Award-winning NIUSIA makes homecoming

After a whirlwind international run, NIUSIA returns home to Melbourne this February, bringing with it a powerful story of family, memory and Jewish identity that has resonated with audiences far beyond Australia.

The acclaimed solo work by Beth Paterson arrives back in Melbourne for a strictly limited three-show gala season, following a multi-award-winning international tour and a sold-out debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

At its heart, NIUSIA is an intimate, verbatim theatre work that explores Jewish legacy, survival and the stories families carry across generations. Written and performed by Paterson and directed by Kat Yates, the production reflects on the life of Paterson’s late grandmother, Niusia, a Holocaust survivor whose presence looms large in her family’s memory and in the artist’s own understanding of identity.

Rather than presenting a straightforward biographical portrait, NIUSIA layers personal recollection with recorded testimony and reflection. The work draws deeply on interviews with Paterson’s mother, whose voice forms a central part of the narrative, offering audiences a rare and deeply human insight into how trauma and family mythology can shape the next generation.

As previously shared in The Australian Jewish News, the project began as a personal act of remembrance. Paterson first approached Yates with fragments of writing and the desire to honour her grandmother’s story in the context of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. What emerged was a work that embraces both humour and discomfort, allowing space for affection, frustration and grief to all coexist.

The result is a portrait not only of a remarkable woman who survived unimaginable circumstances, but also of a granddaughter grappling with the contradictions that defined their relationship.

Importantly, NIUSIA also charts Paterson’s own journey of self-discovery. While she did not grow up closely connected to Jewish community life, creating the work became a gateway into a deeper understanding of her heritage. Through research, interviews and performance, she has described developing a stronger sense of connection to Jewish history and culture, and to the long lineage of stories that precede her.

The production’s resonance has been reflected in its critical success. Following a Victorian VCE Drama Playlist tour and an award-winning premiere at the Adelaide Fringe, NIUSIA went on to receive major international recognition in 2025, including a prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award and a Filipa Bragança Award nomination in Edinburgh.

This Melbourne return marks a brief but significant homecoming before the work embarks on an ambitious international and national tour in 2026. That season will include a Sydney mainstage debut at Qtopia Sydney, as well as new seasons in London and Brighton, and a return to Edinburgh.

Through humour and unflinching honesty, NIUSIA invites audiences to reflect on the stories they inherit, and how those stories continue to shape who we become.

NIUSIA will be showing in Melbourne from February 21-22. For tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/ 
It will then be in Sydney from April 1-12. For tickets, visit qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/NIUSIA/