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A Country Practice addict and self-professed fanatic Melanie Tait, imagines what it was like for the writers to pen the episode that became a defining cultural moment in Australia’s TV history — when Molly Jones takes her final breath.
- Playwright Melanie Tait
- Director Lee Lewis
- Assistant Director Tiffany Wong
- Cast Amy Ingram
Genevieve Lemon
Seán O'Shea
Georgie Parker
Julia Robertson - Set & Costume Designer Simone Romaniuk
- Lighting Designer Brockman
- Composer & Sound Designer Paul Charlier
- Stage Manager Jen Jackson
- Assistant Stage Manager Sherydan Simson
- Costume Supervisor Renata Beslik
- This production is made possible by the Commissioners’ Circle and The Tracey Trinder Playwright's Award.
- 29 Aug 2025 - 11 Oct 2025
- 90mins (no interval)
- Recommended for ages 12+
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Hearing Loop
- Audio Described (selected dates)
- Adult themes, frequent coarse language
WORLD PREMIERE
It’s 1985. TV prime time. Across Australia, millions of tear-stricken eyes are glued to their television sets in disbelief. A Country Practice’s beloved Molly Jones takes her final breath. Fade to black and she’s gone.
Inside the story room, in a creative flurry powered by coffee, cigarettes and Fantales, the eccentric squad of TV writers have nailed it — they’ve written the perfect death for Australia’s darling. Hearts around the country are broken and forty years later, the pain is only just subsiding.
In this new comedy with Georgie Parker, A Country Practice addict and self-professed fanatic Melanie Tait, imagines what it was like for the writers to pen the episode that became a defining cultural moment in the nation’s TV history. Whether you’re a diehard fan of this iconic TV series or simply a lover of a cracking Australian story, you’ll be rolling in the aisles with laughter at HOW TO PLOT A HIT IN TWO DAYS.
HOW TO PLOT A HIT IN TWO DAYS is a fictional play imagining the machinations of a hypothetical writers’ room. It is not affiliated with the television show A Country Practice.
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Prices are correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice.
| TICKET TYPE | PREVIEWS | IN SEASON |
|---|---|---|
| FULL PRICE | $85 | $90 |
| SENIOR CARD | $82 | $87 |
| PENSIONER | $78 | $83 |
| GROUP 10 - 19 | $78 | $83 |
| GROUP 20+ | $73 | $78 |
| 30 OR UNDER | $40 | $43 |
| FULL-TIME STUDENT | $40 | $43 |
| SCHOOL GROUPS | $25 | $25 |
★★★★★ “Pure theatrical rambunctiousness” (THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE) ArtsHub
“Tait’s play is well-shaped and gently funny, her characters lovingly drawn and recognisable” (A BROADCAST COUP) The Guardian
Melanie Tait
Melanie Tait is a writer for stage and screen with a proven track record in Australia and the UK. Her play THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE premiered at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney in March 2019 and toured nationally in 2021. The play has been programmed right around Australia and New Zealand including at the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Queensland Theatre and The Court Theatre in Christchurch. Melanie also adapted the play into a feature film for Paramount+. Her second play for Ensemble, A BROADCAST COUP, opened in January 2023 at Ensemble Theatre as part of Sydney Festival, while THE QUEEN’S NANNY opened in September 2024 at the Ensemble and has just toured Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT. Her first play THE VEGEMITE TALES won critical and popular acclaim, playing eight years in London, including two years on the West End. THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE, THE QUEEN’S NANNY and HOW TO PLOT A HIT IN TWO DAYS are published by Currency Press and A BROADCAST COUP is published by Playlab. Melanie has an original television series in development with Easy Tiger Productions.
