Current Patrick White Fellow Sheridan Harbridge is reclaiming female history on Australian stages through her work as a playwright, actor, singer and director, and as Elissa Blake reports, she’s not done yet, with a new musical on the way.

Sheridan Harbridge photographed at the time of receiving Sydney Theatre Company’s 2025 Patrick White Playwrights Fellowship. Photo © Ken Leanfore

Sheridan Harbridge looks relaxed with a takeaway coffee in hand and her faithful dog Rabbit at her feet. It’s a warm Saturday morning in Sydney’s Surry Hills. We meet on a day she is posxing for artist Liam Nunan, who is painting her portrait for this year’s Archibald Prize.

“I’m posing lying down on the couch because I’m so tired,”...