Sharehouse Production Company in association with Flight Path Theatre, is thrilled to present their second production, Strategic Love Play written by Miriam Battye. The season will run from August 25th – 29th.
“NO. I don’t want to, like, go for WALKS…I want to tear someone apart.”
After endless swipes left and right two strangers meet for a pint. One is asking all the questions you shouldn’t ask on a first date, the other just wants to survive the night. What begins as awkward small talk quickly spirals into a too-honest, too-intimate proposition. Bold, witty, and brutally honest, Miriam Battye’s comedy pulls the audience right into the discomfort and hilarity of modern romance.
This production features some of Sydney’s most promising emerging talent. For director Ava Rusch (Oh, the Humanity and Other Good Intentions, NIDA), this marks her directorial debut since graduating from NIDA’s prolific Directing MFA. The cast stars up-and-comers Georgia-Paige Theodos (Love, Old Fitz) and Caleb Jamieson (Traffic Light Party, KXT). Both are NIDA trained actors who graduated in 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Previous praise for Strategic Love Play
“Cynical, fun, and as gripping as a friend’s rapid-fire WhatsApps from a disastrous first date.” Pamela Raith, Evening Standard
“Buoyed by sharp comic performances…entertaining for anyone familiar with the exhausting rituals of online dating.” Gillian Russo, New York Theatre Guide
More about the show
Writer Miriam Battye is one of the most celebrated writers of our time. Her plays have been produced at iconic theatres such as the Royal Court, Manchester Exchange and Soho and her recent screenwriting work on HBO’s Succession and Netflix’s BEEF cemented her as one of the most exciting voices of the modern day.
An entirely NIDA trained cast and creative team including Ava Rusch (MFA Directing, 2026), Georgia-Paige Theodos (BFA Acting, 2024), Caleb Jamieson (Diploma of Acting, 2023), Caitlin Green (Diploma of Acting, 2023), Victor Xu (Diploma of Acting, 2023), Otto Zagala (BFA Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2026) and Bronte Hunt (BFA Design for Performance, 2025).
Cast
Woman: Georgia-Paige Theodos
Man: Caleb Jamieson
Creative team
Playwright: Miriam Battye
Director: Ava Rusch
Production Design: Bronte Hunt
Sound Design: Otto Zagala
Producers: Caitlin Green, Caleb Jamieson, Victor Xu, Jago Feild
Additional thoughts from the creative team
Ava Rusch (Director) on why now and why this show:
“I actually love romance but also find the whole concept of dating rather strange, yet we need this awkward stage to potentially find “the one” and with dating apps becoming the main source of how people find “the one” it interested me to watch two people genuinely figure out if they can make it work past the texting stage. I feel the world of romance is a bit lost at the moment. I feel dating apps and social media tend to make people judge one another too quickly before ordering the drinks and waiting for the awkwardness to pass, you never know what an hour can do. Battyes words cleverly show the other side of these online dates which is the exhaustion of being judged on a first date and just dating full stop, going on another date and another and maybe this one? No another! Over and over again, so how brilliant to propose an alternate option and see how it unfolds.”
Caitlin Green (Producer) on Sharehouse’s ongoing collaboration with young creatives:
“It’s difficult to get work if you haven’t already done work. That catch 22 became the impetus for starting Sharehouse. Since then, platforming emerging artists has always been our north star. They’re hungry, scrappy, and have an untapped well of talent; which is amazing for us. Our entire producing team is NIDA-trained, and the connections we made during our time there has carried us into our careers. We’ve only continued to strike gold in the years since drama school. Every creative we’ve had the pleasure of working with has truly been the best of the best. We could not be more grateful for their commitment and talents. And you’ll definitely see some familiar faces returning for this show – we’ve got the A team.”
Dates: 25-29 August (Preview on the 25/8)
Performance times: 8pm
Location: Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville NSW 2204
Bookings: https://www.flightpaththeatre.org/whats-on/strategic-love
Tickets: Preview $25 + booking fee; General Release $30 for Concession, $35 for Adult + booking fee
Content warnings: Strong language.
