart". State Theatre Company. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  33. ^ Bramwell, Murray (5 October 2022). "Theatre review: The Normal Heart". InDaily. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  34. ^ ""Yes Honey!" South Australia's own international superstar Matt Gilbertson". Adelaide Cabaret Festival. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  35. ^ Strahle, Graham (24 May 2024). "Theatre review: Candide". InReview. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  36. ^ Morris, Linda (13 August 2024). "Sydney Theatre Company unveils new artistic director, and you'll know his voice". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  37. ^ "Theatre is 'fun, sexy and cool': The new artistic director of STC has a plan to challenge Netflix". ABC News. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  38. ^ a b Mitchell Butel at IMDb
  39. ^ "Detail". Opera Australia. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  40. ^ "Orpheus in the Underworld | Sydney Opera House: Opera Theatre | Opera review". Bachtrack.com. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  41. ^ "Todd McKenney and Mitchell Butel star in Jonathan Biggins' riotous production of Orpheus in the Underworld" (PDF). Opera Australia Media Release – Sydney Summer Season 2013. Opera Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2014.
  42. ^ "Theatre Review: South Pacific". Glam Adelaide.
  43. ^ "Killing time : live in concert / Mitchell Butel. [sound recording] : – Version details – Trove". Trove.nla.gov.au. 20 June 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  44. ^ a b "Killing Time | Mitchell Butel". Australianstage.com.au. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  45. ^ "Tony King Australian Singer songwriter". beautifullymad. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  46. ^ Williamson, David (2014). Emerald City. Currency Press. p. 82. ISBN 9781925005264.
  47. ^ "Past nominees and winners | Helpmann Awards". www.helpmannawards.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Past nominees and winners | Helpmann Awards". www.helpmannawards.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  49. ^ "Past nominees and winners | Helpmann Awards". www.helpmannawards.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
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