desperately seeking daphne
Love is blind but obsession sees very clearly.
Images by Daniel Rabin
Desperately Seeking Daphne captivated audiences at TheatreWorks with its powerful blend of coming-of-age storytelling and feminist psychodrama. This gripping performance delved into the deeply unsettling impacts of harm inflicted upon women while simultaneously celebrating the resilience and joys of femme identity.
Desperately Seeking Daphne delved into the complex interplay of love, desire, trauma, and power dynamics between victims and perpetrators. It highlighted the transformative power of friendship and solidarity as pathways to hope and healing. The deep connection between the three women enabled them to confront past betrayals and rekindle lost dreams.
Written by Belinda Kirwan
Directed by Louise Howlett
Performed by Josh Monaghan and Maddie Roberts
Multimedia - Sahaj Garg
Belinda Kirwan
Playwright
Belinda Kirwan is a writer/performer living and working in Melbourne/Naarm.
For theatre, she has developed the play ‘Factory’ as part of the In One Act Writer’s Program (funded by Melbourne Writers’ Theatre and Yarra City Council), had the all-female ‘Nylon Nights’ produced by Mudfest at La Mama Courthouse and performed the one-woman show ‘Daddy.’
She has written and performed comedy for the screen as a co-creator/writer of the comedy series HActresses which premiered on YouTube and was later acquired and screened on 9Go! and 9Now. The series was also selected and received a slew of nominations at international festivals including HollyWeb, Asia Web Awards and the International Online Web Festival (UK).
Her performing credits have also included Shakespeare, live sketch and radio, ‘Counter Girls (web series), ‘Neighbours,’ ‘Rostered On’ (Netflix), ‘The Cult of the Family’ (ABC) as well as commercial television journalism roles.
Belinda’s passion for comedy and drama told from a female perspective is a large part of what drives her work. Key areas of focus include sexual and gender politics and women’s issues explored from a feminist perspective as well as class and the inequities of disadvantage. She’s at her happiest when she can explore the comedy and absurdism within the drama and the glamour in the everyday.