A co-production from Queensland Theatre + Sydney Theatre Company 2024
“Co-directors Priscilla Jackman and Dan Daw direct with great sensitivity and a strong attention to detail, bringing out the various shades of dark and lightness in the text…this is a thoughtful and beautifully delivered play that exudes much pathos and love for its characters. It also poses many questions about the value we place on life and the compassion that is shown to others. Such universal themes are the stuff of many literary works, but what makes Majok’s play special is the intimate and moving scenes she creates that so beautifully portray the dilemmas of her characters.”
Suzannah Conway
Arts Hub
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“Priscilla Jackman (RBG: Of Many, One) and Dan Daw (The Dan Daw Show) – who also features in the cast – treat the characters with a sense of dignity and nuance that is all-too- rarely afforded to people with physical differences….
The simplistic staging does not encumber dramatic impact; it even amplifies moments of beauty. One such moment is the bath scene – Ani and Eddie emerge from behind brick walls, with Ani positioned in an intricately painted claw-foot bathtub overflowing with glistening bubbles. Operatic music plays, and a single spotlight centres on the pair in a joyous moment of playful laughter. In this precious, even sensual moment, the two are able to let their guards down and get vulnerable as they discuss disabled bodies, intimacy, and care. It’s a stunning moment of theatre…
Jackman and Daw’s direction brings a nuanced understanding of disability, with people with lived experiences also contributing on and off the stage (each actor is also working with a dedicated assistant off-stage). Aside from simply being a damn good play, this production is a case study of how inclusive theatre *can* be done well amid ongoing discussions about disability rights and support systems.”
Chantel Le Cross
Time Out
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“This staging of Cost of Living is a landmark production for Australia as it is the first
mainstage production in the country to have a 50/50 ratio of disabled to nondisabled actors on
stage, with almost the same ratio represented behind the scenes… Good theatre helps us to
explore and understand perspectives we may not otherwise, and Cost of Living does this with
a gentle hand and a chorus of laughter. The specificity of Majok’s characters makes this story
universal and relatable for a wide range of audiences.”
Vaanie Krishnan
Limelight
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“Director Priscilla Jackman, whose recent past work includes such demanding plays as Still Point Turning and RBG: Of Many One, negotiates the complex demands not only of the minefield of a play in which disabilities figure large but also of co-directing with Dan Daw. That she achieves the necessary focus on humanity and the frailty of relationships, rather than simple human frailty, makes the 90+ minutes of Cost of Living rewarding, entertaining, and provoking.”
Diana Simmons
Stage Noise
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“Taut, clever, thought-provoking theatre….This production – jointly directed by Priscilla
Jackman and Dan Daw – is a coproduction with Queensland Theatre. Jackman and Daw’s
direction has resulted in a highly economic production, one that enables the script’s quality
and the actors’ excellence to do the heavy lifting.There are two scenes, both of which involve
bathing, that are breathtakingly intimate in their execution and meaning.The success of these
scenes is a testament to the directors’ confidence in their cast’s capacities, as well as their
faith in the audience’s maturity.”
Clare Monagle
Australian Book Review
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“Martyna Majok’s 2018 Pulitzer Prize winning play Cost of Living had the opening-night audience at Billie Brown Theatre in fits of laughter from the get-go. It wasn’t long however before this play about the many ways in which people physically and emotionally need people was also breaking our hearts…
Co-Directors Priscilla Jackman and Dan Daw brought us an entertaining, thoughtful, and compassionate rendition of the play. The poignant moments cut deeply, and the laugh out loud moments were the regularly applied salves that the audience needed to bear the pain.”
Kitty Goodall
Stage Whispers
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“It’s not often that audiences get to see a play that is both heart rendering and thoughtful, thought-provoking, and yet does its best to smash boundaries….As the audience left their standing ovation on opening night, it was clear that so many people left feeling as one, that Cost of Living was a must see. Please don’t miss this spectacular play, you’ll thank us later.”
Eric Scott
Absolute Theatre
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“ As Queensland Theatre’s executive director points out “Dan’s lived experience brings an unparalleled authenticity alongside Priscilla’s empathetic and insightful direction, both working together to reveal a production that is powerful, deeply felt and full of heart.”
Phil Brown
In Review
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“Co-directors Dan Daw and Priscilla Jackman made the conscious choice to keep the play set in the US given the distinct Jersey speech rhythms in the dialogue. In turn, the move also served as a warning to Australian audiences about what happens to society when we don’t have Medicare, only relying on private health cover.
Cost of Living is the first main stage Australian production to have a 50/50 representation of disabled/non-disabled actors and almost the same representation among the creative team…Queensland Theatre and Sydney Theatre Company have created a beautiful work that will stir emotions and challenge audiences to think differently about the disabled lived experience, and in the process, remind us that all humans need each other to survive.”
Sarah Skubala
Theatre Travels
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“Told with deft humour and enormous heart, Sydney Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre presents the Australian Premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony-nominated Broadway smash-hit, Cost of Living by Martyna Majok… Priscilla Jackman (RBG: Of Many, One) and internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Dan Daw (The Dan Daw Show) direct this Australian premiere production of one of the best pieces of new writing to emerge from the US in the last decade.”
Rohan Shearn
Australian Arts Review
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“Co-Direction by Dan Daw and Priscilla Jackman resulted in well-paced, albeit verbally
theatrical, scene work. Moments of stillness and calm were rare but deeply effective when
they occurred…A play of realism and authenticity, ‘Cost of Living’ includes moments of full
frontal nudity and intimate bathing. These explicit yet venerable inclusions highlight the
vulnerability of individuals living with disabilities.”
Trent Sellars
Theatre Haus