News
Spotlight: Joan Crawford & Bette Davis
JOAN CRAWFORD Rising from a modest background to become one of MGM’s brightest stars, Joan Crawford embodied ambition. She captivated audiences in the 1930s with modern, working-girl roles before delivering one of the great screen comebacks in Mildred Pierce – a performance that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress and reaffirmed her status […]
Writer’s Note: Anton Burge, BETTE & JOAN
What ever happened ON What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The stories regarding Bette Davis and her – supposed – archnemesis Joan Crawford are the stuff of Hollywood legend. Yes, while filming the classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), it was reported that Joan tied weights to herself when Bette had to lift her, because […]
Playlist: A Season of Love
This Valentine’s Day, we’ve created a love song playlist inspired by our 2026 season! Each track is a nod to the romance, rivalry, longing and laughter waiting on our stage – though we’ll let you decide which song belongs to which story… Whether you’re spending the day with your soulmate, best friend, or favourite theatre […]
Director’s Note: Janine Watson, THE SOCIAL LADDER
What if the type of person whose beliefs fill you with ire, who you can only yell at on social media or the tv news, the one you see as accountable for the disintegration of society was suddenly right there in front of you? Would you be able to restrain your views? Would your moral […]
2026 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Award Announcement
We are delighted to announce Jules Billington and Jessica Fallico as the recipients of the 2026 Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Award! “I am thrilled that in this 11th year of the Ensemble Theatre Sandra Bates Director’s Award we have two fabulous creatives joining the ensemble team next year. Jules Billington and Jessica Fallico have […]
Director’s Note: Mark Kilmurry, DIAL M FOR MURDER
It is such a thrill to work on a superbly crafted thriller. DIAL M FOR MURDER was so successful for writer Frederick Knott, he only wrote a few more plays before retiring to live on the proceeds (WAIT UNTIL DARK was one of his other hugely successful titles). The film was a success for Alfred […]
Adaptation Note: Jeffrey Hatcher, DIAL M FOR MURDER
Frederick Knott’s DIAL M FOR MURDER is one of those “perfect plays.” A puzzle piece in which everything fits together with a wonderfully satisfying click. So when Barry Edelstein at The Old Globe Theatre asked me to adapt it in 2020, I was daunted by the challenge. Barry said he wanted to see if something […]
Meet Deborah Lawrie
“Watching my battle on the stage, has brought home to me just how hard that battle was” Meet Deborah Lawrie, Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot and First Officer with Virgin Australia Catch Deborah’s unbelievable story on the Ensemble stage in FLY GIRL. Tickets are selling fast, get in quick!
The Real FLY GIRL: Deborah Lawrie’s story takes flight
Meet Deborah Lawrie, the trailblazing pilot who fought for her right to fly and became Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot. Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore, the powerhouse writing team behind the new play FLY GIRL, share how Deborah’s courage and determination sparked their creative journey. From the cockpit to the courtroom, FLY GIRL is […]
Playwright’s Note: Genevieve Hegney & Catherine Moore, FLY GIRL
It was January 2023 when the Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre, Mark Kilmurry, emailed us an article, his wife Jacqui had sent him, about an Australian pilot named Deborah Lawrie. He asked if we’d be keen to write a play based on her story believing we’d bring a sense of “the comic (and dramatic) to this […]
Spotlight: Deborah Lawrie
DEBORAH LAWRIE – AUSTRALIA’S TRAILBLAZING PILOT In 1979, Deborah Lawrie made aviation history — and changed the skies forever. When Australia’s major airlines said women didn’t belong in the cockpit, Deborah pushed back. Armed with talent, training, and sheer determination, she became the first woman to be employed as a pilot by a major Australian […]
Director’s Note: Janine Watson, FLY GIRL
What an immense privilege to have been a part of the development of FLY GIRL for the last two years, and to direct the World Premiere of this incredible new play. This is my third collaboration with Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore, who I just adore, and who have made my life infinitely funnier. In […]
Trailer: TRUE WEST
Set against the searing backdrop of the Californian desert, don’t miss Sam Shepard’s modern American classic TRUE WEST. “★★★★1/2 high calibre theatre… Maiden and Kent are riveting” (The Sydney Morning Herald) BOOK TICKETS
Trailer: HOW TO PLOT A HIT IN TWO DAYS
Don’t miss this “★★★★1/2 delightful, nostalgia-fuelled dramedy” Limelight, on stage until Sat 11 Oct. BOOK TICKETS
A Country Practice Actor Throwback
In the 1980s, A Country Practice was arguably the biggest show on Australian network television. Set in the quiet country town of Wandin Valley, the beloved series became a launchpad for countless Australian actors — and a staple of living rooms around the country. For many familiar Ensemble Theatre faces, A Country Practice was a […]
Spotlight: Sam Shepard
Who was Sam Shepard? Sam Shepard wasn’t just a playwright – he was a force. Gritty, poetic, and fearless, his work dives headfirst into the chaos of family, masculinity, and the crumbling myths of the American Dream. Over four decades, Shepard wrote more than 40 plays, blending dark humour with explosive tension. He won the […]