Cirrus@Austlit

'A love song to the open road 

'Bathed in the golden light of an outback sunset, this epic Australian classic comes to the stage for the first time, adapted by Kate Mulvany – the renowned actor and playwright behind The Harp in the South: Part One and Part Two and Playing Beatie Bow. The Shiralee combines a ranging and poetic story of life and love on the margins with a spectacular cast featuring Mulvany herself (appearing onstage at STC for the first time in sixteen years), Josh McConville (Death of a Salesman), Aaron Pedersen (The Visitors) and Ziggy Resnick, making their STC debut in the iconic role of Buster. 

'Macauley (McConville) is a rugged swagman who roams the highways and byways of mid-century Australia, taking on odd jobs to survive. Buster is Macauley’s young daughter, living with her separated mother Marge (Mulvany), in a neglectful home in Sydney. When Macauley discovers Buster’s circumstances he takes her on the road with him, despite his hesitations around fatherhood. Over the course of their travels, Macauley begins to develop a deep connection with his daughter, and Buster soon discovers her voice in a strange and vast new world. 

'Hot on the heels of the national sensation The Dictionary of Lost Words, director Jessica Arthur returns to the Company with this glorious new play about a father-daughter bond that blooms in a harsh and unforgiving world. 

'As Buster’s innocence, resilience, and grit gradually soften Macauley’s heart, audiences will be swept away into a story as rich and beautiful as the outback landscape.'

Source: Production blurb.

'Abigail (Catherine Văn-Davies), a teenager dealing with her parents’ messy separation, follows the mysterious young girl Beatie Bow (Sofia Nolan) back through time – from the hustle and bustle of Sydney’s The Rocks in the present day to the year 1873, when the suburb was full of struggling immigrant families, gangsters and a whole host of larger-than-life characters. With the help of Beatie, her wise grandmother, and the whole Bow family, Abigail goes on a wild adventure through twisting alleyways of history in a race to find her way home.

'This moving human story is set in and around the real-life suburb that STC calls home and will overflow with history, song and sparkling humour. Grandparents, parents and teenagers will all find something to love in this family story – a combination of Mulvany’s characteristic warmth and vivacity and Williams’ monumental vision.' (Production summary)

'Stellar playwright Kate Mulvany and award-winning director Leticia Cáceres, two of Australia’s most accomplished artists, evoke the visceral, blood-soaked biosphere of the Amazon warrior women of Greek mythology. [...]

'This brutal, prescient and poetic new work has the wit, wry humour and gravitas we have come to expect from Kate Mulvany. It’s a play for our times, exploring themes of power – physical, sexual and psychological – and weaving parallel narratives as it moves seamlessly through time, style and gender, galloping towards an unexpected yet inevitable climax.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Two queens. One crown.

'One of history’s great rivalries. A battle of wits, blood and broken hearts, now reinvented for the stage in majestic scale – the iconic tale of Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England.

'Caroline Brazier (Dinner, ABC’s Rake) is Mary and Helen Thomson (The Harp in the South) is Elizabeth. Two flawed and fascinating women locked in a monumental, murderous feud. The stakes couldn’t be higher. An empire is in jeopardy. A queen’s life hangs in the balance.

'This world premiere production is a finely-tuned spectacle. Guided by award-winning director Lee Lewis, the creative team bring outstanding female perspective and wit to this new adaptation by Kate Mulvany (The Harp in the South). Opulent period-inspired costume and ingenious design reveal both the grandeur and danger of Elizabethan England.

'With plot twists and political intrigue, Mary Stuart transcends its 16th century origins. Based in historical truth, the story is punctuated with an extraordinary and pivotal imagined event; a face-to-face meeting between the two queens. They are each other’s equal – smart, strong, sexy and determined to survive. These heroines were our feminist forbears.

'Following an uprising, Mary has fled Scotland only to be imprisoned in England. Elizabeth feels threatened – Mary is younger, more beloved, and with her own claim to the throne.

'In a world dominated by double-crossing men, these remarkable monarchs scheme and struggle to hold on to power. Do they have more in common than they realise? In another life, another time, the cousins might have been friends. The question now is whether Elizabeth will release Mary – or execute her.' (Production summary)

Series one:

'Lucky Flynn (Minchin) hasn’t spoken to his family in years. He’s broke, distant and damaged. He’s also a gifted pianist, whose talent for music is matched only by his talent for self-destruction. When he learns that his mother has only days left to live, Lucky sets off in a hire car to drive the 4000 kilometres from Sydney to Perth to say goodbye to her, taking with him his only cherished possession in the world – a battered and scarred upright piano. But what should have been a straightforward drive across the Nullarbor soon becomes a test of Lucky’s emotional fitness, when he (quite literally) runs into Meg (Milly Alcock), a hilarious, tough-as-nails teenager, who we soon discover has plenty of scars and secrets of her own.'

