ABOUT THE SHOW

Rachel Griffiths (Muriel’s Wedding, Six Feet Under) returns to Melbourne Theatre Company for the first time in 20 years to play Clarice Beckett, one of Australia’s most important modernist artists, in this visually rich world premiere.

Now renowned for her depictions of moody Melbourne landscapes, the visionary painter had all but vanished from the public consciousness following her premature death in 1935. Decades later, curator Dr Rosalind Hollinrake found herself drawn into a mystery that would lead to one of the most important rediscoveries in Australian art history.   

This world premiere commission, inspired by Beckett’s life and legacy, follows her rising each dawn and returning at dusk to capture Melbourne as she saw it – Luna Park, suburban streets  and bayside beaches – and, across time, the curator who refused to let her vanish from history. 

Developed through a unique artistic collaboration between creators Rachel Griffiths, AACTA Award-winning writer Trudy Hellier (Lowdown, Little Acorns, Waking Up Dead) and multi-award-winning director Simon Phillips (As You Like It, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers), Clarice is brought to life through striking design, transforming the stage into her paintings.

Moving between the 1930s and 1970s, between Beaumaris’s shifting light and inner-city galleries, this is an invitation to see the world – and Melbourne – the way Beckett did. 

Commissioned with the support of Peter Clemenger AO.  Developed through Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program, with the support of our Playwrights Giving Circle.