THE LIBERTINE - a dark, witty, provocative historic drama exploring excess, genius and destruction.

Presented by UpStage at the Playhouse

Produced by HER Productions

Following their successful Romeo and Juliet: A Reimagining in 2024, HER Productions returns to the UpStage at the Playhouse program with a bold new production of Stephen Jeffreys' The Libertine, which is set to ignite the stage at the Civic Theatre this July. 

Bringing together a powerhouse ensemble of actors from across Newcastle and Sydney, The Libertine is co-directed by Charlotte De Wit and Marigold Pazar. Jeffery's unflinching exploration of excess, artistry, and self-destruction puts local performance talent front and centre.

John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, is a poet, a wit, and a notorious rake at the court of King Charles II. Armed with a lethal charm and a contempt for hypocrisy, they dedicate their life to pleasure and satire. When they meet the ambitious actress Elizabeth Barry, they find a spirit as formidable as their own, forcing them to confront the devastating cost of their own nihilism.
 

To unravel the timeless themes of The Libertine, audiences are invited to experience two distinct versions of this production. The first is a gripping, historically set piece, where the male Rochester's self-destruction plays out against the emerging power of women. The second is an exciting reimagining of our time, featuring a woman as Rochester, who subverts the very confines of this iconic role and asks: how does the story transform when a female body wields the same toxic, brilliant power?
 

See both to witness a masterful play transformed across centuries. A thrilling conversation about gender, power and the roles we are still fighting to break.
 

Executive Manager Civic Theatre, Leonie Wallace said

'We are delighted to present HER Productions' staging of Libertine as part of the UpStage 2026 program. Companies like HER Productions continue to create challenging, thought‑provoking work, and we are thrilled to have them as part of this year's program, which continues to bring new and reimagined works to the Playhouse stage.'

Media Assets available here.

Media Contact: Lyn Thurnham, Thurnham Teece

Mob. 0418 490 989  Email: lthurnham@thurnhamteece.com.au 

A Cast of Standout Performers

Newcastle-based Will McLennan, making his Newcastle stage debut, and Sydney-based actor, playwright, and NIDA MFA Playwright Rose Treloar share the role of John Wilmot. McLennan bringing screen credits including Home and Away and the award-winning short film The Offering, and Treloar arriving fresh from the lead role in The Front Page at New Theatre and her acclaimed work Watch Me Sleep, which headed to New York City Fringe in April 2026. 

The role of Jane is shared by Mia Foley, a QUT Fine Arts graduate and MEAA Equity Scholarship recipient who made her professional debut in Queensland Theatre's Our Town and trained at The Atlantic Acting School in New York, and Jess Dalton, a Sydney-based University of Notre Dame graduate making her acting debut with HER Productions after serving as stage manager on the company's productions of Low Level Panic, Uncle Vanya, and Blackbird.

Mark Barry playing Sackville, a Sydney-based Actors Centre Australia graduate whose extensive stage credits include Moby Dick for Sport for Jove and Waiting for Godot with Actors Centre Company, joins Newcastle's Harold Phipps playing Etheredge, a NIDA graduate who grew up in the region and whose recent work includes A Very Expensive Poison and Anomalies at The Old Fitz. 

Barney Donaghy, a Charles Sturt University graduate whose sell-out seasons include Spewy as part of New Annual and A Midsummer Night's Dream with Whale Chorus, taking on the role Harris. Katy Carruthers, based between Newcastle and Sydney and a graduate of The Drama Studio Sydney. 

Newcastle's Lilly Kime, a rising screen talent and AACTA Youth Stars Top 50 finalist, take on the roles of Luscombe and Downs respectively—Carruthers a multiple Conda Award winner with recent credits including Romeo and Juliet and Uncle Vanya, and Kime appearing in Paramount+'s Playing Gracie Darling following her performance in HER Productions' Blackbird at KXT , while Evan Booth rounds out the ensemble as King Charles. 

Marigold Pazar and Charlotte De Wit, who co-direct the production, also take to the stage in the roles of Elizabeth Barry and Elizabeth Malet, bringing their creative leadership from behind the table to the heart of the action on stage