Barstool Conversations #5 - The Old Fitz Theatre

Barstool Conversations
A series of informal conversations in the Tathra Hotel to whet our community’s appetite in anticipation of the new Headland Theatre

#5 - The Old Fitz - Balancing intimate and epic theatre in Woolloomooloo

Lucy Clements and Emma Wright in conversation with Lindy Hume

Tathra locals might be surprised to know that the spark of inspiration for Headland Theatre, Australia’s newest pub theatre, came from Woolloomooloo’s Old Fitz! For nearly three decades the intimate stage in the basement of the 150-year-old Old Fitzroy Hotel has been inner-city Sydney’s home for over 100 Australian Premieres and daring new independent theatre.

We’ve invited the Old Fitz Theatre’s dynamic creative leadership team Lucy Clements and Emma Wright to visit Tathra for some fresh sea air, to check out the Headland and pull up a barstool at the Tathra Hotel for a conversation with Crimson Rosella’s creative director Lindy Hume. We'll invite Lucy and Emma to share stories of the iconic Old Fitz and to muse on how our tiny stages might help secure the future of theatre in Australia.

Lucy Clements (she/her) is the Artistic and Managing Director of New Ghosts Theatre Company and the Old Fitz Theatre. Since founding New Ghosts in 2015, she has led 15 productions, including 11 world premieres. The company has earned seven Sydney Theatre Award nominations, winning Best Independent Production for Albion, with Lucy also awarded Best Director of an Independent Production. In January 2024, New Ghosts became the custodian of the Old Fitz Theatre. Its inaugural season featured 33 productions, over 800 artists, and welcomed 17,000 audience members. Lucy also made her operatic directorial debut with Dido and Aeneas at Pinchgut Opera and was appointed to the Artform Board of Create NSW.

Emma Wright (She/Her) is a Bond University graduate with a Bachelor of Film and Television (2015) who works across disciplines as a Producer, Playwright, and Actor. She has collaborated with companies including Sport For Jove, Queensland Theatre, Riverside Theatres, and Monkey Baa, and previously produced for Australian Theatre Live, Eye Contact Theatre Company, Secret House, and Corvus Arts Theatre. In her practice, Emma eagerly combines a deep love for the classics with a passion for developing and staging new work and diversifying the Australian theatre canon. She firmly believes in the power of theatre to reach deep and coax us from our echo chambers, to challenge biases, and initiate informed, empathetic and actionable conversation. Emma joined New Ghosts Theatre Company as a Producer in 2022, and is honoured to have taken on the role of Executive Producer at the Old Fitz Theatre in 2024.

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It's free to attend, but registrations are required, as there is limited capacity at the venue. 

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