Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story

STC Still Point Turning Heather Mitchell as Catherine McGregorThe moving and timely true story of one of our country’s most intriguing public figures, Sydney Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story at the Wharf 1 Theatre until 26 May 2018.

From the age of eight, Catherine McGregor knew she was a woman. But first she would have to live as a man. She played many parts: son, brother, husband, athlete, soldier, speech writer. She worked in professions full of machismo, inside institutions built by men.

Every day was a challenge, and every challenge took its toll. In 2012, aged 56, McGregor faced a turning point: end her life, or transition as a woman. It is a story of a figure who moves easily between the different worlds of the military, politics and cricket. It’s a life of extremes: from the depths of alcoholism, to recovery; from the loss of her parents to the discovery of herself; from serving in East Timor to winning Queenslander of the year.

It also explores the journey she is on in transitioning as a woman: the experience of gender dysphoria, the reactions of her friends and colleagues, the public scrutiny, the important connections she has made. And the life-affirming reality of expressing herself as she truly is.

Drawn directly from countless hours of interviews with McGregor, Still Point Turning tells her story in her own words. It reveals a woman of fierce intellect, passion, incisive humour and profound feeling. It celebrates her tenacity without shying away from her faults. It is the true story of her true self.

Writer/director Priscilla Jackman, in her STC debut, has assembled a magnificent cast, led by Heather Mitchell (Cloud Nine) as Catherine, to bring this moving and timely true story to the stage.

“And I arrived at the same point every trans person does. If I am to live on, it would be as the person I felt myself to be, or I would die.” – Catherine McGregor

Director: Priscilla Jackman Featuring: Nicholas Brown, Andrew Guy, Chantelle Jamieson, Ashley Lyons, Heather Mitchell, Georgina Symes Designer: Michael Scott-Mitchell Lighting Designer: Nick Schlieper Composer & Sound Designer: Steve Francis Assistant Director: Charles O’Grady Consultant: Kelly Glanney

Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story
Wharf 1 Theatre – Pier 4, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay (Sydney)
Season continues to 26 May 2018
Information and Bookings: www.sydneytheatre.com.au

Image: Heather Mitchell as Catherine McGregor – courtesy of STC