Brenna Harding and Carlos Sanson Jr. To Join THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS in Melbourne

Sydney Theatre Company and State Theatre Company South Australia have announced that Logie winner and AACTA nominee Brenna Harding will take on the role of Esme Nicholl alongside rising star Carlos Sanson Jr. as Gareth/Mr Crane in the upcoming Melbourne season of The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Playing Arts Centre Melbourne from February 2024, Harding and Sanson Jr. join a stellar cast including Brett Archer, Rachel Burke, Ksenja Logos, Angela Mahlatjie, Chris Pitman and Anthony Yangoyan, who are continuing with the company following sold-out seasons in Adelaide and Sydney.

Director Jessica Arthur said, “Having worked with Brenna previously on Belvoir's The Wolves in 2019, I'm delighted to collaborate with her again in this spectacular role. Brenna has an incredible gift for conveying both strength and vulnerability in just an expression, so we knew she would be the perfect person to imbue these qualities in the luminous Esme. I've also long admired the way Carlos brings such warmth, wit and openness to his work and very much look forward to the energy he will bring to the roles of Gareth and Mr Crane.”

The Dictionary of Lost Words follows trailblazer Esme over the course of her life, from childhood in the 1880s, into adulthood at the height of the women's suffrage movement and the beginning of the First World War.

Harding shared her excitement to inhabit this passionate and pioneering character during a time of historical significance.

"I love Esme's curiosity, astute mind and the way she sees clearly through injustice. She advocates for the visibility of all women and challenges us to reflect on who is still left out of the story. Playing in the world of the suffragettes allows me to meaningfully connect with the history of the trailblazing women who paved the way for so many of the rights and privileges I have as a woman today. I can't wait to join this exceptional cast in bringing this charming story to Melbourne audiences."

Harding is best known for her starring roles in hit Australian TV series Puberty Blues and Netflix drama Black Mirror, and last appeared on stage in 2021 in Sydney Theatre Company's Appropriate. In 2018, she was a finalist for the prestigious Heath Ledger Scholarship, which recognises emerging actors of extraordinary ability.

Sanson Jr. made his mark on our screens as endearing teen dad Santi in the award-winning Stan series, Bump, and recently wrapped filming on Paper Dolls for Paramount+, set to be released later this year. In 2022, he was nominated for Most Popular New Talent at the 62nd Annual TV Week Logie Awards.

Pip Williams' enthralling story first captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers around the globe after being recommended by book club trendsetters like Reese Witherspoon and translated into an extraordinary 28 languages.

Since premiering at State Theatre Company South Australia in September, the world-first stage adaptation has received widespread praise from audiences and critics alike. Its third successive season in less than a year promises to cement its place in the nation's cultural canon.

It's 1886 and the very first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary is being compiled. Four-year-old Esme Nicoll has a front-row seat. Well, she's hiding under the sorting table, anyway. As her father and his male colleagues decide which words stay and which go, Esme collects the discarded (often gendered) scraps to compile her own far more radical, far more magical dictionary.

The sensational creative team includes Jonathon Oxlade (Set Designer), Alisa Paterson (Costume Designer), Trent Suidgeest (Lighting Designer), Max Lyandvert (Composer & Sound Designer) Shannon Rush (Assistant Director), Ruth Fallon (Intimacy & Fight Coordinator) and Jennifer Innes (Accent Coach).

The Dictionary of Lost Words plays at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse from 17 February-10 March.