Learn more about these MTC productions of plays popular among schools.
MTC Education Online is supported by the Victorian Department of Education and Training. Select VCE resources produced in collaboration with Virtual School Victoria.
Cyrano
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Programme
Cyrano programme
Learn more about Virginia Gay’s joyous, music-filled take on Edmond Rostand’s literary classic – a modern love letter to language, desire and the magic of theatre.
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Feature
Choral stories
Cyrano’s chorus is a key part of the play’s interrogation of old storytelling tropes. The three chorus members help analyse why we continue to tell old stories, and how we can tell new stories; stories for everybody.
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Video
Why be a woman?
Playwright and actor Virginia Gay talks about why the title role of Cyrano is perfect for a woman to play.
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Q&A
Meet your Chorus: Robin Goldsworthy
Playing chorus member number 2, a character who is ‘insufferably intense about theatre’, professional pretender Robin Goldsworthy says he’s basically playing himself as he was at age 22.
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Q&A
Meet Your Chorus: Holly Austin
Holly Austin is an actor, a musician, a playwright, a trained clown and improviser, and chorus member number 3 in Cyrano. Her character’s bravery changes the course of the play.
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Q&A
Meet Your Chorus: Milo Hartill
A self-identified ‘silly bean’, Milo Hartill is excited to be taking on the role of chorus member 1 in Cyrano, and trying to passively and directly influence the play’s narrative to go in a less tragic way.
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Q&A
From Evonne to Roxanne
Tuuli Narkle discusses Finnish reindeer herders, the importance of representation to a queer, mixed race teen, and her whirlwind lesson on an Australian icon.
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Q&A
Yes We Yan
Making his debut with MTC as Yan in Cyrano, actor and comedian Claude Jabbour is excited by the warmth, joy and fun of this world premiere show.
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Q&A
A Nose by Any Other Name
Actor and playwright Virginia Gay discusses writing a Cyrano not just for the 21st century but for Melbourne in the aftermath of 2020.
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Education
Cyrano Education Pack
A resource pack for teachers and students to learn more about the MTC production of Cyrano by Virginia Gay after Edmond Rostand.
Berlin
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Interactive
Berlin Set Design Virtual Tour
Explore Christina Smith’s set design for Berlin, Joanna Murray-Smith’s MTC NEXT STAGE commission, in this virtual tour.
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Education
Berlin Education Pack
A resource pack for teachers and students to learn more about the MTC production of Berlin by Joanna Murray-Smith.
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Education
The set design process
Christina Smith explains the process of designing the set for Berlin by Joanna Murray-Smith.
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Q&A
Fragments of History
Set Designer Christina Smith talks with MTC about exploding houses, researching like a spider, the sandwich of history – and how this all informed her design for the Berlin set.
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Video
Bump In Time-lapse
Watch a time-lapse video of the bump in for Berlin, Joanna Murray-Smith's NEXT STAGE commission, narrated by Production Manager Abe Watson.
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Q&A
A musical world of shadows
Composer and Sound Designer Kelly Ryall discusses the sonic world he has created for Berlin.
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Q&A
Lighting Berlin
Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti discusses his approach to lighting Berlin.
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Backstage Banter
Backstage Banter with Grace Cummings and Michael Wahr
Meet the stars of Joanna Murray-Smith's romantic thriller, Berlin.
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Feature
From our stage to your screen
For the first time in the Company’s history, select MTC shows will be filmed and made available for a digital season you can enjoy on-demand from the comfort of your own couch.
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Interviews
Reconciling with the past
After a year offstage, Michael Wahr is thrilled to return to MTC, and to all the joys and challenges of being a working actor.
Così
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MTC Talks
Louis Nowra on Così
Playwright Louis Nowra tells Fiona Gruber about the events and people who changed his life, and how they came to form the inspiration behind his iconic play Così.
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Q&A
From Darkness to Light
Lighting designer Niklas Pajanti discusses lighting effects as an expression of the characters in Così.
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Education
Behind the poster
Lead Designer and Art Director Emma Wagstaff tells us how the marketing and graphic design team at MTC conceptualise and execute the artwork for a typical play like Così.
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Coffee in the Lounge
From screen to stage
Playing Lewis in Così is actor Sean Keenan. He tells us about his journey from the screen to the stage, as well as his great love for Australia.
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Education
Così VCE Revision
Revisit moments from the MTC production of Così and apply your knowledge of VCE Theatre Studies.