Lee Lewis
Lee Lewis is one of Australia’s leading stage directors. She has created over eighty productions around the country. She was the Artistic Director of Griffin Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre. Recent national tours include GASLIGHT and SHIRLEY VALENTINE. For Melbourne Theatre Company she DIRECTED MOTHER PLAY, GLORIA, HAY FEVER and David Williamson’s RUPERT which toured to the USA. Selected productions include PRIMA FACIE, THE BLEEDING TREE, FIRST CASUALTY, BERNHARDT/HAMLET (QT) MARY STUART, HONOUR, ZEBRA, LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING, FAMILY VALUES, FIRST LOVE IS THE REVOLUTION, THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES, KILL CLIMATE DENIERS, THE HOMOSEXUALS OR ‘FAGGOTS’, MASQUERADE, EMERALD CITY, A RABBIT FOR KIM JONG IL, SILENT DISCO, RETURN TO THE DIRT, A SMURF IN WANDERLAND, THE BULL THE MOON AND THE CORONET OF STARS, THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, THE LITERATI, THAT FACE, TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, A NUMBER, THIS HEAVEN, HALF AND HALF, THE CALL and TWELFTH NIGHT. She holds two masters in theatre, has won Helpmann, Green Room, Sydney Theatre Awards and Glugs for her work. In 2024 she was awarded an OAM for services to Australian playwriting. She loves her job.
Tiffany Wong
Assistant Director, Ensemble Theatre: EMERALD CITY. Sydney Theatre Company: TOP COAT. Associate Director, Bell Shakespeare: KING LEAR. Directorial Assistant: Hayes Theatre Co: MURDER FOR TWO. Director, New Theatre: ATLANTIS. Slanted Theatre: BOOM, SHORT BLANKET, LADY PRECIOUS STREAM, THREE FAT VIRGINS UNASSEMBLED, CHING CHONG CHINAMAN. Actor, Australian Shakespeare Company: ROMEO AND JULIET. Joining The Dots: THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW. Your Side: TWO WORLDS, ONE HEART. Film: FIVE BLIND DATES. Audition Coordinator/Stage Manager, Crossroads Live: CATS, BACK TO THE FUTURE, HAIRSPRAY, TEG. Dainty: TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. Awards: Tiffany was featured as an Honouree of the Asian Australian 2022, 2023 & 2024 List and is a proud member of Actors Equity.
Amy Ingram
Ensemble Theatre: Debut. The Good Room: I SHOULD HAVE DRUNK MORE CHAMPAGNE, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS (INC NATIONAL TOUR), I JUST CAME TO SAY GOODBYE, ONE BOTTLE LATER. Elbow Room: WE GET IT. Justin Martin and Old Fitz: LOW LEVEL PANIC. La Boite Theatre: COSI, THE TRAGEDY OF KING RICHARD THE THIRD, BLACKROCK. MML Worldwide: MAGIC MIKE LIVE AUSTRALIAN TOUR. Metro Arts Awkward Conversations: MEDEA REDUX. Myths Made Here: CINDERELLA. Queensland Theatre: FAT PIG, SEEDING BED, TROLLOP, THE SEAGULL, THE ODD COUPLE, BERNHARDT HAMLET, FAMILY VALUES, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Shake & Stir: OUT DAMN SNOT, FOURTEEN (INC NATIONAL TOUR). Woodward and Neil Golding Productions: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE ABRIDGED. Film: DEMON DISORDER, POSTHUMOUS. Television/Media: INA, APPLES NEVER FALL, BOY SWALLOWS UNIVERSE, IN OUR BLOOD, JOE VS CAROL, YOUNG ROCK & 2 YEARS LATER.
Genevieve Lemon
Ensemble Theatre: FOLK, DIPLOMACY, WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF, TRIBES, BROKEN GLASS. For Belvoir Street Theatre: DEATH OF A SALESMAN, SEVENTEEN. Griffin Theatre Company: THE HOMOSEXUALS OR THE ‘FAGGOTS’. Hayes Theatre Company: DUBBO CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING, VIOLET, MELBA, CAROLINE OR CHANGE. Melbourne Theatre Company: PIAF, SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL, THE VENETIAN TWINS. Queensland Theatre Company: AND A NIGHTINGALE SANG, BRILLIANT LIES. Sydney Theatre Company: THE HANGING, THE GIRL WHO SAW EVERYTHING, HANGING MAN, HARBOUR, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, MIRACLE CITY, MORNING SACRIFICE, NOISES OFF, ONCE IN A LIFETIME, THE RECRUIT, THE REPUBLIC OF MYOPIA, SUMMER RAIN, VICTORY. Other Theatre Credits include SISTER ACT, BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL, PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT: THE MUSICAL, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, THE MOUSETRAP. Film: SWEETIE, THE PIANO, THE POWER OF THE DOG, TICKET TO PARADISE, HERE OUT WEST, ACUTE MISFORTUNE, THE DRESSMAKER, BILLY’S HOLIDAY, HOLY SMOKE, SOFT FRUIT, SURBURBAN MAYHEM, LADIES IN BLACK, THE APPLETON LADIES’ POTATO RACE, CRUEL HANDS, RUNT, KANGAROO. Television: RETURN TO PARADISE, POPULATION 11, TOTALLY & COMPLETELY FINE, PIECES OF HER, COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS, THE TOURIST, EDEN, FRAYED, THREE MEN AND A BABY GRAND, TOP OF THE LAKE, PRISONER. Awards: Helpmann Award (BILLY ELLIOT), Green Room Awards (BILLY ELLIOT and SISTER ACT), Sydney Theatre Critic’s Award (BILLY ELLIOT), Australian Film Critic’s Award (SWEETIE).
