Susie Dee’s first work at Melbourne’s La Mama theatre was as a student in the 1970s, acting in a piece called Mangoes and Grapes. Those were the only words in the script, and the play was staged in the car park.
It was a heady time for Melbourne theatre. In a scene long dominated by works from the United States and the UK, a new generation of artists were bringing an Australian sensibility and vernacular to the stage. La Mama was based on the New York institution of the same name, and out of it came the Pram Factory: a hot-bed of artistic experimentation, and a home to young artists including David Williamson, Max Gillies and Helen Garner.
