With their first main stage production for 2025, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company returns with another feel-good play that brings together two of society’s favourite things: pubs and karaoke nights!
Thirst is the latest play by Western Australian writer, artist, and academic Barbara Hostalek. It follows former pop star Lola and her partner, who’ve just inherited a run-down country pub called The Glass Slipper. They’re the first Blackfullas to run a pub in the area, and with the place falling apart, they come up with a big idea to save it, a karaoke fundraiser.
We spoke with Barbara about the show’s journey from a 10-week writing program to the main stage and the joy and power of karaoke.
What can you tell us about this story and its characters?
The story looks into practical questions relating to staying, leaving, and returning . It’s a playful look about identity, history, relationships and some of the motivations that shape or influence our choices and decisions as people, young and older.
Each character has a different focus on where they are and why and for who: Chico, ambitiously entrepreneurial, making a nest egg; Lola, seeking solace in the quiet life but battling with her past decisions; Bruce, chasing love and living up to his potential; and Roxy, wrestling with self-doubt about a range of things.
I’ve tried to use playful dialogue, with intimate moments between characters and their situations as well music to progress the story, however the directorial positioning is all up to the Artistic Director, Maitland Schnaars.
Barbara Hostalek. Photo by Duncan Wright.
The show sounds like an incredibly fun time – who doesn’t love a karaoke night at a country pub! I hear you also have a love for karaoke. What about it inspired you to write a play that features karaoke so prominently?
Music is very important to me as well as singing, even though I am not good at it. I’ve karaoke’d in private, with friends, and family, and then there is that Friday night sing-a-long after work. I’ve always felt after belting out a karaoke song I’ve felt lighter, and happier. Thirst was a fun script to write and experience with the creative team at various times of its creative development – I have been really moved by the communal power of singing (starting out awkward and then finding our voice united), I hope to share a similar experience with the audience. I would particularly like to thank the support and insight offered by Luke Hewitt (dramaturgy) and Maitland Schnaars (artistic director) in selection of the song choices, especially when the right to use music wasn’t provided, and it was back to the desk, discussing ‘what might’ work here in the absence of this and that … and contemplating would it work. I’m happy with the song choices in the end, and I can’t wait to see how audiences experience the show.
The show was created in the 10-week Yirra Yaakin writers’ group program and then went into a two-year development. Can you tell us how the show has evolved over this period?
Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company have been providing opportunities for First Nations people to learn skills with experienced theatre creatives: Polly Low, Geoff Kelso and Hellie Turner over an intensive 10 week time frame for many years, I only joined the writers group in 2015. During this time participants learn to take an idea they have and write a play from scratch. ‘Thirst’ was conceived as a seed idea when I watched Yirra Yaakin’s production of ‘Cracked’ in 2019, reflecting on crashing through barriers. Thirst was originally celebrated as a 10 minute script which received a rehearsed reading with professional actors during NAIDOC Week activities in 2019, then I was selected to participate in the Yirra Yaakin Playwriting Festival in 2023 which was a fabulous opportunity to spend dedicated time creatively engaging with Luke Hewitt who provided dramaturgy and insight into the use of music and dedicated comedy, seeing how setups work with the use of professional actors supported faster rewrites of scenes and character behaviours every day, a true gift for me. Maitland Schnaars heard the work and loved it and championed its selection as part of Yirra Yaakin 2025 Annual Season.
Thirst, Creative Development.
The show is directed by the company’s Artistic Director, Maitland Schnaars. What has the experience been like so far, working with Maitland and seeing the work come to life?
Artistic Directors, just like writers, have their own style, behaviours and ways of interpreting written worlds. Maitland is unlike any Director I have worked with, and what I love about Maitland’s direction is seeing how he instils confidence in the instincts of not only my writing but the actors and production team he is working with. And it is a joy to watch, the creative team work so diligently and with care for the story, characters, and themes…as well as have fun with a script that has the intention of being playful. Fun was a primary motivation for me to write ‘Thirst’, I wanted to see actors have fun, and I wanted a Director to pick-up ‘Thirst’ and drive the moments of intimacy, humour and playfulness and Maitland’s done just that, it is a real honour and privilege to make theatre and work with ridiculously talented and creative artists, for which I am over the moon.
Maitland describes the show as funny, tender, and a great feel-good play. What do you think it is about this play that will resonate with audiences right now?
I hope that for a moment in time as audience, we are connected and tapped into universal emotions which celebrate our difference and bring us closer together than repel us against each other. It’s only together that solutions to problems can be found.
Thirst presented by Yirra Yaakin is on at Subiaco Arts Centre from April 29-May 10.