2 February 2026
David Williamson has spent much of his career circling the same uneasy question: is Australia really a classless society? In his newest play, The Social Ladder, he returns to that obsession, probing the country’s social fault lines while folding in a familiar generational divide.
Following last year’s popular Aria at the Ensemble, The Social Ladder revisits many of the same preoccupations, this time through the brittle ritual of a dinner party.
The action unfolds at the home of the Norries, a comfortably upper-middle-class couple. Katie (Mandy Bishop) is determined to climb further up Sydney’s social hierarchy, while her husband Roger (Johnny Nassar) seems content with their place in the world. Katie’s ambition is specific and strategic: a seat on the board of the Art Gallery of NSW. Achieving it requires a carefully choreographed campaign involving old school connections, rented artworks, a new arts-sector role and, above all, the hosting of a flawless dinner party. For this former Engadine kid, acceptance into Sydney’s elite feels tantalisingly close.
Bishop is superb as Katie, bringing a tightly coiled nervous energy that makes her anxiety almost contagious. She captures the brittle intensity of a hostess for whom every detail matters. Nassar is equally convincing as Roger, from his posture down to his sockless boat shoes. His performance neatly balances confidence and insecurity, leaving Roger’s true motivations intriguingly opaque.
The guests are where Williamson really sharpens his social scalpel. Art-collecting power couple Charles (Andrew McFarlane) and Catherine Mallory (Sarah Chadwick) arrive with money, influence and an air of entitlement. Catherine already holds the board position Katie covets, while Charles is far more interested in the financial currents flowing through the art world. McFarlane dominates the stage with an unsettling ease, delivering a portrait of wealth and power that feels uncomfortably authentic.
At the other end of the social spectrum are teacher Laura (Jo Downing) and her husband Ben Gregory (Matt Minto), a struggling film director whose rough-edged charm recalls earlier Williamson characters. The Gregorys often voice what the audience is thinking, which is funny and cathartic — but in this setting, it’s also combustible.
Downing grows stronger as the evening progresses, shifting effortlessly from polite warmth to wine-fuelled disdain. Her performance is grounded and forceful. Minto matches her with sharp comic timing and a nicely judged take on Ben’s unreliable bravado.
As the guests settle in, Katie’s meticulous planning unravels. Political views, personal resentments and class anxieties seep through the forced pleasantries, and the dinner party edges steadily towards collapse. Under Janine Watson’s direction, the result is a witty, uncomfortable and ultimately engaging production that balances satire with genuine emotional stakes.
Whether Katie can keep the evening on track is the question that drives the final act. For now, audiences can pull up a chair with the Mallorys, Gregorys and Norries at the Ensemble — and enjoy watching the social ladder wobble.