Identity, Love & Living Authentically: Ross Larkin Brings ‘The Last Sunday in June’ to Australia

After a decade-long battle to rebuild his life following a traumatic brain injury (TBI), Melbourne actor and producer Ross Larkin is reclaiming his creative spark — and his stage — with the Australian premiere of The Last Sunday in June, opening at Chapel Off Chapel in November.

“I was intrigued and surprised by the fact that it’s never been done in Australia before, as when I first read it, I couldn’t put it down,” explained Larkin. “It was so funny and I immediately fell in love with the story about this diverse group of friends watching the pride parade from their apartment window in NYC. It felt so unique yet accessible – and with such a heartfelt thread of identity and community running through it, I was thrilled at the prospect of being the first to bring it here.”

The Last Sunday in June: celebrating & reflecting on queer identity

Written in 2003 by Buyer & Cellar playwright Jonathan Tolins, The Last Sunday in June unfolds entirely within a Greenwich Village apartment overlooking the New York City Pride parade.

A tight-knit group of gay friends gather to celebrate the day — but as they watch the floats pass below, their conversations spark with honesty, longing and truth. Beneath the laughter lies reflection on identity, love and what it means to live authentically in a changing queer world.

“The parade acts as a mirror of sorts, reflecting back to these friends who they are, where they fit and where they don’t, how well they know themselves and how secure they are in their identities. It triggers conversations and feelings around body image, acceptance and what it means to be queer,” says Larkin.

Directed by Cal Robinson-Taylor (Holding the Man, Torch Song), the production features eight performers and blends sharp wit with heartfelt introspection.

“Comedy is my first love,” says Larkin. “Tolins’ work is hilarious but also deeply poignant. It’s about being true to yourself, and that’s something I understand now more than ever.”

Thriving, not just surviving: Ross Larkin’s journey navigating TBI

Larkin’s return to the stage marks the culmination of a ten-year recovery journey after a traumatic brain injury in 2014 that left him experiencing chronic fatigue, cognitive difficulties and extreme insomnia.

“For the longest time it almost made me forget who I was. Like a light went out and there was no spark or drive, and certainly no energy, to create anymore. Even leaving the house became an achievement,” he recalls.

“I had to not only accept, but get to know this new version of myself, which was difficult because he wasn’t really someone I recognised in the beginning. It took years but eventually I began to re-train myself as an actor in a sense, taking classes all over again and eventually remembering my passion for getting projects off the ground. I also did lots of my own research into how to promote healing and became part of an online support group of survivors, which helped me discover steps I could take to address certain symptoms. All of it made me realise there’s a fighter there inside me.”

His resilience has shaped not only his art, but also his sense of self. “I knew I had to be extremely organised well in advance. I had the advantage of knowing the text early on and knowing which character I’d be playing, so I was able to do plenty of preparation for the part long before the producing side kicked in. And it’s just as well, as producing the show has been pretty intense and non-stop.

“Being proactive about things like diet, sleep and exercise are also essential with brain injuries, to minimise the chronic fatigue as much as possible.”

Larkin says producing and starring in the play represents a new chapter. “It still feels quite new if I’m honest, but realising that I’m a lot more capable than I thought, and watching such great results unfolding before me gives me a sense of purpose, direction and satisfaction that’s been missing for years, making it apparent how much I have not been thriving until now. It’s humbling to know that it’s possible again.”

“I’ve always found performing quite a nourishing art form, one that I needed even before my injury, yet probably far more since. I haven’t played a lot of openly gay characters throughout my life as an actor, so to play Brad, who is so unashamedly queer, is liberating and refreshing, and there’s no doubt it is a form of growth in terms of my own identity.”

Reclaiming queer stories on stage

As queer theatre continues to fight for mainstream visibility, Larkin hopes to see more diverse and authentic representation on Australian stages. “I’d like to see more authentic representation. It’s great that we’re becoming more visible and celebrated on our stages and screens, but there is still a tendency for the notion of queer to be represented in quite narrow, often stereotypical forms rather than exploring just how truly diverse our community is. More positive lead characters who thrive is also needed, rather than continually portraying us as struggling, tormented and downtrodden.”

“It was written in 2003, at a time when queer stories were much rarer and the cultural and political climate was vastly different compared to now and the play touches on issues such as gay marriage, which, at that time, was still illegal everywhere on the planet except The Netherlands. So it’s an important story in representing that era which serves to remind us how far we’ve come in terms of LGBTQIA+ rights but also how far we still have to go.”

And for those facing adversity — within or outside the LGBTQIA+ community — Larkin’s message is one of fierce resilience. “That what has happened to us, or the struggles we perhaps continue to face don’t define us and can oftentimes be the catalyst for discovering sides of ourselves we otherwise would not have known, whether that be inner strength, determination or the ability to seek, to problem solve or to fight.”

For Larkin, this production is both a creative triumph and a personal one. “[The play] acts as a mirror of sorts,” he says. “Reflecting who we are, how far we’ve come, and how much we still have to celebrate.”

The Last Sunday in June

The Last Sunday in June — directed by Cal Robinson-Taylor and produced by and starring Ross Larkin — is showing at Chapel Off Chapel, Prahran from October 29 – November 8. For more information and tickets, click here.