What’s On: The Female of the Species (Cut & Run Productions)

The Female of the Species

7 – 16 May 2026

PIP Theatre, Milton

Joanna Murray Smith’s The Female of the Species has lived in Australian theatre memory for over two decades. Matilda award-winning independent theatre company Cut & Run Productions promise not simply to restage it, but to reignite it and throw it headfirst back into the conversation.

Based on true events – and only slightly dramatised – the play kicks off with Margot Mason; rockstar feminist, celebrated writer and fearless academic … who is completely stuck in the middle of crippling writer’s block. Her world is interrupted by Molly, a devoted fan with an axe to grind, arriving at her doorstep… with a gun. What could possibly go wrong?

What unfolds is not a debate so much as a reckoning. Margot is forced to confront the true impact of her life’s work, not only through Molly, but a revolving door of friends and foes. Together, through chaotic and hilarious arguments, they ask us to examine where our ideals collide with our actions. This satirical comedy examines feminism and its contradictions in action, using humour as both a scalpel and shield.

Originally opening at Queensland Theatre Company in 2008 in the role of Molly Rivers, Francesca Savige returns to this play 18 years later as the all-powerful Margot Mason. Alongside Savige, the production features Josh Whitten, Rebecca Day, Danny Brown, Peter Hatton, and Michaela Faux.

At the helm of this controlled chaos is an all-female production team led by director Lara Rix, who stated that the team’s “vision is heightened, fast, and fearless. A pressure cooker of comedy and confrontation.”

For ticketing and further information, visit the PIP Theatre website