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Artwork for Destiny: Writing from the Diaspora

Destiny: Writing from the Diaspora

A conversation with Kirsty Marillier, Carly Findlay, Grace Yee and Tasneem Chopra

Tuesday 12 August, 7pm

Southbank Theatre, The Lawler

Free event

Join us for a free panel conversation with playwright Kirsty Marillier, writer and advocate Carly Findlay and poet Grace Yee on writing through a diasporic lens.

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About the Event

Join Destiny playwright Kirsty Marillier, writer and advocate Carly Findlay (Say Hello) and poet Grace Yee (Chinese Fish) for a powerful discussion on writing through a diasporic lens. 
 
This special, free-to-attend event at Southbank Theatre coincides with our season of Destiny, an intimate drama of allure and loyalty, set against the backdrop of the world-changing events of South Africa in 1976.  

Moderated by Tasneem Chopra, panellists will unpack how their storytelling reckons with the past – and reimagines the present. 

Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre, seats are limited and registrations for this free event are required. 

Registering for this event does not include entry to any performance of Destiny. Tickets to Destiny can be purchased separately here.

Presented in partnership with The Wheeler Centre

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Accessibility

  • Wheelchair Accessible

Artwork for Kirsty Marillier

Kirsty Marillier

Kirsty Marillier is an actor and award-winning writer. Her debut play Orange Thrower premiered in 2022 with Griffin Theatre Company and was the winner of the 2022 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting. Her second play The Zap was developed by Belvoir St Theatre, won the 2020 Max Afford Prize and was shortlisted for the prestigious Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in the UK. 

Kirsty is currently under commission by Melbourne Theatre Company for Destiny (which will premiere in August this year) and is developing an original television idea with Thomas Wilson-White and Matchbox Pictures.

As a performer, Kirsty’s other credits include the Australian Premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Picnic at Hanging Rock with Sydney Theatre Company, Home, I'm Darling with Sydney Theatre Company, The Cherry Orchard with Belvoir St Theatre, Netflix ANZ’s The Greenhouse and Home & Away.

Artwork for Carly Findlay

Carly Findlay

Carly Findlay OAM is an award-winning writer, speaker and appearance activist. Her first book, a memoir called Say Hello, was released in January 2019.

Carly edited the anthology Growing Up Disabled in Australia with Black Inc Books. It’s in stores now.

She writes on disability and appearance diversity issues for news outlets including the CNN, Vogue, ABC, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald and SBS.

In 2022, Carly provided a testimony at the Disability Royal Commission, speaking about abuse in public spaces. In 2020, Carly Findlay received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her work as a disability advocate and activist.

In 2021, Carly received The Victoria Award for Excellence in Women's Leadership. She was named one of Australia’s most influential women in the 2014 Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards. She has appeared on ABC TV’s You Can’t Ask That and Cyberhate with Tara Moss, The Project, The CookUp, Studio 10 and The Drum, and has been a regular on various ABC radio programs. She has spoken at the Melbourne Writers Festival, the University of Western England, Ubud Writers Festival, The Australian Centre for Moving Image and Melbourne University – to name a few. She organised the history-making Access to Fashion  in 2018 – a Melbourne Fashion Week event featuring disabled models. She has a Masters of Communication and Bachelor of eCommerce. She was also a finalist in the Marie Claire Woman of the Year Awards in 2023 in the Changemaker category.

Carly identifies as a proud disabled woman – she lives with a rare, severe skin condition, ichthyosis. She is also a recent cancer survivor.

Artwork for Grace Yee

Grace Yee

Grace Yee is the author of Chinese Fish (Giramondo Publishing), winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature, the Victorian Premier's Award for Poetry, and the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. Her second collection is Joss: A History (also Giramondo). She lives in Melbourne, on Wurundjeri land.

Artwork for Tasneem Chopra

Tasneem Chopra

A Cross-cultural Consultant, Tasneem addresses issues of equity and belonging through an intersectional lens in leadership of government, corporate, arts, academic and NGO sectors, within Australia and overseas.

She assists clients refine their D&I policies as an industry expert and advisor, executes workshops, curates exhibitions and promotes social change towards greater cultural inclusion. Tasneem is also an accomplished emcee and keynote speaker.

As a commentator, her expertise has been sought on topics related to leadership, cultural inclusion, gender justice, intersectionality, migration, social cohesion and social justice.

For her efforts, she was appointed inaugural Ambassador for Women of Colour, Australia, is a former Anti-Racism Champion with the Australian Human Rights Commission  and awarded an Order of Australia Medal.  She has featured on numerous platforms including BBC, SBS, ABC’s Q&A and The Drum and co-hosts the podcast Colour Outside the Lines with Leah Vandenberg, and has previously hosted Strengths Untold.

Get Directions

The Lawler

140 Southbank Boulevard

Southbank, Victoria 3006