Local theatre maker Lucy Heffernan explores love, loyalty and loss in MerrigongX's latest show, Dog People, which will run from Thursday, June 19 to 21 at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.

“It’s a play with music about dogs and death, so it’s talking a lot about grief and how we express and process those experiences, but there’s a bit of theatre magic drizzled in there as well,” said the show's creator, Lucy Heffernan, a writer, actor, musician and dog-mum.

Dog People is Lucy’s second major work, following her critically acclaimed one-woman show Party Girl, which was workshopped through MerrigongX in 2019. Lucy made her international debut last year, performing Party Girl for Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

“Now we’ve returned to Merrigong once again to make the next thing, so it’s lovely coming back home to do this one,” Lucy said.

“Dog People is brand-new work that’s received years of development support, which is quite a unique thing in the Australian playwriting landscape. Shout-out to Merrigong for their unwavering support and belief in my process.

“It’s about loss, it’s about family, it’s about dogs in a very big way.

“Making things takes time, and you go down different pathways, the work goes through changes. It’s lovely to have the opportunity to explore that.”

Lucy became a dog mum in 2020 – like many Illawarra locals, she got a puppy at the start of the pandemic.

“I’d lost all my work and was just at home and she became a real lifeline and focus point for me. They become the centre of your world. That was the first dog I ever had as an adult – and when I got her, I had this really strong feeling that the next thing I would make is going to be about dogs,” Lucy said.

“Dog People is a work that speaks to Illawarra dog people. From Puckey’s Estate to Bellambi Beach, to the streets of Balgownie and Mount Ousley, my family and I have walked our beloved dogs around the landscape of Wollongong for many years.

“Dog People is tied to the Illawarra, and Illawarra audiences will recognise themselves in the stories. It is an opportunity for me to reconnect with my childhood home and invite Illawarra people share in this journey."

Lucy began writing Dog People in 2023, and spent 2024 working on music for the play. 

“There’s essentially an album of songs about dogs,” she said.

“Since then it’s been a process of merging the play and the music together – that’s what we’re presenting in the upcoming Merrigong show,

“There is a version of this play that is just a straight play, no music. But for me, I make theatre with music, that’s my creative practice. Music is just such a core part of my practice and I couldn't make something without it.”

Lucy says music is an incredible way to express big ideas and big feelings through simple sounds that audiences instinctively recognise.

“The play is about grief, so the idea of howling and crying became really important, it’s a very similar physiological process to singing. The way dogs communicate is howling and the way we grieve is to cry, we howl.

“It’s not full of random songs – the music and singing are actually quite deeply connected to the themes of the play.”

Dog People brings together the talents of Tim Maddock as director/dramaturg, Mara Davis-Johnson as musical supervisor/sound designer, Byron Davis as a musical collaborator and Zachary Hanlon on lighting design. On stage, Lucy and Byron are joined by Annie Byron and Geoff Morrell.

“We’ve got wonderful people coming on board for this next iteration, who are just so excited to jump in – highly talented actors and musicians who are bringing their names to it,” Lucy said.

“Shout out Tim Maddock, who is my partner in life but also my partner in art. We collaborate on all our projects together and he's been a source of encouragement and he’s pushed me and pushed this project to be what it is.”

Audiences can look forward to the whimsy of the dog mask as part of this show.

“It's fabulous. It's this, you know, great big Jim Henson-esque dog mask. It's called a mouth mover. So, when the person wears it, it's attached to their chin. So when they talk, the dog mask talks as well and and sings, so there's this extra movement in it that is kind of freaky, but amazing. I love it."

See Dog People on Thursday, June 19; Friday 20th and Saturday 21st at 7:30pm at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre. The show runs for one hour and 30 minutes with no interval and is suitable for ages 14+. For this MerrigongX show, reserve a seat for free, then ‘pay what you feel’ afterwards. Book via the Merrigong website