Sydney Festival Digital Archive

Cloudstreet by Belvoir (1998)

Cloudstreet burst onto the world stage at the 1998 Sydney Festival, when director Neil Armfield, Belvoir (then Company B) and WA’s Black Swan unveiled their epic two-part adaptation of Tim Winton’s novel.

Opening night was chaotic, with torrential rain on the wharf shed roof drowning out dialogue, prop mishaps and a final scene that had barely been rehearsed. But when actor Daniel Wyllie’s Fish leapt into Sydney Harbour, the cheering audience knew they’d witnessed theatre history.

The production went on to acclaimed seasons in London, Dublin and New York. Writing in The New York Times, Sheridan Morley described it as “the greatest achievement of all Australian theatre to date … the kind of show that comes along about once a decade to remind us why we keep going to the theatre”.