THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

BY PAULA HAWKINS & DREAMWORKS FILM

ADAPTED BY RACHEL WAGSTAFF & DUNCAN ABEL

The Canberra premiere

A Mockingbird Theatre Company production

Director: Chris Baldock

Season: 5-22 August 2026

Rachel Watson longs for a different life. Her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window every day, happy and in love. Or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated.

“Paula Hawkins’ international best-seller [sold] 20 million copies worldwide… Onstage, The Girl on the Train carries that same heart-thumping humanity with all the juddering twists and intermittent periods of darkness – adapted for wider appeal by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel… Don’t miss the hurtling ride of The Girl on the Train.” – London Theatre Direct“

“The stage adaptation is a nicely-balanced vodka martini: sharp, invigorating and definitely not sugary-sweet… [A] fast-moving, beautifully-structured narrative… As the drama speeds along to denouement, layer upon layer upon layer of intrigue and tension by turn obscure and reveal foreboding harbingers of a calamitous climax.” – The Bath Magazine

“Suspenseful… a harsher, suburban, sex-filled variation on The Mousetrap.” – The Arts Desk

NOTE: Contains strong language & depicts scenes of domestic & sexual violence & alcoholism. PLEASE DO NOT AUDITION IF THESE ARE A TRIGGER FOR YOU.

From the Director:

Ever since I directed my first stage thriller, Gaslight, in 2003, I’ve wanted to tackle a contemporary psychological thriller. I’ve long been fascinated by the unique ways theatre can manipulate an audience’s emotions—not only through the script and performances, but through sound, light, projection and every other theatrical tool at our disposal.

When I discovered that Paula Hawkins’ literary phenomenon had been adapted for the stage, I knew I’d found the perfect vehicle. Remarkably, I came to it having neither read the novel nor seen the film. Experiencing it completely fresh, I was captivated not only by its gripping mystery and beautifully flawed, deeply human characters, but by the themes that lingered long afterwards: motherhood, grief, violence against women, addiction, memory, truth, perception and, dare I say it, the behaviour of the straight male.

From the outset, I wanted this production to be more than something you simply watched—I wanted it to be something you experienced. My aim was to place you inside Rachel’s fractured world, seeing events as she does, where memory, reality and imagination constantly collide. That ambition led to the unusual configuration in which you are seated tonight. Think of it as an immersive variation of theatre in the round. One of its great strengths is that there is no single point of focus. While you follow one moment unfolding, another may be happening just beyond your gaze. Like life itself, you never witness everything.

Before you is one of the kindest, hardest-working and most generous casts to grace the Mockingbird stage. It has been an absolute privilege to share this journey with them, and I hope you enjoy their extraordinary work as much as I have.

Finally, thank you for supporting Mockingbird Theatre Company. It’s hard to believe this is already our 30th production. Our audiences continue to grow, and so does our reputation for presenting bold, intelligent theatre here in Canberra. Despite receiving no ongoing government funding, we remain committed to creating ambitious work that entertains, challenges and moves audiences.

Thank you for helping us become your theatre company.

CAST:

Rachel Watson – Morgan HeathWilliams

Tom Watson – Robert Wearden

Scott Hipwell – Timothy Cusack

Megan Hipwell – Susie Todd

Kamal Abdic – Ankush Singh Khanchi

D.I. Gaskill – Paul Sweeney

Anna Watson – Sabrina Fu

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director/Designer – Chris Baldock

Assistant Director – Dale Rheynolds

Stage Manager and Lighting/Sound/Projection Operator – Aoife McFoley

Lighting Design – Rhiley Winnett and Chris Baldock

Projections and Videography Design – Chris Baldock

Sound and Music Design – Chris Baldock

Costumes and Props – Chris Baldock, Dale Rheynolds and the cast

Intimacy Consultant – Steph Evans

FOR MOCKINGBIRD THEATRICS:

Artistic Director & Head Tutor: Chris Baldock

Technical Manager: Rhiley Winnett

Publicity, Graphics and Photography: Chris Baldock

Associate Directors: Zac Bridgman, Steph Evans, Céline Oudin

THANKS TO:

Paul Portelli & the Belconnen Arts Centre staff, Nick Fuller & Canberra Daily,

Helen Musa & CityNews, Goodwin Village Ainslie, 2CA Capital Radio, Artsound

MOCKINGBIRD SUPPORTERS:

Special Friend of the Theatre: Jane Ahlquist, Tracey Pulli

Season Supporter: Sarah Byrne & Peter McDonald, Anonymous, Paul Sweeney

Patron: Liz St Clair Long

CAST & CREW BIOS:

Director – CHRIS BALDOCK

See Chris’ bio HERE

Assistant Director – DALE RHEYNOLDS

Dale Rheynolds has been an active member of both Sydney and Canberra’s community theatre scene for over 27 years as a performer, creative and committee member. Her theatrical credits include RENT, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, Bubble Boy, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, Oliver! and Hello Dolly!. In 2026, Dale made her directorial debut at the helm of Queanbeyan Players’ highly successful and critically acclaimed production of Les Misérables, bringing a lifelong passion for the show to an enthusiastic Canberra/ Queanbeyan audience.  Dale is delighted to join Mockingbird Theatre Company as Assistant Director for The Girl on the Train and has enjoyed working with Chris and the cast to deliver a bold and engaging story to the stage. 

