DOUBLE ACT

Tasmania/lutruwita is trending. And not just for the splendid isolation of its pristine wilderness and, at the time of print, zero case numbers. Two of Australia’s most talented actors, Marta Dusseldorp (of Stateless, A Place to Call Home and Jack Irish fame) and Essie Davis (Babyteeth, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Game of Thrones), have united to spotlight (and satisfy) the Apple Isle’s strong cultural appetite.

This month, the Hobart-based friends are starring in a new production of Jean Genet’s 1947 play The Maids. Loosely inspired by the true crime story of murderous duo The Papin sisters, the play’s central characters Claire and Solange are tied by their love/hate relationship and the power structure that defines their existences. The challenging drama is the latest project from Archipelago Productions, founded in 2020 by Dusseldorp and her husband, Tasmanian-raised actor Ben Winspear, in a bid to create and fund projects across theatre, television and film, utilising local talent, production and locations.

Adding some additional star power to this month’s production of The Maids, the trio has enlisted Davis’s husband, renowned Australian director Justin Kurzel (True History of the Kelly Gang), who alongside his latest directorial project Shantaram for Apple TV+, has reprised his stage design roots for the local production.

Davis most recently worked with Kurzel on (in cinemas now), which received critical acclaim at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for its respectful interpretation of