It’s only April, but the most profound love story on a Sydney stage this year may just be the soulmate-friendship between Isla and Violet in Sistren. The debut play by writer and star Iolanthe has made a triumphant return to Griffin Theatre Co after a smash-hit run in its 2025 independent artist program, Lookout.
We meet Isla (Iolanthe) and Violet (Janet Anderson) at their South London high school, where they’ve been summoned to the headmaster’s office. It’s clear, very quickly, that this is not a new occurrence – the man has a low tolerance for the pair’s so-called “political correctness” and seems personally outraged by their joy. It’s clear, just as quickly, that the joy they find with and create for each other is imperative to their survival as a Black girl and a trans girl against a world full of stares, comments, assumptions and bigotry.
