MARY STUART
Adapted by Kate Mulvany
after Friedrich Schiller
Chaika Theatre
ACT Hub 2024
Director Luke Rogers
Set & Costume Designer Kathleen Kershaw
Lighting Designer & Stage Manager Disa Swifte
Sound Arrangement Luke Rogers*
Production Manager Rhiley Winnett
Costume Assistant Ashleigh Rock
Cast
Lachlan Herring
Blue Hyslop
Neil McLeod
James McMahon
Richard Manning
Steph Roberts
Cameron Thomas
Lily Welling
Jarrad West
Karen Vickery
Photography Jane Duong
* Original Composition by Rachael Dease and Sound Design by Georgia Snudden from the 2022 Perth Festival presentation of Mary Stuart, directed by Mel Cantwell, produced by Performing Lines WA, used with permission
Two powerful women, beloved by their people – one sits on the throne; the other in a prison cell.
Kate Mulvany’s smart and witty adaptation of Schiller’s masterpiece, Mary Stuart, is a tale of two queens at war. In the legendary rivalry between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, great forces are at play, with nations at stake and citizens ready to fight for the just cause.
On the one hand there is principle and ideology; on the other, jealousy and pride. But there is also love. For who else could understand what torments a queen better than another queen?
Mulvany turns her feminist lens on this brutal and moving story of cousins pitted against each other by politics and circumstance, trapped on opposing sides of history’s coin, and reclaims these titanic women’s stories with empathy, insight, and a distinct voice.
Mary Stuart was a Chaika Theatre production.
“Must see theatre at its best… Luke Rogers’ carefully orchestrated direction creates a seamless production that will have audiences on the edge of their seats… to watch Vickery and Roberts play out the emotional rollercoaster of their characters is to witness two of Canberra’s finest actors. These are performances of high professional stature… an explosive theatrical experience that will hold a mirror up to our age and provoke reflection on gender equality and the societal consequence of patriarchy. More than that, this production is a theatrical tour de force that will remain in your memory long after you have left the theatre.”
– Peter Wilkins, Canberra Critics Circle
“an opportunity to experience something of the very essence of power play and how it makes for exciting and challenging theatre.”
– Joe Woodward, City News
“Luke Rogers has successfully guided his cast through a lucid and fascinating production, especially notable for the performances of its two leading ladies… It’s a production which will take its place among the ever-growing list of must-see productions for which the ACT Hub has become celebrated.”
– Bill Stephens, Australian Arts Review
“Director, Luke Rogers, has brought all the elements of this handsome production together very well. It’s a great production like this that we always hope for when we go to the theatre.”
– Len Power, Canberra Critics Circle
“This Mary Stuart is a valuable contribution to Canberra theatre and our culture.”
– Frank McKone, Canberra Critics Circle
”An impressive and moving take on two of history’s most fascinating characters.”
– Alanna Maclean, Canberra Critics Circle
