UBS Supporter of Next Stage
 
UBS, one of the world’s leading financial firms, has been a supporter of Sydney Theatre Company for the past nine years coming on board as a Corporate Sponsor in 1999. As a company, UBS has a longstanding commitment to supporting arts and culture with a predominant focus on contemporary emerging artists’ work that otherwise may not have the opportunity to be seen.

UBS shares with Sydney Theatre Company an understanding that the long term success of our company depends on attracting a new and younger audience every year.

In 2000 Sydney Theatre Company evolved our Wharf 2 artform development program into the new, Blueprints, continuing to provide opportunities for talented young artists to develop their theatrical vision, with material which spoke to them and, by extension, younger audiences.  At the same time, it provided a unique opportunity for more traditional audiences to experience more developmental work in a familiar environment – Sydney Theatre Company.

In 2004 UBS took on the naming rights sponsorship of the Blueprints Literary Program to support Blueprints’ critical role in nurturing emerging artists and allowing them to develop their theatre craft.

When the chance came to further their support of artform development with the move to Wharf2 LOUD in 2006 UBS didn’t hesitate. In 2008, Wharf2 Loud Two-Way Nights an initiative created by UBS, have proved a successful way of promoting informal discussions between the audience (many of whom have been keen young UBS staff members) and the cast and creative teams of Wharf2 Loud productions.

As we move into 2009 and the newly named Next Stage program - which broadens its focus to not only provide opportunities to emerging individuals but also to smaller theatre companies – its significant that  UBS are with us still and we thank them for their commitment.

As well as supporting Next Stage, UBS has been the Presenting Sponsor of several of Main Stage productions over the past few years including, Andrew Upton’s Riflemind (2007) and John Doyle’s Pig Iron People (2008).

With the help of our UBS partnership Sydney Theatre Company is able to champion important new Australian theatre and encourage interest in the arts and in particular to provide audiences with glimpses into the vast possibility of theatre.