By Abbey Cannan
A homegrown Sunshine Coast musical has received a big funding boost from the Queensland Government after becoming the first ever regional production to win Best New Australian Work at the Matilda Awards.
A Girl’s Guide to World War was written and composed by Sunshine Coast locals Katy Forde and Aleathea Monsour, who live in Maleny.
Katy Forde said the reaction to the show has been more than what they hoped for.
“We honestly didn’t expect to win anything,“ she said.
“We were just so happy that the Matilda Judges took the time to travel to Maleny to see A Girl’s Guide and to support a regional production.
“Then when we were nominated for the award, we thought: ’Oh that’s so lovely’ but still didn’t think we would win. At the Awards Night, when they called our names, it took a few seconds to sink in. I think you can see in one of the photos of the night how surprised and excited Aleathea and I were.
“One of our cast members, Susie French, also won a Matilda award for her portrayal of Dr Lilian Cooper in the show. All of our wonderful cast – all from the Sunshine Coast – were there at the Awards Night, so there was a lot of hugging and champagne-guzzling afterwards. It was a night we’ll never forget.“
The show has been a long time in the making, with their research beginning more than a decade ago.
“Aleathea and I were walking down George St in Brisbane and saw a plaque outside the beautiful old mansions,“ Katy said.
“The plaque said that the first female doctor in Queensland once lived there: Dr Lilian Cooper. That’s how our obsessive research journey started.
“The show shaped and shifted and evolved and finally became A Girl’s Guide to World War.
“The reason it’s a musical is because Aleathea and I love musicals. Aleathea writes the music and I write the words. I feel so lucky that I get to write musicals with the person I love.“
This month, Katy and Aleathea were thrilled to find out their show will be hitting the road, with a substantial funding boost from the Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland. This funding will allow Katy and Aleathea to tour the show to regional Queensland.
Not only that, the Gambling Community Benefit Fund has also thrown its support behind the show, providing funding for gorgeous new costumes and a spectacular set.
This little Sunny Coast show, which started as a black box production in Nambour, is really going places.
“Our goal is to become a sustainable Sunshine Coast-based theatre company, and this tour is a huge step in that direction,“ Katy said.
“Taking the show on the road means we get to share this story with other regional communities.“
A Girl’s Guide to World War is about Australian ’lady doctors’ who did something truly remarkable: they went to the frontline during World War One, even though the Army told them not to.
“Their bravery, humour and compassion is inspiring, and our goal is to make sure these women become household names. This funding also means we get to employ wonderful Sunshine Coast actors and musicians,“ Katy said.
The gang is particularly excited to bring the show back to the Sunshine Coast community, with performances at The Events Centre in Caloundra on the 22 and 23 March 2024.
Other stops are the Redland Performing Arts Centre, the Moncrieff in Bundaberg, and the Armitage Centre in Toowoomba.
