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Thirst

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company

A funny, tender romantic comedy, full of song and heart "will she stay, or will she go now?"

The Glass Slipper Tavern is the only pub for miles in Yellow Springs, a district of canola fields and cattle farms. Lola and her entrepreneurial long-term partner and band member, Chico, never thought they’d settle down in the country, let alone inherit a pub from Lola’s estranged, white fella uncle! Lola and Chico become the first and only blackfullas to run a pub in the district.

Among other things the tavern needs new solar panels and Chico is hoping the CWA’s annual fundraiser, a karaoke night will cover it as it’s not easy operating on a shoestring budget. With the help of Roxy, a savvy local barmaid with secret talents they are just hanging on.

Thirst is written by Barbara Hostalek and it’s her third mainstage production for Yirra Yaakin.

Reviews

“I fell in love with the characters and the world – the dry-as-chips Aboriginal pub owner, his former pop-star wife who has lost her voice, a CWA karaoke night with no karaoke machine in sight, and a barmaid in love with the best inseminator of the district – priceless.”

Fi Clarke (audience member from YY Playwriting Festival)

‘Hostalek hones in beautifully on the core of country life – the pub teetering on the edge of closing down, the host of well-drawn characters trying to save it, and the young people considering their future in the fading town.’

Audience member

‘I laughed and sang along, and then the tenderness of the middle-aged couple who are worn down by the grind of the marginal business – but are saved by their love for each other.’

James Crowley, audience member

Technical

Venue Format
Black box
Proscenium arch

Touring Party Size

8

Location

Perth

Category

A work in development or rehearsal

Available to Tour

From May 2025

Artforms

Theatre and Puppetry

Audience

Adults - General
First Nations/Indigenous People
Older People
People in Regional/Remote Areas
Young Adults

Duration

70 minutes

Get In

6 hour/s

Get Out

2 hour/s

Costs

Weekly Fee: $10 - 15k
Per Performance Fee: $5 - 10k
Royalties: 10%

Company Contacts

Contact Name:

Jen

Edwards

Email: producer@yirrayaakin.com.au
Phone: 0428 718 378

Company Bio

Yirra Yaakin (Yir-raarh Yaarh-kin] which means "Stand Tall" in Noongar language, is one of Australia's leading Aboriginal performing arts organisations, situated in Boorloo on Whadjuk Noongar Country, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company produces award-winning, world-class theatre that is exciting, insightful, authentic, and culturally appropriate.

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company is a locally cherished and nationally important company that supports Aboriginal theatre and culture. We are committed to fostering the next generation of Aboriginal artists, sharing incredible stories told through an Aboriginal lens, and constantly expanding our community engagement and education programs.

Yirra Yaakin leads by honouring the past, investing in the future, and embracing the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre. We respect the generations past and invest in a thriving future for our artists and arts workers.

Under the artistic direction of Maitland Schnaars (Nyaki-Nyaki) the company continues to forge its path in the cultural landscape of Australia and beyond with metro, regional and national touring productions.