Where is Joy?

Created and performed by Emma Louise Pursey, Where is Joy? is a powerful new solo theatre work that draws Joy Hester from the margins and places her centre stage.

A first-wave Melbourne modernist, Hester was the only major woman artist of the original Heide Circle (now Heide MoMA). Unapologetically bold and critically dismissed, she worked primarily in ink, not oils, and left behind an extraordinary oeuvre.

Two decades in the making, this deeply personal work blends arresting physicality with direct storytelling and multidisciplinary design to reclaim Hester’s legacy with passion, compassion and life-affirming humour.

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants, the Robert Salzer Foundation and the Australian Cultural Fund Boost program.