Top Girls

by Caryl Churchill

directed by Virginia Moore Price

This play is dedicated to all the remarkable women who have grappled with the themes in Caryl Churchill's Top Girls. Your journeys of ambition, sacrifice, and resilience are a testament to your strength and courage. May your stories continue to inspire and empower future generations, reminding us all of the incredible power and potential within every woman.

ACT 1 Restaurant, Saturday night

ACT 2, SCENE 1 Joyce’s backyard, Sunday evening

Intermission

ACT 2, SCENE 2 Top Girls Employment Agency, Monday Morning

ACT 3 One year earlier, Joyce’s kitchen, Sunday evening

DIRECTOR

VIRGINIA MOORE PRICE - Director

Virginia is thrilled to make her directorial debut with GRADS, presenting Caryl Churchill's celebrated play Top Girls. Recently, she received the Finley Award for Best Play with No Exit and was honoured as Best Director. Her production of The Man from Earth also achieved third place. Directing Top Girls has been both a challenge and a joy for Virginia. The play’s complex, overlapping dialogue and rapid scene shifts have pushed her to new creative heights. Additionally, the play's exploration of the struggles and triumphs of women in a patriarchal society has resonated deeply with her. Bringing these themes to life on stage has been a powerful and enlightening experience. Virginia deeply appreciates her talented cast and dedicated crew, whose trust and commitment have been essential to the success of this production. Their hard work and creativity have made the journey rewarding and enjoyable. Virginia extends her heartfelt thanks to GRADS for this wonderful opportunity and to everyone involved in bringing Top Girls to life. She looks forward to sharing this thought-provoking and memorable play, which highlights the resilience and strength of women, with the audience.

CAST

SOLONJE BURNS - Marlene

"Growth as a human being and as an actor are synonymous.” Stella Adler

Solonje is filled with an attitude of gratitude to be working with the talented director Virginia Moore Price in Caryl Churchill’s groundbreaking Top Girls. It is an honour to be cast in the lead role, Marlene, a creative and artistic challenge that actresses truly desire and work for.

"Anyone can do anything if they've got what it takes." Marlene-TOP GIRLS-Caryl Churchill

Solonje is grateful for training with a world-class faculty in New York City, graduating from the three year (MFA equivalent) Conservatory Program at the prestigious Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Past theatre productions in New York City: as Rose in Trelawny of the Wells, dir James Tripp; as Desdemona in Othello, dir. by Duane Boutte; as Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit, dir. Tom Oppenheim; as Gabrielle in When the Rain Stops Falling, dir. Zebedee Rowe, Harold Clurman Theatre; in Playing with Fire by August Strindberg with The Private Theatre Company NYC, dir. John Gould-Rubin; and in Lament by Karen Blixen with The Midtown International Theatre Festival, dir. Jonathan Libman.

Since moving back to Perth, Solonje has performed with Irish Theatre Players in By the Bog of Cats, as Hester Swane, dir. Lucy Eyre (nominated for Best Actress, 2024 Finley Awards); with GRADS Theatre Company in The Merchant of Venice as Lancelot Gobbo, dir. Lucy Eyre; with Fremantle Theatre Company in AMidsummer Night’s Dream as Titania, Hippolyta, Flute & Thisbe, dir, Renato Fabretti; with Harbour Theatre in The Ghost Train as Peggy, dir. Ann Speicher and The Kitchen Sink as Sophie, dir. Grace Hitchen; and with The Black Yak Theatre Company in Henry V as Williams, Bedford & Cambridge, dir. Paul Treasure.

SUZANNAH CHURCHMAN - Isabella Bird & Joyce

Suzannah is stoked to be cast in Top Girls, reuniting with Ginny again after her directorial success with No Exit, Suzannah playing Inez, a role for which she received the 2024 Finley award for Best Actress. Suzannah also worked on By The Bog of Cats this year, alongside the talented Solonje Burns. Top Girls has been an amazing journey and Suzannah feels lucky to have fallen into another delicious band of fantastic, feral females. Suzannah trained at the Oxford School of Drama and her spirit animal is probably a pigeon.

JENNY HOWARD - Dull Gret & Mrs Kidd

A decades-long love of Perth theatre has given Jenny the pleasure of playing the Vicar of Dibley to Lady Macbeth and everything in between. Jenny earned Finley Awards for her portrayal of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire/Tennessee Williams, Shirley Valentine/Willy Russell and Queen Hermione in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale. She was last on stage in 2023 as Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing for Darlington Theatre Players. Jenny is excited to work alongside such venerable cast, crew and costumiers, in this inventively imagined, challenging and controversial play for the pleasure of Stirling Theatre audiences.

KELLY CLEARY - Lady Nijo & Shona

Kelly studied a BA Theatre Arts, way back, and since has been involved with performing in some form or another in Perth and Melbourne. Most recently performing and producing theatre with Margaret River Theatre Group, having lived in the South-west for the past five years. Returning to Perth last year, Kelly is so very grateful and excited for the opportunity to be a part of GRADS production of Top Girls, co-creating with such a talented cast, crew and visionary director. A feminist at heart, this script ticked all the boxes and playing varied roles in Lady Nijo, Thirteenth Century concubine to the Emperor of Japan then Buddhist Nun, and Shona, a young woman wanting a piece of 80’s corporate success, has been a fun ride.

SARAH PLUMMER - Pope Joan & Louise

Hailing originally from New Zealand, Sarah is an award-winning actor who has been performing in Australia and internationally over the past ten years. After taking an unexpectedly long maternity leave, Sarah is relishing being back in Perth to perform on stage under the direction of Virginia Moore Price and working with the talented ensemble of women in Top Girls.

