House of Oz - Emily Steele Q&A
How Not to Make It in America is an award-winning, one-person theatrical play written by Emily Steel and presented by the philanthropic organization House of Oz. The story follows a naive young Australian actor in New York whose dreams unravel following the 9/11 attacks, visa expiration, and heartbreak
Please tell us about your show. What can audiences expect when they come to see it?
How Not to Make it in America is a funny, moving, one-man show about a naive, young Australian actor who goes to New York in 2001 to try and make it there, but then 9/11 happens and instead of finding fame he ends up working illegally in a video store. A single actor plays 28 characters, transforming from that naive Aussie to a weary New York lawyer to a British compulsive liar (to name just a few). Winner of the House of Oz Purse Prize at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, How Not to Make it in America makes audiences laugh and cry and cringe and hope.
What inspired it?
I’m the playwright, Emily Steel, and it’s inspired by my own experiences in New York on and around 9/11. I was not long out of drama school, I went to New York without really thinking ahead and then, three weeks after I arrived, the Twin Towers came down. My experiences of that day were not like the pictures people saw on the news around the world - it was confusing and strange and I didn’t have a TV. The play is fictional, but I based the world Matt, our protagonist, lives in on the New York I knew. I’m from Wales originally, I moved to South Australia in 2010 and the play was commissioned by SA company Theatre Republic and developed with local director Corey McMahon and performer James Smith.
How does it feel to be performing at Edinburgh Festival Fringe?
Exciting and nerve-wracking! It’s great to take this show to the UK and start growing an international presence for Theatre Republic.
What does it mean to be part of House of Oz this year?
Winning the House of Oz Purse Prize is enormous for us. Without House of Oz’s support, there is no way we could have brought the show to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe - Theatre Republic is a small independent company and the How Not to Make it in America team spend most of our time as self-employed artists, so bringing our work to the other side of the world is a big deal. House of Oz have been hugely helpful and flexible to the needs of the show and we are very grateful.
What does it mean to bring your work to UK audiences?
For me, coming from Wales, it’s exciting to bring one of my plays back to where I started as a theatre-maker (or closer than Australia, anyway!). Corey, our director, has been in London the past few months, so this is a great opportunity to showcase his work to UK contacts. James is an extraordinary performer, and we’re hoping he’ll get some attention from UK industry. Jono Darby, our brilliant understudy, has never been to Europe before so for him it’s a trip of a lifetime.
What would you like UK audiences to know about Antipodean arts and culture right now?
We’re making some really good stuff down here! It’s thoughtful and funny and precise and it offers a different perspective on the world.
What kind of support do artists need most when bringing work overseas?
Money. It’s very expensive to bring a show from Australia to anywhere. Without government or philanthropic support, it’s next to impossible. House of Oz has covered travel and accommodation costs, as well as UK marketing and PR, which is a game-changer. Knowledge of Edinburgh venues, audiences and strategies has also been invaluable.
What's next for you after Edinburgh?
For How Not to Make it in America: we’ve been nominated for the Fringe Encore Series at the SoHo Playhouse in New York - we’d absolutely love to take the show there. We’d also love to find touring opportunities in the UK and beyond. And if there’s any interest in a screen adaptation, we’d be delighted!
For me as a playwright: I’ll be heading back to Adelaide and straight into rehearsal for my play Housework, which is about women in Australian politics. It was commissioned by State Theatre Company South Australia and first presented in Adelaide last year, and this year it will be at the Opera House as part of the Sydney Theatre Company 2026 season.
For Theatre Republic: we’ll continue supporting South Australian theatre-makers and developing new plays. We have a double bill in the works, alongside scratch nights for artists to test brand new work and readings of award-winning scripts by South Australian playwrights that have not yet been staged or published. Our goal is to tell engaging, thought-provoking South Australian stories and send them out into the world.