Small-town bonds, hidden truths, and the courage to change
Midsumma Festival, Ben MacEllen and 5 Foot Entertainment are thrilled to present the world premiere of The Placeholder, a bold new queer Australian play by trans playwright Ben MacEllen. Funny, sharp, and deeply human, The Placeholder explores how feminism, friendship, and chosen family collide — and how love is tested when those closest to us change in ways we never expected.
In a regional town, grief holds a group of women together after the death of Barb. When one of their own announces his transition, the circle begins to fracture. Loyalties splinter, old wounds reopen, and the meaning of identity and belonging is fiercely contested.
Ben MacEllen is an alumni of Midsumma Pathways, a nine-month mentorship and workshop program for LGBTQIA+ artists with disability, mentored by acclaimed actor, playwright, and screenwriter Kate Mulvany OAM (The Hunters, The Great Gatsby). Over the past 4 years, Midsumma Festival has supported Ben from ideation through to creative development and now into new independent production. This project is proudly supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Directed by award-winning director Kitan Petkovski (The Inheritance, Things I know to be True) and performed by an extraordinary ensemble including Meredith Rogers (Orestes Trilogy), Oliver Ayres (No Seasons), Brigid Gallacher (Milk, In the Club), Rebecca Bower (The Platypus), Michelle Perera (This is Living) and Alessandra Merlo (Midnight: The Cinderella Musical), The Placeholder is a fearless and emotionally charged work about the radical act of living truthfully in a world that resists change. Audiences are invited to a special post-show Q&A on Tuesday 3 February to discuss the making of the production with the cast and creative team.
The Placeholder at Midsumma Festival
29th January – 8th February 2026 (Tues – Sat 7:30pm, Sun 5pm)
2 hours 10 minutes with interval
Age Recommendation: 18+
Warnings: Adult themes, strong language, references to illness, grief, death, gender transition, transphobia,
and homophobia.
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