Artistic Director Jonathan Church's Departure From Sydney Theatre Company Described As 'Palace Coup'

Jonathan Church only assumed the role of Sydney Theatre Company's artistic director last September. The British director's replacement of Andrew Upton marked the first time in the organization's history that a non-Australian took charge.

His surprising departure from the company has the "whiff of a palace coup" according to a former employee, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

The anonymous source says that Church's interventionist leadership style alienated management, which had become accustomed to the "hands-off" style of previous artistic directors including Upton and Cate Blanchett.

"Jonathan was telling artists that he believed the way to get the necessary oomph in the box office was not through star power but through larger cast sizes," says the source. "It seemed he was pursuing his own vision and wasn't going to be 'managed'. My suspicion is he alienated management almost as soon as he walked in the door."

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The Sydney Theatre Company's current production is Arthur Miller's ALL MY SONS, playing through July 9th. John Howard and Robyn Nevin bring to life one of the great dramatic marriages, that of Joe and Kate Keller in Arthur Miller's classic about the corruption of the American Dream. Forged by a master craftsman, every word and every action in ALL MY SONS has a consequence.

STC's award-winning Resident Director Kip Williams and designer Alice Babidge lead a stellar cast and bring a sense of the poetic to this profoundly moving play. Visit sydneytheatre.com.au.