The untold story of Ned Kelly’s remarkable sister Kate, tragic and heroic.

Fire in the Head is contemporary spoken word in a bold, moving tale set deep in the Australian landscape showing Kate Kelly investigating her’s and others lives in a haunting and lyrical style. She meets her own death in the shape of a young man.

Fire in the Head is very relevant today- the project explores contemporary issues such as violence against women, and disparity of justice which are embedded in her volatile and intriguing story.

It also challenges the masculine perspective of the Kelly story, that only her notorious brothers were significant players in the legend.

“This is a sensational show in all its aspects. The text is beautifully written … the highly aesthetic approach adopted in this production … produced a performance that is both remarkable and deeply moving.” – Stage Whispers (on, As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples)

Content warning:  This play references emotional violence.


Livestream show: March 25, Friday, 7:30pm

Book livestream tickets here and join us online!


Writer R. Johns

Director Rodney Hall

Production Designer Peter Mumford

Actors Emily Paddon-Brown, Harry Borland, Milijana Čančar, Dennis Coard, Paul Robertson and Huw Jennings.

Musician Peter O’Shea

Photo credit Kurt Sneddon

Image Peter Mumford


Access Information:

Visual rating 50%: Events are partly subtitled or include dialogue, background music and/or sounds, so d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences can have some engagement with the event.

Aural Rating 50%: Has both sound and visual components, but sight isn’t essential to be able to engage with the event.