The premise sounds not just novel but genuinely exciting: the blood rush and bone crunch of roller derby colliding with festival-scale theatre.

But sport and theatre are difficult bedfellows. The things that compel us to invest in the former – as participants or fans – are often anathema to the latter. A full-contact sport, roller derby thrives on momentum, impact and unpredictability. Theatre, especially at this scale, requires clarity, repeatability and performer safety. At best, it can offer the impression of mayhem, carefully managed.

Mama Does Derby. Photo © Sydney Festival

Conceived and directed by Windmill’s Clare Watson and written by Virginia Gay, Mama Does Derby tells the story of a wild-child mother and her cautious daughter adjusting to life in a regional town.

Until now, Maxine (Amber McMahon) and Billie (Elvy-Lee Quici) have led a freewheeling existence, with Maxine pinballing from relationship to relationship, job to job, town to town.

But Billie is reaching an age where stability matters. Her schooling needs attention; her anxieties are becoming impossible to ignore. Can Maxine – who proudly self-identifies as an eternal teenager –...