The Amazing Lucas Girls

by Cate Whittaker

The story of courageous women…..

As Tilly, with the rest of Ballarat, proudly cheers off its men to war, her younger sister Clara despairs and desperately tries to stop her fiancé Wilf and brother Frank from following. Sadly, her fears are founded as Ballarat rapidly turns black at the death knell of the Telegram Boy’s bicycle bell. When war is hungry for more men and a conscription referendum is called, the Lucas Girls under Clara’s courageous leadership make their mark. But it’s older sister Tilly’s compassion for her distraught, disintegrating town that directs the girls into the most amazing achievement.

This inspirational tale of ordinary women in the too often forgotten home-front’s darkest days doing extraordinary things to bring hope, when no hope seems possible.

cast & creatives

  • Tilly

    Joanne Booth (she/her)

    Jo Booth has trained at LAMDA in London (Shakespeare), with renowned acting coach Larry Moss in NYC and Sydney, at Karl Bury Studio in NYC, Howard Fine Acting Studio and Lisa Robertson Studio. She is also a graduate of 16th Street Actors Studio’s full time program.

    Jo was an Ensemble member with Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble in 2023. Recent theatre roles include Prudencia for The House of Bernarda Alba (Frantic Muse), Don Petra for Much Ado About Nothin’ (Bar’d Work), Titania/Hippolyta for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespearience Australia), Audrey for As You Like It (Shakespearience), Banquo/ Lady Macduff/Caithness forMacbeth (QSE), Morgan for Still (Heartstring), Devina Savage for The Savages of Wirramai (Crying Chair Theatre), Pippa Moynihan for Hotel Sorrento (Hit Productions), Aufidius/Virgilia for Coriolanus (Heartstring) and Ensemble for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Australian Shakespeare Co).

    Jo is "pleased as punch" to step into what are some very big shoes to fill, playing the formidable Tilly Thompson.

  • Clara

    Amy Joyce (she/her)

    Amy Joyce is a Sydney-based actor who trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), graduating with a BFA in Acting in 2021.

    This is her third play with Lost Voices Australia, having previously played Emily Brontë in The Brontë Murder Mysteries and Sylvia Plath in Sivvy Plath’s Birthday Present. Amy will be taking on the role of Clara in The Amazing Lucas Girls, a new historical fiction by Cate Whittaker, as part of the inaugural Herstory Arts Festival.

  • Mildred

    Liz Grindley

    Bittersweet Productions: The Lies We Tell - Ever Young (Phoebe); Lost Voices: Forgotten (Annie); Genesian Theatre Company: Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (Emma); Lady Windermere’s Fan (Duchess of Berwick). Hunters Hill Theatre Company: 84 Charing Cross Road (Helene Hanff), Our Town (Mrs Webb), Calendar Girls (Chris), Moon Over Buffalo (Charlotte Haye). Tower Theatre Company (London): The Changeling (Tomasia), Suddenly Last Summer (Nurse).

  • Wilfred/ Walker & Assistant Director

    Flynn Barnard (he/him)

    A NIDA graduate, Flynn was born in London and has grown up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

    This is Flynn’s third Lost Voices production, having performed in Forgotten at Parramatta Riverside and Sivvy Plath’s Birthday Present at Sydney Fringe.

    Flynn has a passion for both acting and music. He plays the guitar and piano.

    Since graduating, Flynn has performed roles on stage and screen in Australia and the UK, including Jamie in the feature film The Bayou, Will in The Culture at the Arcola Theatre London, and narrating Barry Jonsberg’s audiobook Darkest Night Brightest Star.

  • Mary/ Lady Sommers

    Andrea Blight

    Andrea holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Theatre Nepean and a Bachelor of Arts from UNSW and Graduate Diploma of Education from UYSD.


    Andrea recently played Norma Hubley in Plaza Suite at the Genesian Theatre Company. Let’s Kill Agatha Christie is her second production with the Genesian Theatre company.

  • Frank / Jimmy / Stanley

    Gerry Mullaly (he/him)

    Hailing from Magnetic Island in Far North Queensland, Gerry moved to Sydney to attend Actors Centre Australia (ACA) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) in 2022. Since ACA, Gerry has appeared in ‘Home and Away’, and stage productions of ‘Banging Denmark’, ‘The Front Page’, ‘Ink’, and ‘Hangmen’. Gerry’s ACA credits include Don in ‘Don’s Party’, Torvald in ‘A Doll’s House’, Eddie in ‘Hurlyburly’, and Leon in ‘Speaking in Tongues’.

  • Mavis/ Vida Goldstein

    Casey Martin  (she/her)

    Casey is a graduated from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television (AFTT).

    She has appeared as Nell Mooney in Anthony Skuse’s production of “Dorothy Hewett’s Bobbin Up," Charmian in Sean O’Riordon’s production of “Antony and Cleopatra," Anne Bronte in Cate Whittaker's "Lost Voice of Anne Bronte," Puck in "William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First," Addy in "Addy Lala", and Maggie in Cate Whittaker's "Forgotten."

