Across April, Melbourne audiences will come face to face with a contemporary moral dilemma as they are in equal turns amused and horrified by Nicola Watson’s Patrick White shortlisted play, Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt.
The intimate La Mama HQ will transform into a luxurious Airbnb in isolated bushland, where three old friends have booked a long-awaited catchup. The weekend is dedicated to self care, top-shelf wine, slow cooking and the chance to relax and reconnect. But as a storm picks up outside their rented cottage, they start to wonder if they are indeed alone…
A powerhouse team brings Melbourne this Australian premiere, with Alexandra Aldrich (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Tess Masters (The Comeuppance, Red Stitch), Rebecca Bower (Point8Six, La Mama), and Rosie Traynor (Lake Mungo) under the direction of Anne Browning (The Water Carriers and Australia! The Show!, MTC; The Pitch, Malthouse; Stop.Rewind, Red Stitch).
“I guess I’m interested in the performativity of ethics: what we say we should do vs what we are willing to do vs what we actually do,” said Playwright Nicola Watson.
“In a blisteringly unfair world, I think this is worth contemplating or at the very least, poking fun at. Ultimately, the play is a comedy with a goal to make us laugh, but to also catch a glance of ourselves in the mirror and consider what we see,” said Watson.
“Nicola’s play is a refreshingly honest window into the inevitable collisions that occur when we try to have it all – the moral high ground alongside the comforts of the modern world,” says Director Anne Browning.
“It circles an argument no one can win, revealing just how ridiculous we look when we try. With the ferocious comic energy of God of Carnage and the razor wit of Oscar Wilde, the play invites us to laugh at ourselves while questioning who we care about and why.”
Director: Anne Browning | Featuring: Alex Aldrich, Tess Masters, Rebecca Bower, Rosie Traynor | Dramaturg: JoJo Zhou | Stage Manager: Lexie Jaensch | Set and Costume Designer: Bianca Pardo | Lighting Designer: Tom Vulcan | Sound Designer: Jack Burmeister | Co-Producers: Nishka Varghese and Hazel Pigrum | Playwright: Nicola Watson
Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt
La Mama HQ, 205 Faraday Street, Carlton
Season: 9 – 26 April 2026 (preview: 8 April)
Information and Bookings: www.lamama.com.au
Image: Spare a Thought for Jana Wendt – photo by Darren Gill