origin story.

It all began with a Shakespeare scene.

Back in our second year of training, Leo Buzac and I (Jasmine) were cast as Leontes and Polixenes in The Winter’s Tale, directed by our brilliant acting coach, Anatoly Frusin. Despite being in a small cohort, it was the first time we truly worked together — and something clicked. We shared a love for emotionally intense, character-driven work, and from that point on, we tackled every showcase side by side, pushing each other to go deeper, weirder, and braver.

By the time graduation rolled around, we didn’t know what the future held but we did know that we didn't want to wait around for something to happen. So we made something happen ourselves. We called it Salad Days — a name that captured the rawness and hope of being at the beginning of something new. A time when everything feels possible, even if nothing is guaranteed.

Leo has since stepped back to pursue other creative paths, and Salad Days has entered a new chapter. In 2024 — our first official year of works — we staged After the End, Scenes With Girls, and LOVE. Georgina Sawyer performed in two of those three shows, and our first time working together on Scenes With Girls sparked a rare kind of creative electricity. That connection deepened through LOVE, and after its closing night, Georgina officially joined the Salad Days core team. She stepped in to produce our next show, Mud, and has since become an essential creative partner — shaping the company’s voice, leadership, and future.

The work we stage are not shows you can just “put on.” The subject matter of our previous and upcoming works demands intense levels of care and research to deliver an accurate reflection of the complex people represented. We seek texts that show people at the very extreme of human emotion and connection — people on the outskirts of society who are often forgotten, misjudged, or there for a reason. And once we find them, we put them under stage lighting.

Then SDC takes it even further on the confrontation scale, by artistically directing each play to be viewed through a contemporary Australian lens, achieving a visual identity that resonates with young theatre-goers. Art is meant to be ahead of its time, but with a substantial portion of theatre company subscribers between the ages of 50 and 64, it feels as though the political and cultural climate of theatre is falling behind in its attempt to cater to this demographic.

Salad Days embraces a cinematic and absurdist lens for each production, aligning with the philosophy and aesthetic of younger generations, who are navigating an entirely different landscape of uncertainty—climate, political, and cultural. This is a reality we do not run away from but confront with the intention of validating young people’s struggles, and maybe alleviating them, word by word.

We believe plays that confirm accepted and already-held views of society are more damaging than works that challenge them.

It started with a scene, it turned into a voice, and now we can’t stop making noise.