Emma Louise Pursey presents:
Where Is Joy?
The premiere season of 'Where Is Joy?', a one-woman play about the life of artist Joy Hester, written by my absolute powerhouse of a colleague and dear friend, (Hurricane) Emma. There was no way I could miss working on this very special show.
Joy Hester Reimagined
In association with Cicero’s Circle and fortyfivedownstairs
Created and performed by Emma Louise Pursey and directed by the incomparable Susie Dee, WHERE IS JOY? is a powerful new solo theatre work that draws Joy Hester from the margins and places her centre stage. A first-wave Melbourne modernist, Hester was the only major woman artist of the original Heide Circle—unapologetically bold and critically dismissed, she worked primarily in ink, not oils, and left behind an extraordinary oeuvre.
At 27, Emma Louise Pursey was told she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Just like Joy. Both experienced chronic illness and profound loss—Hester until her death at 40 in 1960, Pursey to this day. Hester died. Pursey lived—and made a play.
Two decades in the making, this deeply personal work blends arresting physicality with direct storytelling and multidisciplinary design to reclaim Hester’s legacy with passion, compassion and life-affirming humour.
Featuring an extraordinary, all-women creative team, the production is endorsed by Heide MoMA, CMAG, Janine Burke, and the late Mirka Mora and Barbara Blackman AO.
This project is supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants, The Robert Salzer Foundation, and through the Australian Cultural Fund Boost program. It was originally supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and developed with the assistance of Metro Arts.
Additional support has been generously provided by Heide Museum of Modern Art, Canberra Museum and Gallery, St Kilda Historical Society, Wayward Woman Giving Fund, One Star Lounge & Gallery, The Lennox, Anne Runhardt, and 16th Street Actors Studio.
Photo by Amber Schmidt
Learn More
Where is Joy? will premiere at fortyfivedownstairs in Melbourne from October 31st to November 9th, 2025. Click the link below for full details and tickets.
Dates & Times:
Thursday 30th Oct, 7:30pm (Preview)
Friday 31st Oct, 7:30pm (Opening Night)
Saturday 1st Nov, 7:30pm
Sunday 2nd Nov, 5pm
Tuesday 4th Nov, 7:30pm
Wednesday 5th Nov, 7:30pm (Auslan)
Thursday 6th Nov, 7:30pm
Friday 7th Nov, 7:30pm
Saturday 8th Nov, 7:30pm
Sunday 9th Nov, 5pm
Credits
Actor, Writer & Producer: Emma Louise Pursey
Director: Susie Dee
Sound & Visual Designer: Sarah-Mary Chadwick
Lighting Designer: Amelia Lever-Davidson
Set, Prop & Costume Design Consultant: Lindy Macauley
Co-Producer & Production Manager: Cherian Jacob Payyapali and Nidhi Isaac, Cicero’s Circle
Stage Manager: Caitie Murphy
Photo Gallery
Image by Amber Schmidt
Caitie Murphy - Stage Manager