Director. Dramaturg. Producer.

The Placeholder is a bold new queer Australian play by trans playwright Ben MacEllen, premiering at fortyfivedownstairs.
 

In a regional town, grief holds a group of women together after the death of Barb. Their bond is fragile — some close, others linked more by memory than friendship. When one of their own announces his transition, the circle begins to fracture. Loyalties splinter, old wounds reopen, and the meaning of identity and belonging is fiercely contested.
 

Funny, sharp, and deeply human, The Placeholder explores how feminism, friendship, and chosen family collide — and how love is tested when those closest to us change in ways we never expected.
 

Directed by Kitan Petkovski and performed by an extraordinary ensemble, The Placeholder is a fearless and emotionally charged work about the radical act of living truthfully in a world that resists change.

Midsumma Festival, fortyfivedownstairs 
27 January - 8 February 2026

"Kitan Petkovski’s direction brings the ensemble to life, balancing humour and tenderness in a way that makes this room feel like the pulse of their world." My Melbourne Arts

"a moving, robust and rich evocation of women and queer lives that vividly captures our recent past. It has all the makings of a modern classic." ★★★★ Theatre Matters