One week after Julia Gillard spoke out against the misogyny of her parliamentary opposition, she was in the news for tripping when her high heel sank into soft grass (“PM has a Cinderella Moment”, chortled the Sydney Morning Herald).

A year after climate activist Greta Thunberg was told to calm down by the President of the United States for her impassioned plea to world leaders to solve the climate crisis, the 17-year-old told the same President to just “Chill!” when he lost his bid for re-election.

There is nothing more absurdly theatrical than politics, and no one knows this better than playwright Emily Sheehan. Her newest play, Monument, dives deep into the heady waters of our contemporary political landscape with a keen eye to the hidden caveats it ascribes to female empowerment.

The second production this year to come out of the INK Writers Program from Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, this ambitious script navigates thorny territory with wit and nuance anchored by richly rendered characters. Though at times languorous, it nevertheless manages to pack an emotional punch.

Julia Hanna and Sarah Sutherland in Monument. Photo supplied

Newly elected Prime Minister Edith Aldridge...