Cirrus@Austlit

'Theatre is littered with sister double acts: Antigone and Ismene, Kate and Bianca, Blanche and Stella, Fleabag and Claire. The shared history of sisters delivers inbuilt emotional stakes and lots of baggage. The doubling of experience brings both love and rivalry, the joys of being known and the horrors of being trapped by the reflection of the other. Looking like not-quite twins, real-life sisters Hayley and Mandy McElhinney are the dirty birds of the title, in the world premiere of a co-written work in which they play reclusive sisters.' (Introduction)

'This part-interview, part-recollection/reflection between trans-masculine, non-binary queer theatre-maker Stace Callaghan and their long-term collaborator, director and creative practice researcher, Leah Mercer, was conducted via a series of curated online conversations in early 2022. Stace and Leah met as undergraduates majoring in Drama at the University of Queensland in 1989 and have continued to collaborate on and off since then.'(Publication abstract) 

'Stories get told over and over, each version sitting atop every other in a never-ending palimpsest. Extracting and extending the metaphors of Anton Chekhov’s classic 1904 play The Cherry Orchard, this production adapted by Adriane Daff and Katherine Tonkin and directed by Clare Watson is as much about its staging at a former hospital as it is about the story and characters.' (Introduction)

'The foyer is adorned with colourful fabric and bunting. We’re welcomed by the sounds of Indian music while members of the Sikh community offer to tie turbans (Dastaar) around our heads.' (Introduction)