When Ray Lawler’s play Summer of the Seventeenth Doll premiered in 1955, it was a watershed moment in Australian theatre, given its groundbreaking portrayal of distinctly Australian characters. Set in Melbourne in 1953, it features cane cutters Roo and Barney, who return to the city between harvests to spend time with Olive and Nancy. But this year, things have changed. Nancy is married, so Olive has invited the rather condescending Pearl to take her place. What’s more, Roo is tired of cane cutting and wants to settle down. Two decades later, Lawler wrote two prequels: Kid Stakes set in 1937 and Other Times set in 1945. In a bold venture, Red Stitch’s Artistic Director Ella Caldwell is directing the trilogy – the first time all three plays have been staged together since 1985. You can see them separately or on one day. How will they fare today? Time will tell.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

Lauded as a “watershed moment” for Australian theatre in 1955, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll became part of our cultural mythology. Expanded with Kid Stakes and Other Times, Ray Lawler’s trilogy charts the transformation of a nation.

In 2026 The Doll Trilogy will be performed in its entirety for the first time since 1985, by a single ensemble as Lawler intended. Experience the raw beauty, humour and heartbreak that have made these plays a cornerstone of our cultural identity.

From the playful romance of Kid Stakes in 1937, through the war-shadowed years of Other Times, to the shattering conclusion of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll in 1953, the characters embody idealism, disappointment and resilience against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. Lawler’s masterful writing depicts working class Melbourne with warmth, humour and sensitivity.

Written for a dedicated ensemble, The Doll Trilogy finds its ideal home at Red Stitch where intimacy, ambition, and the actors’ craft unite to immerse audiences in this uniquely Melbourne story.