But despite Essie Davis and Marta Dusseldorp having appeared in a string of high-profile films and television shows throughout their long and successful acting careers and mixing in similar social circles for decades, the women have never actually had the chance to perform together – until now.

“We’ve worked on the same TV show [2003 Australian miniseries After the Deluge] and the same film [2011 Australian drama Burning Man] but we’ve never had scenes together – we’ve only ever hung out in the trailer,” Davis explains as she takes a break from rehearsals for the duo’s upcoming theatre production The Maids.

“We’ve known each other for years, socially,” Dusseldorp adds. “I knew of her and watched her work and had always been a huge admirer. And then during the pandemic I found out Essie was here in Hobart.”

So, with their usually-hectic filming schedules largely on hold due to the pandemic, and both women based firmly in Tasmania without the need to constantly be jetting interstate or overseas, they decided it was a good time to embark on a project together.

However, the nature of that venture has evolved somewhat from their early ideals, having morphed from a project that would include Davis’ twin daughters and Dusseldorp’s two daughters, to a murderous romp written by French poet, novelist and playwright Jean Genet starring Davis, Dusseldorp and emerging Tasmanian performer Stephanie Jack.

“We were going to direct our kids in a play – that’s how it started,” Davis, 51, recalls.

“They all go to school together.

“But then we thought ‘Oh, maybe we should just do something ourselves’.’’

The result is The Maids, loosely inspired by the true crime story of murderous duo The Papin sisters.

Claire (Davis) and Solange (Dusseldorp), live and work as maids in a grand apartment in a big city. When the owners are out, the sisters enact an obsessive game of role-play in which they dress up in the exquisite clothes of their mistress.

Acting out the power structures which define their lives with sarcastic ferocity, the sisters expose a complex relationship of violence, submission, tenderness, and erotic tension.

As the line between make-believe and reality becomes increasingly distorted, it is clear that the duo is planning the murder of their mistress (Jack).

The play, described as a “masterpiece of self-conscious theatrical construction” is at once hilarious and disturbing, cruel, and empathetic.

“I was looking for another play to do,’’ explains Dusseldorp, whose local stage and screen company, Archipelago Productions, has put on several performances since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I was looking for a solid two-hander or three-hander,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“And this is a solid play that has two really fabulous female roles interacting the way they do. I really wanted to play with Essie and not go off [the stage] when she comes on.”

With a cast of just three, and a handful of crew behind the scenes – including director Ben Winspear (Dusseldorp’s husband), assistant director Takani Clark, set and costume designer Justin Kurzel (Davis’ husband), sound composer Glenn Richards, sound assistant Jacqueline Collyer, lighting designer Jason James and stage manager Jen Cramer – the production is a world away from the massive TV productions and film sets the prolific performers are used to.

But that’s exactly what they love about it.

“That’s what the pandemic has done for us, it has given us the opportunity to spend time on things and not be driven by schedules,’’ explains Dusseldorp, 48, who has worked extensively in theatre, film and TV and is most widely known for her roles in TV shows Wentworth, Jack Irish, A Place to Call Home and Janet King.

Originally from Sydney, Dusseldorp met her Tasmanian husband 18 years ago and has been connected with Tasmania ever since.

They spent a lot of time living and working in Sydney but made the move here with their daughters three years ago, with a firm focus on strengthening the arts scene in Tasmania.

Meanwhile Davis, who was born and raised in Tasmania and has been living here full-time since the pandemic hit, says she has always wanted to perform on stage in her home state but has never had the opportunity.

Davis attended Clarence High School and Rosny College before heading interstate to study at the prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney.

Her acting career began with the Bell Shakespeare company when she was cast as Juliet in the 1993 production of Romeo and Juliet.

In 2003, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Stella Kowalski opposite Glenn Close in Trevor Nunn’s production of Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire at the National Theatre, in London. In 2004, she starred in a Broadway production of Tom Stoppard’s Jumpers, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination.

Then of course there’s her long list of film and TV credits.

Davis starred in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, Richard Flanagan’s 1998 Tasmanian film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, as well as Girl with a Pearl Earring, Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger and Australia with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, directed by Baz Luhrmann.

Davis has won multiple screen awards for her role in The Babadook, while more recent works include Lambs of God, The Justice of Bunny King and Babyteeth as well as Nitram and True History of the Kelly Gang, both directed by Kurzel.

Davis is perhaps best known for her role as Phryne Fisher in TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and its film adaptation, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, as well as Lady Crane in Game of Thrones.

“I have always wanted to do a play here,” Davis says.

“I spent the first half of my career working in theatre and every time I said I wanted to do a show in Tassie it would always be in the too-hard basket.”

It’s a sentiment Dusseldorp can relate to.

“It's really hard, when you have a career in TV and film, to commit yourself to a theatre project 12 months in advance,” she says.

“It has been almost 12 years since Essie has been on the stage because she was always shooting and nine years since I got back on the stage because I was always shooting.

“I could never say in confidence ‘yes, I can be available’.”

