The lives of Stephen Sewell

With the premier of The Lives of Eve this week at KXT on Broadway, Australian playwright Stephen Sewell will be seeing his first production on stage since the Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2019 season of Arbus and West.

The writer of 36 theatre plays, Sewell is also known for his screenplay for1998 AFI award winning film The Boys, starring David Wenham and Toni Collette, but it is his love of smaller theatre companies that impassions him and he couldn’t be more thrilled than to have The Lives of Eve land at the KXT.

“Companies like KXT are interested in Australian theatre and developing Australian theatre, and inevitably these are places where writers such as myself find my work being done,” Stephen Sewell, playwright said.

Sewell went on to point out that the great Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov’s early plays were also performed in theatres run along similar lines to the KXT and bAKEHOUSE Productions.

“Chekov’s work was produced in the similarly bold and innovative environment of the Moscow Art Theatre, funded through private subscription and the equivalent of companies like the KXT now,” Sewell said.

“With smaller companies like the KXT and bAKEHOUSE there is not a lot of dough involved, and subsequently production values are not a big feature of what they do, which means that they can focus on acting.”

Writers approach the realisation of their work in different ways, with some leaving it entirely to the director and actors.

Sewell likes to be present through the creative process and, after nine years as head of writing at NIDA, found it was a rewarding experience being in the rehearsal room.

“Through the rehearsal period for The Lives of Eve, I was not subject to the demands of all the other arts and crafts typically associated with mainstream theatre,” Sewell said.

“What I saw was the director Kim (Hardwick) working closely with the actors, which is what great directors love.”

The Lives of Eve explores what it means for women to exist in the world, as Eve tries to unravel the mysteries of her own life.

The cast for Eve is a dream come true for Sewell, as it features three older members of theatrical royalty and a new comer who has brought a freshness to the production.

Many will know Annie Byron from her role as Lou in The Sullivans and as Rhonda’s mother in Muriel’s Wedding, along side her work for many years across all of Sydney’s major theatre companies.

“I have admired Annie for many years, and she delighted me by saying that the thing that sold her on the show was the description of her costume,” Sewell said.

“She told me that she usually got to play the bag lady.”

Like Byron, Noel Hodda has worked almost every theatrical company in Sydney, plus having an extensive film and television career, plus a stint serving on the board of the Griffin Theatre Company.

“Noel is glorious, he is such a thoughtful actor who gives it everything and it is great watching him work,” Sewell said.

In real life, Helen O’Connor is a trained psychotherapist, and so is the play’s central character Eve.

“So Helen not only has her acting abilities and has created her own character, but she also has a detailed understanding of the play’s environment,” Sewell said.

Sewell is thrilled that The Lives of Eve is also introducing Louisa Panucci, who is in the early stages of her acting career and is already gaining attention from her peers.

“Louisa is an absolute find,” Sewell said. “I hadn’t seen her work, but I met others who had and they were bowled over, and then the first time I saw her in the role she practically knew the script from the get go.”

Like Sewell, director Kim Hardwick’s packed career suggests that she too likes to work outside of the larger companies.

“She’s such an actors’ director and watching her work is a master class in how to direct an actor,” Sewell said.

This production of The Lives of Eve, in conjunction with White Box, has pedigree written all over it, from its multi-award winning writer to a stellar cast under the eye of one of our most skilled directors.

October 27 – November 11