Cats and creative research collide in new CQUniversity production
What begins as a seemingly ordinary cat show will become a journey into the ancient Egyptian underworld in a new theatrical production at CQUniversity’s Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music (CQCM), where audiences will discover they are no longer mere spectators – they are the ones being judged.
Cat Show: A Play About Judgement is the creative culmination of a PhD project by researcher, educator and Australian Cat Federation judge, Dr Jocene Vallack. Combining comedy, mythology and audience participation, the production explores one of humanity’s most universal experiences: judgement.
Developed under the supervision of CQUniversity Senior Lecturer in Theatre Dr Linda Lorenza, the play forms part of Dr Vallack’s creative-practice PhD. While informed by her experiences as a qualified cat judge, academic and theatre-maker, the work uses those experiences as a starting point to explore broader questions about judgement, subjectivity and human decision-making.
The audience experience begins in the foyer of the Conservatorium, where patrons will encounter what appears to be a traditional cat show, complete with the possibility of taking home a new feline companion. But when the Egyptian god Anubis arrives unexpectedly, audiences will be swept into an imaginative underworld where cat goddesses await to pass judgement.
Dr Vallack said the production uses humour and fantasy to explore serious questions about how people assess worth, quality and morality.
“The play asks audiences to think about judgement in all its forms – from the way we assess animals, students and creative works, to the judgements we make about ourselves and other people every day,” Dr Vallack said.
The theme emerged from her own experiences in the cat-show world, where formal standards exist alongside subjective human decision-making.
“When I was training as a cat judge, the woman mentoring me would say, ‘You’ve got to go by the standard, the list of rules, but in the end, a good cat just jumps out,’” Dr Vallack said.
“That observation stayed with me because it highlights a tension we see everywhere. We like to think our decisions are objective, but there is often a personal and intuitive element involved too.”
The production is also a practical application of a research methodology Dr Vallack first developed during her previous PhD. Known as the Soliloquy Methodology, the approach uses reflective inquiry and arts-based practice to investigate questions arising from lived experience. Rather than documenting personal experiences, it seeks to uncover broader insights and themes through creative processes such as playwriting and performance.
Dr Vallack said the methodology allows researchers to investigate complex questions through their own lived experiences and transform those reflections into creative works.
“Soliloquy is a methodology for doing research within one's own experience,” she said.
“The work begins with experiences and observations from my own life, and the creative process becomes a way of exploring larger questions that many people grapple with – in this case questions about how we judge and evaluate the world around us.”
The production has been developed through an iterative and collaborative creative process, with the student performers actively contributing to the refinement of the script and the development of their characters. The approach not only enriches the work itself but also gives students a rare opportunity to participate directly in the creation of new theatre and creative research.
Dr Lorenza said the project offers these undergraduate students a valuable insight into how original theatre is created within a university research environment.
“Many students encounter scripts once they have already been completed, but this project allows them to experience the entire creative journey from idea to performance,” Dr Lorenza said.
“They are seeing how questions can be explored through creative practice, how a playwright develops material, and how research can be translated into a live audience experience.”
Bachelor of Theatre student Ro Brumm said that the collaborative nature of producing Cat Show had been a refreshing experience.
“In rehearsals we have been able to improvise with the characters and bounce ideas based on how the script is evolving. If something does or doesn’t feel right for a character it’s never a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ situation with Jocene – it’s a ‘well, show me what it is’ and we go from there,” she said.
Dr Lorenza said the production demonstrates the unique role creative arts research can play in generating new knowledge and engaging the community.
“Creative research allows us to investigate complex ideas in ways that are accessible, entertaining and thought-provoking,” she said. “This production is a wonderful example of research coming to life through performance.”
Balancing humour with deeper questions about right and wrong, empathy and responsibility, the production invites audiences to reflect on the standards by which people judge others – and themselves.
All proceeds from Cat Show: A Play About Judgement will be donated to Mackay Pet Rescue, extending the production’s impact beyond the stage and into the local community.
“At its heart, this is a fun and imaginative experience,” Dr Vallack said.
“I hope audiences will enjoy the journey and find themselves reflecting on how and why they make judgements about the world around them.”
Cat Show: A Play About Judgement
CQUniversity Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music
151-171 Boundary Road, Ooralea, 4740
Friday, 24 July 7:30pm
Saturday, 25 July 2pm
Purchase tickets now at cqcm.sales.ticketsearch.com
