Suzie Miller's smash hit returns for a limited season.
After a sell-out season and due to astronomical audience demand, Griffin is thrilled to announce the return of Suzie Miller’s Jailbaby for a highly limited season to kick off 2024.
This wasn’t how it was meant to go.
A few iPhones, a huge TV and a Socceroos jersey—shove them all in the IKEA bag then drive away as fast as you can.
AJ wasn’t meant to be spotted at the scene. AJ wasn’t meant to get ID’d in the line up. AJ definitely wasn’t meant to go to prison. But once AJ is convicted of theft, he is placed behind the walls of an institution where his own body is stolen from him.
In a cramped communal cell, AJ will become a ‘jailbaby’—the ward of a justice system that chooses to turn a blind eye to the life-altering sexual violence committed against young men behind bars.
Performers Lucia Mastrantone, Anthony Taufa and Anthony Yangoyan are reunited with director Andrea James for this crucial interrogation of Australia’s legal system by multi-award-winning playwriting powerhouse Suzie Miller. A thematic sequel to her international phenomenon Prima Facie, Miller once again opens our eyes to the darkest corners of society and asks us to pinpoint the exact moment when it all goes so, so wrong.
★★★★½—Stage Noise
★★★★—ArtsHub
“This is Miller’s writing at its most potent…”—The Sydney Morning Herald
Want to go deeper? View the online program
We’ve compiled a digital pack of support lines, helpful resources and further reading. Learn more
Director Andrea James
Dramaturg Declan Greene
Set & Costume Designer Isabel Hudson
Lighting Designer Verity Hampson
Composer & Sound Designer Phil Downing
Intimacy and Consent Consultant Bayley Turner
Fight Choreographer Tim Dashwood
Stage Manager Madelaine Osborn
With Lucia Mastrantone, Anthony Taufa, Anthony Yangoyan
Venue
SBW Stables Theatre
Previews 4 – 5 January
Opening Night 6 January
Season 7 – 21 January
Performance Times
Tuesday – Friday 7.30pm
Saturday* 3pm & 7.30pm
Sunday 1pm & 5.30pm
(*Please note there are no performances on Saturday 13 January)
Captioned Performance
Tuesday 16 January
Run Time
90 minutes (no interval)
2024 Jailbaby Single Tickets Pricing
| Jailbaby | ||
| Full | Standard | $79 |
| Preview | $64 | |
| Senior | Standard | $74 |
| Preview | $59 | |
| Concession | Standard | $62 |
| Preview | $49 | |
| Under 35 | Standard | $44 |
| Preview | $39 | |
| Rush | Standard | $25 |
Add Jailbaby on to your 2024 Season subscription!
Production Images
By Clare Hawley
Meet Suzie Miller
Mood Trailer
Show Trailer
Meet the Cast
Meet the Director
“Jailbaby is truth-telling of a national shame (the “justice” system and the toxicity of male power/violence) couched in the most personable and humane terms. Recommended without reservation.” ★★★★½—Diana Simmonds, Stage Noise
“By committing to its reality, the play empowers itself—its political power—and loses none of its tension.” ★★★★—Richie Black, ArtsHub
“This is Miller’s writing at its most potent…”★★★½—John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald
“There are powerful, impassioned ideas at the heart of the play. It offers a heart-first illumination of the failings of the prison system on victims and those who commit crimes.”—Cassie Tongue, Guardian Australia
“Jailbaby is a dense and complex exploration of a society and its legal system that ultimately sets everyone up for failure. It’s a play that demands to be seen.”—John Moyle, CityHub
“The quality of collaboration in the trio is gratifying to observe, in a production that boasts accomplished work from all disciplines.”—Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See
“Miller’s knack for building tension is undeniable…”—Charlotte Smee, Time Out Sydney
“We are left with a gut-wrenching sense that, for kids like AJ, the justice system has nothing to do with justice.”—Camilla Nelson, The Conversation
“It’s a tale that deserves to be told as Miller continues to expose flaws in our justice system.” Justin Clarke, Theatre Thoughts
“Yangoyan is particularly affecting as AJ, masterfully showcasing the character’s initial boyishness and naivety, and then his eventual brokenness as the play progresses.” Valerie Chidiac and Sandra Kallarakkal, Honi Soit
“The powerhouse ensemble of Lucia Mastrantone, Anthony Taufa and Anthony Yangoyan work effortlessly to elevate Miller’s text to new heights.” Rosie Niven, Theatre Travels
“It is a stimulating play, with Miller’s interesting dialogue techniques and lots of energetic monologues.” Bronwyn Fullerton, Sydney Arts Guide
This production of Jailbaby contains detailed spoken descriptions of rape. The play also contains descriptions of drug use, suicidal ideation, violence, weapons and homophobic slurs. The production contains loud and dynamic sounds and flashing lights.
Please contact us on [email protected] or (02) 9332 1052 if you require further detail, additional specific content specifications or have any questions.
For more detailed information on the performance content, please read our Jailbaby Access Document. Word | PDF
Jailbaby was developed and produced with the assistance of the Australian Writers’ Guild David Williamson Prize. Jailbaby was supported by Griffin’s Production Partner program in 2023. This project was supported through a residency at Theatre and Performance Studies, the University of Sydney.
@griffintheatre