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A woman stands on the deck of a steamship in 1893, a baby in her arms and forty-five days of ocean ahead. In this opening episode of Sweet Nell, performer Ali McGregor traces the journey of Eleanor “Nellie” Stewart back through generations of performers, beginning not with fame, but with travel, motherhood, reinvention, and risk.

From the crowded decks of the SS Doric to the gaslit theatres of colonial Hobart, Sydney and Melbourne, Episode One lays the foundations of a theatrical dynasty and a nation’s live performance culture. It is a story of women who made art against the odds, of forgotten labour and quiet resilience, and of how the echoes of the past still shape Australian theatre today.

Recorded live during a presentation for Theatre Heritage Australia at the Showroom, Arts Centre Melbourne.

Edited by Ali McGregor, with the most basic setup. All music in this episode played by Matthew Flloyd Jones, except the final song, sung live by Ali McGregor, accompanied by Zachary Hamilton-Russell and singers Eliza Bennetts O'Connor, Samantha Anderson-Mayes, Jack Jordan & Nicholas Shepherd.

Recorded on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation written and hosted by Ali McGregor. Script editing by Maeve Marsden and musical excerpts by Matthew Floyd Jones.

This podcast was created wth the generosity of The Frank Van Straten Fellowship supported by ‘The Van Straten and Turley Foundation' with the help and guidance of Claudia Funder at the Australian Performing Arts Collection. Massive thanks also go to Elaine Marriner of Marriner Theatres for the initial and continued inspiration and support.

https://www.alimcgregor.com/nellie