Building the Perfect Con: Rebecca McNamee on DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

There is an inherent theatricality to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that makes it as much a director’s playground as it is an actor’s showcase. Built on shifting identities, razor-sharp comic timing and increasingly elaborate deception, the musical demands precision beneath its chaos — balancing the glossy sophistication of classic Hollywood comedy with the fast-paced irreverence of contemporary musical theatre. From the glamour of the French Riviera setting to the relentless escalation of cons, seductions and rivalries, the show thrives on rhythm, style and the delicate art of keeping audiences constantly one step behind.

The show has just opened at at Hayes Theatre Co, followed by a subsequent run at Riverside Theatres, with director and producer Rebecca McNamee bringing a distinctly character-driven approach to the cult favourite. With a background spanning performance, writing, directing and producing across both Australia and the United States, McNamee’s work is recognised for blending emotional honesty with sharp comedy and strong visual storytelling. A graduate of National Institute of Dramatic Art’s MFA Directing program, her directing style emphasises collaboration, emotional clarity and nuanced performances, qualities that have shaped projects across both stage and screen.

Rebecca’s recent theatre work includes Abigail Williams, which premiered at Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 2 Theatre as part of the 2025 HerStory Arts Festival to critical acclaim. Her screen projects — including a number of award-winning short films — have screened internationally at festivals such as LA Shorts, NY Shorts, Flickerfest and Chicago International Shorts. Beginning her career in musical theatre before studying performance and writing at Chicago’s famed The Second City, McNamee developed a deep appreciation for ensemble storytelling, comic rhythm and live audience connection — elements that sit at the heart of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Alongside her creative work, her background in commerce, economics and marketing has also informed her producing practice, shaping an approach that combines ambitious artistic vision with a strong understanding of audience engagement and sustainable theatre-making.

What drew you to direct Dirty Rotten Scoundrels specifically? What does this show offer audiences that feels particularly timely or necessary right now?

Rebecca: I was drawn to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels because it feels like a return to clever, sophisticated comedy, the kind built on wit, glamour, farce and unapologetic theatricality. Right now, the world feels heavy, and there’s something genuinely valuable about sitting in a theatre full of strangers and laughing together for two and a half hours. Musical theatre creates collective joy in a way very few art forms can. What I love about the show is that underneath all the absurdity, it’s also a sharp satire about status, masculinity and performance. Everyone is pretending to be someone else. It’s escapist, but it also quietly skewers the world we live in. That combination makes it incredibly satisfying to stage right now.

You’re both directing and producing — how do you balance those two creative and logistical roles, especially in independent theatre?

Rebecca: In independent theatre, you rarely have the luxury of separating the creative from the practical. Directing and producing become part of the same conversation. One minute you’re discussing comic rhythm in a scene and the next you’re figuring out whether you can afford another staircase. I love that these limitations can actually sharpen the creative vision rather than compromise it. Producing has made me a more resourceful director because it forces me to think about what truly serves the storytelling. It’s not about throwing money at spectacle. It’s about clarity of idea. For Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, we wanted the world to feel luxurious and heightened without becoming cluttered or over-designed. Every costume, prop and design choice has to earn its place comedically and theatrically. The balancing act is definitely exhausting at times, but there’s also something exciting about having a holistic understanding of the production, and I’m not doing it alone. My producing partner, Ebony Tucker, is a powerhouse behind the scenes wrangling everyone to execute the vision. Independent theatre thrives on ingenuity, collaboration and a shared sense of ambition, and over production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the perfect example of that.

The show is famously demanding for its leads. What were you looking for when casting the two con men, and what did Blake and Rowan bring that sealed it?

Rebecca: The challenge with casting this show is that the roles require extraordinary precision. The actors need to sing brilliantly, handle sharp comic timing, navigate physical comedy and still ground everything emotionally. If the performances become too broad, the farce falls apart. Chemistry was everything. Blake brought effortless sophistication and razor-sharp control to Lawrence, while Rowan arrived with complete fearlessness and chaotic comic energy. What sealed it was how different they were rhythmically while still complementing each other perfectly. Watching them try to outmanoeuvre each other night after night is incredibly funny because both actors commit with absolute seriousness. That commitment is what makes the absurdity land.

Comedy is notoriously hard to direct. What’s your approach to shaping comic timing and physical comedy in rehearsal?

Rebecca: Comedy is all about precision. People often think comedy should feel loose or spontaneous, but the best farce is choreographed almost like dance. Rhythm is everything – when to hold a pause, when to overlap dialogue, when to let silence do the work. I’m also very interested in treating characters seriously within ridiculous circumstances. If actors play for laughs, the comedy usually dies. The humour comes from people desperately pursuing what they want while the world around them spirals into chaos. That tension is what makes something funny. Physical comedy works the same way. It has to come from character and intention rather than random business. We’ve leaned heavily into heightened movement and classic farce techniques in this production, but always through the lens of status, seduction and power. The comedy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels should feel elegant one second and completely unhinged the next.

You come from a family steeped in performance — how has that shaped the way you approach directing actors?

Rebecca: Being the eldest, I had the privilege of watching my sisters grow and develop as performers. And, in fact, the very first musical I directed as a teenager had both my sisters in it! You learn so much from that shared experience – the successes and the disappointments. I think that’s made me a very actor-focused director. To then find myself shepherding my daughter through the actor’s journey, very much informs how I relate to actors as a director. Acting requires us to be both deeply vulnerable and highly technical and every actor works differently. Some need structure, some need freedom and some simply need space to fail safely before discovering something brilliant. I try to create rehearsal rooms where actors feel supported enough to take risks but also where I push them past their comfort zones because that’s usually where the most exciting work happens. Coming from a performance background myself means I have enormous respect for how hard actors work, particularly in musical theatre where the technical and emotional demands are relentless.

What does independent musical theatre offer that larger commercial productions can’t?

Rebecca: Independent musical theatre has an electricity that comes from necessity. There’s often less money and fewer resources, but that pressure can create incredibly inventive storytelling. Independent productions are usually driven by passion rather than market safety, which allows artists to take bigger creative risks. There’s also an intimacy to independent work that audiences can feel. People can sense when artists are throwing themselves completely into a production because they genuinely believe in it. That energy is contagious. Commercial theatre can achieve extraordinary scale and polish, but independent work often feels more immediate, personal and alive. With Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, we’ve embraced that balance of sophistication and danger – where anything could happen at any moment.

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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is playing at Hayes Theatre until June 21st, before playing a limited season at Riverside Parramatta from June 25th.

For tickets and more information for the Hayes season, visit the Hayes Theatre website.

For tickets and more information for the Riverside Parramatta season, visit the Riverside Parramatta website.