Gumbaynggirr and Dungari woman Casey Donovan will star as Aunt Deborah in the upcoming Australian premiere of 'Kimberly Akimbo,' a five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical set to open in Melbourne.
The production follows 16-year-old Kimberly, a New Jersey teenager with a rare ageing condition which causes her to age five times faster than normal, making her physically appear as a 70-year-old.
Ms Donovan plays her chaotic but well-meaning aunt.
"It's an amazing show to be part of and I get to play the role of Aunt Deborah, who is basically a kleptomaniac," Ms Donovan told National Indigenous Times.
"She has the stickiest hands I've ever met... but I feel she steals things out of the kindness of her heart because it's all to better her family.
"Although she steals things for herself, in the end it does benefit Kimberly."
The show, directed by Mitchell Butel and presented by Melbourne Theatre Company, combines teen drama, dark humour and music to explore family dysfunction and living in the present.
For Ms Donovan, the musical strikes a personal chord.
"I feel like I can portray that character, you know, having a loud aunt and just going, I know that character," she said.
"There's that sense of relatability in that dysfunction.
"She just wants the best, but she doesn't know how to go about it the right way so she does it in all of the wrong ways."
Ms Donovan said one of the show's key themes is appreciating life as it unfolds.
"I feel like a lot of people are either stuck in the past or we're stuck in the future and we're not living in the right now," she said.
"What can we do today or in these moments that are going to better us? And how can we set ourselves up to just love and be kind and be generous when we can? I think that's the biggest takeaway from the show."
The role also marks another milestone in Donovan's growing presence in leading stage productions.
Ms Donovan said Kimberly Akimbo creates more space for diverse stories in Australian theatre.
"I'm very grateful that I get to slide into these roles and have an opportunity to work with the State Theatre Company and MTC and... Mitchell Butel and these amazing artists in the industry," she said.
The cast includes Marina Prior and Christie Whelan Browne, who Donovan said bring strength and generosity to the production.
"Marina Prior, who's playing Kimberly, is just such a beautiful person to watch on stage," she said.
"And Christie Whelan Browne, who plays Patti, is just amazing. There are some very strong women in this show."
Kimberly Akimbo runs from July 26 to August 30 at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Tickets are available online.
