Support New Works:
My Brilliant Career
Help realise a new chapter for Miles Franklin’s classic novel with a gift to the Queensland Ballet.
Support a My Brilliant Career costume and have your name acknowledged inside the costume for its life – a personal thread connecting you with the artists of Queensland Ballet for generations to come.
#About My Brilliant Career
Rural Australia, early 20th century: Wilful, headstrong, and a born romantic, Sybylla Melvyn dreams of becoming a writer. Yet as a young woman during that time, society has other plans. First published in 1901, the novel was Australia’s first major contribution to literature, inspiring theatre productions and an iconic film in 1979.
Created on the Queensland Ballet, this new work by Cathy Marston is the first ballet adaption of My Brilliant Career.
Support a key character’s costume and have your gift acknowledged inside the costume for its life. Your donation enables Queensland Ballet's commitment to new works.
“Each ballet company who creates a set of costumes for a new production will sew a label into the inside of each piece that says the company name, the year it was created, who the character is, and the dancer who will wear it. What we’re also doing for My Brilliant Career is adding a second label to say ‘this costume is generously supported by...’ along with the individual donors’ names."
- Head of Costume, Lauryn Jackson
Sybylla Melvyn is a girl on the brink of womanhood. Mercurial and complex, Sybylla is caught between her romantic nature and her wild, creative heart. Determined that there should be no limit to her horizon, she often finds herself pulled in different directions.
The character of Sybylla Melvyn has been divided into two roles, Syb and Bylla.
#Syb
Syb
$5,000
Two costumes available for support.
“I am proud that I am an Australian, a daughter of the Southern Cross, a child of the mighty bush. I am thankful I am a peasant, a part of the bone and muscle of my nation”.
Syb is a dreamer. Yearning to be understood and appreciated for her talents, Syb dreams of being an artist like Caine, Paterson, or Lawson. She wishes people thought she was beautiful, she wants to fit in and to be loved. Syb imagines a future far from the drudgery of Possum Gully, drawn towards a life filled with art, literature and romance.
Support this My Brilliant Career costume and have your gift recognised inside the costume for its life with a hand-embroidered acknowledgement.
Select the Syb costume you'd like to support below:
#Bylla
Bylla
$5,000
Two costumes available for support.
“I am afflicted with the power of thought, which is a heavy curse. The less a person thinks and inquires … the happier it is for him, and doubly, trebly so, for her.”
Bylla is a rebel. Frustrated with the drudgery of country life and resistant to the numbing conventionalities expected of 19th century women, Bylla is creative, disruptive, political and independent. She takes pride in her unattractiveness, rejecting feminine sensibilities and romance.
Support this My Brilliant Career costume and have your gift recognised inside the costume for its life with a hand-embroidered acknowledgement.
Select the Bylla costume you'd like to support below:
#Harry
Harry Beecham
$5,000
The charming young owner of a nearby estate. Stoic yet playful, Harry befriends Sybylla when he mistakes her for a servant girl picking lemons. Over time a romance sparks between the two, their tempestuous chemistry and his competitive intelligence make Harry an almost perfect match.
#Mother
Mother
$2,500
Sybylla's mother. Lucy Bossier Melvyn is a cultured woman worn down by a failing marriage, a house full of children and difficult financial circumstances. Focused on getting by, she has no time to foster her eldest daughter’s dreams - aspirations she considers completely unrealistic.
#Grannie Bossier
Grannie Bossier
$2,500
The matriarch of the family, and owner of the Caddagat estate. Grannie makes a stern but admirable guardian for Sybylla. The two have a close and loving relationship, though Grannie Bossier’s traditional views often clash with Sybylla’s independent spirit. Sybylla is impressed and influenced by Grannie’s strength, elegance, and the respect given to her by the surrounding community.
#Aunt Helen
Aunt Helen
$2,500
Sybylla’s maternal Aunt. Aunt Helen is kind and nurturing, providing emotional support and guidance to Sybylla during her time at Caddagat. Aunt Helen attempts to cultivate refinement in Sybylla, guiding her to find a womanly poise and believe in her own inner and outer beauty as she crosses into adulthood.
#Uncle Julius
Uncle Jay-Jay
$2,500
Sybylla’s maternal uncle. Uncle Jay-Jay is a jovial and highly spirited bachelor who encourages Sybylla’s individuality.
#Frank
Frank
$2,500
A jackaroo on the Caddagat estate. Frank Hawden is an entitled and insensitive Englishman who arrogantly assumes that Sybylla would be overjoyed to become his wife. At Caddagat to gain work experience before returning to England, Frank stands to receive a large inheritance once he comes of age.
#Male station hands
#Female station hands
Station Hands (Female)
$1,000
Six costumes available for support.
Women working on the country estates.
#Children
My Brilliant Career: Behind the Seams with Head of Costume, Lauryn Jackson
With the premiere of My Brilliant Career just around the corner, Head of Costuming at Queensland Ballet, Lauryn Jackson, offers her unique insight into the creation of the stunning costumes that promise to bring the characters to life on stage.
Click below to read the full interview and get a glimpse into the world of ballet and costume design.
#Discover more
Trilogy
Trilogy, our 2023 triple bill features three stand-alone short works by world renowned choreographers. Learn more about the three works included in this program below.
Annual giving
Want to show your support for Queensland arts and Queensland Ballet on an ongoing basis? Consider an annual gift.
Memberships
Memberships are a great way to show your support for Queensland Ballet, while receiving exclusive benefits throughout the year.
