burstall was inspired to establish the theatre after returning from new york city. she introduced off-broadway contemporary theatre to melbourne through la mama. numerous actors and writers have appeared and worked at la mama, including graeme blundell, kerry dwyer, jack hibberd, and john romeril, all of whom formed the australian performing group. in 1976, burstall turned over the day-to-day operations of la mama to liz jones, who remains the theatre's artistic director as of 2013. burstall remained the chief script adviser until about 1998.