Off With Their Heads Productions, in partnership with Theatre Works, presents the world premiere of Chip On Her Shoulder at the Explosives Factory, St Kilda, as part of the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival, from 7 – 11 October.
An Aussie living in New York, chasing a Broadway dream, sounds like a recipe for success, or disaster, or absolute Melbourne Fringe Festival gold. This October, the emotional snack Chip On Her Shoulder, starring Vanessa Buckley (Doctor Doctor, La Brea, Home and Away) will have its world premiere as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
The brainchild of writer, producer, director Jen McAuliffe, Chip On Her Shoulder is a clever one-woman play weaving a funny and painfully relatable story. While everyone else is busy journaling their feelings, attending reformer Pilates, Kate (Buckley) is trying not to completely lose it – one salty snack at a time.
McAuliffe developed the play under the mentorship of Steve Leff (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Two and a Half Men) and commenced writing while working in theatre in New York.
“I wanted to write something for women who’ve held everything together while falling apart,” said McAuliffe. “Who cry in the carpark at Woollies, fantasize about revenge bodies, and still believe in love. I wanted to make something funny and truthful and a little bit cathartic.”
Chip On Her Shoulder features a standout solo performance by Vanessa Buckley who plays Kate, an Aussie nurse pulling double shifts in New York City while chasing the dream. In between auditioning, trauma shifts, dating disappointments, and snack-fuelled self-reckonings we discover that Kate isn’t bitter, she’s just a little bit salty.
“This show is a love letter to the mess – the grief, the late-night cravings, the fantasy lives we build to cope,” said Buckley. “Kate is all of us. Hungry, hurting, and still somehow hopeful.”
Chip on Her Shoulder is the result of a bold new creative partnership between Buckley and McAuliffe, who met whilst colleagues at Fremantle Productions. The pair formed a fast friendship and quickly turned to collaboration. Together they’ve channelled shared heartbreak and humour into a darkly funny survival story.
Buckley has performed on some of the world’s most iconic stages, including Shakespeare’s Globe and The Royal Theatre, and brings a wealth of stage and screen experience to the role. Best known for creating and co-producing the award-winning show Ready for Take Off, Buckley has worked with McAuliffe to bring this crispy tale to the stage.
Whether you’re more Ruffles than Samboy or Pringles than Kettle, Chip On Her Shoulder takes the audience on a journey through heartbreak, ambition and a dangerously co-dependent relationship with snacks.
Fearless, funny, and painfully relatable Chip On Her Shoulder is for anyone who has cried in a work bathroom, eaten their feelings one chip at a time or just felt the entire weight of a box of Lays on their shoulders.
Following its successful Fringe season, a new adaptation of Chip on Her Shoulder has been selected for the New York Fringe Festival. Written and directed by Jen McAuliffe, this reimagined version brings a Latina twist to the story and will premiere in April at The Chain Theatre for its Off-Broadway USA debut.
The production stars Latina actress and New York native Victoria Nieves. McAuliffe created Off With Their Heads Productions to bring bold female works to stage…
Playwright & Director: Jen McAuliffe | Featuring: Vanessa Buckley | Stage Manager: Maylynn Bloom | Lighting Design: Viv Hargreaves | Sound Operator: Mahi Modouris
Chip On Her Shoulder
Explosives Factory, Rear Laneway, 67 Inkerman Street, St Kilda
Season: 7 – 11 October 2025
Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au
For more information, visit: www.theatreworks.org.au for details.
Image: Vanessa Buckley stars in Chip On Her Shoulder – photo by SMW Image