Following acclaimed seasons in 2023 and 2024, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre is taking Monument – the powerful and political drama by 2022 Max Afford Playwrights Award Finalist Emily Sheehan – on a national tour, kicking off next month.
Directed by Red Stitch Artistic Director, Ella Caldwell, and featuring original cast members Julia Hanna and Sarah Sutherland, Monument will travel to audiences across Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and Regional New South Wales from 14 June through to 19 October 2025. This national tour marks the sixth new Australian play developed through Red Stitch’s INK program to tour nationally or internationally, reinforcing the company’s commitment to championing local voices and bold new writing.
The play follows Edith Aldridge, the youngest woman ever elected leader of her country, in a lush presidential suite as she prepares for the biggest day of her career. A young make-up artist from the David Jones counter, Rosie, arrives to get her camera ready in just 90 minutes. In Rosie’s capable hands, the morning will be a breeze. So long as they both stick to the brief.
Sheehan’s astute and entertaining script challenges the trivialisation of beauty therapy, exploring the role that make-up and fashion play in how we perceive and receive women in power. Witty, layered, and unflinchingly current, the razor-sharp two-hander struck a chord with Melbourne audiences and critics alike, and is now set to spark conversations across the country. Monument is thought-provoking theatre wrapped in beautiful packaging.
Monument is a Red Stitch production developed through the INK Program with the support of Creative Australia, Malcolm Robertson Foundation and PlayKing Foundation. Tickets available via participating venue websites.
TOUR DATES
The Potato Shed, Drysdale VIC, 14 June
The Round, Nunawading VIC, 21 June (2pm & 8pm show)
Kingston Arts, Parkdale VIC, 27 & 28 June
Narrogin Arts, Narrogin WA, 23 September
Don Russell Performing Arts Centre, Thornlie WA, 27 September
Kerang Memorial Hall, Gannawarra, VIC, 2 October
Gippsland Performing Arts Centre, Traralgon VIC, 4 October
Burnie Arts, Burnie TAS, 9 October (11am & 7.30pm shows)
Theatre North, Launceston, TAS, 11 Oct
South East Arts Festival, Tathra NSW, 18 & 19 October
