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How these lawyers use theatre to explore the justice system
A lawyer-driven theatre production company has not only given legal professionals a creative outlet, but has provided them with a unique vehicle to discuss the issues within the justice system.
Naomi Neilson
Credit: An amateur production by arrangement with Origin Theatrical on behalf of Nick Hern books.
Ahead of their new play Consent, barrister Kylie Weston-Scheuber and senior lawyer Nicky Neville-Jones shared with Lawyers Weekly how they have found a way to explore their creative sides without needing to compromise on the demands of their legal careers.
For Weston-Scheuber, who grew up performing with her creative family, a love of theatre brought her to BottledSnail, a not-for-profit theatre production company by and for lawyers. She has since acted, directed, and was once president of the Melbourne-based company.
“It’s a bit harder once you’re working full-time as a lawyer, but the great thing about BottledSnail is that, because it’s a company for lawyers, they organise rehearsals so it’s more manageable – they’re always on a weekend rather than a weeknight, which makes it harder if you’re in a trial or something,” Weston-Scheuber said.
Neville-Jones, who spends her working hours at Emera Family Law, said the production company has been an “amazing outlet to be able to continue with that creative side while still practising as a lawyer”.
While normally her focus is on acting, Neville-Jones said she has been able to explore directing over the last few years.
“Like with Kylie, you dip your toe in and then all of a sudden you’re on the committee [and] because both of us are creatives, it just makes sense to put your heart and souls into BottledSnail, because it’s such a great project,” Neville-Jones said.
Back in 2018, Neville-Jones said she pitched to direct The Laramie Project – which explored reactions to the 1998 murder of a gay university student – at BottledSnail because, at the time, there was much-needed reform in Victoria around hate crimes.
“I thought, what a great platform to use a play for,” she said.
Similar to how The Laramie Project sparked conversations, the upcoming BottledSnail play Consent – which opens on Thursday (31 October) – is “a vehicle to discuss consent”. Written by Nina Raine, the play puts “Justice herself in the dock”.
“It’s the right time to do Consent and consent in the context of sexual assault allegations and what consent means in different forms, and that is really explored in this play,” Neville-Jones said.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
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