White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble

White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble Bold, Narrative driven, femme-led independent theatre. 🐇

White Rabbit Theatre Ensemble was founded in 2011 by Artistic Director Lisa Smith, with a focus on the production of new, dynamic work for theatre. With a passion for creative collaboration, White Rabbit aims to explore the full spectrum of possibilities laid before us in this magical world of theatre. WRTE is a platform for professional and emerging artists to explore new horizons, to hone their

skills and present compelling work to audiences. WRTE is committed to the growth, support and enrichment of the arts on the beautiful Gold Coast, engaging the wide array of talented artists that call it home, and inviting creatives from other locales to engage with us, our work and our city.

A week on from the fabulous Matilda Awards (and multiple moments of pinching ourselves!) we wanted to share the lovely n...
09/03/2026

A week on from the fabulous Matilda Awards (and multiple moments of pinching ourselves!) we wanted to share the lovely news that we were the very proud recipients of the Actors & Entertainers Benevolent Fund’s 2025 Tony Gould Award.

The Tony Gould Award recognises an independent Arts Company / Collective that has left a positive impact on the Queensland performing arts sector through its curation, programming, or development.

We are so honored to have been nominated for this award (and to whoever did this, we thank you!) and to be the recipient was such an unexpected privilege and delight!

A massive thank you to all our art angels, including
City of Gold Coast
Experience Gold Coast
DARTS network
Our marvellous committee of advisors (to be introduced officially soon!)
Our incredible artist collaborators
Our wonderful mentors
And our amazing parents, families and friends.

We love what we do and we are honoured to share this award with you all - there is no theatre without you.

📷 by Luke Monsour


WORK WITH US Hello! We’ve been a little quiet on the socials front the last few months, but we have been busy with lots ...
17/02/2026

WORK WITH US

Hello! We’ve been a little quiet on the socials front the last few months, but we have been busy with lots of exciting things … More on that later!

We’re so excited to again be a host for the City of Gold Coast’s Professional Placement - Early Career in 2026.

In 2025, we hosted the incredible El Waddingham over 40 hours during a development of a brand new work 👀 If you or someone you know would like to join our team as an Associate Artist, read below or get in touch for more information. We’d love to work with you! 🐇
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To support the development of local arts and culture personnel, the City of Gold Coast is offering early and mid-career artists and creative workers the opportunity to undertake a paid Professional Placement.
As one of the Hosts in the Program, you will gain invaluable hands-on experience in an industry environment with us under the guidance of a mentor.

Apply now!

Applications close Mon 23 Feb @ midnight
For more information & to apply head to the link in our bio

Questions? Contact Celia Smith on [email protected]

Where did the week go? Last week we were fortunate to present a Company Profile as part of QSHOWCASE. It was a glorious...
18/06/2025

Where did the week go? Last week we were fortunate to present a Company Profile as part of QSHOWCASE. It was a glorious few days with inspiring QLD arts community.

Thanks so much for having us, filling our cup and warming our hearts despite the chilly Toowoomba air. What an amazing industry we have!!

🐇🌵🖤

OPPORTUNITY! CLOSING SOON! REGIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS ASSEMBLE ✒️GATHER by PlaylabGather is a regional playwriting intensive d...
25/04/2025

OPPORTUNITY! CLOSING SOON!
REGIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS ASSEMBLE ✒️

GATHER by Playlab

Gather is a regional playwriting intensive designed to further advance the creative practice of regional playwrights across Queensland through the development of a new work. Hosted in 2025 at The Empire in Toowoomba, this two-week intensive places emphasis on fostering 

PROGRAM DEETS-
To be eligible to apply for Gather, applicants (18+) must be based in Regional Queensland, available to attend the program in Toowoomba from June 16 – June 27, 2025. Applicants must submit a full-length (75+ minutes) completed draft. Successful applicants will receive a $2650 stipend to support their participation in the program.

For more information & to apply visit the link in our bio.

What an evening! 🥂 A big cheers and congrats to all the nominees, winners and lovers of theatre in the room. We feel so ...
26/02/2025

What an evening! 🥂 A big cheers and congrats to all the nominees, winners and lovers of theatre in the room. We feel so grateful to be in the mix with such an amazing group of inspiring artist and true, important stories.

Massive shout out to the forever incredible 💛 The way you brought this show to life is something we only dreamt about. Your skill, ability to translate dreams and hold this story so close and so intimately is like no other and we are so so proud and honoured to work with you.

A big thank you to the for the honour of being nominated in five categories this year and to all of the cheerleaders and supporters in our community who have made us feel so loved. 🐇💙

🎈🎈

👀 Ready or Not is proudly supported by HOTA, Home of the Arts through HOTA’s Housemates program.

👀 Ready or Not is supported by the Regional Arts Development Fund and Generate GC. 

👀 The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Gold Coast City Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.

The City of Gold Coast’s 2025 Professional Placement Program is NOW OPEN for applications!A diverse range of paid oppor...
17/02/2025



The City of Gold Coast’s 2025 Professional Placement Program is NOW OPEN for applications!
A diverse range of paid opportunities are on offer across a range of artforms, working with one of the region’s most respected local arts organisations.

What are you waiting for?!