Stage Manager & Operator – AOIFE MCFOLEY

Aoife McFoley doesn’t exactly know how she got here. She kind of spawned in the backstage area one day and started pressing buttons. Thankfully, Chris was brave enough to take a chance on a kid with high school tech experience only and allow her to make her Stage Manager debut. For her first show with Mockingbird, she’s dived into learning lighting, sound and projections while being only slightly terrified. She’s incredibly excited to get more involved in the world of theatre and can’t wait to take as many embarrassing photos of the cast backstage as possible.

MORGAN HEATHWILLIAMS – Rachel

Morgan HeathWilliams dreams of being a shapeshifter, yearning to sink not only her teeth but her entire skeleton into the flesh of other beings. This makes her a viable candidate for both therapy and creative endeavours, and only one of those involves applause at the end. For the last few years she has been Artemis Seven, award winning burlesque artist performing internationally & down under, including in the award winning touring dance theatre work Catch Jazida. This is her return to acting & first show with Mockingbird Theatre, and she hopes not her last – Rachel is a dream role & the entire cast and crew have made the experience one she will journal about for a totally normal and chill amount of time in the future.

ROBERT WEARDEN – Tom

Robert is an aspiring theatre performer and educator who has been active in the theatre since 2011. In this time, Robert has played roles in Shakespeare’s plays (Lord Ross in Macbeth, Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet), Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries (General McKenzie in And Then There Were None, and Oliver Costello/ Henry Hailsham-Brown in Spider’s Web), retellings of classic literature (Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Tom Buchannan in The Great Gatsby) and musicals both classical and contemporary (Despard Murgatroyd in Ruddigore and The Wizard in Wicked) He has participated in many productions around canberra but this is his first Mockingbird Production. Robert has thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this intriguing show come to fruition, as well as working with some incredibly talented people.

TIMOTHY CUSACK – Scott

Tim is a theatre actor who studied the craft at both school and university. He has performed in Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Canberra. His acting history ranges from productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Tales of the Arabian Nights, and original plays such as How To Vote at Canberra Playhouse, At Dinner with ACT Hub, and When He Cries with Green Oak Studios. He is thrilled to be part of his first production with Mockingbird Theatrics, and to be performing such an interesting and layered story.

SUSIE TODD – Megan

Susie Todd is thrilled to make her breakthrough in the Canberra theatre scene as Megan in The Girl on the Train. Previous stage credits include Marla “Smitty” Smith in Play On! and Justice Charlier in Rock of Ages at Hawker College, for which she received a CAT Award nomination for Best Youth Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical. She has also appeared as an extra on the television series Austin. Outside of theatre, she works as a content creator, sharing her life with audiences online. Susie is delighted to be part of this production

PAUL SWEENEY – D.I. GASKILL

Paul Sweeney is a 10 year veteran of Canberra musical, dramatic, comedic and Shakespearean theatre. Past performances include Macduff (Macbeth), Jud Fry (Oklahoma!) and Herod (Jesus Christ Superstar). He will next appear as Sir Antony Absolute in The Rivals for Everyman Theatre at ACT Hub.

ANKUSH SINGH KHANCHI – Kamal

Ankush is very excited to be part of this production. He recently completed Screen Acting Studio course with National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). His favourite role to date has been Caliban in Drama Turkeys production of The Tempest and Lysander in Misfits’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Other notable credits include Claudius in Grover Theatre Company’s production of Hamlet and the lead role in the short film CAPTCHA. Through this production, Ankush has gained a deeper appreciation for collaboration and storytelling, and hopes audiences leave feeling both entertained and thoughtful—after all, great theatre is the best kind of “drama” to have in life!

SABRINA FU – Anna

Sabrina Fu is a newcomer to Canberra, having previously traversed screens and independent theatre stages in other states. She has led short films screened at Beijing Queer Film Festival and Midsumma Festival, and has appeared in several TV commercials. Theatre is where her heart lies, and she has loved making her entry into Canberra’s theatre scene with this wonderful cast and crew.