One of Australia’s most beloved icons will tell a powerful story of life, loss and letting go on a Sunshine Coast stage later this year.
Television stalwart Noni Hazlehurst will star in The Lark at The Events Centre, Caloundra, for three performances on September 4 and 5 as part of the production’s limited national tour.
The play was written especially for Ms Hazlehurst by internationally acclaimed Australian playwright Daniel Keene and is directed by award-winning director Matt Scholten.
It reunites the creative team behind the acclaimed 2024 production Mother for another intimate work built around honest storytelling and universal themes.
Set in Melbourne, The Lark follows 75-year-old Rose Grey as she prepares to leave the small inner-city pub that has been her home since birth.
The building is set to be demolished as the suburb around it changes, forcing Rose to confront bitter and sweet memories and find the strength to let go of her past.
“The opportunity to work with Daniel and Matt creating Mother was a rare privilege and a joy,” Ms Hazlehurst said.
“To have the chance to collaborate again on The Lark is a miracle. No actor could ask for more.”
Ms Hazlehurst has been a celebrated presence on Australian stages and screens for more than five decades.
Her credits include A Place to Call Home, Nancy Wake, Ladies in Black and Candy. She is also beloved by generations of Australians for her years on Play School, which she was presented for 24 years, and her time with Better Homes and Gardens.
Ms Hazlehurst’s career has been recognised with multiple Australian Film Institute and Critics Circle awards, two Logie Awards for Best Supporting Actress and induction into the Logie Hall of Fame in 2016.
“It has been a joy to write The Lark for such a skilled and generous actor as Noni Hazlehurst,” Mr Keene said.
“Setting the play in the heart of Melbourne, our hometown, has enriched the writing and will empower Noni’s performance. The play is both a celebration of and an elegy for a very particular place in our shared cultural landscape.”
The Lark is embarking on a limited national tour following its 2025 world premiere season in Melbourne.
The Events Centre chief executive Bronwyn Edinger said the Caloundra performances would give Sunshine Coast audiences the opportunity to experience the production close to home.
“Having one of Australia’s most respected and beloved performers, Noni Hazlehurst, on our stage is incredibly special,” she said.
“Presenting world-class theatre and exceptional artistic talent is central to our vision at The Events Centre, and The Lark is a wonderful example of the calibre of work we are proud to bring our community,” she said.
Visit The Events Centre for tickets.