EMILIA LAWONSKI - Griselda & Angie

Emilia is so grateful and excited to have landed among the incredible cast and production team of Top Girls. They have been an absolute joy to work with (yes, I expect you to be jealous). She stumbled across the audition notice just three days before auditions and is so glad she gave it a crack. As with many young actors, Emilia’s hopes and dreams of acting were crushed when her high school decided drama wasn’t a real subject. Years later acting came out of the woodwork and was calling her once more, so she did the responsible thing and left her job in the corporate world to study acting. She is now thrilled to be making her community theatre debut playing Griselda & Angie, who are both completely perfect and flawless, just like herself.

VICKY WILLIAMS - Nell & Jeanine

If you’re a Stirling Theatre regular, you might recognise Vicky from last year’s Absurd Person Singular, directed by Janet Brandwood. You might even recognise Vicky from her scandalous 2018 performance as Helga in ‘Allo ‘Allo, directed by Andrew Watson. Between 2019 and 2022 Vicky was treading the boards at WA’s oldest theatre, The Bijou, in Esperance. Playing slightly risqué characters while in a small town was a fun introduction to the school community! Vicky auditioned for Robert Scott’s According to Rumour three days after arriving in town. This was followed in 2021 by Jeff Bamber’s Art for Art’s Sake, where Vicky doubled down on the risqué approach, playing the naughty Aunt Christine. Vicky is thrilled to be part of Virginia Moore Price’s cast of amazing women in Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls. It will be a great run.

AMANDA LANGTON - Her/Woman

Amanda is delighted to be part of this amazing cast and production team. She dabbled in theatre 18 years ago but her cerebral palsy made it hard to follow this dream because there were too many obstacles. In 2017 she joined Toastmasters to build her confidence in public speaking and writing, and now Stirling Theatre has made acting possible with accessibility for people with disabilities. Amanda is now part of a supportive group of people helping her follow that dream and teaching her those dreams are possible. Playing a role in such a powerful play is a really big deal for Amanda. She now intends to write her own play based on her childhood.

GEORGINA TEAKLE - Win & Waitress

Georgina Teakle is an emerging performer from Western Australia. Born in Perth and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, she began her acting career at high school, which continued at the University of Notre Dame Australia where she majored in both Theatre and History. Here she performed in Honour by Joanna Murray-Smith. Subsequently, she completed a Diploma of Acting at WAAPA where she performed as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth and Blanche Dubois from A Streetcar Named Desire. Following her studies she has been seen in a number of plays such as Radium Girls at The Old Mill Theatre and various short and student films. Georgina will soon be seen in the upcoming independent film, Tidal.

GIORDANA MARRA - Kit & Waitress

Giordana is thrilled to be part of a production filled with such inspirational women. She has been involved in the performing arts for most of her life, whether that be dance, drama or singing - she has always involved herself in any way she can. Starting classes from a young age she fell in love with the acting world, constantly immersing herself in the industry. As a performer, helping backstage or even an audience member, the stage has always been her place of comfort and liberty. In this production she hopes to share her love of acting and entertainment with the audience!

CREW

ABBEY MITCHELL - Assistant Director & Stage Manager

Abbey is currently in her final year at Curtin University completing a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Theatre. This is her first directing opportunity outside of university where she directed an original piece as well as directing and performing in scenes from a range of classic plays. Prior to university Abbey received high praise for her work directing in her high school drama club for a performance of The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco at the Catholic Performing Arts Festival, as well as doing ensemble work for a production of Grease live at Perth Arena with Harvest Rain Productions, where she also completed the Harvest Rain Performing Artists Bootcamp. Abbey has felt very inspired and has learned so much from working with director Virginia Moore Price and the wonderful cast and crew that she hopes to pursue directing and further her education in the future.

VICKI BELL - Assistant Stage Manager

As a novice actor, Vicki approaches her craft with determination and is continuously honing her skills and seeking inspiration from seasoned actors and insightful directors. Vicki remains committed to the pursuit of artistic excellence and the profound connections that can be forged through the transformative power of theatre.

KRESNA - Props & Stage Art Work

Never one to step away from a challenge, Kresna enjoys working behind the scenes, creating bespoke props and artwork, and helping the director with whatever else comes up (the more unusual the request, the better!)

MERRI FORD - Costumes

Since moving to Perth in 2003, Merri has been costuming stage shows almost non-stop. Over her 38 years involvement with costuming she has designed and created for dance competitions, stage plays, musicals, operas, film work and music clips. She has been nominated for awards, both here and in Melbourne, and has costumed over 100 stage shows.

She considers Top Girls to be a costumers dream, playing with 1980s fashions for office as well as day wear and bringing historical figures to life. For this production she has used gentler colours and patterns for the dream sequence to contrast with the bolder colours and angular designs of the Agency in the hopes that it adds to the atmosphere and mood shifts in these scenes. This is her first time working for her friend, Ginny, as a director, after costuming her many times in stage plays, and is very excited to be a part of this amazing production.

PETER NEAVES - Assistant director and sound operator

Peter has appeared a number of times on-stage at Stirling Theatre, but this is his first time as backstage crew. He has enjoyed learning new skills in this role and being able to sit back and watch as the cast develop their characters has been a joy to behold. With a fabulous cast and amazing, talented director at the helm, Peter has found it an honour to be amongst such unending talent.