Following the world premiere at Arts Centre Melbourne in September 2025, Noni Hazlehurst will return to Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Cremorne Theatre for the Queensland premiere of The Lark from 15 to 26 October 2025.
The new one-woman show, written specifically for her by award-winning Australian playwright Daniel Keene and directed by Matt Scholten, sees Noni Hazlehurst reunite with the creative team responsible for the critically acclaimed production Mother – for which she won the Matilda Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
“The opportunity to work with Daniel and Matt creating Mother was a rare privilege and a joy. To have the chance to collaborate again on The Lark is a miracle. No actor could ask for more,” said Noni Hazlehurst.
Set in The Lark, a small pub in inner-city Melbourne slated for demolition, this moving work follows 75-year-old Rose Grey (Hazlehurst) as she says a final farewell to the building where she spent her entire life. What was once her childhood home, and then inherited from her father after his retirement, The Lark is now a derelict building which no longer fits in the quickly gentrifying suburb. Rose must wrestle with the lifetime of memories she holds, or which have a hold on her, as she tries to move on from the past, make peace with her grief and embrace the inevitability of change.
Noni Hazlehurst holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians borne of her television, film, and theatre roles across her fifty-year career. From starring roles in beloved series like A Place to Call Home, supporting roles in classic Australian films such as Monkey Grip, Little Fish and Candy, and as a presenter for Play School and Better Homes and Gardens, Noni Hazlehurst has cemented herself as an Australian entertainment legend. In recognition of this, she has been honoured with numerous AACTA and Logie Awards, been inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, and made a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to children and the performing arts.
QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy lauded the show coming to Brisbane.
“Daniel Keene is a brilliant Australian playwright (and the most performed Australian playwright in Europe!) whose works are famous for their emotional depth and social observations,” Ms Healy said.
“We all have special places that we carry with us, and that are so much more than bricks and mortar, so I can’t wait to see Daniel’s examination of this very human experience in his latest play and meet Noni Hazlehurst’s character Rose.
“Noni is famous for finding the complexity, nuance and humanity in every character she inhabits, and it’s a thrill for Brisbane audiences that they will see her at the top of her craft when the production comes to QPAC in October.
“The Cremorne Theatre is the perfect, intimate venue for this compelling story, where audiences can immerse themselves in the journey which Noni will take them on.”
Presented by QPAC, The Lark is an Arts Centre Melbourne and Hey Dowling production.
Tickets are on sale now via qpac.com.au or 136 264.
