MONUMENT @ The Twyford
Sept 2025
Book now for the NSW premiere of Monument as part of a national tour by Red Stitch Actors Theatre. Crimson Rosella is very excited to be presenting this show at The Twyford in Merimbula. It signals the start of a creative partnership with the Melbourne-based company that will see us working closely with artistic director of Red Stitch, Ella Caldwell, who grew up in the Bega Valley.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Edith Aldridge is the youngest woman to be elected leader of her country. In a lush presidential suite in a heritage listed hotel, she has just ninety minutes to get ready for the biggest day of her life. Enter Rosie, a twenty-two year old makeup artist from the David Jones counter, sent to help Edith get camera ready. In Rosie’s capable hands, this morning will be a breeze. So long as they both stick to the brief.
Sheehan’s astute and entertaining script challenges the trivialisation of beauty therapy, exploring the role that makeup and fashion play in how we perceive and receive women in power.
“A clever and highly entertaining comedy about class. 4 Stars.” – ArtsHub
“Contemporary politics is expertly skewered in this ambitious, flawlessly performed two-hander. 4 Stars.” – Limelight magazine
PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTE
Monument is a play about a world leader and her makeup artist and that uniquely intimate relationship. Before I’d written a word of dialogue, I had a very clear stage image in mind of an extraordinary woman having her makeup done. And I knew I wanted audiences to watch this in real time over ninety minutes.
We so often correlate beauty with competence. So to participate in beauty culture is non- negotiable if you’;re in the public eye. Conversely, hyper-feminine spaces are often seen as unserious, and so with this play I wanted to use the intimacy of the makeup chair as a space capable of anchoring a global, political narrative.
I’m excited to bring Red Stitch audiences this Trojan horse of a play. A play that’s easy on the eyes, at first, because the packaging matters. A play that is on the surface is about makeup, image and persona. But as the plays go along, we explore the blurring line between the role of a politician and the influence of a celebrity. What are the ethical dilemmas present in this fusion?
As I began writing and researching, inspiration revealed itself as I leaned into this phenomenon.
While listening to Hillary Clinton’s autobiography I hear her say that during the 2016 presidential campaign she spent 600 hours getting hair and makeup done. The equivalent of 25 days. And that’s just during the campaign.
A statue of Princess Diana is unveiled to mark what would have been her 60th birthday. Twitter is ablaze with critics slamming the statue’s outfit as ugly and outdated. This is a statue they’re talking about.
At a Christmas party, a woman tells me she trains hairdressers to respond to disclosures of family violence. In fact, a large number of programs have emerged in Australia like this one, as research has consistently found that hair salons are unique spaces of what they call ‘touch and talk’.
As New Zealand prepares for lockdown, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern goes live on Facebook from her bedroom, wearing a well-worn sweatshirt and no-makeup makeup. A defining moment, to be sure. But why?
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes history as the youngest woman elected to US Congress. A fan on Twitter asks what lipstick she was wearing during the debate. She tweets back. It’s Stila Stay All Day Liquid in Beso. It sells out at Sephora the same week.
This play is curious about why people say, ‘I don’t really follow the news’, or ‘I don’t think that much about what I wear, or ‘I don’t find politics very interesting’. If you’ve ever divulged a dark secret or the latest family drama to your hairdresser, then you will understand what this play is getting at.
I hope audiences feel empowered to take the play as seriously as they might take selecting the perfect shade of lipstick. That it is frivolous, of course, and hopefully fun, but at the same time worthy of serious discussion and capable of withstanding meaningful critique. Whether you prefer to express yourself through words, or aesthetics, or art and metaphor, it’s between these two poles (frivolity and seriousness) that many meaningful insights in life and in art might be uncovered.
Emily Sheehan
MONUMENT
Written by Emily Sheehan
Directed by Ella Caldwell
The Twyford – Theatre Venue
7.30pm Saturday 18 October 2025 &
2.00pm Sunday 19 October 2025
The fuchsia is bright.
Genre: Comedy/drama
Length: 100 minutes (no interval)
Suitable for: Ages 14+
Content warnings: Coarse language, references to sex
Tickets: Adults $44 | Concessions $39 | Group 4 $156 ($39 each)
“This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.”
