Animal Farm | New Theatre

Image by Bob Seary

The last few years have felt particularly prophetic as the global timeline twists in on itself with the rise of fascism in the west, the collapse of democracy in Hong Kong, the civil rights movement of Black Lives Matter, and the “unprecedented” times of COVID-19 which saw responses from political leaders uncannily similar to the AIDS crisis and the 1918 flu pandemic. So it’s not surprising to see artists turn to the well-worn narratives of George Orwell as an imperfect mirror for the cycle of oppression and revolution we’re living through.

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The Mona Lisa Five | Upper Crass Theatre

Have you ever wondered what life was like for the upper echelons of society? What the wealthy are really like behind closed doors? The Mona Lisa Five stresses that you probably shouldn’t go to the party, even if you’re invited. James Hartley’s rich romp shows off just how deadly greed can be.

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Macbeth: the Installation | Barestage Theatre

Macbeth has been done live and it’s been done digitally, but for the COVID-19 world, Barestage Theatre combines the two forms for a techno-punk rendition of the fall of the Scottish king. Performed live and streamed straight to your home, Macbeth: the Installation traverses boundaries of intimacy and performance.

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This Modern Coil | Upper Crass Theatre

The year 2020 has taught us nothing if not how painful the passing of time can be. James Hartley’s surprisingly prescient 2016 play This Modern Coil is a rumination on fate, free will, fear, and the power of imagination as two soldiers await something, anything, in no man’s land.

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Neighbourhood Watch | New Theatre

Image by Chris Lundie

Mary St is a perfectly ordinary suburban street with perfectly ordinary residents. The only thing missing is perhaps a bit of community spirit, the comfort of having someone keeping an eye on your business. But when two relative newbie neighbours strike up a friendship, the close quarters create more friction than expected.

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A Murder Story, Retold | Ninefold

In a tiny room shared by two people and a television, a silent battle rages on. Three people plot their murderous revenge in a poisonous cup of tea before the light falls and their roles are reversed. A Murder Story, Retold uncovers the creeping macabre in the mundane.

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Welcome to the Masque | Riverside Theatres Digital

As Sydney slowly starts to re-open and theatres begin announcing their socially distanced programs, Genevieve Lemon and Max Lambert take an opportunity to reflect on lockdown with their favourite cabaret hits. Covering loneliness, baking, podcasts, and predictions for the future, Welcome to the Masque was a reintroduction to the simple love of performance in an altered reality.

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The Merchant of Venice | Streamed Shakespeare

After a successful run of streamed stage readings including Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, and The Winter’s Tale, Streamed Shakespeare have put together a fully-fledged online rendition of The Merchant of Venice for your pandemic pleasure. With the nearly 20-strong cast and crew zoomed straight to your screen, the audience becomes a fly on the wall to the deals and betrayals of 16th century Venice.

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Collisions | City Theatre

After the cancellation of their production of Jasper in Deadland just two weeks out from opening, City Theatre had to think fast about how they would keep the spirit of independent theatre alive during the pandemic. Project Interlude is their initiative to write, cast, rehearse, and perform a new short musical in one week like a jumper cable to the heart of Sydney theatre.

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The Credeaux Canvas | Lambert House Enterprises & Les Solomon

Image by Isaac Broadbent

A trio of twenty-somethings live precariously in a dingy New York City apartment with a flickering hope that they’re on the edge of greatness. When the windfall of an inheritance fails to materialise, the group decide to risk everything and commit art fraud, betraying an industry they hold in such esteem, for the chance of the recognition they crave.

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