JUTE turns 30 and it's time to celebrate!

The story of JUTE Theatre Company reads like a great play, in which the characters dig deep to overcome challenges and carve out their place in the world.

Launched on November 21, 1992, the former Just Us Theatre Ensemble has grown from a passion project for three inspired locals into the JUTE Theatre Company, bringing millions of investment dollars and countless inspiring productions to Far North Queensland.

The brainchild of Company Artistic Director and CEO, Suellen Maunder, Senior Creative Producer, Kathryn Ash, and actor, Susan Prince, JUTE Theatre is inviting theatre goers and supporters to its 30th birthday party at the Bulmba-ja Arts Centre on Saturday from 5pm to 7pm.

Suellen said the founding trio did not imagine how far their journey would take them when they each gave up their jobs to create a theatre haven in FNQ.

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“Let me tell you, we had absolutely no idea what we were doing when we first started.

“But I think that level of naivety is the only way a company like JUTE would have started,” Suellen said.

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“Now JUTE is one of the major companies in Queensland and we have a national reputation for the development and production of original theatre works. 

“We invest heavily in the development of an artistic community and are the envy of many other regional centres.”  

While delighted with JUTE’s good fortune, Suellen said persistence, resilience, learning on the run, and the support of the arts community had been key to the company’s longevity.

“Like any small business, and particularly a not for profit, we exist on the smell of an oily rag and the passion and commitment of the artists and arts workers we work with,” she said. 

“We are always reliant on arts funding, philanthropy, sponsorship, and we make numerous investment proposals every year.

“Trying to make ends meet, having to fight for every morsel and often having to twist and turn to meet new challenges like a pandemic is a constant stress. It helps to have a great team and a great board of directors backing everything we do.”

Suellen said she had many wonderful memories woven throughout JUTE’s history and that every project the company had been associated with had a magical quality of its own.

She was confident that the company, which provides 60-90 artist contracts per year, would continue to play a significant role in Queensland theatre.

“What I love is  the diversity of work that JUTE produces, the way we reflect the cultural diversity of our community and ask our community to open themselves to new perspectives, to see and empathise with other lives.

“Certainly, in the lead up to the 2032 Olympics, JUTE has big plans to ensure that the regions play a part in showcasing Queensland. 

“JUTE keeps delivering and having an extraordinary impact on the region and up into the Cape, so it is hard to imagine that the company would not keep flourishing. 

“There are so many untold stories that need to be told and so many young people that need to be brought into the world of theatre.”
Those attending the birthday celebrations can also watch JUTE Actors Studio Professional Pathway program members tread the boards in the production of  Steve Pirie’s 3 O’Clock Flagpole.

The production will be performed twice, on Friday at 7.30pm and on Saturday at 7.30pm, following the 30th birthday party, at the Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, 96 Abbott Street, Cairns.

Visit their website to find out more and RSVP to JUTE’s 30th birthday party.

Tickets for 3 O’Clock Flagpole can be booked via Eventbrite.