Box office: 020 7978 7040
a ry presentation and Theatre503 present...
Following a sell-out, Scotsman Fringe First award-winning Edinburgh premiere, the debut work from Filipa Bragança Award-nominated artist Beth Paterson makes its London premiere!
Niusia was a Holocaust survivor. She saved people’s lives in the camps, set up a new life for her family as a refugee, and was an iridescent entertainer. But her granddaughter, Beth, only remembers an angry, dying woman.
She’s ready to learn her stories, but what she discovers is all the questions she didn’t know existed (and wasn’t allowed to ask).
Through NIUSIA, Beth weaves together memories, handed-down stories and interviews to examine the precarity of identity and the haphazard cultural legacy second, third and fourth generation immigrants are handed. She asks: what does remembrance look like when all I remember is the space where questions should go?
A multi-award-winning company whose works have toured across Australia and internationally, a ry presentation is a Naarm-based production house focused on platforming the voices and works of creatives who have emerged from historically disenfranchised communities.
You can take part in an in-person workshop at Theatre503 on Tuesday 19 May 2026, 2pm-4pm. This workshop will explore autobiographical theatre-making techniques used in professional productions. Led by internationally award-winning theatre-makers and the creative team behind NIUSIA. You can purchase tickets here.
Running time: 60 minutes (no interval)
Age guidance: 14+
Content Warnings: You can find the content information for this production here. If you have any questions please email boxoffice@theatre503.com.
Pre-Theatre Dining: Audience members can get a 33% discount on food bought at The Latchmere pub between 6pm – 7pm, Monday – Friday! Just show a staff member your ticket confirmation email or e-ticket. Book in advance to avoid disappointment and we hope to see you soon!
Beth Paterson
Beth (she/her) is a queer, Jewish theatre-maker and classical singer living and working in Naarm/Melbourne.
Her work explores identity, memory, and intergenerational storytelling through autobiographical and verbatim theatre.
Following the critically acclaimed premiere of her debut play NIUSIA at Melbourne Fringe 2023—recipient of the Regional Arts Victoria Market Ready Award—Beth has quickly emerged as a powerful new voice in Australian theatre. In 2025, NIUSIA toured to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, where it was nominated for four awards and won the Cultural Diversity Award, and to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it enjoyed sell-out houses, won Best Storytelling, and a prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award. At Edinburgh, Beth was also nominated for the Filipa Bragança Award, awarded to a standout solo female performer in the festival. After this triumphant international debut, NIUSIA toured as a part of the VCE Drama Playlist, performing to underserved communities and youth across regional and metropolitan Victoria.
Beth holds degrees in Performing Arts and Music from Monash University and has trained in clowning and Fitzmaurice Voicework with Dr. Budi Miller, Fabio Motta, and Julia Moody—practices that deeply inform her embodied performance style. As a playwright, she was selected for La Mama’s 2024 Pathways Program, presenting an excerpt of her newest work Egg Talk—an autobiographical exploration of genetic heritage and identity. The work was further developed during her time in the UK with internationally renowned theatre-maker Bryony Kimmings, and will be enjoying a workshop season at La Mama later this year.
As a classical singer, Beth has performed roles with BK Opera and The Savoy, and brings music, clown, and improvisation to her work with the Starlight Foundation as Captain Starlight, bringing joy to children in hospitals.
In addition to her artistic work, Beth is a qualified mental health care worker and is currently completing a Master of Counselling at Victoria University. Her clinical background informs a trauma-informed, emotionally resonant approach to storytelling and performance.
Beth’s creative practice is rooted in personal storytelling and cultural exploration. Through performance, research, and collaboration, she seeks to push the boundaries of autobiographical theatre and foster dialogue across generations and communities.
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