Notable Alumni
SUDS’ rich history includes a variety of famous alumni who have treaded the dilapidating boards of the Cellar Theatre.
Their influence has reached to all walks of life—from politics, to feminism, to the wider Australian arts scene.
Get to know a few of them below.
margaret and gough whitlam 1919-2012 and 1916-2014
Gough and Margaret famously met at a SUDS Christmas party in 1939. Gough went on to be elected as Prime Minister of Australia in 1972 to make up the first Labor Government in 23 years, until his controversial dismissal in 1975.
You can read more about Margaret and Gough’s relationship (and their mutual relationship with SUDS!) here.
Apart from being married to Gough, Margaret was also a social campaigner, published author and professional swimmer, and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983.
Germaine Greer (b.1939)
Controversially known for her radical feminism in the late 20th century – and, in more recent times, for her transphobia despite her past feminist actions. Her first published book, The Female Eunuch (1970) was an international bestseller and remains a key influential text in deconstructionist second-wave feminism. At SUDS, she performed in multiple productions in the 1960s, including playing the titular character in Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children in 1963.
john bell (b. 1940)
John Bell founded Bell Shakespeare in 1990, and was a co-founder for the Nimrod Theatre Company in 1970.
He is an influential Australian actor and director, and was active in the Sydney University Players in the 1960s.
He played Malvolio in Twelfth Night in 1960, performed in ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore in 1961 and set designed and acted in Coriolanus in 1962, as pictured.