Source: Screen Australia.

Series two:

'Trading the desert for the steamy tropics of Far North Queensland, Lucky and Meg hit the road - and the river - on a mission to find Meg's mum. Trouble is, Meg's mum has disappeared into the rainforest.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'A great Australian novel. A landmark theatre event. A portrait of Sydney as it once was.

'The world premieres of The Harp in the South: Part One and The Harp in the South: Part Two are designed to be enjoyed as one unforgettable, epic theatrical experience.

'This major new work is one of the most ambitious productions STC has ever created. Celebrated playwright Kate Mulvany has adapted novelist Ruth Park’s revered Australian trilogy – Missus, The Harp in the South and Poor Man’s Orange – and spread these beloved stories across two equally ambitious plays.

'The two parts stand alone, but together they offer over five hours of monumental, exuberant theatre. It’s a moving family saga and a celebration of Sydney in all its funny, gritty glory.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Beat Bugs is an animated series, revolving around the lives and adventures of five charming and funny child-like bugs who live in an overgrown American-style backyard.' (Production summary)

'In a wondrous world of riddles and hidden treasure, bumbling Jack Hare is on a race against time to deliver a message of love from the Moon to the Sun. Far, far away in a world just like ours, a mother cheers her son Joe with the tale of Jack Hare’s adventure. But when Jack’s mission goes topsy-turvy, Joe and his mum must come to the rescue, and the line between the two worlds becomes blurred forever.

'Bringing to life Kit Williams’ iconic picture book, Masquerade stars a talking fish, a tone-deaf barbershop quartet, a gassy pig, a precious jewel and a few mere mortals. It’s a magical adventure that is, at its heart, about the love between a parent and a child.

'Bound to amaze and enchant audiences aged 9 to 90, Griffin begins 2015 with the world premiere of Masquerade at the Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival. Sam Strong and Lee Lewis join forces to co-direct, weaving their own special magic over a fabulous cast, with songs and music performed live by Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen.' (Production summary)

'Corrigan is a town populated by barnacles: hard shells that clench themselves shut and choose not to know.'

'Charlie Bucktin is a geeky thirteen-year-old living in a country WA town in 1965. He's probably the only teenager who reads books in a town that's sport mad. His best mate Jeffrey Lu is Vietnamese, and isn't having such a good time of things either.

'Jasper Jones is an Indigenous 14 year-old that lives on the outside of town and the wrong side of the tracks. One summer night, Jasper takes Charlie to his secret glade in the bush. Charlie witnesses a terrible discovery and is suddenly embroiled in a plot with more twists and turns than any of the novels he so dearly loves.

'Barking Gecko is thrilled that talented playwright and actor Kate Mulvany will adapt Craig Silvey's multiple award-winning, best-selling novel, Jasper Jones for WA audiences.' (Production summary)

'I’m Meg, I think…

'That is…

'I’m a writer from a small Australian country town who took off as far away as possible – to as many places as possible – to live and work. And one of my pieces just happened to be a (semi) ‘autobiographical’ piece. And the characters just happened to be based on my family members – their names changed. And I had also just happened to contend with a prodding press on how my family responded, and I found myself sitting at dinner tables as those very family members discussed ‘what was true and what wasn’t’. I, like Meg, also got asked to partake in countless forums on ‘women in autobiography’ and deal with people assuming, as a female writer, that my play (legitimate, in my mind) was some form of extended ‘diary entry’, and would I ‘ever consider writing something fictional?’' (Introduction)

'Set in St Petersburg's Moika Palace, 'The Rasputin Affair' is a fictionalized account of Grigori Rasputin's last night alive. Known by some as "the mad monk", Rasputin was a Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic who counselled Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son, Alexei. His influence over the Tsar and Tsarina was the cause of criticism by many who thought that he was exerting unnecessary control over the family.

'The Rasputin Affair' follows Prince Felix Yusupov, the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and the right-wing politician Vladimir Purishkevich, who have planned to assassinate Rasputin, each for their own. Accompanying them on their wild ride of assassination attempts is Felix's maid, who ultimately plays a vital role in the events of the evening.

Throughout the play, we learn more about the characters and the dynamics between them, and more importantly we learn of the corruption within the politicians and leaders of Russia within World War 1. Throughout the play, Mulvany delves into Rasputin's life history, ideologies and somewhat controversial religious and political beliefs. But despite an often critical portrayal she manages to paint the mad monk in full colour, and truly introduces the audience to him rather than preaching about what was good and bad about the man.' (Source: Theatrepeople website)

'Locked in their bedroom, two brothers play games to pass the time, as siblings do. Off-stage, their parents are having a very famous showdown. At an inevitable moment, the children will be drawn away from their games and into their parents' bitter argument. From there, they will enter mythology as the most tragic siblings of all time.'

Source: Black Swan Theatre Company.