Applications close Mon 24 Feb @ midnight
For more information & to apply Click the link in our Bio

Questions? Contact Celia Smith on [email protected]

PLACEMENTS AVAILABLE 🎉

🐇 Mid-Career: Assistant Director
🐇 Early-Career: Associate Artist

📷 by .creatives

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Image Description 1: A blank tile with the words “work with us” in the centre and a line at the bottom saying “It’ll be fun! Promise”

Image Description 2: A City of Gold Coast tile with the words “OPPORTUNITY Professional Placement Program Call-out for Participants”

Image Description 3: Four people, two sitting and two standing, smiling and laughing while looking at each other.

Well this was a bloody lovely surprise! We are beyond excited to announce that READY OR NOT 🎈 has been nominated for FIV...
04/02/2025

Well this was a bloody lovely surprise! We are beyond excited to announce that READY OR NOT 🎈 has been nominated for FIVE Matilda Awards! 🤯

BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

THE LORD MAYOR’S AWARD FOR BEST NEW AUSTRALIAN WORK

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LEADING ROLE - INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION

BEST DIRECTION

BEST SOUND DESIGN

We’re still a bit gobsmacked so I’m sure a more articulate post is coming soon but for now THANK YOU to everyone who helped bring this show to life!

OUR INCREDIBLE CREATIVE TEAM
Creator & Performer: Ainslee Palmer
Director: Lisa Smith
Performance Mentor & Design Consultant: Leah Shelton
Sound Design: Anna Whitaker
Lighting Design: Lee Eldrige
Dramaturg: Tammy Weller
Psychological Consultant: Miriam Emad
Touring Stage Manager: Taylah Andersen

Piloted at HOTA Home of the Arts
Premiered at JUTE Theatre Company
Supported by Generate GC, City of Gold Coast Arts and Culture and DARTS (Driving and Activating the Regional Theatre Sector)

📷
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Ready or Not Tour 3/3 🎈And finally a thank you to our amazing partners without whom we would not have gotten on the road...
23/12/2024

Ready or Not Tour 3/3 🎈And finally a thank you to our amazing partners without whom we would not have gotten on the road.

City of Gold Coast Arts and Culture and Generate GC thank you for your continued support in this project and WRT we feel so lucky to live in a city that champions the arts the way you do.

HOTA Home of the Arts thank you for helping birth this show and your continued support in providing us space throughout our remount.

Ochre Health and Vera Wellness thank you for your continued support of the arts, we love connecting with companies who want to see regional communities supported.

A special shout out to Aunty Di who has supported this work from day 1. Your continued passion and support for survivors is like no other! 💛

And to anyone else who followed, sent messages, hugged us THANK YOU! We can’t wait to continue to create and share stories in 2025.




com.au

Ready or Not Tour 2/3 🎈 Here we share a little sneak peak into the tour including our world premiere at Bulmba-ja in Cai...
23/12/2024

Ready or Not Tour 2/3 🎈 Here we share a little sneak peak into the tour including our world premiere at Bulmba-ja in Cairns hosted by JUTE Theatre and our community workshops throughout the tour entiltled: Here I come - The magic of Metaphor and Autobiographical Story Telling. (we love a big title 😅)

A massive thank you to all the community participants for joining our workshops and sharing their writing! We can’t wait to continue these connections into 2025.

And a special and HUGE shout out and thank you to our incredible team for holding this show with grace, kindness, power and compassion we couldn’t have done it without you.






Ready or Not Tour 1/3 🎈It has been just over a month since we returned from our Regional QLD tour. With well-rested limb...
23/12/2024

Ready or Not Tour 1/3 🎈It has been just over a month since we returned from our Regional QLD tour. With well-rested limbs, tired eyes and grateful hearts we want to thank each and every person who supported us on this journey! One we will certainly never forget!

First up we have DARTS (Driving and Activating the Regional Theatre Sector) who without their support this tour would not have existed. Our Producer Jess, you worked tirelessly and endlessly with a passionate heart thank you! And to the fabulous JUTE Theatre who have been the pilots of this initiative, thank you for giving space to Regional Artists to share work and connect.

Now our fabulous hosts to which we would not have had a space to share
JUTE Theatre
Townsville Little Theatre
Lux Noir Townsville
Bridges Health and Community Care
Perservernence Street Theatre Company

Thank you for having us in your space and letting us share our work with your communities.

Here’s to many more to come!

Are you ready? Our one-woman show Ready or Not is making its way to regional QLD audiences next month! We are so excited...
22/10/2024

Are you ready? Our one-woman show Ready or Not is making its way to regional QLD audiences next month! We are so excited to bring this work down the coast from Cairns to Gympie to break silences, share stories and remind us all we are never ‘too much’

Link in our bio for all tickets! Ready or Not… Here we come 🎈

Creative Team
Writer & Performer: Ainslee Palmer
Director: Lisa Smith
Performance Mentor & Set/ Costume Consultant: Leah Shelton
Sound Designer: Anna Whitaker
Psychological Consultant: Miriam Emad
Prop Construction: Adrienne Kenafake
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Toured to regional audiences through JUTE Theatre Company’s DARTS initiative. DARTS Interregional Touring is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, and delivered with the support of our partners at QPAC. Hosted by JUTE Theatre Company (Cairns), Lux Noir and Townsville Little Theatre (Townsville), Bridges Health and Community Care (Bundaberg) and Perseverance Street Theatre Company (Gympie). 
Ready or Not has been developed with the proud support of HOTA, Home of the Arts, and is supported by Generate GC a City of Gold Coast initiative through the Arts and Culture unit. Special thanks to, Ochre Health and Ochre Health Medical Centre Caloundra, Vera Wellness and Framed Just for You.

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Gold Coast, QLD

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