SHE, HER & I – three estranged sisters, a Newcastle heatwave, a Mother’s final days.

For the final production in this year's UpStage at the Playhouse season, local theatre company Cats in the Cupboard Productions presents a poignant and darkly funny new play about family, grief and the things that bind us together.

Three estranged sisters. One childhood home. A record-breaking hot Newcastle summer. And a mother in her final days.

Nora left Newcastle at 18 to study family law in Sydney. Clara moved away at 21 after falling in love. Lou never left home, dropping out of university for reasons no one quite understands.

Now, older but perhaps not much wiser, the three sisters are thrown back together under the roof of their childhood home to care for their dying mother.

It isn't exactly a recipe for family harmony.

With a broken air conditioner, one sister's newfound and decidedly questionable obsession with playing musical instruments, and another's nicotine addiction, tensions quickly rise as years of resentment and unresolved hurt bubble to the surface.

But beneath the arguments, awkward silences and old grievances lies a deeper question: what happens when the people who know us best are the people we find hardest to forgive?

Following their much-loved 2025 production This Restless House, Newcastle based Cats in the Cupboard Productions returns with She, Her & I, a tense, touching and often humorous exploration of sisterhood, family and the complicated ways women navigate love, loss and grief.

Playwright Mikaela Corrigan discusses her inspiration for the new work. "I was raised by strong and powerful women who taught me that there is strength in vulnerability. I hope audiences see this show and leave with a new found appreciation and love for the women that raised them."

At its heart, She, Her & I is a local story about universal experiences: growing up, leaving home, coming back, losing someone you love and discovering that family ties can be both the source of our deepest frustrations and our greatest comfort.

And woven through it all is the healing power of the ocean, a reminder that sometimes letting go is the only way to find your way back to each other.

City of Newcastle Executive Manager Civic Theatre, Leonie Wallace said

"As the final production in the UpStage program for 2026, we are delighted to present Cats in the Cupboard Productions to the Playhouse stage with She, Her & I. Written by local playwright Mikaela Corrigan, this compelling new work highlights Civic Theatre's ongoing commitment to supporting new works, nurturing local talent, and showcasing diverse voices and original storytelling."

Cats in the Cupboard Productions presents She, Her & I.

12 - 21 November 2026
Playhouse, Civic Theatre Newcastle
Tickets: civictheatrenewcastle.com.au

Media Assets available here.

Media Contact: Lyn Thurnham, Thurnham Teece

Mob. 0418 490 989 Email: lthurnham@thurnhamteece.com.au