Belvoir is thrilled to present Big Girls Don’t Cry, a sharp and celebratory new play writt by and starring Gumbaynggirr/Wiradjuri woman Dalara Williams (Balnaves Fellow, STC’s The Visitors) on from 5 – 27 April.
Directed by Ian Michael (STC’s Stolen) and featuring a cast of seven including Stephanie Somerville (Stolen), Megan Wilding (The Rover), Bryn Chapman-Parish (Netflix’s Heartbreak High), Mathew Cooper (Coranderrk), Nic English (Outhouse Theatre Co’s Consent), Guy Simon (Jacky), and Williams herself, Big Girls Don’t Cry pays respect to a genera on that led the way and to Black women who won’t take a backward step.
Redfern 1966. Cheryl, Lulu and Queenie are young and life is glorious, full of hilarity and joy, even if jobs are precarious, the police harass them, and racism seeps into everything. But as they gear up for the biggest night of the year – the Deb Ball – their lives, Redfern, the country are all about to change.
Belvoir’s Artistic Director, Eamon Flack said, “From the first me we read it, this felt like the great play about Redfern that we’ve all been longing for without quite realising it. And I’m really proud that it’s going to premiere here, a hop and step from the lives and streets it celebrates.”
“What inspired me to write this story would have to be my grandmothers. I got to sit and listen to them tell stories about what it’s like to be in Redfern, in the city, in the 60s,” said playwright Dalara Williams. “Why should people come and see the show? To see another aspect of Aboriginal life, one that we never get a chance to tell. Just black joy and black love amongst friends, amongst siblings, amongst roman c partners.”
Funny, wise, and hear felt, don’t miss this multi-layered Indigenous story filled with sheer joy and excitement. Big Girls Don’t Cry Upstairs Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre
5 – 27 April 2025
https://belvoir.com.au/productions/big-girls-dont-cry/
