A new play is running at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne, Jul 19 – Jul 30, and produced by Three Birds Theatre and The Shift Theatre. Inspired by A Spanner in the Works: The extraordinary story of Alice Anderson and Australia’s first all-girl garage by Loretta Smith and published by Hachette Books Australia in 2019.

Meet Alice Anderson. Mechanic. Trailblazer. Entrepreneur. A rollicking ride through 1920’s Melbourne!

Imagine…1920s Melbourne-the advent of the motorcar! Society reels from the aftermath of war and a second wave of Spanish flu wreaks havoc on the streets. Theatres buzz with vaudeville hacks and men with an eye for enterprise seize every opportunity to weasel wealth. Meanwhile, one small woman defies convention and makes her mark…

Part history, part farce, part who-done-it, Garage Girls shines a light on one remarkable young woman’s short but eventful life. Who was Alice Anderson? Why did she drive her baby Austin all the way to Alice Springs? Who were all those women, dressed in greasy dungarees… and don’t they look a little bit like men? Sparked by actual events and a healthy dose of magic realism, breathtaking sound design and many colourful characters, played by five actors-Garage Girls is a rip-roaring ride celebrating a Victorian icon.
Welcome to Miss Anderson’s All Girl Garage!