Seán O’Shea
Ensemble Theatre: NEARER THE GODS, THE RASPUTIN AFFAIR, TRIBES, THE CAVALCADERS, SWEET ROAD. Other Theatre: Sydney Theatre Company: THE SEAGULL, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, SAINT JOAN, DINNER, A FLEA IN HER EAR, MARIAGE BLANC, THE CRUCIBLE, SCENES FROM A SEPARATION, THE WAY OF THE WORLD. Melbourne Theatre Company: RUPERT. Red Line Productions: AMADEUS. Belvoir: TELL ME I’M HERE. Bell Shakespeare: THE MISER, HAMLET, TARTUFFE, HENRY IV, THE DUCHESS OF MALFI, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, MACBETH. STCSA: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW. Griffin Theatre: WOLF LULLABY. Western Australian Theatre Company: THE CHERRY ORCHARD, WOMAN IN MIND. Sport For Jove: THE PLAYER KINGS. Australian Ballet: OSCAR. Training: WAAPA.
Georgie Parker
Ensemble Theatre: THE GREAT DIVIDE, RHINESTONE REX AND MISS MONICA (Revival), MURDER ON THE WIRELESS, LUNA GALE, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, RAPTURE BLISTER BURN, LET THE SUNSHINE, RABBIT HOLE, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG, CHAPTER TWO. Footbridge Theatre and National tour: HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING. NUNSENSE. Marion St Theatre: WAIT UNTIL DARK, HERE COMES SHOWTIME. Melbourne Theatre Company: HIGH SOCIETY. Queensland Theatre: RHINESTONE REX AND MISS MONICA, THREEPENNY OPERA. Sydney Theatre Company: SCENES FROM A SEPARATION, ALL IN THE TIMING. Theatre Royal: CRAZY FOR YOU. Tilbury Hotel: GRIN AND BERRET. Sydney Entertainment Centre and National tour: MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER. FILM: THE 13TH SUMMER, THE STRANGER (short film) SANTA’S APPRENTICE (animation), IRRESISTIBLE, DANGER DOWN UNDER, YOUNG EINSTEIN, THE REPRISAL, THE BOY WHO HAD EVERYTHING, THE 13TH FLOOR. Television: HOME AND AWAY, PLAY SCHOOL, CITY HOMICIDE, SCORCHED, EMERALD FALLS, STUPID STUPID MAN, STEPFATHER OF THE BRIDE, THE SOCIETY MURDERS, ALL SAINTS, FIRE, OVER THE HILL, ACROPOLIS NOW, GP, ALL TOGETHER NOW, A COUNTRY PRACTICE, RAFFERTY’S RULES, BARLOW AND CHAMBERS, WILLING and ABEL. Georgie has been nominated for a Logie Award 11 times and won 7, two of them Gold for her television work.
