Cirrus@Austlit

'Arthur Gbeme has moved back into his Western Sydney childhood home. As he tells it, he has “put his life on hold” to care for his mum, Maggie, but the truth is, there isn’t much to put on hold. A former nurse, Maggie used to be a firebrand – a renegade. But since the death of her husband, Maggie has been… a little off. A bold re-imagining of the Australian classic, ‘Mother & Son’ is a show about ageing, migrant upbringing, changing family roles, and caring for someone you love even when they’re driving you up the wall. It’s an unapologetically hilarious comedy about a “helpless old woman” who runs rings around her adult son.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A wild night ensues when two couples return from a double date to confront a life-changing decision that will ignite tears, tantrums, sex and laughter. This rapidly paced, witty satire opens the door on an intimate night in the shoes of four unforgettable characters… with a contemporary riff on the classic play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf for an added twist of humour.'

Source: Production blurb.

Series 1: Twelve jurors must decide on the case of a woman accused of killing a child.

Series 2: A local landowner and respected town matriarch is found dead at the bottom of the farm's well, and two ex-lovers stand accused of her murder.

'Alison Croggon has written poetry, fantasy novels, and whip-smart arts criticism for decades, but Monsters is her first book-length work of non-fiction. In this deeply wounded book, Croggon unpacks her shattered relationship with her younger sister (not named in the book), a dynamic that bristles with accusations and resentments. In attempting to understand the wreckage of this relationship, Croggon finds herself going back to the roots of Western patriarchy and colonialism, seeking to frame this fractured relationship as the inexorable consequence of empire.' (Introduction)

'Australians love a bogan in pop culture. Kath & Kim broke ratings records; The Castle regularly tops lists of favourite local films. This sense of affection for the working class becomes more complex off-screen, when Aussie battlers become ‘cashed-up bogans’ and turn Queensland into a Liberal state; when they start threatening middle-class values; and especially when they gain capital and political power. Australian Realness uses the bogan stereotype as a tool to shatter the middle-class drama as both a cultural and theatrical narrative.'(Introduction)

'Bad Mothers is a fresh ensemble drama about four very different friends negotiating the perils and joys of being a modern mum: from parties to play dates, hangovers to homework, mishaps to murder.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'In The Secret She Keeps, Meghan doesn’t know Agatha, but Agatha knows Meghan. Two women from vastly different backgrounds have one thing in common: explosive secrets that could destroy everything they hold dear.

'Two women have a chance encounter in a supermarket, in an affluent Sydney suburb. They are the same age, both heavily pregnant and due at the same time. Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is a glamorous influencer on the rise, with an ambitious television sports reporter husband Jack (Michael Dorman), while Agatha (Laura Carmichael) works in the supermarket as a shelf stacker.

'Although they live near each other, the two women’s lives could not be more different…

'Agatha is a loner and barely above the poverty line. She’s ecstatic to be pregnant, pinning all her hopes and dreams on this much longed-for miracle baby. Yet the father of her child, Hayden (Michael Sheasby), a sailor on active duty, remains oblivious to her condition.

'Meghan is a sophisticated mother-of two who uses social media to reframe her imperfect life into a glossier, more aspirational existence. Despite posting enthusiastically about her pregnancy to her avid followers, including Agatha, behind closed doors this third baby is putting pressure on an already strained marriage.

'Both women have secrets. And both will risk everything to conceal the truth. But their worlds are about to collide in one shocking act that cannot be undone.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A woman searches for the baby she abandoned 45 years ago and is confronted by what she discovers.'

Source: Screen Australia.