By Melissa Bubnic
20 May - 18 June 2022
Coming home from her sister’s funeral, Grace decides that at 87 years old… her time has come. She’s done with it all. She’s ready to leave the party.
Her daughter, Dorothy, decides her mum is just depressed. She makes it her mission to show Grace the beauty of living. But Dorothy is divorced. Stuck in a dead-end job. Estranged from her own daughter, Suzie, who lives halfway across the world. Soon, Dorothy starts to worry that her mum might have the right idea.
Pushing up daisies. Kicking the bucket. Ghosting the Party. The euphemisms are endless. For a phenomenon so certain and all-encompassing, humans are terribly good at looking for ways to avoid talking about death. It’s easy to forget that the concept of ‘checking out’ can be complex, contradictory—funny, even. Especially when an old lady with a bone-dry wit is involved.
Three generations of women face brutal questions of mortality in this uproarious pitch-black comedy from Melissa Bubnic, internationally-renowned writer of Boys Will Be Boys and Beached, with Griffin’s Associate Artist Andrea James in the director’s chair—hand on heart and tongue in cheek. Painted with poetry, unflinching honesty and an almost absurd amount of biting one-liners, confronting death has never been this (gravely) funny.
Winner of The Lysicrates Prize
Want to go deeper? View the online program
From Declan
‘This is probably the funniest comedy about dying anyone could dare to wish for. The first time I read Ghosting the Party I laughed and gasped and laugh-gasped on every page. It’s been a while between drinks for Griffin and Melissa—Beached was staged in 2013—so we’re thrilled to have her back.’
Director Andrea James
Designer Isabel Hudson
Lighting Designer Verity Hampson
Associate Lighting Designer Saint Clair
Composer & Sound Designer Phil Downing
Stage Manager Madelaine Osborn
With Belinda Giblin, Amy Hack, Jillian O’Dowd
Preview 20 – 24 May
Opening Night 25 & 26 May
Season 27 May – 18 June
Performance Times
Monday – Friday 7pm
Saturday 1pm & 7pm
Meet the Artists
Tuesday 31 May
Captioned Performance
Tuesday 24 May
Run Time
90 minutes (no interval)
Latecomers
Please note, there is a complete lock-out on all performances and latecomers won’t be admitted, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to us, grab a drink, and get settled.
2022 Main Season Ticket Pricing
Full | $62 |
Senior, Preview, Groups 8+ | $52 |
Concession | $46 |
Under 35 | $38 |
Monday Rush* | $20 |
*Monday Rush tickets are available online and over the phone on Mondays from noon, for that evening’s performance until sold out.
2022 Season Subscription Pricing
6 Play | 5 Play | 4 Play | |||
Full | $288 | Full | $255 | Full | $216 |
Senior, Preview | $240 | Senior, Preview | $205 | Senior, Preview | $176 |
Concession | $210 | Concession | $185 | Concession | $156 |
Under 35 | $192 | Under 35 | $170 | Under 35 | $140 |
3 Play | 2 Play | Griffin Lookout | |||
Full | $168 | Full | $116 | Single | $35 |
Senior, Preview | $138 | Senior, Preview | $98 | 2-pack | $64 |
Concession | $123 | Concession | $86 | Concession | |
Under 35 | $108 | Under 35 | $74 | Under 35 |
Meet the Team
How to use your Dine & Discover voucher:
To use your voucher at Griffin, call our friendly Box Office team with the below information on hand:
Please note that only one voucher can be use per transaction. Your vouchers are valid until 30 June 2022. Please visit the Service NSW website for further information.
Ghosting the Party contains depictions of suicide and drug use, descriptions of self-harm, coarse language and sexual references.
If you have questions regarding the content of the play, please contact our Box Office team.
24-Hour NSW Mental Health Line
1800 011 511
Lifeline
13 11 14
We are thrilled to announce that the Griffin Studio artists for 2022 are Bedelia Lowrenčev, Bernadette Fam and Megan Wilding!
Learn more about the artists and Griffin Studio over on the Griffin website: https://t.co/RtYvoQ0HX1 #GriffinStudio #Griffin2022
Orange you glad we're extending ORANGE THROWER by Kirsty Marillier? 🍊
That's right! Due to huge audience demand, we're extending the show's run by a whole week! Come join the party at Griffin and book now: https://t.co/R8njJRWd94 #GTCOrangeThrower #Griffin2022
WORK WITH US! Griffin has some exciting new job opportunities for some fabulous humans—if you'd like to be our Administration & Ticketing Coordinator, Programs Producer or Head of Marketing, head to our website now to learn more and apply: https://t.co/PbIk7yohLs #Griffin2022
Writers! Submissions for Griffin Studio close at midnight TONIGHT! Polish off that application and hit send, quick! All the juicy details are on our website: https://t.co/WYABMx2WRl #GriffinStudio #Griffin2022
Absolutely. Obsessed. @Refinery29AU interviewed ORANGE THROWER playwright Kirsty Marillier about her writing and the play's significance in the current cultural moment! Have a read of the full article, and book now! https://t.co/6oneWicHDO #GTCOrangeThrower #Griffin2022 🍊
@griffintheatre