The opportunity to see outstanding theatre close to home has never been more welcome. From Thursday 29 October, Tennessee Williams’ timeless masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire comes to Byron Theatre in Bangalow Theatre Company’s most ambitious production to date, writes Michael Sharmon.
I recently sat down with acclaimed Australian actors Madeleine West and Peter Cook, together with director Amy Skene, to discuss the production and why Williams’ play remains so powerful almost 80 years after it was written.
Amy previously directed Bangalow Theatre Company’s Into the Woods, which won Best Musical Theatre Production at the 2024 Gold Palm Theatre Awards. She now turns her attention to one of the most celebrated plays of the 20th century.
When Blanche DuBois arrives in New Orleans seeking refuge with her sister Stella, she becomes caught in a volatile struggle with Stella’s husband, Stanley Kowalski. As long-buried secrets emerge, Blanche’s carefully constructed world begins to fracture.
Raw, haunting and intensely human, the play explores desire, identity, power, domestic violence and the fragile line between illusion and reality.
“The themes Tennessee Williams wrote about 80 years ago are still current, but we can shed a different light on them now,” Amy said. “Madeleine and I have spoken at great length about domestic violence and abuse, and about looking at Blanche as a woman and shedding a different light on women of that age.”
Celebrated actor, author and director Madeleine West has found great compassion for Blanche. Rather than judging her choices, Madeleine sees a woman trapped by a society that has taught her that beauty and desirability are her only sources of value.
Madeleine spoke candidly about the serious accident she experienced at 21, at the height of her Neighbours fame. The accident caused significant injuries to her face and left her wondering whether her acting career was over. Ultimately, it led her to reconsider what being an actor truly meant.
“I’m a storyteller,” she said, explaining that the experience encouraged her to pursue complex characters and tell the stories of people whose voices are often overlooked.
Her experience has given her a profound connection to Blanche.
“I absolutely understand Blanche and what it is to live within the cage of your appearance being the only thing you have,” Madeleine said. “I cannot look at her with judgement. I look at her with love.”
She believes theatre can help audiences understand complex social issues in a way that headlines and statistics cannot.
“To see a story and understand the nuance of domestic violence — why women go back, and the combination of shame and entitlement — we don’t see that in a headline,” she said. “This play amplifies that story in a way that makes you walk home from the theatre and go, ‘I get it.’”
The production does not present Stanley simply as a monster, nor does it excuse his behaviour. Instead, the cast examines the complexities beneath the characters’ actions and relationships.
Peter Cook is passionate about honouring Williams’ text while finding the humanity within Stanley, a character capable of charm and tenderness as well as appalling violence.
“It’s popular because it resonates on a deeply human level,” Peter said. “It’s from Williams’ soul, and you can feel that in the writing. The language is lyrical, poetic and beautiful — even within Stanley’s brutality, there is a rhythm.”
Peter describes Stanley’s home as his kingdom. Blanche’s arrival threatens both his authority and his relationship with Stella.
“A lot of what he does is reprehensible and completely unforgivable,” Peter said. “But it’s also about playing the complexity of the man. Human beings are complex.”
The production remains grounded in the heat and atmosphere of New Orleans while incorporating subtle Byron Bay undertones through music, sound and its streetscape. As Peter neatly describes it, the production has “Byron in its blood, but New Orleans in its bones.”
Bangalow producer Bobbie Field says the scale of the production marks an important milestone for the company.
“This is the biggest play Bangalow Theatre Company has undertaken, so it’s a significant production for us,” Bobbie said. “Having
Madeleine West and Peter Cook involved takes it to another level. They bring a wealth of professional experience and insight, and you can really feel that influence throughout the cast and rehearsal room.
“What makes it even more special is that they’re both giving their time to this production. I think that says a great deal about their commitment to bringing outstanding theatre to the community.”
Bobbie says the rehearsal room is “electric”, with a growing intensity as the cast inhabits Williams’ extraordinary characters.
“This production is for everyone — those who already know and love the play, as well as people discovering Tennessee Williams for the first time,” she said.
The cast also features many local artists including Danni Dwyer as Stella Kowalski and Jason Murray as Harold ‘Mitch’ Mitchell.
Madeleine believes teenagers would also benefit from seeing the production. She describes live theatre as “the antidote to the algorithm” — an opportunity for young people to put down their phones, concentrate on a story and explore challenging subjects together.
Peter agrees, particularly valuing the opportunity for young people to hear great writing spoken aloud.
“I think hearing language like this — the poetry, lyricism and beauty of it — is so important,” he said. “I feel like we’re losing our connection to great language, great writing and simply hearing beautiful words.”
For Peter, attending A Streetcar Named Desire is more than a night’s entertainment.
“You’re seeing something written by one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, and you’re seeing actors bare their souls,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
As access to major professional productions becomes increasingly expensive, Bangalow Theatre Company is proving that ambitious, high-quality storytelling can flourish right here in the Northern Rivers.