About | The Project | About Jane | Dates |
Under the thoughtful guidance of our thinker-in-chief, Jane Hutcheon, what begins as a challenge turns into a game-changer. And it makes for riveting theatre. Jane will be joined on stage by two sharp minds. Together, they’ll tackle thorny topics with wit, candour, and plenty of honest opinions. They might not have lived experience of every issue they discuss—but they’ll offer perspectives bold enough to make you squirm. After the interval, it’s your turn. The spotlight shifts to the audience, where your anonymous questions—no matter how tricky—will be answered with no-nonsense, zero judgment. Step into the arena with Jane for a conversation that challenges, surprises, and empowers.
Subjects covered by Difficult Conversations may be drawn from each of the three thinkers who may have opposing opinions on the topics of, say, a terminal diagnosis, disputing the truth, making sense of conspiracy theories, the generational wealth gap, banning alcohol, gender identity. The subjects are endless really. Part one of the event will include the rules of engagement for both audience and ‘thinkers’, and create some discomfort with the subjects discussed (probably only two). After interval, we enter the danger zone, and this is where the audience take control. Questions will be sent via wifi from audience, anonymously, to a printer on stage. One of the three thinkers on stage must ask that question, and discuss with the other two. No subject is out of bounds and every question must be answered (although each panellist might have one opt out option). The evening will finish with reassurance that it’s ok to disagree and audience (and thinkers hopefully) will depart feeling challenged, uplifted and hopefully better informed.
With more than three decades as a journalist, author, and presenter, Jane is no stranger to difficult conversations. She reported globally for the ABC as a correspondent in China, the Middle East, and Europe and has hosted Lateline, World at Noon, and Foreign Correspondent. Upon returning to Australia, Jane created and hosted One Plus One, conducting 500 in-depth interviews over nine years. She’s the author of Rebel Talk, the Art of Difficult Conversations, and in 2024 toured with her own theatre show Lost in Shanghai, the story of her mother’s childhood.
While I was writing my book, Rebel Talk: The Art of Powerful Conversations, during COVID, I came across something written by the American actor Alan Alda. He wrote a book, the title of which remains elusive even now, but within its pages, I found something unforgettable. A single phrase embedded itself in my thoughts: “I have this radical idea that I'm not really listening unless I'm willing to be changed by you.”
That phrase stayed with me, circling in my mind, urging me to deepen my thoughts around the need for powerful conversations. We need to reach further, to learn how to have difficult conversations, conversations that have the possibility of transforming understanding. I began researching organisations that encourage true listening and civil conversation between people with opposing views. That’s how I found Braver Angels, a US organisation dedicated to depolarisation. I joined one of their online workshops, not entirely sure what to expect. During the workshop, I was paired with a Trump supporter who shared how her family had severed ties with her because of her political beliefs.
What I found was extraordinary. We weren’t there to argue or convince, but to examine how we engage with those we disagree with. One of the most powerful lessons was learning to recognise our own biases—the way we speak about those on the 'other side'. For years I’d been concerned by the escalating tensions caused by political polarisation, and if I thought it was a problem five years ago, in 2025, it feels like we’ve entered an entirely new realm.
In the workshop we were taught to shift our language—to make it less adversarial, more inquisitive. Instead of reacting with dismissal or outrage, we practiced curiosity. The experience was nothing short of energising. I was left wondering: Could this work in Australia?
In 2022, I performed my show Lost in Shanghai, about my mother’s traumatic childhood. After years committed to television, I discovered something profound: I was completely smitten with theatre. Theatre has been described as a modern-day church or temple, but I would refine that definition—it’s actually a temple of empathy. Watching audiences become utterly absorbed, their expressions shifting, their breath collectively held, I realised that the theatre is a space where people truly listen. And if listening means being open to change, as Alan Alda suggests, then perhaps theatre is the perfect space where difficult conversations can unfold.
For several years, I spoke about the idea at festivals and in-conversations, turning it over in my mind, waiting for the right moment and the right collaborators. Then, in 2023, I met one of Australia’s leading theatre producers, Christine Dunstan, who suggested that we put this idea to the test.
We took the first tentative steps in this exciting development with two shows at the Seymour Centre, featuring Benjamin Law, Debra Keenahan, Tim Dean, and Jeremiah Edagbami. It was an experiment, a spark. But since that show, with the guidance of some of the most brilliant theatrical minds, we’ve grown that spark into something tangible.
Now, with Christine Dunstan Productions and associate producer Vanessa Wright on board, Jane Hutcheon’s Difficult Conversations has lift off.
That guiding statement — “I have this radical idea that I'm not really listening unless I'm willing to be changed by you” — remains at the heart of this work. Christine, Vanessa, and I, together with director Marion Potts, have taken the art of difficult conversations and infused it with warmth, depth, play and humour. Perhaps one day it’ll grow into something bigger—a movement, even. But for now, I am beyond thrilled to be working with Christine and her team to bring this work to Australian theatres. I hope it travels far and wide, reaching audiences who are willing to lean into the discomfort of true engagement, of honest, civil, and meaningful dialogue with those they might otherwise dismiss. When we truly listen, we find that we have more in common than we assume. And in that discovery, we realise that disagreement is not the end of the conversation — it is the beginning.
Kathryn is a social advocate who has contributed to a wide range of leadership positions in public and private companies, government bodies and non-profit organisations. She led the Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing for nine years, and lead the NSW Review into Retirement Villages. She has also participated in Education: the Gonski Review and NSW Catholic Funding Review.
Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Social Work (UNSW) Certificate in Early Childhood (Macquarie University) and was awarded a Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) from UNSW.
Her professional history has been in social work and early childhood services as well as media roles. From 1995 to 2004, Kathryn was an elected Councillor to the Sydney City Council.
Kathryn is currently Chair of Luminesce Australia and is a Board Director on the Menzies Leadership Foundation, Paul Ramsay Foundation, Relationships Australia (NSW), the National Seniors Association and the Australian Academy of Music.
Liam Anastasi is an Economist working for one of Australia’s major banks, and is currently undertaking a Masters in Behavioural Economics from the University of Technology Sydney. He brings a youth perspective to the field of economics, which offers unique insights in a time of economic upheaval and change. In addition to his professional experience, Liam has a strong fascination and engagement with the arts. His poetry, drawing from the mystical, spiritual, and romantic sensibilities of classical Indian Literature, has been exhibited across Sydney - including at Sydenham International and QHY Space.
