Anne-Louise Sarks was so taken with a workshop performance of My Brilliant Career, written by Dean Bryant, Mathew Frank and Sheridan Harbridge, that she decided to dive in and direct her first musical. Jo Litson talks to the show’s creators ahead of the Melbourne Theatre Company season.

Kala Gare in costume as Sybylla Melvyn, sitting by a piano, for Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of the new musical My Brilliant Career.
Kala Gare will play Sybylla Melvyn in Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of the new musical My Brilliant Career. Photo © Eugene Hyland

In March 2023, Anne-Louise Sarks, the Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company, attended the showcase of a new musical based on Miles Franklin’s legendary coming-of-age novel My Brilliant Career.

Written by Mathew Frank (music) and Dean...