Bloomsday in Melbourne 2026 Annual Seminar and Lunch

Once again Bloomsday in Melbourne brings to the stage a brand new production related to the work of James Joyce. In 2026 we are proud to present a new stage show written by Bloomsday's Steve Carey and directed by Renee Palmer, Between The Lines: The James Joyce/Groucho Marx Letters.

It runs at fortyfivedownstairs from Wednesday 17th to Sunday 21st June. And you can join us on that Sunday for lively and entertaining discussion... and stay for a delicious lunch, with musical entertainment provided by Felix Meagher and Ewen Baker.

THE 2026 BLOOMSDAY ANNUAL SEMINAR
“Blessed Art Thou Among Women”: James Joyce's “Me Too” Moment and the Helen Garner 'First Stone' Affair

Bloomsday in Melbourne's play for 2026 considers how women are viewed by Joyce and Marx (Groucho, not Karl) in 1937; and sets our young female academic down in 1980s England, contending with the literary, and particularly the Joycean, academic establishment.

Helen Garner's controversial book The First Stone has raised feminist hackles since its publication in 1995. The issues it deals with have if anything become more urgent and more contentious in the 30 years since. Indeed, in 2024 the Joyce industry experienced its own seismic “Me Too” moment.

Where are we now? What needs to happen next?

Chair: Steve Carey

Panel: Professor Ronan McDonald, Gerry Higgins Chair in Irish Studies, Melbourne University; Frances Devlin-Glass, Artistic Director, Bloomsday in Melbourne


NOTE: Here's where to buy tickets for Between The Lines: The James Joyce/Groucho Marx Letters, 17-21 June at fortyfivedownstairs (a convenient tram or train ride from The Wild Geese).

Accessibility: there are stairs at The Wild Geese Hotel and no lift.