What’s Happening?
Mackay audiences will receive a first look at new plays by local writers Cassandra Ramsay and Traci Lietzke.
Shared Ground will present the public readings during the Mackay Festival of Arts on Friday, 24 July 2026. The event begins at 6pm at Andergrove Community Hall.
The new works explore urgent issues affecting regional communities, with North Queensland stories placed at the centre of the theatre-making process. However, the event will offer more than a standard staged reading.
Audience members will be invited to hear the developing scripts before joining the writers, director and cast for an open discussion. Their feedback will become part of the creative process and may influence how the plays are developed.
Why It Matters
New theatre often changes through rehearsal, collaboration and audience response before reaching its final form. Shared Ground brings those parts together while keeping Mackay residents involved in stories drawn from their own region.
Ramsay and Lietzke began working together after recognising common themes across their scripts. Developing the plays alongside each other also gave both writers access to the same cast, director and community feedback.
“Cassandra and I saw our initial scripts as having similar local themes,” Lietzke said. “By collaborating on the development process, we both felt not only would we benefit as playwrights, but the cast and community would be able to experience a new side of theater making.”
Their approach allows each play to remain distinct while benefiting from shared ideas, creative discussion and local knowledge.
Local Impact
The project gives Mackay writers and performers direct experience in developing new regional theatre with professional creative support.
Local actors will work with the playwrights during an intensive residency rather than rehearsing completed scripts. They will test scenes, explore ideas and reshape dialogue as the stories develop.
The public reading will then bring that work before a local audience, allowing residents to respond while the scripts remain open to change. This gives the community an active role rather than limiting them to watching a finished production.
Shared Ground also aims to support Mackay’s independent theatre sector through shared resources and artistic leadership. Its model shows how writers, performers and audiences can work together without requiring separate teams for each play.
By the Numbers
- Two new plays are being developed through Shared Ground’s parallel development model, using the same cast and creative team.
- A two-week residency will allow Ramsay and Lietzke to work closely with director and dramaturg Timothy Wynn before the reading.
- More than 15 years of experience supports Wynn’s work directing, producing and developing new plays across Queensland.
Zoom In
Ramsay and Lietzke will spend the residency working with Wynn, who will travel from Ipswich for the Mackay project.
Wynn is the Artistic Director of the award-winning THAT Production Company. He has directed, produced and worked as a dramaturg on several new plays during his career.
Instead of preparing a fixed production, Wynn and the local cast will work through each script with the playwrights. Scenes can be tested, dialogue can be adjusted and ideas can change as the stories become clearer.
“This isn’t just a performance – it’s a conversation,” Ramsay said. “A play is inherently a collaborative experience. And with these stories set in our own backyard, we were always clear about inviting the community to step into the creative process with us and influence what we’ll do with the plays next.”
Ramsay has worked as a theatre producer, playwright and cultural marketing specialist for more than ten years. Lietzke works as a writer, visual artist and cultural leader.
Their combined experience supports a project built around local stories, professional development and direct community involvement.
Zoom Out
Both plays were first developed through Mackay Regional Council’s Harvest Program, delivered by the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre.
The program was created to support regional voices in theatre and help new playwrights develop their early scripts. Ramsay and Lietzke joined three other emerging writers under the mentorship of Australian playwright and dramaturg Hilary Bell.
Shared Ground continues that work through a parallel development framework. Instead of developing one play at a time, the project supports two scripts with one creative team.
This structure creates space for peer learning and shared artistic leadership throughout the development period. It also encourages regular exchange between the playwrights, performers, director and audience.
The model aims to strengthen independent theatre in Mackay while making regional productions more practical and sustainable.
The project is also supported through the Regional Arts Development Fund. The fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Mackay Regional Council supporting local arts and culture.
What To Look For Next?
Following the readings, audiences will remain at the venue for a relaxed and interactive feedback session.
Ramsay, Lietzke, Wynn and the local cast will discuss the plays with theatre lovers and community members. The conversation will allow audiences to respond to the themes, stories and creative choices presented during the evening.
Those reflections may help the playwrights decide how each script should develop after the Mackay Festival of Arts event.
Event Details:
Event: Shared Ground Public Play Readings
Date: Friday, 24 July 2026
Time: 6 pm
Venue: Andergrove Community Hall
Get Tickets HERE
