Yentl
Sydney Opera House, 2024
Malthouse, Melbourne, 2024
Arts Cente, Melbourne, 2022
Directed by Gary Abrahams
“Theatre in this country is so rarely animated by ideas this complex and contested, and rarely this moving. Like a meaningful ritual, it’s bracing and transformative.” GUARDIAN
“This mesmerising adaptation is nothing short of magic.” TIME OUT
“Gary Abrahams, Galit Klas and Elise Esther Hearst have crafted a play that achieves a perfect balance of tradition and inspiration. It’s utterly faithful to its source material – Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote only in Yiddish and drew deeply from the well of Jewish myth and history – but it’s also transfigured by lightly worn contemporary resonance, in a way that haunts and amplifies the beauty and drama of the original tale.” THE AGE
A Very Jewish Christmas Carol
Melbourne Theatre Company, 2023
Directed by Sarah Giles
“There’s never been A Christmas Carol quite like this festive treat, and theatregoers should be counting sleeps until they see it.” THE AGE
“A heart-warming, must-see production.” THEATRE MATTERS
“Cleverly reinvented, with cross-cultural humour, heart, and Christmas magic.” LIMELIGHT
“They don’t have Dickens’ prose, but they tell a story that is much, much funnier, more real and way less sentimental. The jokes – ironic, sly, sarcastic, aggressive-but-affectionate and characteristically Jewish – just keep coming at hectic, noisy pace… until, suddenly, you find a lump in your throat – and the underlying meaning of it all is revealed … the writing here demonstrates a real assurance. Opening night standing ovations have become de rigeur, but with this show the standing ovation was clearly fast and spontaneous – the audience responding to the warmth, the humour, the emotion, the pitch perfect work of writers, cast, director, designers, et al.” STAGE WHISPERS
Bright World
Theatreworks, Melbourne, 2016
Directed by Paige Rattray
“After the breakneck ride through two histories, the comic conflicts and jokes, the ending is suddenly still and quiet and moving. There are other ways to tell these stories, but this one is an ingenious answer to their challenges.” STAGE WHISPERS
“Eye-opening, daring, sobering and even heartwarming, the world premiere of Bright World is one hell of a trip. Hearst’s wonderful wit and James’ poetry are a marriage made in linguistic heaven with the ultimate aim to provoke discussion and reflection.” ARTS HUB
The Mesh
Red Stitch, Melbourne, 2014
Directed by Paige Rattray
“Her pithy dialogue is noirish in its wit and secrecy.” THE AGE
“Challenging without being verbose, this a fine example of a gifted writer and terrific director, who bravely place as much trust in their audience as they do in their actors. For that, we can be thankful.” ARTS HUB
“Hearst is one of the most interesting young playwriting voices in Australian theatre.” AUSTRALIAN ARTS REVIEW
The Sea Project
Griffin Theatre, Sydney, 2012
Directed by Paige Rattray
“Bold and interesting writing that often leaves the audience on the edge of their seats wondering what will happen next.” STAGE WHISPERS
“The Sea Project is elusive, open-ended and alive with imaginative possibilities.” STAGE NOISE
“This is cryptic and satisfying theatre.” CONCRETE PLAYGROUND
Dirtyland
New Theatre, Sydney, 2011
Directed by Paige Rattray
“Hearst's play is bleakly humorous and draws on the darkest episodes of human history. Images poke through the surface of the dialogue like the bones that occasionally stick up out of the town's poisoned earth.” SYDNEY MORNING HERALD