But Davis says the pandemic, which has resulted in numerous theatre cancellations, has presented new opportunities.

“Often, with theatre, it takes planning and booking months and years ahead,” she says.

“So it’s quite lovely to have been able to do it relatively immediately.”

And she says having the luxury of rehearsing with Dusseldorp at Detached in The Old Mercury Building in Hobart, has also been wonderful.

The rehearsal space is the same size as the Playhouse Theatre, where The Maids will run 12 shows between October 28 and November 7.

“Being in a rehearsal space is really unique and lovely,’’ Davis says.

“Because it’s rare – it’s very rare – in TV to get a rehearsal at all.

“You turn up and it’s ‘Where are you going to move? Right, let’s set up the cameras, let’s go’.”

“So to work together in a space like this … we’ve both been grappling with what the text means.

“To listen to it and cite it – it’s great to be working with your brain on really complex language and meaning to nut it out.’’

Dusseldorp reveals that she has been fascinated with the work of Jean Genet – who she describes as “an anarchist and a disrupter” – for many years.

The Maids, which was first performed in Paris in 1947, was written in French, but Dusseldorp and Davis will perform an English version translated by British playwright Martin Crimp.

Dusseldorp says the works of great dramatists like Shakespeare, (Arthur) Miller and (Samuel) Beckett are a delight to work with because of the richness of the language used and The Maids is no exception.

“They really have a way of speaking that we aren’t used to any more,’ she says of the classics.

“This is built for theatre, and theatre only.’’

It will be the first time Davis and Dusseldorp have performed on stage together.

Since moving to Hobart, Dusseldorp has performed in The Bleeding Tree at the Theatre Royal and alongside Winspear in Venus and Adonis at St David’s Cathedral in Hobart.

That show toured the state as part of Ten Days on the Island, with performances in Launceston, Burnie and Westbury. Dusseldorp says adding The Playhouse to the list of local venues where she’s trod the boards endears her to Tasmania.

“It makes you fall in love with the place even more,’’ she says.

“And the love affair is growing.

“We’re at Detached and we’ll be performing at The Playhouse and I’ve already performed at the Theatre Royal and St David’s – and hopefully next year at the Peacock Theatre,’’ Dusseldorp adds.

“When you go to a new space you start to embed your DNA in the space.

“And I love that. And I feel like that’s what the pandemic gave to me. Because I was off-island every week before that.

“Then there was this tumble, this free-fall … I was ringing my agent too many times in one day.

“There were many grant applications under the table … and suddenly you’re getting to play [on stage] again and it’s hard to stop.’’

When we meet for a chat at Detached, Davis and Dusseldorp are taking a break after a busy morning of rehearsing.

Although it’s a beautiful sunny day outside, the dedicated thespians admit they haven’t seen much of the outside world today, so they opt to sit and chat beside a window, in an attempt to enjoy some natural light.

Dusseldorp, dressed casually in trackpants, pulls up a chair and makes herself comfortable while Davis kneels on the floor and carries out some stretches to help her stiff back, before tucking into a bowl of chicken pho from a nearby eatery.

It has become a staple in her diet, Davis says, since beginning rehearsals.

The women chat passionately about the play they’ve slowly been deconstructing – word by word – as they bring their characters to life.

“It’s nice just to be a couple of actors in joggers and trackie pants doing the ‘what ifs’,’’ Dusseldorp says. ‘What if we did this’, or ‘what if we did that’.’’

At one point in the play Genet describes the mistress as “glittery” and Dusseldorp says she hopes the entire performance she and Davis present will sparkle.

“The words need to glitter,’’ she explains.

“And that takes a lot of work.’’

They believe local audiences will appreciate their dedication.

“I’m pretty excited,’’ Dusseldorp enthuses.

“With The Bleeding Tree we had 3000 people through doors during pandemic, at 25 per cent capacity.

“There are enough people here [in Tasmania] … and audiences are hungry and they’re smart and they’re literate.

“This show is for all of Tasmania and we encourage people from all over the state to come.’’

They’re also both excited to be performing at The Playhouse Theatre for the first time.

“We’re thrilled to be doing it at the Playhouse,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“It’s a beautiful theatre,’’ Davis adds.

“I’ve seen a couple of things there, I think I saw something there when I was little.’’

The production has been made possible due to a State Government grant to help kickstart the arts following the pandemic.

Dusseldorp praises the government – and arts minister Elise Archer – for responding to calls for help from the ailing industry and investing in the future of arts in Tasmania.

She is passionate about growing the industry in Tasmania, which is why she and Winspear set up Archipelago Productions.

Davis recalls that when she finished college in Hobart, anyone who wanted to forge a career in acting immediately headed interstate to institutes like NIDA or the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) or Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

But she says so many of those graduates have since returned to Tasmania and it was important to celebrate that local talent, as well as support emerging local artists.

“We have what it takes here in Tasmania,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“We have so much knowledge and experience here.

“There are so many talented people here, and Essie is a great example of that.

“It’s where we prefer to live and work and be … we are absolutely dedicated to this place.’’

