Past Productions
We Are The Himalayas (2019)
By Mark Langham
Creative Team
Written Mark Langham
Directed Richard Cornally
Production Design Damien Egan
Sound Design Patrick Howard
Lighting Design Sophie Pekbilimi
Cast
Charlotte Chimes
Ben Matthews
Steve Corner
Emilia Stubbs Grigoriou
Chelsea Hamre
James Gordon
“Lead actress Charlotte Chimes gives a breath-taking yet fierce performance as Anna, alongside her counterpart Ben Mathews, whose conviction and intensity brings the Russian figurehead back to life” – Alt Media
“As secret police apparatus Lavrentiy Beria, is the exceptional Steve Corner, whose nuanced dramatics has us enthralled.” – Suzy Goes See
“Langham’s script works well, capably balancing the task of enlightening audiences to the inter-war Soviet mindset and creating interesting characters who are more than mouthpieces for the delivery of information. Langham demonstrates a light touch when it comes to necessary exposition.” – Audrey Journal
“We are the Himalayas is a refreshing look at the great communist experiment that encourages us to see what happens to the human creature under different styles of social pressure. Partly frightening and partly exposing, it offers up a refreshing take on Russian communism and reminds us that narratives are not always as they seem, and that the story we tell ourselves about the events transpiring in front of us are as important as the stories we wish to refute. This is a complex and beautiful play, that all Sydney artists should see, not to mention anyone interested in modern day socialism or Russian history.” – Lisa Thatcher
Lie With Me (2018)
By Liz Hobart
Lie With Me
Old 505 Theatre, Newtown
A mother watches on TV as her son is arrested for the murder of three young men, their bodies discovered in his apartment. Her friends text their support but always had their doubts, while her weatherman ex-husband becomes a media sensation in the aftermath of the televised tragedy. What follows is a kaleidoscopic journey of investigation into a mother’s past and future.
With her life suddenly thrust under the microscope, Lie With Me is a mother’s desperate attempt to survive in a world that names her the Mother of a Monster. Combining dynamic physical and visual storytelling, the show creates an intimate portrait of a woman facing the greatest crisis a mother can face. Lie With Me is a visceral, honest work exploring the limits of the human heart.
Creative Team
Writer Liz Hobart
Director Warwick Doddrell
Lighting Design Sophie Pekbilimli
Sound Designer Ben Hinchley
Production Designer Isabella Andronos
Producer Luke Holmes
Marketing Krista Tanuwibawa
Cast
Lyn Pierse
Julia Robertson
Nathalie Murray
“This is an amazing theatrical ‘coup’ from Ms Pierse, for, when one watches closely and observes that besides creating and charting the dilemma of Janice, Ms Pierse, as well, is having to also to be a technical ‘instrument’ – stage-hand – in the moving of the furniture, props etc to facilitate the action circumscribed by the writer and Director – at one stage managing the positioning of 10 chairs and a table, by herself, in the midst of the progress of the narrative.” – Kevin Jackson
Dark, passionate and urgent, Hobart’s writing makes for engrossing, fascinating theatre. – Suzy Wrong
“By storytelling this examination of fear, entrapment and cruelty in a way that is exciting, accessible and important, Hobart establishes herself as a first-rate playwright.” – Audrey Journal
Asylum (2017)
By Ruth Fingret
Asylum
Comber Street Studios, Paddington
Asylum is a new contemporary work about 5 people and the very different ways they are all seeking asylum in their lives. It’s a story about a broken family, and the personal side of our immigration process.
Craig is an immigration officer who has retreated into a rigid sense of responsibility and morality from being left by his wife long ago to battle with his delinquent son. His conviction in his own righteousness is challenged when he meets Hajir, a Lebanese man applying for a protection visa to remain in Australia on the same day his ex-wife returns and Jason is arrested. Now Craig is forced to consider something previously impossible: Is he willing to lie in the name of a greater good, and who will he protect by doing so?
Creative Team
Writer Ruth Fingret
Director Richard Hilliar
Producer Luke Holmes
Cast
Joshua McElroy
Hannah Raven
Eli Saad
Katherine Shearer
David Woodland
“Joshua McElroy… simultaneously intense and vulnerable, the actor’s confidence is unflappable even in the venue’s extremely close quarters.” – Suzy Wrong
“This is a magnificent new Australian work, easily one of the best plays I have seen that attempts to tackle this subject.” – Lisa Thatcher
Big Crow (2017)
By Mark Langham
Big Crow
The Actors Pulse, Redfern
Big Crow by Mark Langham is based, loosely, on a true story. In the early 1930’s two young Londoners ground down by poverty, Tommy and Albie, were offered a spur of the moment trip to Australia. No sooner had they landed than they were taken to work as virtual slaves on a huge station, completely at the mercy of the station owner Roy, a man who’s life has been a stream of disappointments.
Tommy is a weasel; swift, cunning and potentially fatal. Albie could crush you with his kindness, but only if Tommy told him to… and their desperation has led them to a decision – they’re going to kill Roy. Roy’s wife and daughter disturb the murder but are far more interested in watching than saving him. The murder is put on hold and a dialogue begins.
Creative Team
Writer Mark Langham
Director by Barry Walsh
Producer Charlie Hanson, Luke Holmes
Designer Nicola Block
Stage Manager David Hooley
Cast
Amylea Griffin
Charles Jones
Ben Maclaine
Jodine Muir
Liam Smith
But the bells and whistles of the big commercial venues are superfluous when what you are offering is a new Australian story told by actors with a passion for contemporary writing. – The Daily Telegraph
Big Crow by Mark Langham is a provocative confection. – Theatre Red
Sometimes it’s so nice to just sit in an intimate theatre to feel a show… The story is definitely interesting and the production is well realised and rehearsed… Well worth checking out. – Sydney Arts Guide
Resolution (2016)
By Luke Holmes
Resolution
The Actors Pulse, Redfern
Abigail Woods has tried her whole life to separate herself from her mother Diane, the public and formidable CEO of Olympus Media. But when her mother dies suddenly, Abigail’s life is pulled out of control as she is catapulted into the world of corporate media. It’s about how she survives in an environment where not even she is sure who she is, and about the weight of the responsibility she now carries.
Creative Team
Writer Luke Holmes
Director Sascha Hall
Assistant Director Jade Fuda
Producers Charlie Hanson, Luke Holmes
Cast
Jacqueline Marriott
Nicholas Starte
Lauren Lloyd Williams
Deirdre Campbell
Peter Bass
