Curtain up: What's next for Ya Mum?

O Woe Is Me! (The Reboot)

O Woe Is Me is a bold, playful reimagining of Shakespeare that cracks open the classics and hands them back to everyone. Blending physical theatre, sharp humour, pop culture and moments of startling insight, the women of Shakespeare’s tragedies step out of the shadows and tell their own stories. Witches meddle, heroes unravel, and Shakespeare himself is lovingly interrogated.

At its heart, the work asks a mischievous but serious question: what happens when the women who were once plot devices finally take control of the narrative? Across centuries of storytelling, female characters have often been written as symbols, warnings, or convenient turning points in a hero’s downfall. Were they storms to be weathered? Temptations to be blamed? Or simply voices never allowed to speak for themselves?

Through bold physical storytelling and accessible language, O Woe Is Me demystifies Shakespeare and opens the door to audiences who may have felt shut out of classical theatre. The piece explores how women in literature are repeatedly framed as disobedient daughters, dangerous lovers, inadequate mothers or inconvenient wives. But what if the story shifts?

This vibrant and irreverent production invites audiences to laugh, question and rediscover the classics from a new perspective, where the language becomes clear, the themes feel immediate, and the women finally claim the stage.

No prior Shakespeare knowledge require

Auditions and Opportunities

.

CASTING + ARTIST CALLOUT | THE CURLEW’S CALL

WE’RE GROWING OUR FLOCK.

Ya Mum Productions and Good Karma Creative are looking for two artists to join the existing creative ensemble of The Curlew’s Call, a brand new family theatre work being developed and presented on the Gold Coast.

Are you a performer? Puppeteer? Theatre maker? Costume or set designer? Backstage creative? Maker? Multidisciplinary artist? Someone who makes weird and wonderful things?

Or maybe you work across a few of those spaces and aren't quite sure what box you fit into.

We want to hear from you.

We particularly encourage expressions of interest from:

🌿 First Nations artists
🌿 Neurodivergent artists
🌿 Artists with disability

You might love performing and being onstage. You might absolutely not.

We're keeping our minds open about what you might bring to the project.

That's kind of the point.

SO, WHAT IS THE CURLEW’S CALL?

The Curlew’s Call is a professional community arts collision bringing together theatre makers, performers, musicians, visual artists and our local community to create a brand new Gold Coast work.

At its heart is one of the Gold Coast’s most underrated, iconic and wonderfully strange residents: the Bush Stone-curlew.

This is multidisciplinary theatre made together: playful, accessible, collaborative and proudly local.

There are many ways to be an artist and many ways to contribute to making theatre. We want to create space for that.

We're building the first stage of something we hope will keep growing.

And right now?

We're growing our flock.

📍 Gold Coast, QLD
🎭 Development and performances through 2026–2027
♿ Accessible and inclusive creative process

TO EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST

Keep it simple. Send us:

  • Your name
  • A little bit about yourself and what you like to create
  • A headshot or recent photo
  • Your CV or information about your creative/performance experience, if you have it. This isn't essential.
  • A short introduction about why you'd like to be part of The Curlew’s Call
  • Any access requirements you'd like us to know about
  • If you have an Access Rider, please feel welcome to send that through too

Local Gold Coast and South East Queensland artists are strongly encouraged to apply.

 EOIs close Wednesday 30 September 2026
 yamumproductions25@gmail.com

No fancy audition tape required. No perfect CV required. We want to meet you and find out what you make.

 Every great community has stories worth protecting.

The Curlew’s Call is proudly presented by Ya Mum Productions, in partnership with Good Karma Creative and the City of Gold Coast Arts Development Fund.

The Arts Development Fund is a City of Gold Coast Council initiative that supports our creative community by fostering professional pathways and skills development, contributing to our city’s vibrant lifestyle.