Dusseldorp says she has been fortunate to have had some “beautiful mentors” throughout her career to provide guidance and inspiration. She and Davis hope to provide similar guidance to emerging performers.

Like Jack.

The actor and vocalist completed a Bachelor of Arts in Drama (First Class Honours) at the University of Bristol, and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting at Harvard’s American Repertory Theatre Institute which included a semester in residence at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Jack has performed for stage and screen in the UK, US and Asia, and is currently a member of the Faro Ensemble at MONA, activating spaces around the museum through performance.

She was born in Bendigo and spent her teenage years in Townsville and Sydney, but after she finished high school her parents relocated to Hobart and she now calls Tasmania home.

“We want to take care of and nurture the people coming up behind us, ‘’ Dusseldorp says.

Although she wasn’t born here, Dusseldorp confesses Tasmania quickly captured her heart.

She remembers visiting the state in the early days of her relationship with Winspear, when they embarked on a freezing camping trip (Dusseldorp now relies on an electric blanket to get her through winter). She also recalls buying her engagement ring at an antique store in Hobart.

Despite the couple living and working in Sydney for many years she knew she’d one day end up living in Tasmania.

“Ben would always say ‘I’m not staying in Sydney, I’m going to come back here [to Tasmania]’,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“Every year he said ‘we’re not staying, were going to go back Hobart’. But then he’d keep working and I’d keep working. And then one day he said ‘the time has come. The kids are getting older and we’ve got to show them [the Tasmanian way of life]’.

“And I thank him for that often, actually.

“When you’re from Tasmania, the place is in your blood. I’m not putting down Sydney – I’m from there and I really love it – but I do love this place. I know I want to be here for a really, really long time. I try not to say forever – but what a beautiful place!

“And I have some big plans, and there are so many great people here to work with.’’

“It’s the best place to grow up,’’ Davis adds of Tasmania.

“And it’s really nice to be working at home.’’

In fact, she says, it’s a dream come true.

“Because I grew up here, going into our world [of acting] was always something I did everywhere else,’’ Davis explains.

“Being here in Tassie has always been about family and being in the bush and dinners at home and looking after the garden.

“One of my main childhood dreams was being able to be an international actor and live in Tasmania and I feel like I did that.’’

Davis recently flew to Canada to shoot for Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities horror anthology and was “freaking out” that she wouldn’t get back into Australia after many international flights were cut.

She’s largely been enjoying a quite life in Tasmania since the pandemic began.

She likens the pandemic to some sort of weird sci-fi movie – “I still feel like it’s not real,’’ Davis says.

“Poor Victoria and poor New South Wales, I feel very sorry for them.

“Who knows what’s going to happen.

“It’s so great that we are here [in Tasmania] and we are able to make work here and people can see stuff.’’

Working with their partners has been a refreshing and inspiring experience. Davis says it’s been great to see her husband working his “mojo” on set while Dusseldorp says she’s “grown immensely’’ by working with Davis and being directed by Winspear.

“Ben is a beautiful director, he always has been, since the day I met him,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“Something that Essie and I have in common are these relationships steeped in creativity.’’

The women also have nothing but praise for each other.

“We’ve had similar experiences in life and we’re not competitive,’’ Dusseldorp says.

“I’ve grown already from being on the floor for two weeks with Essie.

“We had a run [through the play] last Friday at the end of the second week. And you can only do that when you have as many hours under your belt as ours on the boards.

“If Essie wants to direct something she should, because I think she’d have an amazing eye.’’

The adoration is not one-sided, with Davis confessing it has been “absolutely delightful” working with Dusseldorp.

They are already talking about the next project they’re going to work on together.

“I’m going to pick the next play,’' Davis cheekily reveals.

As veterans of the stage and screen, both women remain captivated by the feeling they get when they are fully immersed in the story they are telling.

“There’s that feeling, when you completely disappear and you are somewhere else,’’ Dusseldorp says. “And this play has it in spades’’. “I feel it’s a real opportunity for both of us.

“[When we were deep in rehearsals] we both disappeared at some point and held hands and danced in the forest. And for people to enjoy watching that and being part of that, it’s really exciting.’’

She and Davis say unlike a TV or film set, where there is a physical disconnect between the performer and the audience, live theatre provided immediate gratification.

“One of the things I miss [working on films and TV] is that instant connection with an audience,’’ Davis says.

“The immediate interaction with the audience is a gift,’’ Dusseldorp adds.

Dusseldorp says stepping onto the stage, particularly when there are only two or three performers involved in a production, “galvanises your courage’’. “We promise that people will have a good time,’’ she says.

“We don’t do it for ourselves, we do it for the audience.”

The Maids – starring Essie Davis, Marta Dusseldorp and Stephanie Jack – will be performed at Hobart’s Playhouse Theatre. There will be preview shows on October 28 and October 29, followed by the official opening on October 30. The show runs until November 7. Preview tickets start from $20 for students/concession, $38 adults. Regular tickets start from $35 students, $68 adults. playhouse.org.au