Director Sarah Goodes on 'Ritual, Rage and Middle Age'.

These were the starting points for this production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee. Written in 1962 by a man who writes theatre like he’s composing an opera, the play is a mountain to be climbed with a very trusted team. Kat Stewart is one of the best actors in the country. I’d been looking for the opportunity to work with her for years so when Ella Caldwell the Artistic Director of Red Stitch asked if I’d be interested in directing the Albee classic for their 21st anniversary I called Kat to see what she thought. “I’m very interested in female rage,” is what she said on the phone and I was in! Martha is 52. She’s angry and she’s drinking. She’s not alone of course. She has George but there’s nothing lonelier than the loneliness in a marriage, and the brutal plateau of middle age becomes the confronting site for one of the most famous domestic battles of 20th century American literature.

We need illusion, we need ritual, we need story but with Albee’s Martha and George rituals and stories have soured. What used to provide them with a refuge from the pain of their past and lost opportunities is now destroying them. The exorcism that takes place is necessary for their survival. It could be argued that some stories need to be retired, smothered with a pillow in order for growth to occur. In the hands of a brilliant writer like Albee a play written over 60 years ago can still speak to our times, the oppression of women, the complexities of marriage and of how stories can both haunt us and liberate us. In times of great social change like the '60s and today, some stories need to be retired but not this one – it has ancient human bones and it’s been thrilling bringing it to life again.

This production started at Red Stitch; a tiny 60-seat theatre nestled beside Alma Park in East St Kilda. Red Stitch is an actor-led company, and this play is a perfect fit as an ensemble piece. Founding member David Whiteley joined as George, Emily Goddard as Honey and Harvey Zielinski as Nick. It’s an ensemble piece and these four were electric from the start. It’s been utter privilege to work with them all.

Designer Harriet Oxley and I were keen to explore a suburban baroque influence – a space filled with textures, patterns and faded velvets. Composing and sound designing team, Grace Ferguson and Ethan Hunter, took their inspiration from noir thrillers and grand filmic scores to capture a domestic drama with epic roots. Lighting Designers Jason Ng (original production) and Matt Scott (Comedy Theatre) focused on the dark oppressive moods of a Lynch film. We wanted to create a world that had the tension of a David Lynch film – and atmospheric pressure to it.

We wanted it to feel like the early '60s but also like today and unlock the sense of ritual that George and Martha have about their rules of engagement, their drinking and game playing. We created an altar of the bar and the bar as a shrine to their pain. We wanted to highlight the ritual of going to the theatre –the ritual of seeing classics, stories that we have seen and heard before that remind us of who we are, that our faults and pain are ancient and eternal.

The experience of moving this piece from a small independent theatre Red Stitch, near a dark park in St Kilda East in Melbourne to the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne CBD, and now to the city nestled by a dazzling harbour has been a thrilling ride. It’s fantastic to see the ecology of theatre growing from the independent sector onto the mainstage giving the incredible talent of actors and designers the opportunity to go from an off-Broadway-style production to Broadway-style is an exciting development for the theatre industry and audiences to embrace.

A huge thank you to the producers at GWB, Rob Brookman and Andrew Henry at Andrew Henry Presents for taking us to the city. To Ella Caldwell who instigated and produced the original production and all the team at Red Stitch. To the production team - Will, AJ and Estelle, and to all at the Sydney Theatre Company for inviting us to play and looking after us so beautifully.

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is on stage now at Roslyn Packer Theatre. 

Image: David Whiteley and Kat Stewart. Photo: Prudence Upton.