Interview: Nicky Peelgrane, playwright of ‘Bleep Quest’

At Play on Stage, we love supporting local playwrights, especially those who have such a deep connection with young people and working with young people in the community. Nicky Peelgrane has been a supporter of our work at Play on Stage for many years and we are so fortunate to have been able to program her work ‘Bleep Quest’ as our first mainhouse work for 2026.

We had the absolute pleasure of asking Nicky some questions about writing Bleep Quest, what her process is like as a writer and her thoughts on the significance of theatre for young people. Here’s what she had to say…

INTERVIEWER: 'Bleep Quest' is such a witty and clever play about the power of words, language and I think, using knowledge as a form of empowerment. How did the idea for Bleep Quest come about?

 NICKY: I've always been a word nerd - I love playing with words, which is why I became a writer. I have often wondered about swearing and why people do it and how it makes them, and others feel. There's such power (and often humour) in swearing! When we swear, we use a more primitive part of the brain, completely different from the part of the brain we use when we're saying normal words. 

Children know swearing is taboo, but they find it fascinating too. I wanted to tell a story for children about swearing, but the trick was to not use any real swear words! 

Pictured: ‘Bleep Quest’ director Virag Dombay and cast members Leo Teh, Lilica Howard, Sascha Holt and Lyra McCrossin having their first table read of ‘Bleep Quest’.

As a writer, we often find that we can't help but put a part of ourselves and our lived experiences into our writing. Were there any of your experiences in school that bled onto the page?

My father was in the Army and used a lot of colourful language, our whole family was forever telling jokes and being silly, and Mum taught me Pig Latin. Nobody ever physically bullied me at school like Billy does to Kate in Bleep Quest, but I was an outsider, extremely shy and easily intimidated by loud, aggressive people. 

My own children were far more confident at school. My son was a massive WWE fan when he was the same age as Kate in the play, and he used to practice all his wrestling moves on his large stuffed animals. 

You write across a number of mediums. What is your writing process like for creating theatre works? Did Bleep Quest follow that process?

For a play, I normally start with an outline or a theme, then I consider the number of roles I'm writing. I like to find some contrasting characters and conflict and then I'll write a basic outline. Then I'll workshop alongside the actors and get their input for the show. I love collaborating with children, they're very creative and understand the importance of play way better than adults. After we've played around with some scenes, I go away and write the script properly, so we've got a good blueprint for rehearsals. 

Bleep Quest followed a very different process. Originally, I wrote it as a chapter book for 8+ year olds. But when I'd finished it, it didn't feel quite right, there was something weird and clunky about it. I realised it would work better as a script and so I set about writing it to tour it with two adult actors. We did a development, but the tour never happened and so it sat on my laptop for a few years. I'm excited to see my words performed for the first time!

Pictured: Actors Leo Teh (Billy) and Sascha Holt (Kate) rehearsing a scene.

Handing over your published work to new hands, in this case a director, is often described as a daunting process. How do you 'let go' and trust in the director? Do you 'let go'? 

Oh, I totally let go! Hahaha, it's great :) Because I do so many shows each year, it's a relief to not have to be director as well as writer for a change! Given a choice, I'd much prefer to just be the writer. 

If working in theatre has taught me anything, it's that a great team gets things done. A show is so much stronger when we work together. And a collaborative storytelling experience is way more fun than if we work alone, especially when it's like-minded people we work with. The show is well-cast, and I have a huge amount of trust in Virag's directing - she's clever, talented, and very hard working.

Why do you think people should support Bleep Quest and more importantly, theatre created and performed by young people?

Come and see the show! I hope, no matter what your age, you find Bleep Quest to be funny, heart-warming and relevant. 

These young actors - and the adults working alongside them – are generous, hardworking and super talented. It takes a lot of commitment to learn huge amounts of lines, attend rehearsals, take direction, collaborate, practice and breathe life into a story, no matter what your age. 

Theatre created and performed by young people is transformative, not just for the players themselves, but for the audience too, because we gain insight into the minds of our next generation. Theatre is about the wonder and power of human experience that connects us all. 

’Bleep Quest’ runs from Friday 27th of February - Sunday 1st of March at the Ron Hurley Theatre in Seven Hills. Buy your tickets here while they’re still available.