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In 1914 the famous British Shakespeare star, Ellen Terry, lonely and anxious, her health failing, found herself stranded in Australia by the outbreak of the Great War. Fortunately she had a friend in Nellie Melba, who had made it home from Europe just in time. They performed side-by-side in several fund-raising events and shared time at Nellie Melba’s beautiful property, Coombe Cottage, in the Yarra Valley. They were two of the world’s most famous women, both triumphant in their art forms but, in England, not even permitted to vote in elections. Their rights to property and custody of their own children were contested in law throughout their lives. They had weathered personal scandal, failure and tragedy; and they had both played Juliet and Ophelia—dying countless times for the entertainment of others. What did they talk about? Having published a CUP Element on Terry’s tour to Australia, I am working with Sport for Jove Theatre (Sydney) to investigate this unique friendship through a collaborative process of imaginative reconstruction in the form of a play. In my paper I will read some Shakespeare-related excerpts from the play and reflect on what has come to light in researching the topic in a spirit of play.

Kate Flaherty is a Senior Lecturer in English and Drama at ANU. She researches how Shakespeare’s works play on the stage of public culture. Her sole-authored books are Ellen Terry, Shakespeare and Suffrage in Australia and New Zealand (CUP, 2025), and Ours as We Play it: Australia Plays Shakespeare (UWAP, 2011). Other articles and chapters explore aspects of 19th century Shakespeare performance such as touring, education, and gender. Her publication venues include Contemporary Theatre Review, Shakespeare Survey, New Theatre Quarterly, The Guardian,and The Conversation. Kate is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and winner of the ANU VC’s Award for Excellence in Education.

Presented as part of the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics's 2025 English Seminar Series.