THE ROOMMATE by Jen Silverman Will Make Australian Premiere in June
Lucy Bell and Belinda Bromilow star in Lee Lewis's production at Sydney's Ensemble Theatre
Ensemble Theatre will present the Australian premiere of The Roommate, a witty and surprising dark comedy by acclaimed playwright Jen Silverman, running from 19 June to 25 July 2026.
Directed by Lee Lewis and starring Australian stage and screen legends Lucy Bell (Honour, The Survivors) and Belinda Bromilow (The Great, Doctor Doctor), The Roommate brings together two compelling performers in a bold, intimate two-hander that explores identity, transformation and the risks we take to change our lives.
Set in a quiet Iowa home, the play follows Sharon, a recently divorced buttoned-up homebody who's never broken a rule in her life and Robyn, a mysterious and fast-talking New Yorker who has broken most of them. When the two become unlikely housemates, polite small talk quickly gives way to deep secrets, surprises and a friendship that challenges everything they thought they knew about themselves.
Blending razor-sharp humour with emotional depth, The Roommate is a dark comedy about two very different women who clash, reinvent themselves, and discover that sometimes the biggest risk is opening the door to change.
Director Lee Lewis said, “The Roommate is one of the most hopeful plays I have read in years. The ideas that change is always possible, that we can find great and deep connections to people who at first seem impossibly different to us, and that we always have more to learn, are celebrated in this little gem. This play comes to us from a new generation of writing by women in America. Jen Silverman is a complex, nuanced compassionate playwright who has created a fresh story of female friendship and love that reflects the reality of so many great women I know and cherish. Recognisable and yet new - like all the best plays.”
The cast and crew also features Jules Billington as Assistant Director (2026 Sandra Bates Director's Award winner), set and costume design by Simone Romaniuk (How to Plot a Hit in Two Days, True West), lighting design by Matt cox (The Social Ladder, Benefactors), Sound and Composition by Madeleine Picard (Dial M for Murder, 84 Charing Cross Road, Emerald City), Stage Management by Jen Jackson (How to Plot a Hit in Two Days).
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