Four women. One Darlinghurst hotel room. Decades apart.
Crazing, a powerful one-woman theatrical performance by Karli Evans, is coming to the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre this October, exploring generations of women’s stories through a blend of Australian history, drama, humour and ghost story.
Even better, performances are free.
Crazing by Karli Evans
📍 East Sydney Community and Arts Centre (ESCAC)
34–40 Burton Street, Darlinghurst
📅 Friday 23 October | 9pm–10:30pm
📅 Saturday 24 October | 6:30pm–8pm
📅 Sunday 25 October | 4:30pm–6pm
🎟️ Free
⚠️ Audience note: The performance contains mature themes and coarse language and may not be suitable for children.
Four Women, One Hotel Room
Set inside a fictional Darlinghurst hotel room, Crazing follows contemporary project manager Aila Driscoll, who arrives to oversee the demolition of the building.
But when an endometriosis flare leaves her trapped inside the very room she has been sent to erase — while her wife is going into labour — past and present begin to collide.
Aila encounters the stories of women who sought refuge in the same room generations before her, including pioneering politician Mary Moore-Bentley, society rebel Molly Fink and sex worker activist Angie Sage.
Through their stories, Crazing explores the lives of women who challenged the expectations of their time and asks how much has really changed after more than a century of women fighting to have their voices heard.
With its mature themes and coarse language, this is one for the adults rather than a family theatre outing.
Australian History Meets Ghost Story
Funny, haunting and grounded in historical research, the performance combines real Australian history with fictional storytelling.
Crazing, previously titled Escape Room, was shortlisted for Best in Theatre at Sydney Fringe 2024 and now returns for a new season in Darlinghurst.
Your Story: A Women’s Writing Workshop
The Crazing season will also include a special writing workshop for women interested in turning their own life experiences into stories.
Your Story is a supportive three-hour workshop led by award-winning writers Karli Evans and Kerrie Simon-Lawrence and is particularly aimed at women who were “around before the internet”.
Participants will explore core writing techniques and learn how personal experiences and memories can be shaped into memoir.
📅 Sunday 25 October
⏰ 10:30am–1:30pm
📍 The Oxford Hotel, 134 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
About Karli Evans
Karli Evans is an actor and writer with more than 20 years’ experience in film and theatre across Australia, the UK and US.
As one half of Escape Artists productions, her work focuses on accessible, research-driven storytelling inspired by historical events and real people’s experiences.
Previous projects include The Female Factory, based on the stories of convict women in Parramatta, and MotherLode, which brought together women’s lived experiences through verbatim theatre.
For anyone interested in women’s stories, Australian history and intimate independent theatre, Crazing offers a thought-provoking night out — with three free performances in Darlinghurst this October.
