The Other Place

Playwright Christopher Bryant has so far looked to Hollywood for inspiration for his plays, which examined the dark side of pop culture through the lens of celebrity obsessives (Home Invasion) and the myths surrounding serial killer Charles Manson (Sneakyville). Now he’s turning his attention closer to home, to the early days of Melbourne’s legendary La Mama Theatre. The Other Place intertwines the lives of two real life women – school teacher and La Mama founder Betty Burstall, and Buzz Goodbody, the trailblazing first female director of the Royal Shakespeare Company – to explore the theatrical and historical repercussions of the erasure of female artistry. Directed by Jessica Dick, it’s performed by an all female-identifying cast that includes Ravenna Bouckaert, Kristina Benton, Vivan Nguyen, Erin Pattison and Susie Sparkes.