Andrew Upton is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, producer and director. He has adapted the works of Gorky, Chekhov,

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

, and others for London's

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

and the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

. He wrote the original play ''Riflemind'' (2007), which premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company to favourable reviews, with Hugo Weaving starring and Philip Seymour Hoffman directing the London production. Upton and his wife, actress

Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

, are the co-founders of the film production company Dirty Films, under which Upton served as a producer for the Australian film '' Little Fish'' (2005). Upton and Blanchett became joint artistic directors of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 until 2012.

Early life and education

Upton attended The King's School, Parramatta, and the University of Sydney.

Career

As a playwright, Upton created adaptations of '' Hedda Gabler'', ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'', '' Cyrano de Bergerac'', ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...

'' (with Marion Potts), '' Uncle Vanya'', '' The Maids'', '' Children of the Sun'' and '' Platonov'' for the

(STC) and

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...

's '' The Philistines'' for the

in London. Upton's original play ''Riflemind'' opened with Hugo Weaving, playing an ageing rock star planning a comeback, at the Sydney Theatre Company on 5 October 2007, and received a favourable review in '' Variety''. The London production of ''Riflemind'', directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, opened in 2008, but closed due to the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

after receiving poor popular press reviews. In 2008, Upton and wife Cate Blanchett became joint artistic directors of the

for what became a five-year term. Upton and Blanchett formed a film production company, Dirty Films, whose projects include the films '' Bangers'' (1999) and '' Little Fish'' (2005). Upton wrote, produced and directed the short, ''Bangers'', which starred Blanchett. Upton shares writing credits for the feature film '' Gone'' (2007). Upton wrote the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

to Alan John's opera '' Through the Looking Glass'', which premiered with the Victorian Opera in Melbourne in May 2008. Upton acted in one of Julian Rosenfeldt's thirteen-part

art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

, ''

Manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...

'' (2015).

Awards and recognition

In June, 2014, Upton was recognised with the Rotary Professional Excellence Award, an award instituted "to honour a person who has demonstrated consistent professional excellence in his or her chosen vocation by contributing to the benefit of the wider community beyond their typical workplace role".

Personal life

Upton and Blanchett met in Australia in the mid-1990s and married on 29 December 1997. The couple have three sons and one daughter, the last adopted in 2015. The couple's children appeared with Upton in segment 11 of the 2015 film ''

''. Upton and Blanchett purchased a house in

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

, England, in early 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Upton, Andrew Australian screenwriters Australian film directors Australian opera librettists Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian theatre directors Writers from New South Wales Australian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Australian dramatists and playwrights People educated at The King's School, Parramatta Year of birth missing (living people) Australian film production company founders