Cate Blanchett - Cate Blanchett's Husband To Run Theatre Company Without Her

The actress and her playwright husband joined the Sydney Theatre Company (Stc) in 2009 as co-artistic directors and CEOs, and they have turned its fortunes around since taking on the project.

The couple announced this year (12) that they will step down in 2013 after one more season, but Upton has now decided to stay and tackle the job on his own.

He made the decision after he and his wife agreed to keep their family in Australia, but Blanchett is too busy with her acting work and family commitments to continue.

Upton says in a statement, "The offer to stay on as artistic director came just as we had decided to remain in Australia as a family. We were finishing off plans for the 2013 season - the last of Cate's and mine together. At the same time, the team was also wrangling with our new five-year strategic plan. So it happened right when I was weighing up what Cate and I had achieved and also feeling an enthusiasm for what would come next...

"There was one job too many going down in our house. If you have other projects on the go, which could be acting projects, plus running the company plus, most importantly, the family, the prospect of doing one job too many for another term would not have crossed her mind."

Blanchett adds, "We weighed up all of our personal and professional needs and felt that - with Australia as our home - it was a great way to bring all of our initiatives at the company to fruition. It's very important for the Stc to consolidate and build at this time."