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Interviews
Pure Creative Energy
Gabriel Fancourt tells us about playing the characters of Nick and Zac in Così.
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Interviews
Melody and rhythm
Rahel Romahn talks about the patterns of his character Doug and what drives his agenda in Cosi.
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Interviews
Finding love
Robert Menzies tells us about the contradictions of his character Roy and how it's OK for a role to not always make sense.
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Interviews
Looking up and down
George Zhao tells us how he found the slightly patronizing, but mostly well-meaning character of Justin.
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Interviews
Loyalty and empathy
Glenn Hazeldine discusses how his character Henry evolves over the course of the play to become an admirable character of strength and loyalty to his fellow stage players.
Macbeth
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Q&A
Jai Courtney playing Macbeth
Jai Courtney tells us about turning into one of drama’s biggest tyrants, Macbeth.
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Feature
Dressing Macbeth
Esther Marie Hayes sheds some light on the inspirations behind her costume design for Macbeth.
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Video
Meet the Witches
In this video, Shareena Clanton, Kamil Ellis and Jane Montgomery Griffiths tell us about their experiences embodying the three ‘weird sisters’.
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Feature
How do you set fire to a car on stage?
We spoke to MTC Production about simulating a car explosion in Macbeth.
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Feature
Stepped in blood
A bloodthirsty and timeless tale about the price of ambition.
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Q&A
Ian McDonald on composing Macbeth
Ian McDonald tells us about the sound of Macbeth’s world.
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Feature
Macbeth translations
We translate key scenes from Macbeth into twenty-first century English.
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Q&A
Nick Schlieper on lighting Macbeth
Nick Schlieper tells us how to create the ruthless world of Macbeth with lights.
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Q&A
Kevin Hofbauer playing Banquo
Kevin Hofbauer tells us why he became an actor rather than a soldier.
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Q&A
Kamil Ellis playing a witch and Fleance
Kamil Ellis tells us about his first time performing Shakespeare.
Storm Boy
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Video
Props Presentation
Watch Anna Cordingley's design presentation for the 2019 MTC production of Storm Boy and learn more about the props.
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Video
Set Design Presentation
Watch Anna Cordingley's design presentation for the 2019 MTC production of Storm Boy and learn more about the set and costumes.
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Video
Costume Design Presentation
Watch Anna Cordingley's design presentation for the 2019 MTC production of Storm Boy and learn more about the costumes.
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Video
Building the Puppets
Watch how the team at Dead Puppet Society designed and built the puppets in MTC's production of Storm Boy.
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Video
Bringing the puppets to life
Ellen Bailey, Emily Burton and Drew Wilson are the puppeteers who give life to the Coorong’s penguins, snakes, fish and, of course, pelicans.
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Feature
Behind the Puppets
We speak to the puppetry team who are giving life to a menagerie of creatures in Storm Boy.
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Video
Storm Boy Trailer
Watch a video of the Storm Boy trailer and see moments from the production on stage.
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Q&A
Flying high
Meet MTC’s Storm Boy, Conor Lowe, who makes his professional debut playing the title character in Tom Holloway’s stage adaptation of Colin Thiele’s much-loved novel.
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Q&A
The Sounds of Storm Boy
Composer and Sound Designer Darrin Verhagen tells us about the sonic world of Storm Boy.
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Interviews
Projections in Storm Boy
Projection designer Justin Harrison explains how the stunning images of the Coorong were captured and manipulated to evoke the wild beauty of coastal South Australia in Storm Boy.
Jasper Jones
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Q&A
Interview with the Jasper Jones cast
Learn more about Jasper Jones in this interview with Guy Simon, Nicholas Denton, Taylor Ferguson and Harry Tseng.
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Feature
Gothic tropes
When Craig Silvey thought he would borrow many narrative tropes and themes from the Southern Gothic novelists he admired for his novel Jasper Jones, he was certainly on to something.
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Video
From Page to Stage
Set & Costume Designer Anna Cordingley, and MTC Scenic Art Supervisor Shane Dunn, discuss bringing the fictional town of Corrigan to life on stage.
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Feature
Craig Silvey on Writing Jasper Jones
Novelists don’t always choose their subjects; sometimes an idea will arrive unbidden and decide to stay. And there’s nothing a writer can do about it.
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Feature
Kate Mulvany on Jasper Jones
Playwright Kate Mulvany reflects on adapting Craig Silvey's novel Jasper Jones for the stage.