Julia Robertson
Actor; Ensemble Theatre Debut. Belvoir 25A: POV (with re:group), JESS AND JOE FOREVER (with Sugary Rum Productions), THE ASTRAL PLANE. Christine Dunstan Productions: TIM. Griffin Theatre Company: WHEREVER SHE WANDERS. Little Eggs Collective: THE LOST BOYS. Sydney Theatre Company: THE REAL THING. Film: HOT MESS. As Director; Little Eggs Collective: PINOCCHIO, THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, EXTENDED PLAY: OLIVER SHERMACHER (with City Recital Hall), METROPOLIS (with Hayes Theatre Co.) Joshua Robson Productions: THE PRODUCERS (with Hayes Theatre Co & Riverside Parramatta). RaCreate & Old Fitz Theatre: DO YOU MIND? Assistant Director; Ensemble Theatre: THE GREAT DIVIDE, THE HEARTBREAK CHOIR. Joshua Robson Productions & Hayes Theatre Co: BONNIE AND CLYDE, CITY OF ANGELS. Opera Australia: IL TRITTICO. Training: Lee Strasberg Institute of Theatre and Film (New York) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (London).
Simone Romaniuk
Ensemble Theatre: THE LOVER & THE DUMB WAITER, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, CLYDE’S, HONOUR, KENNY, THE LAST WIFE, LUNA GALE, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, FRANKENSTEIN, CASANOVA. Brisbane Festival: BANANALAND (with Sydney Festival), MACBETH. Queensland Theatre: TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS (with Belvoir), THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES, BERNHARDT/HAMLET, MACBETH, ELIZABETH: ALMOST BY CHANCE A WOMAN, VENUS IN FUR, BOMBSHELLS, KELLY, HEAD FULL OF LOVE, FRACTIONS, THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, AUSTRALIA DAY, THE PITCH, THE CHINA INCIDENT, THE REMOVALISTS, AN OAK TREE, MAN EQUALS MAN, WAITING FOR GODOT, EATING ICE CREAM, BECKETT X 3, RUBY MOON. Sydney Theatre Company: THE CRUCIBLE, SENECA’S THYESTES. Opera Queensland: THE MIKADO, THE MERRY WIDOW, SPACE ENCOUNTERS, THE MAGIC FLUTE. Pinchgut Opera: RINALDO. State Opera South Australia: LA BOHEME, SUMMER OF THE SEVENTEENTH DOLL, LOVE BURNS, BOOJUM!. Victorian Opera: EUCALYPTUS.
Brockman
Ensemble Theatre: TRIBES, THE BIG DRY, THE PLANT, NEVILLE’S ISLAND. Campbelltown Arts Centre: HIGH OCTANE, MIRAGE; Dance Makers Collective: ALL IN, THE RIVOLI, WOLVERINE. Darlinghurst Theatre Company: OVERFLOW, TORCH SONG TRILOGY, BROKEN. Griffin Theatre Company: FLAT EARTHERS, FAMILY VALUES, SPLINTER, REPLAY, DIVING FOR PEARLS. Hayes Theatre Company: RIDE THE CYCLONE, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, CARMEN ALIVE OR DEAD, RAZORHURST. National Theatre of Paramatta: THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD (AUS/UK), LADY TABOULI, GIRL IN THE MACHINE, THE GIRL/THE WOMAN, THE SORRY MUM PROJECT, LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU GET HOME. Queensland Theatre Company: FAMILY VALUES. Sydney Theatre Company: CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, CONSTELLATIONS, AMERICAN SIGNS, A FOOL IN LOVE. Awards: APDG Award for best lighting design for a Live Performance or Event (CLEANSED), Best Lighting Design for an Mainstage Production 2023 (CONSTELLATIONS), Best Lighting Design for an Independent Production 2019 (METAMORPHOSES), Best Lighting Design for an Independent Production 2021 (SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE).
Paul Charlier
Belvoir Street Theatre: FAITH HEALER, DANCE OF DEATH, BURIED CHILD, DIARY OF A MAD MAN, AFTERSHOCKS, HAMLET, THE BLIND GIANT IS DANCING, SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER, THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE. Broadway: DEUCE. Crossroads Live: AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. DV8 Physical Theatre: THE COST OF LIVING. Force Majeure: ALREADY ELSEWHERE. Griffin Theatre Company: PRIMA FACIE. Legs on the Wall & Sydney Opera House: HONOUR BOUND. Marrugeku: JURRUNGU NGAN-GA (STRAIGHT TALK). National Theatre of Great Britain: AFTERLIFE. NewTheatricals: GASLIGHT. Sydney Theatre Company: RBG-OF MANY ONE, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, UNCLE VANYA, TOT MOM, COPENHAGEN. Film: CANDY, LAST RIDE, LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI, PAUL KELLY STORIES OF ME, ADAM GOODES THE FINAL QUARTER, SUZY AND THE SIMPLE MAN, RACHEL’S FARM, HOLDING THE MAN, THE PROJECTIONIST, THE COST OF LIVING, THE POOL. Television: AFTERSHOCKS. Awards: Helpmann Award, Sydney Theatre Awards and Australian Screen Sound Guild Award.
