Actor, theatremaker and award-nominated playwright Henry Kelly has a knack for memorable titles. His critically acclaimed solo debut, which centred on his experience since coming out as transgender, was titled Call Me By Your Dead Name, and now his upcoming sophomore solo work has the equally vivid moniker of Girl at the Bottom of a Well.
This new work is both written and performed by Kelly as a one-man transmasculine meditation on authenticity as necessary for survival. Girl has been banished, abandoned, hidden – far down at the foot of a well. Completely alone, all that’s left is to create an escape into the reality where she can be ‘he’. We can’t wait to see the emotional depths Kelly explores in this heartfelt reflection on euphoria that retrospection can spark in the trans body.
As a playwright, Kelly has spent the past year accumulating accolades. In 2023 his work Hell Fire, Mortal Boys was selected for the Melbourne Theatre Company Cybec Electric Readings and the Midsumma Festival Queer Playwriting Award Showcase.
Girl at the Bottom of a Well will mark Kelly’s fourth collaboration with director George Lazaris (Melbourne Theatre Company’s Cyrano) and is backed by a team of gender diverse creatives, including sound designer Beau Esposito (Malthouse’s Telethon Kid).
Girl at the Bottom of a Well is playing at Carlton’s La Mama Courthouse from June 12-16. Tickets are $25 for concession holders and $35 full price. Mob and trans community tickets are also available for $10 each. Get yours before they sell out at the La Mama website.
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