World premiere

This classic Sydney story has come home

Sydney Theatre Company’s long-awaited return home to The Wharf will be marked by this historic event in Australian theatre.

From playwright Kate Mulvany and Artistic Director Kip Williams, the team that created the epic, multi-award-winning world of The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two, comes a new adaptation of one of Ruth Park’s most beloved Australian stories which is sure to delight audiences of all generations.

Abigail (Catherine Vn-Davies), a teenager dealing with her parents’ messy separation, follows the mysterious young girl Beatie Bow (Sofia Nolan) back through time – from the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s The Rocks in the present day to the year 1873, when the suburb was full of struggling immigrant families, gangsters and a whole host of larger-than-life characters. With the help of Beatie, her wise grandmother, and the whole Bow family, Abigail goes on a wild adventure through twisting alleyways of history in a race to find her way home.

This moving human story is set in and around the real-life suburb that STC calls home and will overflow with history, song and sparkling humour. Grandparents, parents and teenagers will all find something to love in this family story – a combination of Mulvany’s characteristic warmth and vivacity and Williams’ monumental vision.

Celebrate the reopening of The Wharf with a tale full of adventure, surprises and a little magic.

Playing Beatie Bow was developed and produced with the assistance of the Australian Writers’ Guild David Williamson Prize.