WRITING

KATIE IS A MARKER-SNIFFING LESBIAN

Sometimes the truth is right under your nose…

Image by Brendan Mattress

GALLERY

East and Under Theatre Co.

Katie’s on track to dux - until she starts selling glow-in-the-dark Sharpies out of her locker. What begins as a low-stakes side hustle at an all-girls Catholic school spirals into a full-blown empire. The deeper she goes, the blurrier the lines get between ambition and obsession, friends and enemies, reality and Florence Nightingale.

Katie is a Marker Sniffing Lesbian is a fiercely queer, darkly funny coming-of-age play about pressure, rebellion, and what happens when you explode the box you were told to fit into.

Built by queer women and powered by chaos, this is theatre for anyone who’s ever had a panic attack in a blazer.

A person wearing a white shirt and a blue skirt is holding a gray chair above their head on a black stage, with a group of white netballs on the floor behind them.
Two women in school uniforms on stage, one standing and the standing on a chair, holding hands. The standing woman looks upset, while the other is smiling.
A young girl in a school uniform sitting on a white chair on stage, with a blue school bag on the floor, looking down with a distressed expression. Behind her, a woman is standing near a black podium, adjusting her glasses and looking at a device, pa
A young woman with long hair wearing sunglasses, a light-colored shirt, and carrying a blue backpack is holding a yellow highlighter to her nose in a dark, indoor setting.
A woman dressed in vintage clothing holding a lantern, standing in a dark room with red lighting.
Two women dancing and laughing on a stage under blue lighting, holding markers. They are wearing similar school-like uniforms.
Three women in white shirts and blue skirts wearing wide-brimmed hats stand in a dark space, with one woman illuminated, holding a glow-in-the-dark marker.
Three women on stage in school uniforms, with three standing and one seated, lit with dramatic blue lighting, performing in a theatrical production.
Two women in school uniforms standing on stage, facing forward with serious expressions, carrying blue bags.
A young woman with blonde hair tied back with a blue ribbon, wearing a cream-colored shirt and a dark skirt, standing on stage with a yellow and beige background. She is looking to her right, holding a long object and has a black bag over her shoulde

SIZZLE REEL

REVIEWS

Stage Door Review
Theatre Haus

“Ada Lukin is a creative force.”

(2025, Stage Door Reviews)

HELLO STRANGER

Image by Felix Lovell

GALLERY

Hello Stranger tells a heartfelt story within the whimsy and chaos of loss. Immersing the audience in the volatile side of grief, the transformative power of love, and the value in celebrating every day. An old Queenslander in West End houses the memories of three generations of kooky couples: Kip and Dot – 80-year-old’s who act like they’re 20, Big and Small – 20-year-old’s who act like they’re 80, and Nurse and Zombie – a couple o’ besties making it work from opposite ends of the loser spectrum.

A thrilling new immersive show that features bank robberies, dance parties, game shows, and weddings, Hello Stranger has something for everyone. Performed by an ensemble of young emerging actors under the keen direction of Ada Lukin; the playwright behind this unique way into a life-changing disease. The Drawer Productions is partnering with Alzheimer’s Queensland to explore a tragic reality that affects so many in the community, informing audiences and highlighting the beauty in the light and shadow of dementia.

Two people, a woman with brown hair and a man with curly dark hair, hugging and smiling at the camera. The woman is holding the man's face with her hand, and the man is smiling with his eyes squinting. They are both touching each other's faces, and t
A woman in a wedding dress and veil with dark lipstick sitting next to a man in a burgundy suit with lipstick kiss marks on his face, against a dark background.
A young woman with brown hair and a young man with curly hair posing together, with the woman standing behind and embracing the man, both smiling at the camera against a dark background.
A woman with brown hair standing in a doorway, surrounded by disembodied hands reaching towards her, with sunlight casting shadows on the wall.
A woman in a wedding dress sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, wearing a veil, looking at a man in casual clothing holding a mirror, both appear to be in a room with peeling paint and dim lighting, with a makeup-covered face reflecte
Bride in a white wedding dress and veil smiling as she stands in a hallway, surrounded by ghostly hands reaching out toward her.
Woman with dark hair and dramatic makeup faces a mirror, touching her face and applying makeup, illuminated by red and purple lighting.
A woman with dark hair and makeup holding her hand to her face, covered in dark paint or mud, illuminated by blue lighting with a dark background.
Young woman with dark hair wearing a nurse's hat with a red cross, a stethoscope around her neck, and a pink tank top, illuminated in red and blue lighting, looking to the side.
A woman with short hair leaning against a wall, illuminated by red lighting, in a dark room.
Two women, one distressed and the other appearing surprised, dressed as a nurse and patient, with a medical cross nurse hat in the background, against a dark background with red lighting.
A man with long hair and a mustache, wearing a plaid shirt and a jacket with a fleece collar, standing in a doorway in a black-and-white photo.
A couple sharing a kiss, possibly on their wedding day, in a black and white photo in what appears to be a confined space like a bathroom or closet.
Group of six people posing together in a room, some dressed as nurses, with a wooden wall, window with curtain, and various furniture including a table with vintage phones and a lamp.
Woman with dark hair and black makeup, covering her mouth with her hand, looking intensely at the camera against a dark background with blue lighting.

REVIEWS

Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane
Anywhere Festival
Creative Futures
Five Emerging Playwrights to Keep Your Eyes On - Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane

“I haven’t cried like that since I saw Adele in 2017”

(2021, Sally Hunter, Freshblood Festival)

Queensland Theatre Emerging Theatre Makers Award

Brisbane City Council Anywhere Award

THE BLUFF

Image by Felix Lovell

GALLERY

A man is missing. Do you save face or face the town?

Hidden in a seaside town at the bottom of Australia, a community shuffles through the days, each the same as the last. The ladies gather in the tearoom of the church charity-shop as their familiar world whirls around them like clockwork. 

When the pillar of the town, Charles Fortsmith, goes missing, his wife is left to face the community he left behind. She must decide between hope and truth, undeterred by the watchful eye of righteous neighbours.

Watch as the salty air erodes the town’s comfortable facade, and the grotesque underbelly is revealed; an examination of what we bury to be part of something bigger than ourselves. 

A middle-aged woman with curly gray hair stands against a dark background, wearing a navy blue cardigan over a dress, with her hands clasped in front of her. She has a serious expression, wearing a cross necklace and a bracelet.
A young man with curly hair and a middle-aged man with a beard standing against a black background, both wearing dark sweaters and jeans.
A young man with curly hair wearing a dark sweater, looking at the camera while adjusting earphones against a black background.
A young man with curly hair wearing a black sweater and headphones, standing against a black background with white geometric lines, making a fist with his right arm.
A woman in a purple shirt holding her face with one hand, with a pensive expression, against a black background decorated with white linear designs.
A middle-aged man with a beard and mustache, wearing a brown blazer and green sweater, standing against a black background with silver lines, looking to the side.
A smiling middle-aged man with a beard and mustache, wearing a dark zip-up sweater, stands in front of a black background with white diagonal lines.
A woman with short, dark curly hair wearing a purple button-up shirt stands against a black background with thin white diagonal lines crossing behind her.
A young man with curly hair wearing headphones, looking upward against a black background with white lines.

REVIEWS

Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane
Theatre Travels

“Playwright Ada Lukin has once again has created a rich gothic world full of secrets that I wanted to get lost in.”

(2022, Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane)