As housing affordability remains a prominent issue across Australia, a new stage production titled The Agent is set to examine the property market through the lens of a spy spoof. Premiering as part of the Brisbane Anywhere Theatre Festival, the comedy is scheduled for six performances at Warehouse 25 in Milton on 20 May, 22 May, 23 May, 27 May, 28 May, and 30 May 2026.
The narrative follows Michelle Schrödinger, an ambitious real estate professional striving for the Agent of the Year title. Alongside her assistants Brad and Joan, Michelle faces complications from a rival agent, a difficult property, and a local radio announcer. The production utilizes farce to highlight the absurdities of the current market while subverting traditional gender roles by placing a female lead in a genre typically dominated by men.
Directed by Mel Poole and produced by Zebramez Creative, the cast includes Meryn Cooper, Phoebe Maher, Jamie Delmonte, Sarah McNally, Sam Herbertson, Damien Smith, Jonathan D’Souza, and Vivien Rose. The creative team includes choreographer Jamie Delmonte and combat coach Sam Herbertson, with stage and props management handled by Isabel Folland.
Playwright and lead actor Meryn Cooper developed the script based on her personal experiences as a tenant and first home buyer:
The Agent was born out of my own frustrations with the housing market, first as a tenant and then as a first-home buyer. It can be humiliating and dehumanising to the point where, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. So, I decided to channel those frustrations into a farce for stage.
Drawing on her background in journalism, Cooper conducted research into market data and gathered anecdotes from others affected by the housing situation:
I pored over news articles, listened to industry experts, and fell down a rabbit hole of data comparisons and affordability reports. But the real gold was in the anecdotes. Nine times out of ten, when I mentioned I was writing about home buying and real estate agents, people had a story to tell. Securing a home is an emotional experience. We’re still attached to the great Australian dream of a quarter-acre block, but the reality is a high-stakes investment that can lead to mortgage stress rather than stability.
Cooper also noted that while the play addresses serious social issues such as mortgage stress and rising rental costs, its primary objective remains to provide an entertaining experience:
Yes it’s a look at the housing crisis through the eyes of the real estate agents, but at its core, The Agent is designed to entertain. It’s big, bold, and packed with laughs — offering audiences a chance to escape, even briefly, from the pressures of real life
