Elaine Hudson directs eight professional actors in five short contemporary world plays. These award-winning plays have never been seen in Australia. Carol Dance, the Artistic Director of Scene theatre Sydney, selected the plays for global thinkers, theatre lovers and curious Sydneysiders. All the plays are entertaining, progressive and relevant to our times. They are presented as dramatic readings, script-in-hand.
From South Africa: Kunene and the King by John Kani, OBE. The play premiered in 2019 at the Royal Shakespeare Company to great acclaim. In the story, an elderly English actor in South Africa is trying to remember the lines to King Lear. Kunene, his black carer, helps him and interprets Lear in a new way. They are an odd pair, and their comic spats finally lead to mutual respect. It is powerful entertaining theatre.
From Brazil: Miss Margarida’s Way by Roberto Athayde. This short comic monologue has been produced in more than thirty countries, including on Broadway.
From The Philippines: A Night at the Opera by Floy Quintos. This 2017 play portrays the power of the elite in The Philippines. A ‘wife vs husband’ tense tête-à-tête ends in humour that saves the relationship.
From Indonesia: The Struggle of the Naga Tribe by W. Rendra. The Naga villagers protect their copper-rich sacred mountain from the ogres (westerners) when a corporation bribes the tribe’s Queen. There are good people and bad people on both sides.
From Korea: The Sound of Rain Falling, by Sue Ja Joo. This short lyrical work captures how the smallest sounds — rain on a roof, silence between words — can stir longing, connection and unexpected insight. Poetic without being precious, the play presents a gentle respite from our complicated world.
The performers of WORLDS ALIVE 2026 are Seth Eren, Paul Williamson, Tiang Lim, Ruba el-Kaddoumi, Micah Doughty, Madison Chippendale, Christopher Brown and Alan Faulkner. The director is Elaine Hudson.
Artistic Director Carol Dance says: “All the world’s a stage” and we want to provide Sydney with great theatre from around the world. The good reviews of last year’s WORLDS ALIVE prompted us to bring another set of exciting world plays to Sydney audiences. Here are reviews of last year’s WORLDS ALIVE:
The performances were well received by an enthusiastic audience. The plays were performed with commitment and vibrancy. Sydney Arts Guide
Great acting and a good range of plays! Maggy Franklin, Theatre Time Sydney
The actors were all fantastic. I loved the variety. I loved all the plays. WORLDS ALIVE wonderfully invited us to think globally and act locally through the power of storytelling. Brett Martin, VP, United Nations Association of Australia (NSW)
Details of playwrights, plays and actors: https://www.scenetheatresydney.net.au/worlds-alive-26
When: March 13 and 14, 2026, 7PM Duration: 2 hours Where: Walsh Bay Arts Precinct of Sydney (opposite the entrance to Sydney Dance Company on Pier 4) Tickets: $35 and $25 for students
Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/worlds-alive-2026 ($35 and $25 students)
One would not be out of place saying, WTF Rosie Roulette, writer and director of Pokélesque, performing 24-28 Feb 2026 at Ackland Street Theatre. What goes on in that fierce silly nerd head of yours?
Pokélesque tells the tale of a young trainer, wanting to be the best, beginning their pocket mon journey. Lucy May Knight’s star shines brightly as the young trainer. Their quick wit and improv reactions are hilariously fun. Adam White is equally matched as the Rival. There was no censoring of the rival’s name volunteered by the audience unlike the game. This was the beginning stages of the shocks and excitement ahead. Various stages of undress mean this is not a kid’s show.
We are cleverly welcomed, with the audience lights on, to three pink eared acapella singers, with words slightly changed for the Pocket monster theme, as people take their seats. As the lights dim and the story starts, we are taken on a weird psychedelic trip. The Professor, Darin Casler, cleverly comforts us for the road ahead. That road included fight scenes where we the audience clapped along and roared laughing.
There was MX Lucy Furr, whose stunning performance as Lickitung in hot pink tongue boa and pink sequined cap which made them a vagina in certain poses and strip teasing pocket mon. Rosie Roulette dazzled us with her beautiful version of “Never Enough”, what an exceptionally multi-talented weirdo. Sy Quinn’s performance in multiple roles with strange unrecognisable accents and many hat changes brought well deserved cheers and whoops from the audience every time they came on stage and played up directly with the audience.
