It’s the last year of school and 17-year-old Josephine Alibrandi can’t wait for her future to begin
– if only she can get past the world of her Nonna, holding onto the values of the old country
and the world of her Mum, full of care and secrets. It’s time to take her place in the real world,
beyond her family, beyond being an Alibrandi.
But this is the year Josie gets to know her father. This is the year she falls in love. And this is
the year she uncovers the truth – and finds the Alibrandi she has been searching for.
Three generations of women. The Italian-Australian experience. A trip back into the 1990s. A
theatrical adaptation of the beloved iconic Australian novel and groundbreaking film, fresh from
sold out seasons in Sydney and Melbourne will have its Adelaide premiere in 2025. Directed by
the new Artistic Director of Brink Productions, Stephen Nicolazzo, there’s a new Josie coming
this way!
“It is an immense honour to bring Looking for Alibrandi to Adelaide and have the chance
to revisit this very special production with new blood on the stage, new audiences and
thousands of tomatoes,” says Stephen Nicolazzo.
“This is my first work as Artistic Director of Brink- and it is also the most personal and
emotionally vulnerable of my career. This is a story about sharing; sharing family rituals, history,
music, suffering and laughter- aspects of Italian cultural identity I used to be afraid of. Like
Josie Alibrandi, I was afraid to be a wog in Australia, but all that changed when I met this
beloved character in Melina Marchetta’s novel as a young boy. My favourite thing to do with
my mother was watch the film adaptation and dance around the house to the song Tinterella
di Luna. This story, like for so many, brought my family together- it taught us more about each
other and for me, helped me start to reconcile my ethnicity.”
“That to me is why Looking for Alibrandi is such an important part of Australian popular culture.
This work is a chance to celebrate being a wog in Australia, being a human being in Australia,
being different in Australia – and I cannot wait to share it with everyone at STCSA.”
Chanella Macri (Josie), Lucia Mastrantone (Josie’s Mother Christina) and Jennifer Vuletic
(Nonna Katia) all return from the Melbourne and Sydney seasons as the trio of Alibrandi
women. Chris Asimos, Ashton Malcolm and Riley Warner round out the cast of Melina
Marchetta’s iconic 1992 novel come to life!
Artistic Director Petra Kalive says: “I’m thrilled State Theatre is bringing this show to audiences.
I was swept away—Stephen Nicolazzo and writer, Vidya Rajan deliver a radiant, heartfelt story
of family, identity, and the courage to be yourself. It pulses with heart.”
Catch the antics of three generations of Alibrandi in one of the final shows in the Dunstan
Playhouse ahead of its closure for upgrades. Ten shows only – get in before they’re gone!
“Broad, bold, playful comedy” – The Age
“This comically and beautifully honest look at cultural identity, class and trauma is brought to
vivid life… in this ridiculously enjoyable sunbeam of a production.” – Arts Hub
“Rajan’s play probes deeply into the generational triptych at the centre: three women, three
lives, one heartbeat” – The Guardian
Looking for Alibrandi is at the Dunstan Playhouse 22 – 31 May 2025