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Interviews
Kate Mulvany & Sam Strong on Jasper Jones
Director Sam Strong and playwright Kate Mulvany discuss the upcoming production of Jasper Jones, lovingly adapted for the stage from Craig Silvey’s best-selling novel.
Torch the Place
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Education
Torch the Place Revision
Refresh your memory of Torch the Place by Benjamin Law, and prepare for the VCE Theatre Studies examination.
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Q&A
Diana Lin on Torch the Place
There’s something really special about the authenticity of allowing migrant actors tell their own stories, says Diana Lin.
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Q&A
Max Brown on Torch the Place
Max Brown discusses the vocal idiosyncrasies of his character, the Asian Australian migrant experience and the 'size' of stage acting.
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Q&A
Charles Wu on Torch the Place
Torch the Place reminds us that it is important to listen to your parents, and that problems need time, space and understanding to solve, says Charles Wu.
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Q&A
Fiona Choi on Torch the Place
Familiar to Benjamin Law fans as Jenny (aka Mum) in The Family Law, Fiona Choi reunites with the first-time playwright to play eldest sibling (and defacto mum) in Torch the Place.
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Q&A
Michelle Lim Davidson on Torch the Place
From watching influencers online for research to the unique challenges of working on a production where the script could be changing throughout the rehearsal process, Michelle Lim Davidson takes it all in her stride.
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Q&A
Dressing Torch the Place
Costume designer Kat Chan discusses heightened naturalism, Princess Diana’s maternity dresses, wigs and more.
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Interviews
From MTC Ambassador to Associate Director
Margot Morales Tanjutco was an MTC Ambassador in 2012. She returned to the Company this year for her first professional theatre job, as Associate Director on Torch the Place.
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Q&A
The Art of Sound
Currently working on Torch the Place, composer and sound designer Clemence Williams reveals how she uses sound to transport audiences through time and place.
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Q&A
Lights, colour and fantasy
Amelia Lever-Davidson sheds light on the task of illuminating Torch the Place.
The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You
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Video
Acting | Theatre Production Processes
Learn more about what actors do in each stage of the theatre production process.
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Video
Theatre Technologies | Wall Fall Automation
Actor Izabella Yena provides behind-the-scenes insight into the falling wall in the 2019 MTC production of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Video
Rehearsal time-lapse
Watch a time-lapse of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You in the rehearsal room.
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Education
The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You on stage
See production photos from The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Feature
Designing Connor's World
Set and costume designer Romanie Harper has created a layered world for The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Q&A
The Actors Prepare
We sat down with the cast of The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You during rehearsals to hear more about their work.
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Q&A
The Sound of Anger
Composer and Sound Designer Ian Moorhead combines dubstep, Rambo and 8-bit video games in a sonic world for The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Q&A
Light and Rhythm
Lighting Designer Amelia Lever-Davidson discusses her work on The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You.
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Programme
The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You Programme
Learn more about Finegan Kruckemeyer's offbeat comedy, The Violent Outburst That Drew Me to You, part of MTC's 2019 Education program.
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Feature
Back in the rehearsal room
Actor Izabella Yena is back at MTC HQ, where she completed work experience six years ago.
Melbourne Talam
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Video
Melbourne Talam | Meet the Director & Designer
Meet Petra Kalive and Andrew Bailey, the director and designer of Rashma N. Kalsie’s world premiere production of Melbourne Talam.
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Video
Melbourne Talam | Meet the cast
Meet the cast of Melbourne Talam and delve deeper into the world of the play.
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Education
Costuming Melbourne Talam
Take a look at the costume sketches Andrew Bailey created for each of the characters in Melbourne Talam.
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Feature
Taking Melbourne Talam on the road
Karin Farrell tells us the ins and outs of taking Melbourne Talam on the road.
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Video
Meet the playwrights
Hear from playwrights Rashma N. Kalsie, Lally Katz and Joanna Murray-Smith about their new plays.
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Interviews
MTC Ambassadors | Melbourne Talam
Our 2017 MTC Ambassadors share their thoughts on Rashma N. Kalsie’s vibrant new production.
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Feature
Finding the rhythm
Learn about the evolution of Melbourne Talam from script to stage.
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Education
Recreating Flagstaff Station
Step-by-step: how MTC Scenic Artist Tansy Elso painted the set for Melbourne Talam
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Programme
Melbourne Talam
Download the programme for Melbourne Talam.
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Education
Rehearsing Melbourne Talam
Work experience student, Vinhara, provides an insight into the Melbourne Talam rehearsal process.
