About the show
In the final stages of an AIDS-related illness and trying to make sense of what’s to come, Simon finds a new lover for his boyfriend Marcello – their good friend Jimmy.
Set in Sydney in 1993, amid the sex, drugs and the pulse of Darlinghurst and written by Tim Conigrave (Holding the Man), this is a portrait of queer love, loss and resilience at the height of the AIDS crisis; intimate, unflinching and profoundly human.
Esther Dougherty
Esther Dougherty is a playwright and director from Magandjin (Brisbane). Since graduating a BFA Drama at QUT in 2016, they have written and directed four original plays: The Moon Men (2015), Pawpaw Dog & Other Dog (2021), Slippery (2022) and Zagazig (2023). They have presented their shows independently, and in fringe and LGBTQIA+ festivals around the country.
Esther’s practice embraces strangeness, queerness, comedy, and contemporary forms. They run their own theatre company, Curtain World, and perform in drag as Small Paul. In 2022 Esther’s play Pawpaw Dog & Other Dog was published by Playlab Theatre. In 2025, Esther’s play Slippery was nominated for three Matilda Awards (Best Costume, Best Ensemble, and The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work).
They are currently studying a Masters of Fine Arts (Directing) at NIDA.
– Esther Dougherty
TBA
The Company
CAST (in order of appearance)
Marcello: Tom Findlay
Simon: Bradley Bulger
Jimmy: Sam Laki
Writer: Timothy Conigrave
Director: Esther Dougherty
Set, Props & Costume Designer: Carmi Pirola
Lighting Designer: Jonathan Ogilvie
Sound Designer: Bella Muslado
Stage Manager: Lola Hunt
Costume Supervisor: Karamea Gostt
Key
*Guest Artist
** NIDA Staff