Fly To Others We Know Not Of

Mercury’s Wings Theatre Company has seen much growth both artistically and financially over the last 18 months. The company is growing rapidly into an exciting cultural entity on the Gold Coast. As such we have our sights set on making the most of these blessings.

The work we have chosen to produce this year reflects a new direction for the company. We are actively looking to create new works. Our first venture into this new world is R U Hmlt?, which is a work based on Hamlet, using Shakespeare’s text and autobiographical content. We wanted to create a piece of work that would show how this great play and character has influenced all our lives. Instead of simply performing it as a “one-man-show”, we wanted to take the concept of one man performing Hamlet and slightly shift the focus. The performance explores how this character and play can be understood from the often complicated view of our own lives. Harold Bloom states that Shakespeare is the inventor of modern humanity and that Hamlet is the epitome of the modern man. Therefore if the door is opened for us we may be able to glimpse a little of ourselves in the Hamlet and maybe understand ourselves a little better.

Mercury’s Wings is also embarking on a project that we hope will reflect a little of where we live. “Gold Coast Stories” is set to be a series of plays written and devised around Gold Coast-specific stories. Over the years we have met so many amazing people and heard many great stories that as artists we can’t help think would make great theatre. Thus begin this year in the initial stages of finding a writer and devising a story. A theatre company cannot be an island unto itself, it must, if it is to be truly reflective of the place where it lives and draws it’s energy from, be producing work that shows this connection. One of our core goals as a company is be an integral part of the Gold Coast cultural community and telling “our” stories is one of the ways we will do this.

Mercury’s Wings is also looking to expand its repertoire of classics with a production of Oedipus at the site of the new GC University Hospital. The choice of play reflects our love of classic drama and the way these plays are still relevant today in so many ways. A grand play such as this requires a grand setting and the hospital site will be perfect. Obviously there are many legal and safety issues that will have to be overcome, but the the ball, as they say, is rolling.

Another project that is planned for 2010 is a remounting of our "Endgame" production of 2008. The opportunity to perform at the GCAC has come about and we are keen to re-stage this play, with a view to touring the production in 2011. "Endgame" is such a deep and thought-provoking play that we believed it need another life, another chance to speak.

We also hope to produce Patrick Maber’s brilliant play, "Closer". This play explores the dynamics in modern relationships. The notion of fidelity, desire and the effects your actions have on other people are explored in this intense modern play. This play reflects our desire to produce modern and challenging theatre.

We are also in talks with the GCAC about running a “Drama Lab”. This would be similar to the GCAC Summer School, but would be focused on acting and dramatic plays rather than musicals. I would take classes on Suzuki Method, Frank Theatre improvisation and Voice and Claudine would take acting and movement classes. The classes would be for students and actors and there would be a ‘showing’ /performance of the work that was done at the end of the Lab. Stay tuned for more on this as it comes to hand.

Last but certainly not least is the fantastic news that we have received a grant from Arts QLD to have Jennifer Flowers direct Twelfth Night. We are blessed to have Jennifer direct for us and also blessed to get the money from Arts QLD. We are possibly the first theatre company on the Coast to receive money from them. We are extremely excited to have the opportunity to learn from Jennifer and we are sure the show will be great success to round off the year.



We welcome you all to our 2010 season and hope to see you at some of the events we have planned for this year.