Thea lives
in two worlds. She’s still at high school, but she spends a lot of time looking
after her mum, Fiona, who has a chronic illness. And she’s a runner. She got
into Nationals last year but she didn’t show up. She’s fast, almost unbeatable
at her age, but she hasn’t got the time to dedicate to it. After school, she
has a part time job and her mum’s support benefits are being reassessed, so
everything is a lot.

Thea runs for
fun, she tells Syd, a runner from another school, who is focused on their
future, probably because Syd doesn’t want to disappoint their parents. Syd is
queer – rainbow socks and all, and their mum and dad are extra-strength allies,
who lead with their pronouns and turn up to support Syd wearing rainbow
scarves.

The two of
them bond over their love of running; for Thea, she forgets about the whole
world when she’s out on the track. But they are in very different situations.
Even if Thea thought she could leave her mother to move to the city for
university, she couldn’t afford the fees. Syd’s family is much better off, but
their enthusiastic parents do sound a little bit too much like the “dance moms”
that Fiona was once afraid of becoming.

Madelaine Nunn’s
Shoelace Chaser is Melbourne Theatre Company’s Education Season offering
for 2026. MTC has a great track record of shows aimed at school groups and Nunn’s
new play continues that tradition.

Most of the
creative team behind this play are making their MTC debuts, including director
Liv Satchell, whose work on the indie scene spotlights intimacy and honesty
between people. Her Grief Trilogy at La Mama was an extraordinary achievement.
Nunn, who has a long track record of writing plays for young people, doesn’t
shy away from difficult subject matter. The first play of hers that I saw was Cactus,
about a teenage girl dealing with endometriosis. I knew then she was a writer
to watch.

Nunn’s
story is simple – how to balance dreams versus obligation, but she draws all
three characters in satisfyingly rich ways. Leigh Lule gives us a Thea that is
full of energy, but is also thoughtful and compassionate. Syd is worried about
their parents’ expectations to be the best at everything they do: in school and
at running, as well as being queer. Elliot Wood is so charming in the role, delivering
a lot of laughs with their wicked delivery, both verbal and physical.

Zoe Boeson’s (MTC’s Abigail’s Party) Fiona is a lot of fun;
she’s a florist, who is also into star signs and palm reading. Her illness
might be at the centre of the drama, but the play never feels exploitative. The production approaches her situation thoughtfully, while also
being clear how difficult it is on Thea to be juggling so much as a teenager.

Bianca Pardo’s
set of a track that runs right through Fiona and Thea’s living
room is a perfect representation of Thea’s bisected life. Tom Backhaus’
sound design layers in bells and starters guns not in a way that is literal,
but in a way to ramp up the tension. His music cues get the adrenalin pumping,
too.

What I
loved most about Shoelace Chaser is how beautifully crafted it is; a small,
straightforward dramatization of a situation a lot of kids find themselves in.
From those who have to help raise their siblings, to the experience of Nunn,
who has had to look after both of her parents at different times. For a show that has important things to say, the humour is baked in; when the show gets serious, the laughs are never far away. 

The exquisite pairing
of Nunn and Satchell delivers a show full of heart. Take your teens. Or take
yourself.

– Keith Gow, Theatre First

Shoelace
Chaser is on at the Lawler Theatre until May 27 

The show will then tour to The Capital in Bendigo, The Cube in Wodonga, The Round in Nunawading,
the Portland Arts Centre and the Bellarine Arts Centre, Drysdale.

Photos: Jacinta Keefe