Confessional - Jonesway Theatre Review

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Schlipalius, A. (Director/Writer). (2025). Confessional. [Theatre Production] Jonesway Theatre. Photo credit Jaz Hosken.

From writer-director Alice Schlipalius and producer Penelope Gordon, Confessional asks the question “How far would you go to impress a crush?” Confessional is a comedic exploration of the mistakes and embarrassing and morally questionable decisions people can sometimes make when in the pursuit of love. The show was inspired by real-life confessions submitted anonymously through an online survey. The concept for Confessional was developed by Schlipalius and Premila Ganeson-Oats in 2024 as part of the Advanced Diploma of Performance (Aciting) at WAAPA. Confessional was presented at the Jonesway Theatre from the 8-10 May 2025. It starred Rebecca Attwood, Henry Freeman-Dick, Jaz Hosken, Sarah Le Map, Chloe McShane and Lucy Nunn.


Schlipalius, A. (Director/Writer). (2025). Confessional. [Theatre Production] Jonesway Theatre. Photo credit Jaz Hosken.

Confessional had me giggling into my hands. I liked how the show used comedy to examine why people have sexual fantasies and how the influence of social media and pop culture can shape our idea of what love and romance should be like. In the opening scene, a young man (Freeman-Dick) walks onto the stage, switches on a boom box, and holds it above his head, hoping to impress his girlfriend (Attwood). When his girlfriend rejects him, he is crestfallen. He was so certain that his big romantic gesture would work because he saw it in a movie once. I liked the commentary that this scene made about how romance is depicted in film and TV. Rom-coms can be a lot of fun to watch, but often contain unhealthy themes and can promote toxic behaviours that can negatively affect real-life relationships.


Schlipalius, A. (Director/Writer). (2025). Confessional. [Theatre Production] Jonesway Theatre. Photo credit Jaz Hosken.

I was a little bit taken aback by how much I liked Confessional. I wasn’t expecting it to be so funny and for the writing to be so sharp. There were several moments in the show that amused me so much I got distracted from taking down notes. I liked the recurring theme of confessions made directly to the audience. There were some that were really relatable like “I memorised their entire Spotify playlist” and others that were laugh-out-loud like “I dated a guy from Mandurah. ‘Nuff said.”


Schlipalius, A. (Director/Writer). (2025). Confessional. [Theatre Production] Jonesway Theatre. Photo credit Jaz Hosken.

I thought that all of the young actors in Confessional all did a fantastic job. I liked how in between the embarrassing stories and cringe humour, there were quite a few emotional moments. The characters in Confessional make a lot of mistakes, some worse than others, in the search for love. The message directed to the audience is that it is normal to embarrass yourself and make mistakes when dating. But you do not have to bend over backwards to get someone to like you and you should never have to compromise who you are to feel loved.

Marisa Quinn-Haisu was invited as a guest.

Summary: Confessional is a 60-minute sketch-style show inspired by real-life confessions about sex, love and dating.
Content warnings: contains coarse language, religious satire, graphic sexual references and references to mental health and medicine misuse.
Social Media: Instagram @confessionaltheshow
Running Time: 60 minutes
Audience: 16 years+
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