Interview: Bianca Watkins & Cast of HOLY HELL at Old Fitz Theatre
Bianca Watkins's new work, HOLY HELL, examines what goes on beyond the closed doors of university colleges.
University colleges are renowned for their wild nights, hazing rituals and strange stories. Bianca Watkin's Holy Hell, presented by Bloodline Productions, explores the complexities of the elite and untouchable institutions that form the backbone of these experiences. I was able to chat with Bianca herself and the cast of Holy Hell as their season opens at Old Fitz in late July.
Describe Holy Hell in three words
Bianca Watkins: Bless this mess
What was the process like when developing Holy Hell?
Bianca Watkins: After finishing the script in 2024, I had to completely ignore it for a year before trying to redraft again. I submitted it for KXT Storyteller's Festival in 2025 - bless Joanna Erskine who programmed me. Lucy from Old Fitz Theatre saw the staged reading of the play, then called 'Have A Safe Trip', and now here we are with a late night slot in 2026.
We started working on the production pretty early, or at least it felt early in indie theatre land.
Dakotah and I were planning as early as five months out, and we started rehearsals 2 months
out. We did it slowly and steadily, and amazingly it's never felt really stressful or like we're falling
behind. I think we've been blessed to work with many talented and generous people, so it's
been a truly collaborative effort.
College culture seems to be the underlying point of criticism of the work. Why did you choose to focus in on the university college in this work?
Bianca Watkins: University colleges like St Mals in Holy Hell are the kind that usually house fresh high school graduates with nothing but an ATAR to die for and rich parents (or a hot scholarship). When these young people not only study but also live on campus, they're thrust and enveloped into a sudden independence. It's no surprise then, that issues have emerged in this potentially dangerous playground. I set Holy Hell in 2016, a time at which I was studying, right before MeToo and the Broderick review into college culture at USYD came out. College culture has had its history of issues, and possibly still might. But I chose to focus on this specific world to place characters who are scrambling to find their moral standing at such a formative time of life.
Do you have any horror stories of your own university experiences when you think back?
Bianca Watkins: Besides failing first year electives... honestly, not really. My experience at uni was actually pretty boring on the social front. I didn't live at a college, and when I turned up to lectures and tutorials it seemed like everyone was keen to get in and get out as fast as possible. I was especially introverted then, so that didn't help. But maybe writing Holy Hell was my way of satisfying my expectations for a messy uni experience.
Did you have any works of comparison in your head when writing Holy Hell?
Bianca Watkins: Absolutely. I started writing Holy Hell after watching Climax by Gaspar Noé. Such a disturbing but stunning film. I was also channeling Bodies Bodies Bodies big time, for its equal parts dark and fun tone.
What has been the most challenging part of the creative process?
Courtney Ally Miller: The whole process of rehearsals and discovering the play with Bianca has been an absolute joy. I think the hardest part - and any artist will sympathise with this - has been balancing work, life, and creativity. Creatives work full-time jobs and come to rehearsals in their spare time, purely for the love of it.
What has it been like working with new writing?
Riley Thomas: Working with new writing has been such an exciting experience. Bianca's
script was so clever and fun, and the whole process has been incredibly collaborative. Everyone has really pushed to make this show what it is. It's been a real treat to bring these characters to life for the first time!
Do you have a favourite part of the show? (No spoilers, of course)
Courtney Ally Miller: My favourite part is a scene between Steph, Owen and me. We are stuck in the mind of Max (Owen) during his acid trip. With the accompaniment of distorting music and lighting, the scene becomes a concoction of witchy madness.
If Holy Hell had a theme song, what would it be?
Stephanie Somerville: Music is such a huge thing for me when it comes to getting into the world of a play. So I have a playlist of about 70 songs. But one I think we've all had stuck in our head has been Tame Impala's Dracula. It encapsulates that feeling of escaping reality on a big night out. It also has a sick beat.
What do you hope audiences walk away from the production feeling?
Owen Hasluck: Well firstly I hope the audience to walk away feeling that they had a fun time and enjoyed themselves. But I also want the audience to walk away understanding the characters and their differences, and relate them to themselves and their own relationships in life, not just from person to person, but also in ones own ideals and views in life. I want the audience to walk away and be able to feel that they can have a comfortable conversation about not only the show but life in general, and how bizarre and wonderful it can be.
Holy Hell runs until the 25th of July at the Old Fitz Theatre.
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