This November, Newcastle audiences are in for a homegrown Christmas treat with A Very Newy Chrissy, a brand-new festive theatre production that promises laughs, love, and a healthy dose of Novocastrian spirit.
Written by local playwright Nat Newman and presented by UpStage at The Playhouse, this original comedy takes a look at the chaos, connection, and contradictions of a modern Newcastle Christmas.
Set in the week leading up to Christmas, A Very Newy Chrissy follows Betty and Trish, two women facing their first Christmas since divorce, as they and their adult kids navigate shifting family traditions, romantic entanglements, and the small-town quirks that make Newcastle what it is. Betty wants to start fresh, Trish is stuck at work with her dysfunctional Roads Department colleagues, and everyone seems to have an opinion about the pothole in the middle of the street that no one’s fixing.
The story weaves together humour and heartbreak as Pax and Annabel, Betty and Trish’s grown-up children, try to hold onto their family traditions while finding their own way. Pax is nervously juggling a new girlfriend and two mums, while Annabel just wants to be seen.
Add in a few workplace crushes, a lonely street collector named Myron, and one very symbolic pothole, and you’ve got the makings of a truly Newcastle Christmas miracle.
Nat Newman’s script captures the grit and warmth of the Hunter region — where working-class humour meets heartfelt storytelling — and finds the magic in the everyday. Produced by One for the Road Productions, A Very Newy Chrissy looks set to become a new local festive tradition, celebrating both the messiness and the meaning of the holidays.
A Very Newy Chrissy runs from 6 to 15 November at The Playhouse, Newcastle. Tickets are on sale now through the venue, and if you’re after a Christmas story that’s more Bunnings snag than Hallmark special, this one’s for you.
