It begins, as always, with a storm. Sit still and hear of my sea-sorrow.
'A chaotic storm erupts. A disastrous shipwreck ensues. Refugees Prospero, Miranda and Ariel are washed ashore on Christmas Island seeking asylum in Australia. But this side of the story is yet to be seen.
'Award-winning playwright of ideas Helen Machalias returns to The Street with another work of social commentary, reimagining Shakespeare’s The Tempest for our time in This Rough Magic - an exhilarating epic of power reckoning, survival and the cost of pursuing the promise of a better life.
'A powerful epic where ‘brave new world’ poetry collides with ‘stop the boats’ rhetoric and interpolations of Persian poetry, philosophy and storytelling to deliver a radically different representation of offshore detention.
'Acclaimed Director Beng Oh crafts an extraordinary fast-moving spectacle conjuring an island of strange sounds and wondrous sights, enigmatic characters, and surprising relationships. A terrific acting ensemble open up the spaces between myth and reality, life and death, freedom and control.
'Ambitious and thrilling This Rough Magic is a rich theatrical conversation with Shakespeare’s The Tempest, epic in scale and full of mysticism and longing. Not to be missed.' (Production summary)
A Street Produced Professional Theatre Production. Performed at The Street Theatre, Canberra: 10 - 19 November 2023
Featuring:
Reza Momenzada
George Kanaan
Lainie Hart
Andre Le
Kaitlin Nihill
World Premiere
A Street Produced Professional Theatre Production
Direction: Beng Oh
Dramaturg: Dr Rebecca Clode & Granaz Moussavi
Design: Imogen Keen
Lighting Design: Gerry Corcoran
Sound Design: Kyle Sheedy
'Written by playwright Helen Machalias, ‘This Rough Magic’ uses Shakespeare as a lens through which to explore our nation’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.'
'Written by playwright Helen Machalias, ‘This Rough Magic’ uses Shakespeare as a lens through which to explore our nation’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.'
