Event #106

Magda Szubanski: I Can't Tell You But I Will

Sun 11 Oct 2026

Magda Szubanski + Rebecca Levingston

Powerhouse Theatre

Regular Program

#Performances

Sun 11 Oct 2026 - 2:45pm

Powerhouse Theatre

Book Now

#About the event

Duration: 60 minutes

Magda Szubanski: I Can't Tell You But I Will

In conversation with Rebecca Levingston
2:45–3:45pm, Sunday 11 October, Powerhouse Theatre

Join Magda via Zoom for this very special Brisbane Writers Festival event to celebrate her latest book and her return to public life after a recent battle with cancer.

From Fast Forward’s fad-peddling beauty therapist Chenille to Kath & Kim’s netball-obsessed, pash-rashed Sharon Strzelecki, iconic performer Magda Szubanski has been lighting up our screens and making us laugh for decades. She’s a comedy genius, a staunch advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, an award-winning author and a national treasure – and her new memoir, I Can’t Tell You But I Will, is a tender and moving portrait of the tension between public duty and private grief.

The session will feature an audience Q&A via Slido, and you’ll be able to purchase presigned copies ofI Can’t Tell You But I Will. Don’t miss it!

#Artists

Magda Szubanski

Magda Szubanski is one of Australia’s best known and most loved performers. She began her career in university revues, then appeared in a number of sketch-comedy shows before he iconic character of Sharon Strzelecki rose to national fame in ABC TV’s Kath and Kim. She has also acted in films (Babe, Babe: Pig in the City, Happy Feet, The Golden Compass) and in stage shows.

Her bestselling memoir Reckoning won the 2016 Indie Award for Non-Fiction, the 2016 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction, the 2016 Nielsen Bookdata Booksellers Choice Award, the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award for Biography and the Australian Book Industry Award for Book of the Year 2016. She became the public face of the marriage-equality debate in 2017.

Rebecca Levingston

Rebecca Levingston spent 20 years broadcasting at ABC radio where she loved delving into the diverse and delicious stories of the world. Whether it was interviewing the Prime Minister or the person on the street, Rebecca's conversations matter. She loves to talk, but more importantly, she listens.