Fairbairn + Wild Productions and Byron Theatre Company present…

Tirra Lirra by the River

adapted from the novel by Jessica Anderson
by Heather Fairbairn and Kate Wild

The Miles Franklin Award-winning novel brought vividly to life on stage.

Nora is back. But this is no quiet homecoming.

When Nora reluctantly returns to the Australian house where she grew up, she finds the past lying in wait. Forced to an urgent reckoning with the choices she has made, Nora – exile, artist, lover and wife – sifts through the lives she has led to discover the woman she has become.

In this virtuosic adaptation, leading Australian stage directors Heather Fairbairn and Kate Wild collaborate with star of stage and screen Toni Scanlan (Water Rats) to breathe new life into an Australian classic. Using cutting-edge audio-visual effects, Tirra Lirra by the River spans the twentieth century, from jazz-age Sydney to post-War London, creating a kaleidoscopic meditation on memory, imagination and belonging.

Creatives

Writers – Heather Fairbairn + Kate Wild
Co-Directors – Heather Fairbairn + Kate Wild
Production Designer – Savanna Wegman
Lighting + Video Designer – Aron Murray
Composer + Sound Designer – Anthony J. Walker
Cast - featuring Toni Scanlon

Venue

Byron Theatre, 69 Jonson St, Byron Bay NSW 2481

Dates

Opening Night - Thursday 4 June 2026
Closing Night - Saturday 13 June 2026

Tirra Lirra by the River is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW. Tirra Lirra by the River was developed with support from NORPA.