HERSAY

By Michèle Saint-Yves

Photo by Photos by Jamois

HERSAY is an epic lesbian play by Michèle Saint-Yves that unfolds across three centuries and continents—1810 Edinburgh, 1920s New Hampshire USA, and 2023 suburban South Australia - through the lives of three pairs of best friends whose bonds are ruptured by unspoken desires and the catastrophic consequences of their exposure. Inspired by and expanding on Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour, HERSAY interrogates the persistent systemic violence that queer women face, even in so-called progressive societies. It asks: despite anti-discrimination laws, marriage equality, and public discourse around feminism, has anything really changed for women who live outside the norm?

The play boldly merges the poetic form of the ballad with Greek tragic structure, Sapphic stanza, Scots vernacular, and sharp contemporary dialogue. It’s a courtroom drama, a lyrical epic, and a historical reckoning - all in one. With echoes of Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, Sarah Waters’ Tipping the Velvet, and Michael Cunningham’s The Hours, HERSAY is as much about justice as it is about memory and myth-making.

After over a decade of development - spanning residencies at Midsumma, CRAM, and writeSPACE, and research in Scotland with historical archives and queer archives, HERSAY is slated to premiere in 2026/2027.

CREATIVE TEAM -
Playwright - Michèle Saint-Yves
Director - Michèle Saint-Yves
Assistant Director - Katherine Sortini
Producer - Deus Ex Femina (Katherine Sortini)
Designer - Bianka Kennedy
Composer & Sound Designers - Emily Tulloch and Belinda Gehlert
Lighting Designer - Cais Nitschke
Performers - Ren Williams, Kate Owen, Vivana Luzochimana and Eddie Morrison

Without the support of Vitalstatistix, Goodwood Theatre and Studios, and The Department of the Premier and Cabinet through CreateSA, none of this would have been possible.