Past Works

The Grand

The Grand is the story of hotel proprietress Matilda and her apprentice Eugenia, taking us behind the closed doors of a once grand hotel. The women struggle against each other and the insidious creeping of the world outside the doors, relying increasingly on games and routine in the face of something unknown.

“Creepy. You will leave unnerved.”

  • Written by Victoria Carless

    Directed by Lisa Smith

    Performed by Anna Mowry and Tammy Weller

    Dramaturgy by Peter Matheson

  • 2013

    HOTA Home of the Arts - Gold Coast

    Townsville

Slide Night

The Van Huon Pine Family invites you to share in an evening of nostalgia, cocktail onions, and kabana as they take a stroll down memory lane. Dim the lights, grab the popcorn … This is Slide Night.

Created through the collating of real memories and images shared by locals and visitors from summer’s past, this piece is both a celebration and an excavation of our iconic city, the Gold Coast, and the Memory Keepers that call it home.

“Utterly charming”

  • Directed by Lisa Smith

    Dramaturgy by Kathryn Kelly

    Performed by Barbara Lowing, Lisa Smith, Victoria Carless and Kathryn Kelly.

  • 2015

    Bleach* Festival - Gold Coast

Pocketful of Pebbles

Mr. Phoenix is feeling a little worse for wear. It’s true he’s not as glamorous as he used to be. His feathers are falling out. His memory is failing. Oh dear.

As a phoenix, it is his birth rite to rise from the ashes: and so, to live forever. But Mr. Phoenix fears his time may be drawing to an end. He can’t know for sure. Just in case, he has invited children to bear witness to the sharing of three important tales: tales of grand adventure, of facing fears and of transformation. He’s not entirely sure that children can be trusted, but he has to take that chance. Up to now, it’s been up to him to keep the stories alive. Now he needs your help.

‘A very entertaining and, at times, moving piece of family theatre. ‘ - XS Entertainment review

  • Written by Victoria Carless, Lisa Smith and Tammy Weller

    Directed by Lisa Smith

    Performed by Tammy Weller, Zac Boulton, Louise Brehmer, Lisa Smith and Anna Straker

    ‘Mr. Phoenix’ Puppet Creation by Graeme Haddon

  • 2017

    HOTA Home of the Arts - Gold Coast

Agnes & Earl

It may be a little harder for them to get around these days, but Agnes and Earl do the best they can. They’ve always had each other; plenty of love and quite a bit of laughter, and a quiet predictable routine. Lately though, Agnes has been having moments where she isn’t quite herself. But Earl and Snoopy are always there to bring her back again.

Brought to life using incredible, lifelike puppetry, Agnes and Earl is an immersive work that invites you to discover the quiet, simple world of a pair of octogenarians and their dog. A meditation on routine and the nature of intimacy, this work gives us a small window into the realities of dementia, the lives of those living with it, and of those who love them.

“Unforgettably touching experience” - The Senior Article

  • Directed by Lisa Smith

    Agnes & Earl Puppet Created by Chris Lane

    Snoopy Created by Anna Straker

    Puppeteers include Anna Straker, Zac Boulton & Ainslee Palmer

  • 2018

    Festival 2018 - Gold Coast

    Generate is a partnership between the City and Queensland Government through the Office for the Commonwealth Games and the Regional Arts Development Fund to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

A Heart Stops Beating

An immersive work for theatre presented in an intimate setting, this work combines whimsical storytelling, honest reflections on early grief and a real life bingo game that is undertaken by the audience as they listen. As the numbers are drawn and the time rolls along, and we hear the story of the girl who swallowed the bird of sorrow, we are asked to consider our own relationship to time, to grief and the random lottery that is life, luck and loss.

“Gorgeous show ... the complexity of the layers of the grief and the beautiful story of the bird, and the simplicity of the game of chance that is Bingo ... So beautiful - so much heart. ” ‘ - Audience Member

  • Created & Performed by Lisa Smith

    Dramaturgy by Victoria Carless

  • 2021

    Bleach* Festival - Gold Coast

    Commissioned and Presented as part of Bleach* Festival 2021 Artist in Residence Program