Driving and begging for reactions seamlessly within the storyline. Rasputtin as Mr. Mime was a highlight. Their mimed strip tease was comically sensual and had audience members catching and returning their imaginary clothes with glee. The fabulous dancing Theresa Problem and Izzy Inyette play the villainous team Red Rockets. Were there a couple of sound issues and a troublesome microphone on opening night? Sure, but this talented crew added it to the interaction with us the audience. Improv and a non-existent fourth wall included us at every turn of this parody style play.
This all-inclusive, minus kids, show really is one for the pocket monster fans with many hidden and some not so hidden Pokemon puns. However, no prior knowledge is needed. Get along to the mischievous, totally camp, frivolous Pokélesque. Presented by GEEK OUT Nerdlesque. You will have a great time.
Space Jump Theatre Company invites audiences into the searing poetic intensity of Contest by Emilie Collyer. Running from 17–28 March 2026 at Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, this production delivers a taut, electrifying theatre experience, where power, endurance and the cost of competition collide on the court and beyond.
About the Production: The game slows. It’s a dance. A memory, a dream, the body remembers. Muscles tense and release, bones anticipate the landing after the leap we can do this in our sleep. We Play on.
When a new player, Cass, joins a suburban netball team, the fragile balance of the group shifts. She sees what others cannot or will not, and her truths, quietly spoken, ripple through the team. Secrets, unspoken grievances, and long-held frustrations rise to the surface, turning every pass, pivot, and collision into a reckoning.
Set entirely on the netball court, Contest, written by Emilie Collyer and produced by Space Jump Theatre Company, immerses women of every age, shape, size, and ability in a world governed by rules, expectation, and relentless pressure. Bodies move side by side, sweating, enduring, testing limits. The game becomes a powerful metaphor for resilience, courage, and endurance, both on and off the court, capturing the subtle, fierce, and unrelenting ways women persist.
Blending stylised movement, poetic dialogue, and raw physicality, Contest is a bold, immersive, and unforgettable story of connection, rivalry, and the extraordinary endurance of women. Every moment on the court resonates with intensity, intimacy, and the unflinching reality of human emotion.
But what still aches after the whistle blows?
Synopsis: When new player Cass joins a suburban netball team, long-held tensions surface, and every pass, pivot, and collision becomes a reckoning. Set entirely on the netball court, Contest captures the fierce, subtle, and unrelenting ways women persist.
Event Details: Dates: 17 – 28 March, 2026 Venue: Flight Path Theatre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville, Sydney Tickets: Available at www.flightpaththeatre.org Run time: approx 75mins
Cast: [alphabetical] GS: Melissa Jones GA: Willa King C: Suz Mawer GD: Emma Monk WA: Lana Morgan
Creatives: Production Company: Space Jump Theatre Company Playwright: Emilie Collyer Producer: Kirsty Semaan Director: Kirsty Semaan Movement Director: Amelia Pawsey Lighting Design: Theo Carroll Composer/Sound Design: Charlotte Leamon Set/Props Design & Construction: Jason Lowe Production & Movement Assistant: Danette Potgieter Tech Operator: Eliza Dodd Promotional Video: Yarno Rohling Marketing Images: SPbyKS
Production Highlights: Idea-Driven Storytelling: A bold, immersive exploration of pressure, rivalry, and endurance, where every pass, pivot, and collision is charged with physical tension, revealing the subtle, relentless ways women persist. Minimalist Design: A simple netball-court set and striking lighting turn movement into memory, dream, and dance, making every leap, stretch, and fall vividly felt. Tension and Insight: The arrival of Cass, named after the Greek prophetess cursed to speak truths no one hears, disrupts the team’s fragile balance, exposing secrets, grievances, and unspoken power dynamics. Kirsty Semaan’s Direction: A physically rigorous, poetically precise interpretation that captures courage, vulnerability, and the quiet ferocity of women on and off the court. Space Jump Theatre Company’s Mission: Committed to presenting bold, thought-provoking theatre for, by, and about women that resonates, challenges, and lingers.
Content Warning: This work contains strong language and references to sexual content, domestic violence, suicide, eating disorders and mental health challenges.
Sensory Warning: The performance includes the use of theatrical haze and loud noise.
