Kate McLennan’s one-woman show The Debutante Diaries was the over-whelming success story of the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. The show received rave reviews, playing to packed houses night after night – culminating in a prestigious Barry Award nomination; the Comedy Festival’s top gong for Best Show. This multi-award winning comedy follows the trials and tribulations of a high school community preparing for that teenage rite of passage - the Debutante Ball.

The Debutante Diaries takes audiences back to their High School days, where the scent of Impulse deodorant and decomposing sandwiches still linger in the air; as Kate plays a range of debzillas hilariously navigating their way through adolescence. Experience first love, first kisses and first heartache all over again - you’ll cringe and cry at the gut wrenching honesty but ultimately laugh because it’s not happening to you! A “Mean Girls” meets “Carrie” comedy from this critically acclaimed actress.

Firmly rooted in Australian Suburbia; The Debutante Diaries hilariously and at times poignantly, depicts the stories of 9 characters, as Kate slips effortlessly between roles. The audience are introduced to the dubious Deb organiser, Mr. “Call me Guy” Gerrity, who is trying to top last year's controversially themed 'Burlesque Deb'. They meet the manic perfectionist, Chrystelle with her ‘Fairytale Deb’ scrap book and the school Bitch & Beauty Queen, Stacey, kindly takes us through her beauty regime…“Monday is hair straightening, Tuesday tanning, Wednesday waxing and then on Thursday Mum and I get colonically instigated.” But it's the character of Sophie, with her painfully honest and touching diary entries, who takes us back to our own High School days where we were all just kids trying desperately to find our place.

MEDIA QUOTES

“A winner … A very big talent” - THE AGE

“really hysterical … I’m still laughing ... McLennan has it totally under control” - BEAT MAGAZINE

“had me absolutely howling with laughter ... McLennan is a master at transformation” - AUSSIETHEATRE.COM

“This is a great show which goes from gut wrenchingly funny to sweetly sad” - THE GROGGY SQUIRREL

“Kate McLennan is simply hilarious. This show is an absolute gem, and not to be missed.” - SA THEATRE GUIDE

“The script was incredible ... make time to check out her show. You won't regret it.” - ADELAIDE ADVERTISER

“unnervingly skilled ... We Could Be Heroes with additional sentiment” - RIP IT UP

AWARDS

Winner 2006 Melbourne Fringe “Best Comedy” Award

Winner 2006 Melbourne Fringe and Melbourne Airport “Emerging Artist” Award

Nominee 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival “Barry Award” for Most Outstanding Show

Nominee 2007 Adelaide Theatre Guide “Curtain Call” Award for Best Show – Comedy

THE TEAM

KATE MCLENNAN – Writer and Performer
Kate has been working as an actor and writer for theatre, television and radio for 8 years. She recently completed work as a writer and performer on Michael Chamberlin and Charlie Pickering’s news satire - ‘The Mansion’ for the Comedy Channel. Her most recent stage credit includes ‘The Enthusiasts’ for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Previously Kate had a hugely successful run with her one-woman character comedy ‘The Debutante Diaries’, directed by Fiona Harris. This show tells the hilarious and often touching stories of 7 characters as they prepare for their Year 11 Deb Ball. ‘The Debutante Diaries’ received rave reviews and sold out during the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, culminating in a Barry Award nomination for Most Outstanding Show. The ‘Diaries’ also took out the award for Best Comedy and Best Newcomer in the 2006 Melbourne Fringe along with a Best Comedy nomination for the South Australian Theatre Guide Awards. Last year Kate also performed ‘The Diaries’ at the Edinburgh Fringe and for the Hothouse Theatre Comedy Festival.

Kate began writing and performing sketch comedy with a Melbourne based troupe, ‘The 5th Dementia’ in 2001 – winning the Best Comedy Award in the Melbourne Fringe that year. Kate and other members of this group then went on to form ‘The Six’ in 2002, who have performed stage sketch comedy shows in the Melbourne Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festival. In 2004 The Six went on to film a sketch show ‘The Backwards Front’ for Channel 31. In 2005 Kate and fellow member of The Six - Mandy Mannion co-wrote the play ‘Henpecked’ for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Kate is a regular on the Melbourne comedy scene, performing her trademark characters at various comedy rooms and for the ‘Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow’. She has also written, performed and directed pieces for the Melbourne Short and Sweet Festival – having received a Best Actress nomination in 2007.
Kate worked as a writer and performer on ‘Let Loose Live’ for the Seven Network and Ruby Entertainment, under the direction of Ted Emery. Her other television credits include ‘The Nation’ ‘Vulture’, ‘Stingers’ and ‘MDA’. Kate also performs regularly as a character voice-over artist, working on ‘Dogstar’ for Media World Pictures, ‘Playground’ for ABC Kids along with work for Getup and Rubbery Figures. She is currently working on a new animation ‘Wakaville’ for Ettamogah Entertainment.

FIONA HARRIS - Director
Fiona Harris has been working in theatre, film and television for over ten years. She is currently filming the next season of Comedy Inc. Most recently she has filmed a television pilot for a comedy series she has written with her co-stars from channel ten's sketch comedy program ‘Skithouse; under the umbrella of their production company ‘Little Engine’.  In 2005 Fiona wrote and performed her successful one-woman show ‘Halo Dolly’ at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and in 2004 won a Moosehead award for ‘Footy Chicks’.  Other festival show performances include Jane Bodie’s highly acclaimed ‘Speaking in Thongs’ (2000) and ‘Out Night One’ (2001).  In 2001 Fiona co-wrote and starred in the ABC’s sketch comedy program ‘Flipside’ and has subsequently appeared in other television shows such as ‘Real Stories’, ‘Rove Live’, ‘Blue Heelers’, ‘Neighbours’ and ‘Halifax F.P.3’, as well as numerous short films and theatre productions. Fiona has also recently received a third round of funding from Film Victoria for her feature film script ‘Kid 17’.

2009 NATIONAL TOUR - PERFORMANCE VENUES & DATES