The Debate

Noël Coward famously sang, ‘Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage’, but this, of course does not apply when you are a member of Adelaide’s renowned Lott dynasty. This compelling 2-hander is a theatrical, and real life, mother and daughter partnership between Martha Lott, the multi-award winning actor, producer, writer and founder of Holden Street Theatres (HST) and her daughter Amelia Lott-Watson, who is making her second on-stage appearance following her role as the carefree gum popping teenager in HST’s 2024 production of A Cheery Soul.

Directed by Nick Fagan, this 60-minute piece creates a delicate balance between exploring the current social media war cry where governments, families and educators are embattled, and a deep dive into the fragile depths of what it means and takes to be a parent. It is, indeed, a debate, about a debate.

Lott-Watson, as Chloe, the daughter presents as a well- groomed, well-spoken private school girl in uniform. A mild distraction is the glamour nails that any self-respecting girls’ school would ban, but she appears to be demure, compliant and mother-dominated. Her delivery is naturalistic and in the closing of the piece, her passion and investment in the ‘finally had enough’ portrayal is palpable.

Martha Lott, as Mara, whose life as a ‘spin-doctor’ takes over her life as a mother is the consummate actor, paying close attention to every detail. She is bombastic, somewhat uncouth and coarsely spoken, and unashamedly still deeply invested in her own achievements as a youthful debater. Disappointed in her own, seemingly derailed debating pathway, her ambition for Chloe’s success will not be thwarted, at any and all cost.

The Debate is, as performance, is appropriately dominated by Mara, who joyfully engages the audience in a 40-minute actor dominated monologue; a litany of clever factual detail of her devious, strategic and illegal campaign, designed to assure her daughter of the top spot. She struts, she postures, she poses, seemingly victorious and in total control, until reality interposes a check.

This is clearly an issue that resonates with Lott, as both the author and as a parent. Poignant, touching and terrifying, Mara chronicles a very plausible scenario, a war where truth, and incidentally, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, Chi Chi are the casualties. Confidently, Mara crows, ‘One day she’ll thank me’.

Lott has created a detailed and brilliantly insightful piece in The Debate. Her understanding of human vulnerability is a hallmark of this original, and authentic piece. I came away with a sense of witnessing extreme emotional grubbiness. I had become a part of a down in the gutter reality where the casualties were a mother’s role as protector and guide and an uncertain future where social manipulation aids and abets the exploitation of the young and the vulnerable.

The Debate is a ‘must-see’ for parents and teenagers, and once again is an acting master-class by Lott. When she tires of acting, turning her hand to more writing is a very real option. Until then, catch her notable work on stage.

Jude Hines

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