The Placeholder is a bold new queer Australian play by trans playwright Ben MacEllen.
In a regional town, grief holds a group of women together after the death of Barb. Their bond is fragile — some close, others linked more by memory than friendship. When one of their own announces his transition, the circle begins to fracture. Loyalties splinter, old wounds reopen, and the meaning of identity and belonging is fiercely contested.
Funny, sharp, and deeply human, The Placeholder explores how feminism, friendship, and chosen family collide — and how love is tested when those closest to us change in ways we never expected.
I was fortunate enough to be asked to capture rehearsals in the lead up to the premiere.
Three brown mugs sit on a wooden table.
Several human work around a table. Two humans are standing on opposite sides whilst the others sit.
Two humans sit and converse. One has a walking stick, the other has a laptop.
Two humans fight over a mug. One is standing over the other.
A human in a black singlet looks to the side.
A human holds a mug and looks off in the distance whilst standing side on to the camera.
One human stands side on to the camera.
Ben MacEllen sits in a black polo holding onto a walking stick. He looks off to the side.
Two humans sit in conversation. One has a laptop on their lap.
A close up of two people fighting over a brown mug. Their faces are out of shot, only their arms are in view.
Two humans fight over a mug. One is standing over the other.
A human stands and tips a mug upside down; there is nothing inside it.
A human with white hair sits at a table. There are pages of notes in front of them.
Two humans hug each other. One is holding the script.
Four humans stand. One with short blonde hair places a hand tenderly on a human with white hair. The other two humans look on, their back is to the camera.
A human with their long hair pulled back has their eyes closed. Their hands are in the air as if conducting a symphony.
The six actors of the play sit and stand around a brown coffee table.
The cast and crew sit and stand around a brown coffee table, smiling at the camera.