“Flygirl is a celebration not only of Deborah Lawrie’s resolution and victory, but of the consciousness raising of feminism. Girlcott was a real thing. Never underestimate the power of a determined woman.”
Kate Stratford
Venue : Ensemble Theatre
Kirribilli
Dates: until November 22nd 2025
Rapturous applause and a standing ovation greeted the curtain call of Flygirl at the Ensemble Theatre. Then cheers followed as the real aviatrix joined the cast on stage. Written by Genevieve Hegney and Catherine Moore, the play is a comedic tribute to the struggles of Deborah Lawrie to become Australia’s first woman commercial airline pilot.
It was the 1970s and whilst that feels to some of us as though it was only 30 years ago, it was, in fact 50 years ago. It was a time when women were increasingly aware they had choices. They had options other than filling in time in low-end, low-paid jobs until some bloke married them. Deborah Lawrie never set out to be a beacon of EEO – she just wanted to fly jets. That she became a pin-up for Australian women was a by-product of her fight. And not just against Reg Ansett, but against all the misogynist attitudes which locked women firmly in a box.
Featuring Cleo Meinck as the young Lawrie, Hegney and Moore take the stage with Alex Kirwan and Emma Palmer to make up so many of the characters who peopled Lawie’s life at the time. They all embrace the chaos of rapidly changing scenes, costumes, wigs and recalcitrant moustaches as well as repartee with audience members who lob comments. Some caricatures landed very well – in particular “Reg Ansett” was quite the malevolent entitled white male. It is a very tight ensemble, especially in choreographed dance transitions which mock the flight attendants’ pre-take-off instructions.
The script is linear, and in many ways, televisual. The comedy derives from giving voice to what were attitudes of the times in Australia. Changes were certainly afoot overseas, as evidenced by the European pilot “Henry” who has no problem with Lawrie’s’ gender. Perhaps the writing spends a little too much time on the early days making Act 1 seem overly long. Dramatic conflict only enters the structure when serious notes land in Act 2. Here consciousness-raising questions are truly posed. Lawrie’s mother asks her if sacrificing her “best years” so other women could benefit down the line is worth it. But some are simply called to greatness. Lawrie insists she is not doing it for other women, just for herself alone. But even that thought at the time was revolutionary – the thought that like a man, a woman should and could put herself and ambitions first. What flirts with comedy is actually a heavy social commentary on the choices women did not, and often unfortunately, still do not have.
It is an ideal set design. A Solari (split-flap) board hangs over a departure lounge. Both serving to give us time and place. The hot orange of Ansett cabin crew uniforms of the time remain the constant through all the rapid changes. With such a set and costume design, how could it not be a show of such bouncing enthusiasm?
Flygirl is a celebration not only of Deborah Lawrie’s resolution and victory, but of the consciousness raising of feminism. Girlcott was a real thing. Never underestimate the power of a determined woman. Bring on the stories of our sheroes.
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
