Romance isn’t dead, it just requires a tactical approach. We sat down with three cast members and alumni from Sharehouse Company’s latest production, Strategic Love Play by Miriam Battye, asking them to weigh in on the show and the modern world of dating, before it hits the stage at the Flight Path Theatre. Actors Caleb Jamieson (Stage and Screen Performance, 2023) and Georgia Paige Theodos (Acting, 2024) as well as Director Ava Rusch (Directing, 2026), discuss their NIDA connections helping them bring this sharp, and all too relatable, story to audiences.
Tell us about Strategic Love Play and why it’s an important story to tell in 2026.
Ava Rusch: Strategic Love Play is about two people on a first date. They matched over a dating app. Things are a bit awkward at the start – they’re saying all the things you’re not supposed to on a first date, that is until Woman proposes a question that shifts the entire play.
The way we engage with ‘romance’ I feel is a bit lost in 2026. We have all these online dating apps and now more than ever a strong social media presence does a lot of the talking for us. It means we feel this pressure to look or present ourselves in a certain way. It’s a bit inauthentic. I think this play gives people the grace of a moment. The time to chat for an hour and get to know someone before judging them, and just finding the genuineness in human connection and authenticity.
There’s a lot of honesty and discomfort in the play especially around the theme of modern dating. How do you balance comedy with vulnerability?
Caleb Jamieson: I think it just all comes down to truth. I never approach a scene wanting to play vulnerability or comedy. We instead just have to play the honesty of the moment with this other person on stage for 70 minutes. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also very real, and I hope that comes across to the audience.
Ava Rusch: Battye’s world is a very colorful palette. She writes very honestly. I think it’s about acknowledging that vulnerability, because we’ve all been there. This is a dating story that feels familiar to a lot of audiences. The beauty of this play is that it’s not a tragic love, and it’s not an epic romance, it’s just very real. So in terms of the balance of the humor and the vulnerability is just to play this real moment and the truth of that moment. It’s all there in the text and Miriam’s style of writing and we can only honour that.
What’s been the most rewarding part of working with this team?
Georgia Paige Theodos: Working with this team has been particularly inspiring, what a joyful bunch of angels! It’s really incredible seeing this project through the eyes of all the different disciplines. You can genuinely feel everyone’s soul, artistry and passion being poured into this project. And there has just been such a magnetic energy in the room for each rehearsal since the very beginning. I credit a lot of that to the fact that this team has a shared language. We’ve almost all been trained at NIDA so that emotion and authenticity is shared. I love being surrounded by it and I’m constantly inspired by it.
Ava Rusch: I’m just so grateful I got to meet all these people who just so happen to also be NIDA trained. I wouldn’t have had these contacts if not for completing my degree. I think finding people who are like-minded, want to put on the work that you believe in, and trust that work as well, is such a beautiful thing. Finding a room of people who enjoy the play and believe the message of the play was very special.
Has your NIDA training influenced the way you’ve approached this project?
Georgia Paige Theodos: Across the three years I trained here, play was such an important aspect of every subject that we had. It was part of our movement classes, voice classes, every show you put on. Play, truth, adventure, and connection were all super, super important. And at the beginning it didn’t necessarily make sense but as you went into second and then third year, all of those aspects came together. It works you towards putting on a show like this. It gives you the stamina, the passion and the excitement.
Caleb Jamieson: A big part of acting is listening, and and we do a whole lot of it in this show. It’s probably the most important part of this show, or any show, and it’s something we were taught a lot. And that was one of the key takeaways I got from my time at the institute.
If you could give your character one piece of dating advice before the play begins, what would it be?
Caleb Jamieson: Don’t judge too quickly and show kindness, even when they are… unorthodox.
Georgia Paige Theodos: Be open and don’t let anyone mansplain to you.
This is your directorial debut since graduating NIDA earlier this year. What made Strategic Love Play feel like the right project to take that step?
Ava Rusch: When I first read this play, my immediate thought was that I would love to eavesdrop on this couple. I could imagine myself sitting with my partner, looking over at their table and wondering what they’re talking about. It’s like that fun game you play on a night out. Are they on a first date? Are they long-term? Is this a business dinner? It’s all very fun. So, for live theatre, I feel it’s great that we can all sit in a space and have various reactions to these characters on this first date. I love that some people might side with one character or another. I love that some people might find similarities to actual dates they’ve been on through the characters because we need theatre that gives those reactions again. I don’t want theatre that pleases a middle ground, I feel this should challenge differing options. I want people to be excited and have various reactions when watching theatre.
What do you hope audiences take away from this play?
Ava Rusch: I just really want them to have a good time listening in on this date. I hope they find comfort in the discomfort. I think it’s an incredibly relatable scenario to a lot of people. I want people to have a good time, but I also want people to walk away and think about how we might be judging others, how we present ourselves and how honest we want to be with other people and ourselves. Also, knowing that things will be okay and a lot of people are going through this strange world of modern dating and romance together.
Strategic Love Playis on stage at Flight Path Theatre from 25 – 29 August. Tickets are available here.