Lynette Curran - Dreams of Taboo

Name: Lynette Curran - Dreams of Taboo
Start: 2026-03-22T16:00:00+11:00
End: 2026-03-22T16:00:00+11:00
Location: Upstairs at Gleebooks

About

Sunday 22nd March starting 3:30 pm for 4:00 pm

Lynette Curran and Alana Valentine in conversation with Helen Tzarimis

Lynette and Alana will discuss Dreams of Taboo and its adaptation Doctor Theatre, followed by a panel with Melissa Holmes (CEO of Stepping Out), Lynette Curran, Sarah Monahan, and Professor Catharine Lumby discussing the work of Stepping Out. MC Melanie Jai.

Dreams Of Taboo is Lynette Curran’s first book, which she wrote not only to heal and release herself but also as a source of information, experience, and education for those who have no idea about the impact of familial abuse on a survivor’s life. The book is not filled with blame but rather carries a serious intention to draw attention from the collective unconscious and create a safer, better world. It showcases her innate humour, spiritual unfolding, passion for literature and theatre, and the art of performing.

Doctor Theatre adapted from Lynette Curran’s moving memoir, is part dramatic monologue, part stand-up comedy, part storytelling and confessional. An actress speaks with courage and hope about incest, rape and childhood sexual abuse. An actress retreats into award-winning performance as an antidote to her suffering. An 80 year old actress refuses to be silenced, patronized or deterred from speaking out about her survival and struggle.

Lynette Curran is a professional female Australian actor who has worked in stage, television, and film since her teenage years. She has won numerous awards throughout her career for her remarkable talent. Lynette Curran’s extensive career is a testament to her versatility and dedication to her craft, making her a respected and beloved figure in the Australian entertainment industry.

Alana Valentine is an acclaimed dramatist and librettist working in theatre, opera and screen. Alana and Lynette presented a public reading of Doctor Theatre for Blue Knot Day in October 2025 at Pitt Street Uniting Church, with three illuminated angels hanging above them. Alana first worked with Blue Knot in 2012 on Swimming Upstream, drawn from verbatim accounts of childhood trauma. Other recent work includes Baleen Moonjan, co-written with Stephen Page, for Brisbane Festival, and Nucleus, at Seymour Centre for Griffin Theatre in February 2025. Alana has three plays on the NSW HSC Syllabus. The Death of Doctor Duncan (co-written with Christos Tsiolkas) will be presented at Arts Centre, Melbourne in November, 2026. www.alanavalentine.com

Catharine Lumby is a Professor of Media at the University of Sydney where she was founding Chair of the Media and Communications Department. She was also the founding Director of the Journalism and Media Research Centre at UNSW. Prior to entering academia, she worked for two decades as a print and TV journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, the ABC and The Bulletin magazine. She has written and co-authored eleven books and numerous book chapters and journal articles. Her most recent book is Frank Moorhouse: A Life which was shortlisted for the National Biography Award.

Sarah Monahan is a leading voice in spearheading change for women’s safety across the world. Well before MeToo, TimesUp or LetHerSpeak, Sarah bravely spoke out about her experience of sexual abuse, jailing a paedophile in the process. The decision to speak up could not have been easy: not only was Sarah a child at the time of the abuse, but the offender was one of Australia’s most well known ‘TV dads’. The power imbalance was extraordinary and yet, despite blow back and accusations of ‘attention seeking’ and ‘trial by media’ Sarah persisted. Her clear as a bell voice cut through the waves of victim-blaming and shaming rhetoric, and eventually Sarah became known as Australia’s Ground Zero MeToo whistleblower. In doing so, she also became a lightning rod for other survivors who she has since worked to support.

Helen Tzarimas is a senior journalist and newsreader with more than 30 years’ experience across radio news, current affairs and digital media. She currently works with Jonesy & Amanda at Gold 101.7 (ARN). Her career spans commercial and public broadcasting as a presenter, producer, field reporter, mentor and journalism educator in Australia and overseas, Helen started in FM stations before moving to AM, including 2UE. She then spent almost 19 years at the ABC, where she also helped pioneer digital journalism initiatives. She’s also worked as a Walkley judge and has been the subject of the Archibald Prize. A strong advocate for ethical, audience-focused journalism, Helen remains deeply engaged with the evolving new and audio landscape, including podcasting.

Professional artist, writer, domestic violence and child protection advocate, the creator of social movement Brave Not Broken, and ambassador of National Survivor Day and the Stepping Out Program, Melanie Jai is a survivor. Having only escaped a lifetime of physical, psychological and sexual violence a few short years ago, she has wasted no time leaving her mark. Her proudest accomplishment – writing and illustrating the children’s book Little Lionheart. Widely recognized as a valuable early intervention child protection tool, Little Lionheart incorporates non verbal communication systems so that children can reach out for help without using words. Collaborating with Kids Helpline & CorriLee Foundation’s – No Laughing Matter to distribute copies for free to vulnerable families nationally.

Melissa Holmes is currently CEO of Stepping Out Program, a specialist service which has supported female survivors of childhood sexual abuse since 1986. She has worked in the community sector for seventeen years with youth, women, homelessness and mental health. In all her experience, Melissa came to realise a common theme at the core of social disadvantage is childhood sexual abuse. Latest statistics show that 37.3% of the general population of Australian women experience CSA and yet it is still a taboo topic, despite it being the root cause of ongoing and intergenerational trauma and abuse.

This event is a fundraiser for Stepping Out- a specialist service supporting adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. We use clinical expertise to connect survivors so they feel heard, believed and less alone. Copies of Lynette's book will be available at a special event price of $30.