Shakespeare in Love
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Feature
How to make an Elizabethan ruff
The artisans who work behind the scenes on MTC shows may be out of sight but their impressive skills and talent are vital in creating the magic of theatre. Costume maker John Van Gastel gives us a glimpse of what’s involved.
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Coffee in the Lounge
Thick skin and solid friendship
Claire van der Boom and Michael Wahr take on the lead roles of William Shakespeare and Viola De Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love.
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Interactive
Set Design Discovery
Learn more about the set design for Shakespeare in Love by exploring this interactive image.
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Interviews
The Players
Cast members from Shakespeare in Love tell us about choreography, corsets and codpieces.
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Q&A
Lighting a Love Story
Lighting designer Matt Scott helps sculpt a visual language for Shakespeare in Love.
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Interviews
If Music be the Food of Love
Musical Director Andrew Kroenert plays on.
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Interviews
Swashbuckling Swordplay
Fight Director Nigel Poulton brings organised chaos to the fight scenes in Shakespeare in Love.
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Galleries
Welcome to wardrobe
Behind the 80 plus costumes that grace the Playhouse stage in Shakespeare in Love, an enormous amount of work has gone on behind the scenes at MTC HQ.
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Programme
Shakespeare in Love programme
Learn more about this boisterous romantic comedy in our production programme, which can be purchased at the theatre for $2 or downloaded for free online.
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Education
The Play's the Thing
Work experience student Katherine spent a week laughing and learning while observing rehearsals for Shakespeare in Love.
Hungry Ghosts
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Video
Hungry Ghosts on Tour
MTC's 2018 Education show Hungry Ghosts travelled over 3000km around Victoria (and into Tasmania) this year for regional audiences.
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Q&A
Meet the Hungry Ghosts design team
Working alongside director Petra Kalive, the Hungry Ghosts creative team includes Darius Kedros, Emma Valente, Eugyeene Teh and Sophie Woodward.
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Q&A
Emina Ashman stars in Hungry Ghosts
Emina Ashman explores her unconventional character in Jean Tong’s play Hungry Ghosts.
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Q&A
Jing-Xuan Chan stars in Hungry Ghosts
Jing-Xuan Chan explores her character in Jean Tong’s play Hungry Ghosts.
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Q&A
Bernard Sam stars in Hungry Ghosts
Bernard Sam discusses the joys of dissecting Jean Tong’s witty play, Hungry Ghosts.
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Education
My response to Hungry Ghosts
MTC Education asked Kaylene Tan to delve into Jean Tong’s play Hungry Ghosts.
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Education
Work Experience with Hungry Ghosts
Work experience student Jenny Le tells us about her week observing rehearsals for Hungry Ghosts.
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Programme
Hungry Ghosts
Download the programme for Hungry Ghosts.
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Feature
Jean Tong’s MTC story
Hungry Ghosts playwright Jean Tong tells us how she felt so warmly welcomed in her first professional writing gig.
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Feature
Directing Hungry Ghosts
Director Petra Kalive provides insight into the creative development for Jean Tong’s exciting new play Hungry Ghosts.
A Doll's House, Part 2
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Coffee in the Lounge
Zoe Terakes on staying present
Zoe Terakes tells us about their introduction to acting and the thrill of climbing into someone else’s skin on stage.
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Feature
Collisions by design
Set & Costume Designer Tracy Grant Lord connects the classic and contemporary in her designs for A Doll’s House, Part 2.
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Q&A
Composer and Sound Designer Chris Williams
Chris Williams discusses how composition and sound design support the emotional core of play.
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Programme
A Doll's House, Part 2
Download the programme for A Doll's House, Part 2
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Q&A
Greg Stone on playing Torvald
Greg Stone tells us what it means to own up to the words of a script.
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Q&A
Marta Dusseldorp on playing Nora
Marta Dusseldorp tells us about finding her character Nora Helmer in the nuances of Lucas Hnath’s script.
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Q&A
Deidre Rubenstein on playing Anne Marie
Deidre Rubenstein discusses how her character Anne Marie is a voice of truth in Lucas Hnath’s script.
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Q&A
Zoe Terakes on playing Emmy
Zoe Terakes discusses how their character Emmy is driven by self-protection in Lucas Hnath’s script.
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Q&A
Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti
Lighting Designer Niklas Pajanti tells us how lights are used to heighten and release moments of tension on stage.
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Feature
Where freedom sparks
Marta Dusseldorp on her love of rebellious theatre-makers, and her passion for the transience of live performance.
