An Australian playwright’s debut work receiving international transfers to great acclaim and extended runs is extremely rare; that it’s happened twice in 12 months, along with two other starry international productions of local works, is extraordinary. Right now, the Australian voice has an increased currency on international stages – and it’s our stories of power, privilege, gender and identity that are making waves.
First, there’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Kip Williams’ dazzling Oscar Wilde adaptation, remounted for a Tony and Olivier award winning international run starring Sarah Snook. Then there’s Prima Facie, Suzie Miller’s searing one-hander about a cutthroat lawyer who experiences the justice system as a victim after a sexual assault, with an international production starring Jodie Comer that was also heavily awarded (a film adaptation is in the works, starring Cynthia Erivo). Then there’s Counting and Cracking, S. Shakthidharan’s breath-taking 2019 debut, a family epic that played at New York’s Public Theater in 2024.
