Tom Holloway - Whats The Show

Red Sky Morning Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

Tom Holloway’s award-winning play, Red Sky Morning, has returned to Melbourne at TheatreWorks, St Kilda, having been developed originally through Red Stitch’s INK program. (The play premiered at Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre in 2008.) Holloway is internationally acclaimed and this iteration certainly shows us why.

We are introduced to a family of three, who, even living together, exist without connection and within the loneliness of the outback. It’s no accident our characters are nameless because to me, they could be, or could have been, any one of us at any time, floating in limbo in those awful moments where so much is felt and nothing is said.

Over the course of one day, M, W and G’s stories unfold in a series of poetic, interwoven monologues that reveal love, regret, insecurity, addiction, shame, dependence, doubt, destitution, devotion, hopelessness and then, sometimes humour in the embarrassing little moments.

Performed superbly by Alpha Kargbo as “M, mid 40’s male”, Emma Choy as “W, mid 40‘s female” and Izabella Day as “G, late teens girl”, their individual scripts intertwine while rolling seamlessly, despite their characters’ lack of connection in this story. In fact, the three performed as one entity, each of them having had to learn all three scripts to achieve this and they delivered each of their roles with such precision. A technically challenging feat, brilliant and fascinating to watch. This result can only have been achieved by a trio who truly trust and believe in each other at all times.

Directed by Lyall Brooks, four-time Green Room Award Winner across mainstage, independent and musical theatre and assisted by Seon Williams, this 60-minute play seemed to me to be more like 30-minutes. Izabella Day said Lyall was a wonderful leader in this process, trusting his actors and giving thoughtful, insightful direction that continually strengthened their work. The flyer told us, “Directed by Lyall Brooks, RED SKY MORNING is a hauntingly beautiful Australian story that will stay with you; because it feels like home.” I certainly related to a couple of moments that felt like ‘home’ to me years ago.

Lighting Designer, Sidney Younger; Sound Designer, Jack Burmeister; Set Designer, Harry Gill; and Stage Manager, Jade Hibbert, have also excelled in their field, supporting the actors beautifully in this process.

In 2026, most of us are wiser to issues of mental health or an understanding of self-doubt, so I believe this piece is now easier to digest and even more important than it would have been in 2008.

I liked the ending, albeit a subtle hint well-placed within a couple of words, that left hope for the future of M, W and G.
Like the joy of seeing a pink, orange or red sky we know we are lucky to glimpse any rare morning, this play reminds us we must embrace the will to survive and move onwards and upwards – despite any feelings of despair or doubt.

Book tickets via Theatreworks.
Playing 6 – 16th May.
Then touring Victoria after its Theatreworks season:

Tuesday, 26 May – Portland Arts Centre – https://www.portlandartscentre.com.au/Whats-On/Red-Sky-Morning

Wednesday, 27 May – Hamilton Performing Arts Centre –
https://tickets.hamiltonpac.com.au/event/1004:780/1004:982/

Thursday, 28 May – Lighthouse Theatre Warrnambool –
https://www.lighthousetheatre.com.au/red-sky-morning

Friday, 29 May – Corangamite Theatre Royal Camperdown –
https://www.corangamite.vic.gov.au/Places-and-Events/Events-and-Festivals/Events-Calendar/RedSkyMorning

Saturday, 30 May – Bellarine Arts Centre –
https://app.geelongcity.vic.gov.au/bellarineartscentre/calendar/item/8de59cbde2db2f9.aspx

To book tickets to Red Sky Morning, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/red-sky-morning.

Photographer: Sarah Clarke

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Beyond The Neck

Beyond The Neck Rating

★★★★★

Click if you liked this article

None of the characters in Tom Holloway’s Beyond The Neck have names. This may seem like an odd choice for a play about the aftershocks of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, given recent efforts in the USA to publicize the names of mass shooting victims, but not the perpetrators. A play about a subject that epitomizes ‘personal meets political’ makes a decision that could easily alienate us from its characters. Theatre Works’ production (directed by Suzanne Chaundy) feeds into this alienation with a bare set of four chairs and a painting of Port Arthur, and actors who seem aware that they are telling a story, speaking out to us more than each other. It’s a little Brechtian, quite funny in some parts and very dark in others.

And yet, the connection was palpable, the audience always laughing, sighing and silent when intended. The Old Man (Francis Greenslade), The Young Mother (Emmaline Carroll Southwell), The Boy (Freddy Colyer) and The Teenager (Cassidy Dun) have such specific backstories and distinct voices, but they also become archetypes of the people who were there when the shooting happened, and who are in the audience now. Some of the characters don’t have direct connections to the massacre but simply being at the site forces them to confront other traumas that have plagued their lives. This is despite the strange façade that the first half of the play is built around: a tour of Port Arthur in which the massacre is never mentioned. When that façade breaks down and our characters are plunged to their lowest points, it is truly heartbreaking.

With the sparse and static staging, this iteration of Beyond The Neck lives and dies on the strength of its actors, and they more than pull their weight. Putting the focus on them was a very smart directorial decision because their work as an ensemble is meticulous and enrapturing. Four characters telling four stories at once could be confusing in the wrong hands, but there’s an almost magical direction of the audience’s attention in every actor’s use of gesture and voice. We always know whose story we’re in and what their character is like, and when the fourth wall goes up and the characters start interacting with each other properly and being honest about their stories, it feels well earned. The Young Mother did get somewhat lost in the shuffle, but I think that has more to do with the pacing of the writing than this specific production – it would have been nice to have more time given to her response to grief. Ultimately, the cast’s chemistry perfectly suited a play about the intermingling of personal and group trauma.

It’s sobering to think that in the wake of the Bondi shooting, Beyond The Neck may be more relevant now than Holloway ever envisioned when he wrote the play in 2008. But what has also stayed relevant is the sense of community and love that the play ends with. In a way, good theatre is an embodiment of that experience, and this provocative production created an intensely beautiful atmosphere. It’s a reminder that no matter what we face – death, grief, nightmares, abuse, isolation – we are never truly alone, and there is life on the other side.

To book tickets to Beyond The Neck, please visit https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/beyond-the-neck.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Connect Online