THE STORY STARTS HERE: MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCE 2019 SEASON
September is announcement season for theatre in Australia, and Melbourne Theatre Company tonight unveil their star studded, glittering season for 2019. A feast of theatrical delights, Artist Director Brett Sheehy AO announced the six works written by Australian writers, including the first commission from the landmark NEXT STAGE Writer’s Program, along with six contemporary classics.
“Making theatre relevant to 21st century Australia is the lifeblood of MTC and in 2019 we present a season of challenging, brilliant and entertaining works that speak to our times with great urgency and in ways only possible through theatre” Sheehy said.
I take a look at next year’s season, and the achievements of MTC in 2018.
The Lady In The Van
2 February – 6 March
A mostly true story by Alan Bennett, who befriended Miss Mary Shepherd in 1974, a cantankerous and smelly old lady who parked her van outside Bennett’s London home and stayed for 15 years. It became a celebrated 2015 film about a fascinating relationship between the writer and his long-term guest, it’s set to be sad, funny, and very unique.
Starring Miriam Margolyes and directed by Dean Bryant at the Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Arbus & West
22 February – 30 March
Legendary photographer Diane Arbus meets Hollywood bombshell Mae West in1964 at a portrait shoot, and tensions quickly flare, as Mae’s version of herself is very different to the one Diane wants to catch on film. Award-winning playwright Stephen Sewell images what might have transpired between these two extraordinary women, creating a powerful portrait of beauty, sexuality, wildness and longing, drawing on the actual events from when they met.
Starring Diana Glenn, Melita Jurisic and Jennifer Vuletic, it’s directed by Helpmann award winning Associate Direct Sarah Goodes, at Art Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio.
A View From The Bridge
9 March – 18 April
Arthur Miller’s tragic and classic masterpiece will be brought to life by director Iain Sinclair and features Ivan Donato and Daniela Farinacci. It centres Eddie and Beatrice, who take in two illegal immigrant relatives Marco and Rodolpho, and the complicated relationships that follow, and an unspeakable secret. This production will confront the American dream in a stripped back drama that simmers with tension and explodes with passion across 1950s Brooklyn. The themes of family, loyalty, immigration and justice are as relevant in contemporary Australia as ever before.
The Sumner at Southbank Theatre
Cosi
30 April – 8 June
Warm hearted, laugh out loud, chaotic comedy- in a 1971 Australian psychiatric facility, Lewis prepares his directing debut of Mozart’s famous comedic opera, Cosi Fan Tutte, with a cast of complete amateurs who cannot sing. A darkly funny and deeply moving ensemble piece, Cosi has occupied a special place In the Australian canon since the 1996 film. It will be a poignant reminder of the transformative power of music and performance, and how art can make us soar.
Starring Esther Hannaford, Hunter Page-Lochard, Rahel Romahn and Katherine Tonkin, the show will be under Sarah Goodes capable direction again at the Sumner at Southbank Theatre.
The Violent Outburst That Drew Me To You
2 May – 18 May
Part of the Families and Education season, and an award winning show for theatre for young audiences, the show tackles the ticking time bomb of adolescence with humour and heart. Connor is 16 and angry, and he doesn’t know why – lately everything bothers him and everyone annoys him, so his parents leave him in the forest for a week, alone, to sort out his rage. But then he meets Lotte, also 16, also angry, who might just be the friend he needs. A smart, sweet and fiery tale about two offbeat kids at war with the world by Finegan Kruckemeyer.
Starring Harry Tseng and directed by Prue Clark at the Lawler at Southbank Theatre.
Heisenberg
17 May – 29 June
Tony and Olivier Award winning playwright Simon Stephens applies the prominent Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of quantum physics to an intimate, uplifting romantic comedy. 42-year old America Georgie kisses a much older Englishman at a train station, thrusting the two strangers into a fascinating and unlikely relationship of friendship and love affair. An exploration of personal relationships, and a dare to embrace the magic of the unknown.
Starring Kat Stewart from Offspring and Peter Kowitz, it will be directed by Tom Healey at Fairfax Studio at Arts Centre Melbourne.
2018 still has three months left to go, but MTC has already reached a number of impressive milestones, with over 22,300 subscribers, a 43% growth in new subscribers, nearly 50% of single ticket purchases are for new visitors to MTC, and they’re the most subscribed theatre company in the country for a second year running.
They’re had multiple season extensions, won three Helpmann Awards for The Children, and still have a five shows to go, including A Doll’s House, Part 2, which is now showing, and the world premier and NEON NEXT commission, Working With Children. But next year’s season is set to be bigger again than 2018.
‘2019 at MTC is filled with stories of adventure, love, friendship, discovery and drama. We have curated a year that takes audiences on a journey around Australia and the world via the very best new plays, reimagining’s of beloved classics and fresh productions of international smash hits. And the country’s best creative talents to bring it all to life – there’s no question we’re in for a special year’, Sheehy said.
