When you grow up surrounded by theatre, it might be easy to assume the path will naturally lead you there. But for Cezera Critti-Schnaars, the journey into performance and direction has been anything but automatic; it’s been intentional, layered, and infused with deep reflection on identity, family, and the kind of stories worth telling.
We met on a quiet afternoon, just before a night of celebration at the Performing Arts WA Awards, where two of the shows she directed in 2024, Songbird and All Boys, were nominated. Despite the accolades, Cezera remains grounded. When I asked about the productions, she laughed, a little in disbelief. “Last year was nuts,” she said. “I had three shows open within five months.”
The chaos of that season was met with curiosity and courage. She juggled acting in Sister Girl while directing All Boys, and leaned on her dad, acclaimed actor, director and Yirra Yaakin artistic director Maitland Schnaars, for guidance. “I asked him, ‘Do we think I can do both and do a good job?’ He said, ‘If you have no social life, then sure!’”
Cezera doesn’t feel the need to choose between directing and performing; both satisfy different parts of her creative soul. “Directing,” she explains, is about that “moment where everything clicks and you’re like, oh, we really did it, we’ve found it.” Performing, on the other hand, gives her a kind of joyful risk. “So much can go wrong,” she says, “and that’s part of the thrill.”
That thrill began early. As a child, she joined her father’s production of Six Characters in Search of an Author. The experience was formative. “I got to wear pretty dresses. I had free muffins. I was like, this is it. This is what I want to do forever,” she says jokingly.
Growing up in a theatre family could have cast a long shadow, but Cezera speaks with clarity about how her identity has formed alongside her father’s and brothers’. And while their paths often intersect, such as when Cezera performed with her father on Hecate for Perth Festival in 2020, their voices and approaches are distinct.
“Despite the fact that the four of us all work within the same industry and all work kind of at the same time in kind of similar spaces, our work and the work we create is all actually, like, really, really different.”
She describes the dynamic with humour and warmth. “There’s a joke that most people in the industry have worked with at least one of us. And if they’ve worked with all four – me, Dad, Gabriel, and Sebastian – they get the whole set.”
On China for the June Wedding
In China for the June Wedding, Cezera dons her actor’s cap and plays Max, a tennis player wrestling with the reality that her lifelong dream might no longer define her. It’s a meaty, layered role, one Cezera’s been craving. “Max has so many things going on, like real people do. The more you read the script, the more bits of tragedy come out,” she says.
The play centres on four young adults navigating the chaos, uncertainty, and grief of their twenties. “It’s about figuring out who you are, and what happens when you start to become someone you never imagined yourself being,” she explains.
For Max, that shift is profound. “She’s always been a tennis player. That identity shaped her whole life, and suddenly, it doesn’t fit anymore. What does she do now? Who is she outside of that?”
Written by Howard McKenzie-Murray and directed by Adam Sollis, China for the June Wedding strikes a balance between heartbreak and humour. Cezera praises its “beautiful rhythm” of dialogue – snappy exchanges paired with moments of stillness, intimacy, and reflection. “The more you dive into it, the more you realise it’s about how we cope with change, how we grieve, and how we find our way forward.”
The role of Max is also one of the most demanding she’s taken on. “It’s made my job as an actor harder in a good way. There is just so much to play with. And that’s a goldmine for any actor.”
As a Noongar actor/director/writer/podcast presenter, Cezera is also acutely aware of the narratives placed on Indigenous artists. “There’s this expectation that our work must centre around trauma. One of the biggest ‘screw yous’ is our capacity for joy. It’s one of my favourite things about us.”
She’s determined to help shift that narrative, to make space for stories that honour complexity without being confined by pain. “Creating works that go against that expectation of how we engage, not even just whether or not we do work about our collective trauma, but about how we engage with that for ourselves and not for others.” She continues, “Obviously, all the works over the past have such importance to them, but I think the types of works we are needing are changing slowly.”
“Even in China for the June Wedding, I’m playing a character that like, me being Indigenous has nothing to do with the character, but I’m still able to play her. She just is a woman of colour because I am. That’s all there is to it.”
Immediately after China for the June Wedding closes, Cezera is off to Sydney to assistant direct Coriolanus with Bell Shakespeare. It’s her first gig on the East Coast, and she’s curious about working in a new environment. “I’ve never worked on the East Coast before, so it’s a big one to kick off with. But I love Perth. I don’t imagine myself ever fully detaching from here.”
And yet, she’s open. To more film, to exploring her identity as a queer writer, to telling the kinds of stories people don’t expect from her. “I’m really excited to write more work that includes my queer identity. It’s something I’ve only recently had the guts to do.”
When asked what she hopes audiences take from China for the June Wedding, Cezera reflects for a moment. “I think they’ll walk away with hope. It doesn’t undo everything that happens in the play. But maybe things can be better. Maybe you can turn things around.”
Cezera’s solid foundations as an artist have prepared her not only for this role, or for her next role in Sydney, but for a full life in theatre. Watching her take flight with grace, talent, and fierce joy is a privilege.
CICELY BINFORD
China For The June Wedding by Itsaha Productions runs at The Blue Room Theatre from 29 Apr – 3 May. For tickets and more information, click here.
