Asking compelling questions about identity, belonging, trauma and redemption, New Theatre presents Hir by New York playwright and performance artist Taylor Mac this July.
Dishonourably discharged from the army, Afghanistan vet Isaac has returned to find his family and Californian childhood home in disarray.
His abusive and controlling father, Arnold, has suffered a stroke and is now helplessly dependent on his wife, Paige, who is finally getting her revenge after a lifetime of oppression, waging war on the patriarchy by refusing to clean.
Meanwhile, his younger sibling Max is exploring ‘hir’ identity, desperately searching for a way to fit in and buoyed by an almost-too-supportive mother. When PTSD and waning male privilege collide with clown makeup and plans for radical communes, ‘home’ explodes.
New Theatre is thrilled to welcome back director Patrick Howard, who previously helmed productions of Once in Royal David’s City and Control. “I have been in absolute admiration of Taylor Mac for years now, Hir being my first introduction to Mac’s work. I was gobsmacked by how funny, cutting, clever and shocking the work is,” says Howard.
It defies being categorised: it’s a kitchen sink comedy, a domestic drama, a tragedy, a polemic, a drag piece, naturalist, absurdist… and much more. When the work premiered in 2014, neopronouns barely even registered in the mainstream. A lot of people were only just starting to learn about the nonbinary experience.”
“I think it’s incredibly bold to have made a play at that time that uses a neopronoun as its title, and truly incredible for a genderqueer playwright to craft a work where the trans experience is both at the centre of the work, and also a trojan horse for an attack on American imperialism, late-stage capitalism and patriarchal power.”
“I think this play is more important than ever in these bizarre Trump 2.0 times we find ourselves in. Much of middle America has been so sure of itself and been happy to go along with the status quo for a long time, but the cracks are starting to appear.
“We’re in a very different situation here in Australia, but the threat of the worst parts of America infecting our culture and politics is higher than ever,” says Howard.
“A comedy with a serious conviction in the emancipatory power of radical thinking.” – The Guardian
Director & Sound Designer: Patrick Howard | Featuring: Rowan Greaves, Lola Kate Carlton, Jodine Muir, Luke Visentin | Set Designer: Victor Kalka | Lighting Designer: Holly Nesbitt | Costume Designer: Xan Hardman | Assistant Director: Olivia Xegas | Fight Choreographer: Diego Retamales | Puppetry Director: Spark Sanders Robinson | Stage Manager: Matilda Holton | Assistant Stage Manager: Bora Celebi
Hir
New Theatre, 542 King Street, Newtown
Season: 10 July – 2 August 2025 (previews: 8 & 9 July)
Information and Bookings: www.newtheatre.org.au
Image: courtesy of New Theatre