13 - Hayley Ricketson - Playwright & Poet - On Writing, Storytelling, and Stage

Hayley is a Melbourne-based creative whose creative juices flow mainly in the area of poetry and theatre. She has experience in the performing arts industry in Australia and the UK, as a writer, director, performer, stage manager, and production manager. Hayley is also an established poet, who has been a slam finalist in London and Melbourne, and was recently part of the Melbourne Slamalamadingdong Poetry Team. Playwriting is her love language but overall she loves creative writing and expression in all its forms.In this delightful chat, Hayley takes us back to how her love of writing and theatre first evolved, through porridge rituals in the family kitchen and self-driven classroom plays. We reflect on the stories that stay with us, how storytelling can enrich our lives, and how the political is often personal, and the personal is political. Hayley unpacks some of the journeys and challenges that come with taking a show to a fringe festival, how writing is about connection, and how the stage is a structured space that gives you permission to be loud and to be expressive.