The second half of the season is just as electric as the first.
Storm Boy
17 June – 20 July
A co-production with Queensland Theatre, and boasting an array of magnificent wildlife puppets by Dead Puppets Society, Storm Boy is set to be a family favorite and a season highlight across the country. The timeless and much loved novel by Colin Thiele, adapted for the stage by Tom Holloway, will bring together MTC’s award winning team of Jasper Jones, with the poignant story of a boy and his reclusive father in a wild and remote area of the South Australian coast line, to create a remarkable journey of discovery.
Cast includes John Batchelor, Tony Briggs and Emily Burton, and will be directed by Sam Strong. The show will play Southbank Theatre before heading to Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
Shakespeare in Love
15 July – 14 August
The Australian premiere stage adaptation of Oscar winning film, Shakespeare in Love, starring Aljin Abela, Laurence Boxhall and Adam Murphy. An ode to theatre itself and life on stage, it will feature a lavish musical accompaniment by Paddy Cunneen and will be directed by Simon Phillips. Following young Will Shakespeare, who has a bad case of writers block, who meets Viola, who harbours a secret. A comedy about how Romeo and Ethel the Pirates’ Daughter becomes Romeo and Juliet through a love story of it’s own.
The show will play at The Playhouse at Arts Centre Melbourne before travelling north to the Canberra Theatre, and who knows where else.
Golden Shield
12 August – 14 September
The first MTC NEXT STAGE show to be produced on the main stage, Anchuli Felicia King’s thriller centres on the digital world. It’s 2006 and less than 10% of China is online, and the Government is looking to Silicon Valley to protect it’s citizens, resulting in an epic firewall called Golden Shield. An urgent legal drama with interweaving storylines from across the world, it tackles the idea of working against the promotion of democracy, dissidents against “protection” and the Government, and who is responsible to stand trial for what ensues.
Cast includes Nicholas Bell, Jing-Xuan Chan, Josh McConville and Yuchen Wang, and will show at The Sumner at Southbank Theatre.
Black is the New White
2 October – 6 November
You know the name Nakkiah Lui as the co-writer and star of ABC’s Black Comedy, and now her hit Australian satire arrives in Melbourne following two sell out seasons in Sydney and Brisbane. When families come together at Christmas, Charlotte Gibson, who’s father thinks she could be ‘the next Indigenous Waleed Aly’, and her fiancé, Francis Smith, who is white, unemployed, and a composer, create a riotous family struggle for dominance when the families meet. Insults will fly, secrets come out and sacred cows of all descriptions will be mercilessly skewered.
STC Associate Director Paige Rattray directs an array of brilliant, unpredictable and loveable characters at The Sumner at Southbank Theatre.
Photograph 51
1 November – 14 December
A delicate exploration of sacrifice in the pursuit of science, love and a place in history, the Australian premiere of Anna Ziegler’s Photograph 51 follows Rosalind Franklin’s trail blazing work in the intricate structure of DNA, which her rivals stole from her and ended up winning the Nobel Prize for discovering the double helix. A moving portrait and a scientific, historical thriller, it tells the story of an unsung female hero in the race to capture the ‘secret of life’.
Starring Nadine Garner and directed by Pamela Rabe at Art Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio
Kiss of the Spider Woman
18 November – 28 December
For the first time in Australia, the Tony Award winning musical with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb and book by Terrence McNally, the redemptive story of love, fantasy and the kind of friendship that develops when humanity is pushed to the limits, will light up Melbourne starring Caroline O’Connor, Bert LaBonte and Natalie Gamsu. Set in a dark South American prison, two very different prisoners share a cell and visions for a better life, and despite their differences, they develop a deep bond.
A triumphant end to the 2019 season directed by Dean Bryant, it shows at The Sumner at Southbank Theatre.
‘Everything we do is with the audience in mind so it is incredibly rewarding for the whole company to see our work met with unprecedented audience demand, awards and critical acclaim’, says Sheehy of the company’s accomplishments this year and the next season ahead.
In 2019 MTC will also continue its renowned artist development programs including the Cybec Electric play reading series, Women in Theatre program, CAAP Directors Initiative and the NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program, which enters its second year with 20 writers under commission or in residency.
My hot picks from the upcoming season include Kiss of the Spiderwoman and Cosi, as the calibre of MTC musicals is always excellent, Photograph 51 for a feminist scientific journey, Black is the New White for a diverse comedy, Golden ShieId in it’s world premiere and The Lady In The Van, but every show has something unique and carefully thought out to offer audiences in a mammoth year of programming.
Subscription packages for season 2019 are on sale now, and more information on the season ahead at www.mtc.com.au
This article first appeared at: http://www.theatrepeople.com.au/the-story-starts-here-melbourne-theatre-company-announce-2019-season/ on 4 September 2018
