When you walk through the doors of KXT on Broadway, you’re sure to experience unique and compelling theatre. Be it drama, comedy, experimental or biographic, KXT provides a platform for up and coming writers and diverse storytelling, making it one of my choice theatres for a night out, and a great host for Purple Tape Production’s Tape Over Festival.

The festival is a celebration of new voices and new work, presenting three seasons of new Australian plays by female and gender-diverse writers – as well as experimental theatre and brand-new playreadings fresh off the writing room floor. I was fortunate to interview Lucy Heffernan and Alex Tutton, playwrights of Party Girl and Come Again respectively, about their production and experience participating in Tape Over this year.

Lucy Heffernan, Party Girl

What has been your journey into writing for theatre ?

I wrote my first show at University of Wollongong at the end of my second year in 2012. I didn’t write again until I began writing Party Girl- a few years later. Since then Party Girl has been a work in progress over many years- the earliest draft I have on my laptop is dated 2018, and now its 2023. So five years in the writing. Writing music has become critical to my practice of writing theatre – every show I write has music. This began with Party Girl- adapting chunks of what was once pure monologue into ballads, anthems… unicorn raps. I’ve also collaborated with my partner Tim Maddock and have adapted a couple of Shakespeare’s for uni students, which is very fun. I’ve also got another play in the works and I will be writing that once this season closes.

Tell me about your experience of writing Party Girl

Writing Party Girl has been a long process. It began with an image really- a little bin fairy who had done something very wrong at a kids party. From there I just wrote. A lot. The world of fairies opened up a space for me to examine traditional feminine behaviour and the idea of ‘madness’ that exists with conditions such as Bipolar disorder. It was pure monologue when it was first presented at MerrigongX in 2019. But then I was prompted by my dramaturg, Tim Maddock, who knew I could sing and play guitar, to incorporate music into the piece. So I squirrelled away and did just that – presenting a new version at Crack Theatre Festival in 2019. Stripped back- like a pub gig. After this Party Girl was put away for a few years (thanks Covid -19) and when the opportunity came up to take
the work to Adelaide Fringe it was time to dust off the old drafts and create a new Frankenstein monster version of the script, which is what the show exists as now. A rock n roll monologue.

What does it mean to you to have Party Girl form part of the Tape Over Festival line-up?

It means the world to be a part of this line-up of female and gender diverse artists. I want to kick the festival off with a bang because it’s what it deserves. Lily and Tyler [Purple Tape Productions] have worked tremendously hard to bring this festival and Party Girl to life. They are champions of independent theatre, and the fact they are also Bachelor of Performance University of Wollongong graduates, along with many others in this festival, is a testament to the values of that course and its culture. I’m really proud.

What is the one message you want every person who sees Party Girl to take with them out of the theatre?

In amongst the chaos of life, find the magic and keep the faith. In people and in yourself.

What do you enjoy about the Aussie theatre scene, and what needs to change?

To be honest I feel quite removed from the scene at the moment. Prior to performing Party Girl at Adelaide Fringe in March this year I hadn’t performed publicly since 2020 – I’ve been at home with my dog! I think there are some great people in the scene and people who make great challenging work, who play around formally and push boundaries. I think there can be a bit of a snobbish culture tbh- one of the best things I find is when someone brings a friend along to one of my shows and it’s the first piece of theatre they’ve ever seen and they love it. I think theatre should be more inclusive and more for the broader community – not just subscribers, but everyone. More like music I guess.

What type of wine would you pair with Party Girl, and why?

Bubbles only. I mean it’s a kids fairy party after all. Cheers!

Alex Tutton, Come Again

What has been your journey into writing for theatre ?

The first play I ever wrote was a creative retelling about hormones and healthy kidney function for a year 11 biology assignment. After that, a lot of my early career came from my time at the University of Wollongong where I studied acting. We were deeply encouraged to make our own work. I wasn’t much of a movement piece, devising kind of guy, so I wrote instead. I wrote a few short plays and installations that got put on at arts festivals as well as writing and directing a play of my own as part of a student initiated project. After I had graduated, one of my lecturers, Chris, asked if I wanted to write an adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening for him to direct. This became Teenage Wildlife, and it was a graduation show at PACT. Chris and I ended up collaborating two more times with Wedekind’s work. He allowed me a lot of freedom to experiment and to figure stuff out on the floor with the cast. Chris has been a huge influence on my practice and my work.

Tell me about your experience of writing Come Again

The first nugget of the idea for Come Again happened in 2014 and I’ve been thinking about iterations of this show up until the first staged read in 2022. It’s been 8 years worth of stop-start energy with sudden bursts of productivity in between. I wrote the first scene during my time in the Playwright’s Program at Merrigong Theatre Company. After that, I couldn’t figure it out. A couple of years later, I snagged a spot in The Laboratory at KXT, where I umm’ed and ahh’ed for ages before writing the final scene. Then it all seemed to happen all at once. It’s been a hard show to write so it’s kind of a relief that people will get to see it.

What does it mean to you to have Come Again form part of the Tape Over Festival line-up?

It’s huge. It’s difficult to know where you stand as a non-binary person when it comes to any gendered event, but Lily and Tyler from Purple Tape have shown so much care and respect for this story. The enormity of the festival is kind of staggering; there’s so much going on but Lil and Ty make it look so easy. It’s a blessing to know them and to work with them. Making work with people you like and respect? Can’t get better than that. Also, for Come Again to have its world premiere at KXT where it was developed is incredible. The support from everyone has been so, so valuable.

What is the one message you want every person who sees Come Again to take with them out of the theatre?

Go to therapy.

What do you enjoy about the Aussie theatre scene, and what needs to change?

I love the tenacity of the scene. Someone somewhere is always making work. Even through a lack of funding, multiple part-time jobs, no space, barely breaking even, something is always happening. What needs to change? No more adaptations. No more restagings. No more classics put on by mainstage companies. Independent theatre is taking risks, why isn’t mainstage pulling their weight? 

What type of wine would you pair with Come Again, and why?

I’m not much of a wine drinker to be honest, but I do drink beer. I’d probably pair this with a nice sour. There’s one from Grifter which is a pink lemonade sour, made with raspberries and lemon. It’s home grown and refreshing but it’s got a tartness that could turn your face inside out. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it. I think that sums up Come Again; fruity yet divisive.

Purchase your ticket to a Tape Over Festival production here.