OBSERVER: Numa and Karl
Sevenfold Theatre Company presents a new Australian play titled Numa and Karl: Extraordinary Man That He Was by trans writer and performer Em Chandler, supported by Maribyrnong City Council as the 2025 Arts and Culture Supported Season recipient.
Inspired by the life and legacy of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs; a pioneering queer activist who, in 1867, became the first person in modern history to publicly speak out for the rights of homosexuals, Numa and Karl is being presented from August 27 (preview) to September 13 at the Bluestone Church Arts Space, Footscray.
Long before Stonewall or Pride, Ulrichs laid the philosophical groundwork for queer liberation, and the production brings his legacy to life through fractured memory, fierce debate, and poetic resilience.
The opening night marks the bicentennial of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs’s birth, with this new production bringing his story to life for a contemporary audience in an act of remembrance and resistance.
Directed by Alanah Guiry with dramaturgy by Noemie Huttner-Koros, this new work will conclude the opening night performance with a celebratory post-show gala event, including drinks and a special address by Em Chandler, honouring Ulrichs’s legacy.
The cast of Numa and Karl includes Sarah Hartnell, Nicklas J. Carr, Conagh Punch, Emerson Hansford, Kyle Cuthbert, Tristan Sicari and Jessie Martin.
Performance Details:
Season: August 27 August (Preview) August 28 – September 13
Venue: Bluestone Church Arts Space, 8A Hyde St., Footscray
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/numa-and-karl-extraordinary-man-that-he-wa
Cheryl Threadgold
Sarah Hartnell (Karl) in Numa and Karl. Photo: Steven Mitchell Wright