About the Director: Kirsty Semaan (she/her) is a director, producer, and theatre-maker based on Gadigal Country (Sydney), with a passion for bold storytelling and visually striking stage productions. As the founder and Artistic Director of Space Jump Theatre Company, she is dedicated to championing Australian playwrights, amplifying female and underrepresented voices, and bringing impactful plays off the shelf and back onto the stage. Her directing credits include Woyzeck (2021), A Mouth Full of Birds (2022), and Driving the Holden (2022). In 2023, she co-produced and directed Long Story Short, a sold-out short-form theatre project. Most recently, she served as Assistant Director for Blood Wedding at Flight Path Theatre (2024). A Theatre and Performance graduate from the University of New England, her creative approach is further enriched by a successful 20-year career running a photography business, which has provided her with a unique perspective on visual storytelling and the expertise to deliver well executed productions from start to finish.
About the Playwright: Emilie Collyer lives in Naarm/Melbourne on Wurundjeri Country and writes across poetry, performance, and prose, exploring the intersection of the personal, the existential, and the socio-political. Her plays include Contest, Dream Home, The Good Girl, and most recently Super (Red Stitch Theatre 2025), with The Good Girl having been produced internationally. Her work has won and been nominated for awards including the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, Queensland Premier’s Drama Award, Green Room Awards, George Fairfax, Patrick White, and Malcolm Robertson. Emilie’s debut poetry collection, Do you have anything less domestic? (Vagabond Press 2022), won the inaugural Five Islands First Book Prize, and she was runner-up in the Gwen Harwood Poetry Prize 2024. She works as a dramaturg, text consultant, and teacher, and has just completed her PhD at RMIT, where she now serves as an Adjunct Industry Fellow.
About Flight Path Theatre: Located in Marrickville, Sydney, Flight Path Theatre champions bold and innovative works, providing a platform for emerging and established artists.
Contest is supported by the Inner West Council and through the Australian Cultural Fund.
Experience the sweat and intensity of Contest at Flight Path Theatre, 17–28 March 2026: www.flightpaththeatre.org
Nestled in the burbs of New Farm is a church and in that church is the very vibrant Nash Theatre. Each year they produce a radio play – well, extremely well.
A simple set with actors dressed appropriately for the era (1930’s), mircrophone stands at the front of stage and the ‘On Air’ sign glowing with the “Applause” sign lighting up to remind you that you are part of a studio audience – it is marvelous.
But best of all is the live action foley – set up along the back of the stage were three foley artists and I have to say, the horses and carriage sounds – spot on. Congratulations to Mark Corben, Lara and Emma Latham who entertained us with their enthusiasm, facial expressions and creative techniques – yes, I am still giggling at the Baboon.
I often listen to the Sherlock plays on Spotify and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a new one among the mix; ‘ The case of the Blue Carbuncle ” – hilarious. With the actors playing a range of characters from the vagabond thief to the well educated Sherlock and Watson.
Presenting old time radio shows is a great way to entertain an audience without elaborate sets. The stories rely on the actors ability to react appropriately without props, and once again, director Jason Nash has produced excellent work. The American and English accents on the whole were consistent and added to the believability you truly had stepped back in time to the 1930’s.
The roles of Sherlock and Watson were shared amongst the cast which took each story to a different era and there were some interesting accents. Caleb Hocking’s Watson accent for “A Scandal in Bohemia” was definitely unexpected but very humourous and Bruce Edgerton has definitely found his niche with the different characters you find in radio plays. King of Bohemia suits you Bruce.
Radio plays have advertisements and the cast brought these to life very much reminiscent of an era where entertaining folks was simple and mixed with a good dose of humour.
The actresses on stage, Sandy Adsett, Jenny Bonney-Millett and Kiah Latham were immaculately dressed and authentic with their characters, it definitely was a more glamourous era. Bright red lips, pearls, diamonds, heels and furs, they each delivered applause worthy performances and it is a joy to go to a play where you can hear what people are saying – great diction, accents and expression.
The first story, ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” was delivered with the emotion and mystery that set the actors up for a great show run, drawing in the audience and giving us all the shivers at the end. The stories were broken up by the jingles, which also offered great entertainment.
So if you are looking for good quality well priced entertainment here it is, take along a friend and enjoy the show.
Show runs until the 14 March, at Nash Theatre 52 Merthyr Road, New Farm
Tickets via Trybooking – https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1490448
