In a career encompassing playwrighting, teaching, academia and directing, Grace Barnes has championed the female voice in storytelling. And ... working as an associate or resident director on original productions of SUNSET BOULEVARD, MARTIN GUERRE & THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, she has had a seat at the birth of seminal works of musical theatre and observed the creatives that made them. She was even present in the initial weeks of MISS SAIGON on Broadway.

So how did a theatre obsessed kid from Scotland, escape the bleak countryside of Shetland and soon find herself amongst the bright lights of Broadway?

Barnes has recently completed her PHD and has commenced her second book, a biography of Mina Wylie - the Olympic swimmer from Coogee who was a trailblazer of women's sport in Australia.

Her first book is a reflection on the role of women in musical theatre. "If musical theatre reflects prevailing societal attitudes, what does the modern musical tell us about the place of women in contemporary America, the UK and Australia?" A fascinating read, posing much for consideration, is HER TURN ON STAGE by Grace Barnes.