Jen Jackson
Stage Manager: Ensemble Theatre: MASTER CLASS. Belvoir Street Theatre: LOSE TO WIN. Carriageworks: PARTY | PROTEST | REMEMBER. Contemporary Asian Australian Performance: LOST IN SHANGHAI, THE BRIDAL LAMENT, DOUBLE DELICIOUS. Griffin Theatre Company: KOREABOO, GOLDEN BLOOD 黄金血液, PONY, END OF. Kurinji & Sydney Festival: 宿(STAY). National Theatre of Parramatta: NOTHING. The Ethics Centre: FESTIVAL OF DANGEROUS IDEAS 2022. Assistant Stage Manager: Belvoir St Theatre: SONG OF FIRST DESIRE, AT WHAT COST. Pinchgut Opera: RINALDO. Company Manager: National Theatre of Parramatta: CHOIR BOY. Training: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRAMATIC ART.
Sherydan Simson
Ensemble Theatre: Stage Manager Cover: THE LOVER AND THE DUMB WAITER. Stage Manager for Steps and Holes: A PILGRIM IN SEARCH FOR A BULL NAMED CARLO. Bub Productions in association with 25a: HOT TUB. Hayes Theatre Company: PIRATES OF PENZANCE (or the Slave of Duty). Sydney Conservatorium of Music: PAPER STARS. Production manager for Griffin Theatre Company: KOREABOO. Joshua Robson Productions in association with Hayes Theatre Company: LITTLE WOMEN. The Other Theatre Company: IRL. Site assistant for City of Sydney: NEW YEARS EVE 2025 and NEW YEARS EVE 2024. Access and inclusion assistant for City of Sydney: SYDNEY CHRISTMAS CONCERTS 2024. Training: National Institute of Dramatic Art: Production; Bachelor of Fine Arts (Technical Theatre and Stage Management). University of New England: Diploma of Arts.
Renata Beslik
Ensemble Theatre: ARIA, UNCLE VANYA, MASTER CLASS, ULSTER AMERICAN, SWITZERLAND, ALONE IT STANDS, THE GREAT DIVIDE, THE MEMORY OF WATER, SUMMER OF HAROLD, MR
BAILEY’S MINDER, BENEFACTORS, RHINESTONE REX AND MISS MONICA, THE CARETAKER, PHOTOGRAPH 51, THE ONE, OUTDATED, CRUNCH TIME, BABY DOLL, FOLK, LUNA GALE,
and many more. Bell Shakespeare: HENRY V, THE WINTER’S TALE, MACBETH. Belvoir St Theatre: FANGIRLS. New Theatricals: DARKNESS. National Institute of Dramatic Art: THE GOVERNMENT
INSPECTOR, STAY HAPPY KEEP SMILING, THE TEMPEST, WOYCECK, A LIE OF THE MIND, PORT, THE THREESOME. Pinchgut Opera: THE FAIRY QUEEN, JULIUS CAESAR, RINALDO, MÉDÉE, PLATÉE and many more. Sydney Festival: BETTY BLOKKBUSTER RE-IMAGINED. Australian Chamber Orchestra: THE NUTCRACKER.
A Country Practice was the warm blanket of my childhood.
It wasn’t until I was an adult I realised how impactful it was in shaping the things that were important to me: trying to understand my neighbour, living in a community and caring about what I put into the world.
One of the first things I ever wrote, at ten years old, was a script for A Country Practice (I believe the storyline involved Luke, Jo, Sarge, Matron and Lucy — Lucy was played by Georgie Parker who I’m absolutely thrilled has brought her considerable talents to the role of Judy). I am a writer, and the kind of writer I am, I believe, because of the hundreds of hours I’ve spent watching the show.