    As well as various roles in short films such as, 'Limerence' produced, written and directed by Bella Burton and Sophisticated Dingo's "The Job I took," music video directed by Jess Ramsey.

  • Mayor of Ballarat/ Corporal Stevens

    Nicholas Papademetriou

    Nicholas graduated from WAAPA in 1984 and has since worked for all the major companies in Australia including STC, MTC, The Ensemble and Company B Belvoir. This is his second production with Lost Voices having appeared in Sylvia Plath's Birthday in 2024.

  • Writer/ Director

    Cate Whittaker

    Cate Whittaker is a Sydney-based playwright and social historian whose work brings overlooked women’s histories to the stage with clarity, compassion, and wit. After a long career in education, she began writing for theatre, focusing on untold stories of female resistance and resilience. Her acclaimed works include Forgotten, Sivvy Plath’s Birthday Present, Jane Franklin and The Rajah Quilt, and The Amazing Lucas Girls. Whittaker is also a co-founder of the Herstory Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary celebration of women’s voices in theatre, poetry, and visual art.

  • Lighting Designer

    Mehran Mortezaei

    Mehran Mortezaei is an accomplished theatre professional specializing in lighting and sound design, as well as stage management. With a career spanning over two decades, he has contributed to more than 150 productions across Iran, New South Wales, Queensland, and Denmark.

    Mortezaei began his journey in theatre during high school and pursued it academically, earning a Master's degree in Theatre and Performing Arts. His multifaceted roles have included writer, director, designer, stage manager, and actor.

    In Sydney, he serves as the Technical Manager at New Theatre, where he has been instrumental in various productions. Notable works include sound design for Fighting , co-sound design for Hangmen , and lighting design for Pygmalion. His expertise also extends to productions like Off the Record and Persuasion.

    Mortezaei's technical proficiency and creative vision have significantly enriched the theatrical landscape, both in Australia and internationally.

  • Costume

    Susan Carveth

    Susan Carveth is a seasoned costume designer and the long-standing Wardrobe Coordinator for Sydney’s Genesian Theatre Company. Her extensive career in theatre spans decades, during which she has designed costumes for numerous productions, contributing significantly to the visual storytelling of each performance.

    Carveth's portfolio includes a wide array of classic and contemporary plays.

    Susan Carveth's enduring commitment to costume design has made her an integral part of Sydney's theatrical community, with her work continuing to captivate audiences and bring characters to life on stage.

Max Harris (1920), Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute

Pictured: The Lucas Girls loading Selkirk bricks for the construction of Ballarat’s Arch of Victory.

The Real Lucas Girls of Ballarat…..

A Story of Stitching, Spirit, and Solidarity

In the golden days of Ballarat, when the clang of pickaxes echoed across the goldfields and fortunes were dug from the red earth, another kind of legacy was being stitched into the fabric of the city — by women with needles, not shovels.

The Lucas Girls were employees of E. Lucas & Co., a thriving clothing and corsetry business founded by Edward Lucas in the late 19th century. At its peak, the factory employed hundreds of women — mostly young, working-class, and fiercely proud of their craftsmanship. But these women were more than just seamstresses. They were a community. And in 1915, they changed the face of Ballarat forever.

With World War I tearing through Europe and local boys being sent to the front, the city was gripped by grief. A plan emerged to build a grand memorial to honour the fallen — but such a monument needed money, and spirit. Enter the Lucas Girls.

Over the next several years, these remarkable women led the charge. They stitched and sold patriotic goods, organised massive fundraising events, and walked the streets in their iconic white uniforms and straw hats, rallying the community. They raised what would now be millions of dollars and helped fund the grand, tree-lined Avenue of Honour — a 22-kilometre stretch of remembrance, with over 3,000 trees, each dedicated to a soldier.

But their courage didn’t end with commemoration. As the war dragged on and the government pushed for compulsory military service, the Lucas Girls took a bold stand. They were vocal in their opposition to conscription, joining a powerful national movement led largely by women. Through protests, petitions, and public advocacy, they campaigned fiercely against mandatory enlistment — arguing that no one should be forced to fight, and that Australia’s strength lay in choice, not coercion.

Their reward? Pride, purpose, and the deep roots of legacy.

The Lucas Girls were unsung heroes. They didn’t fight on the frontlines, but they marched with dignity. They didn’t fire guns, but they fired up a city to remember, to heal, and to honour — and they fought, with fierce compassion, for a more just future. They remind us that community, care, and collective action can grow something as enduring as an avenue of trees — or a play like this one.

The Amazing Lucas Girls is a celebration of their spirit — lively, cheeky, defiant, and deeply human. In honouring them, we remember not just what they did, but who they were.