REVIEW: Katie is a Marker Sniffing Lesbian - Backbone Festival

Blazer buttoned, homework done, sharpie fumes thick! Backbone Festival’s latest opening, Katie is a Marker Sniffing Lesbian, is a story that captures queer coming of age with the chaos and brilliance it deserves.

The play centres around Katie, an awkward yet fiercely intelligent student at a Catholic high school. Katie begins selling sharpies in the school bathroom with some girls from history class. The premise is simple, but clever comedic storytelling and imaginative staging make this new work a festival stand-out. Each scene bursts with humour and magical chaos as we see Katie’s side hustle become a survival strategy of self-exploration.

Ada Lukin is a creative force. As playwright, set/costume designer, and lead actor, it is clear that the piece is driven by her distinctive tone and energy. Lukin's script is witty, chaotic and unexpectedly tender, executing a clever mix of familiarity and surprise. The sharpie-selling storyline unfolds as both hilarious and strangely meaningful, offering a playful interpretation of ambition wrapped in Catholic guilt.

Image by Brendan Mattress

The script had me hooked, but the delivery takes it to another level. Katie is effortlessly charismatic, as Lukin leads the show with complete presence. From her first monologue, audiences are pulled into Katie’s world. The conversational tone brings a touch of self-awareness and catharsis that audiences instantly warm to.

Madelyne Leite as Miranda and Alisha O’Brien as Lydia are equally captivating. Miranda is the type of girl who rolls up her skirt and death glares you in the hall where Lydia is the Sports Captain whose family expectations press harder than any netball game. The script does an excellent job at giving the actors interesting arcs to explore with their characters, but there is an undeniable specificity in their performances. Each character is fully realised on stage with quirks and chemistry perfectly timed to Katie's story.

Just as we settle into familiarity with the trio we are graced with an apparition of Florence Nightingale! Ellen Hardisty fully embodies this role (and others!) to successfully lift the piece into magical realism territory with a perfect strike of comedy. Hannah Page’s sound design adds another layer here, where choral and techno beats punctuate moments of awkwardness. The bathroom scenes, in particular, come alive because the score creates tension both jarring and comforting.

There’s a confidence in Indiah Morris’ direction that lets absurdity and honesty coexist on stage. The pacing is flawless, and the transitions often feel like their own narrative beats that blur the line between scene and interlude. Nothing is wasted, and every movement feels integral to the world. I couldn’t get enough of how the pens were used on stage: glowing quite literally as objects and metaphorically as symbols of fixation. The direction clearly transforms the script into a fully realised world with a compelling theatrical vision.

Katie is a Marker Sniffing Lesbian is an ode to queer girlhood. I urge you to witness this work yourself! There’s only two more chances:

Thursday 23rd Oct 8-9pm

Saturday 25th Oct 5-6pm

Grab tickets here!