When my dear friend Kim Lester and I began our podcast A Country Podcast in 2020, it was A Country Practice writer Judith Colquhoun we wanted to interview more than anyone else – it was the crafting of this incredible show we were more curious about than anything else. How do you create a show that explores social issues, medical problems and a community, without being didactic? How do you keep it fun and propulsive, so it’s a pleasure to watch, and not a chore?
What we discovered was a golden age of Australian television: where Australian writers, directors and actors got to fine tune their craft by making two hours of excellent television every week, for most of the year. Creator James Davern’s A Country Practice was a gift to the audience, and a gift to Australian artists. And a gift with great heart and humour, like the man himself, and the people he brought in to make the show. A subtly morally aspirational show – one that asks us to try and be better people.
I’m grateful Mark Kilmurry thought of me, when he came up with the idea that we needed a play about this remarkable moment in our cultural history – the death of Molly Jones. I’d have been very mad if anyone else dare write it, to be honest, I’ve spent my whole life preparing for it! And I’m grateful to Lee Lewis for how seriously and open-heartedly she’s lept into the world of this theatrical fan fiction!
It’s been a pleasure to explore what it is to create at a time when my job, and the jobs of my writer colleagues are constantly being called into question by A-I. This play explores what a group of humans, with human experiences and goals and loves come into a room and create a human hour of television we still talk about forty years later.
I hope this play retains some of the A Country Practice DNA — the heart, the humour and the decency. Right now, we’re living in a world where those three very important parts of the human experience are being called into question every day.
It’s my tribute to Judith Colquhoun, James Davern and the many creative Australians who made a beautiful show that helped teach me how to be a writer and a person.
Melanie Tait
Playwright
In 1985 the population of Australia was 15.79 million people. On June 5 of that year over half the population, over 8 million people watched the character of Molly Jones die.
In the middle of the decade that included Azaria, Evonne Goolagong, underarm bowling, damming the Franklin, the Sydney Swans, Schindler’s Ark, Pavarotti/Sutherland, Ash Wednesday fires, the winged keel, floating the dollar, Medicare, Milperra, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, Uluru returned to the Mutijulu community, Joan Child, the welcome home march for Vietnam veterans, the Fitzgerald Inquiry, the Bicentenary, Kay Cottee and the Newcastle earthquake, the death of a tv character broke the nation’s heart. Over two nights, the nation grieved together. For two nights a fiction bound us. A story brought us together. We imagined together.
That story was created by a small group of Australian writers. Those characters were dreamed into existence by Australian creators who lived among us, and wrote stories just for us, because they knew us so well and loved us. In these days of algorithms and the theft of our creators’ work by artificial intelligence harvesting machines I see this play as a celebration of the originality, diversity, inventiveness and unique spirit of fully alive writers. I believe that the human brain and the human spirit will always be able to create in a space far beyond any algorithm. Call it the Molly Principle if you like. That night of television could only have been created in the magic space between writer, actor and audience. Wholly human. Deeply moving. Culturally significant.
Sometimes we need reminders of times in our past when we were better humans. I look at the achievements of people and governments of the 1980s and wonder where our compassion went, where we have buried selflessness, when we stopped chaining ourselves to trees for things we believed in. I’m not saying it was a better time – for so many people the racism, the sexism, the homophobia, the parochialism was overwhelming. But I do remember a fight, a vision; leadership towards a better country than the one we accept as Australia in 2025. We were going to be better than this. When I remember, I remember that. And this play makes me remember. Our writers build our memories. They are our national treasures. Thank you to all our writers and of course, to Melanie Tait for reaching across time to the memory of all the A Country Practice writers. Mel thank you for your generosity, your humanity and your joy.
And thank you to the whole team at the Ensemble for providing such a gorgeous home for a new Australian play – for your ongoing belief in the importance of our stories.
Lee Lewis
Director
Audio Described
- Sat 20 Sep 2pm
- Thu 25 Sep 11am
Q&A Sessions
- Fri 5 Sep 7.30pm
- Tue 16 Sep 11am
Free Teen Night
- Wed 8 Oct 6.15pm
To book, please contact the Box Office on (02) 8918 3400 or email boxoffice@ensemble.com.au