A hilarious and heartfelt mother-daughter story.
A single mum, a teenage daughter, and a new life in a regional town where neither quite fits.
It's always been just the two of them against the world, dancing in supermarkets, getting the hell out after the ‘Very Bad Thing’. Now Mum is finding rebellion in the sweaty, radical world of roller derby, while Billie's anxieties are manifesting in unnerving ways.
Windmill Production Company's Mama Does Derby is a no-holds-barred riot of reinvention and reckoning — about falling down, getting back up, and making friends with your demons.
Dates & Times
3 - 5 Sep
Duration: 90 mins (no interval)
Venue
Powerhouse Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Prices & Ticket Info
$49.90 to $59.90
A booking fee of up to $7.20 will be applied.
Accessibility
- Auslan Interpreted Event
- Audio Described
- Wheelchair Access
- Assistive Listening
- 50% Visual Content
For accessible tickets, please contact the Box Office at Brisbane Powerhouse by calling 07 3358 8600 or emailing boxoffice@brisbanepowerhouse.org
Important Info
12+. Contains some strong language and references to domestic violence and mental health. Includes theatrical smoke, haze, lighting effects, live music and loud noise.
Credits
Co-Creator, Director Clare Watson
Co-Creator, Writer Virginia Gay
Assistant Director, Choreographer Larissa McGowan
Designer Jonathon Oxlade
Lighting Designer Lucy Birkinshaw
Music Director Joe Lui
Sound Designer Luke Smiles
Story Consultant Ivy Miller
Cast - Elvy-Lee Quici, Aud Mason-Hyde, Annabel Matheson, Antoine Jelk, Benjamin Hancock, Dylan Miller, Calliope Jackson and Joe Lui
Featuring skaters from the Queensland Roller Derby League
Image by Claudio Raschella
Supported By
This project is supported through the Giving Program by Carolyn Vincent – Ubuntu Foundation.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia its principal arts investment and advisory body and the Major Festivals Initiative, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc., commissioned by Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Festival and Sydney Festival.
Reviews
The Clothesline Review
Stage Whispers
ArtsHub
Artists
Clare Watson
Clare Watson is a multi-award-winning director and theatre-maker. In 2023, she was appointed Artistic Director of Windmill. Her first work for the company, Hans and Gret, enjoyed a sell-out season at the Adelaide Festival.
From 2016-2022 she was Artistic Director of Black Swan State Theatre Company and the former Artistic Director at St Martins Youth Centre. Clare has directed work for several major theatre companies and festivals including Malthouse Theatre, Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre Company South Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, Edinburgh Festival, Adelaide Festival among others. She directed a production of Cyrano adapted by Virginia Gay which won a Fringe First Award in Edinburgh and was nominated in London for three Offies Awards including Best Production and Best Director. Clare is the recipient of a Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award.
Virginia Gay
Virginia Gay is an award-winning actor, writer and director. She recently starred in Colin From Accounts, SBS’ Safe Home, Savage River and Thank God You’re Here. She was Artistic Director of Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2024/25 and received a Logie nomination for most Outstanding Supporting Actor for After The Verdict. She won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actress for Calamity Jane, wrote and starred in Cyrano for MTC in 2022.
Cyrano had a smash-hit new production for EdFringe 2024 (winning a Fringe First Award for Most Outstanding New Writing), followed by a London season (nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Lead Actor). In 2026 she will direct Yve Blake’s new show Mackenzie for Bell Shakespeare.