SHOWS

with

Josephine Mayer as Athena

David Halgren as Jaeger

and

Charles Mayer as Dyer

Bradley's Head Amphitheatre31st October 6.00pm

After its premiere at Tribe Ascension Festival in May, we play next in the open air in St David's Park, Hobart, Tasmania; beginning in the dark, and performing into first light, after the longest night of the year, before Dark Mofo's concluding sunrise swim. HOBART Monday 22nd June 2026. 6.00am.

Then it's on Sydney Harbour at Bradley's Head Amphitheatre over sunset on Hallowe'en. SYDNEY Saturday 31st October 2026. 6.00pm.

2027 Sees Alchemy on tour with Come you Spirits to several ancient ritual sites in Wales, Scotland and England, culminating at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

WHAT IS IT?

A three-hander 1.5 hour narrative made out of Shakespeare's most mystical words — torn by Jo Mayer from their places across the cannon, stripped of their plots, and woven by into a journey from despair to love. It follows the ‘alchemical’ plotline uniquely common across Shakespeare's plays, of the purification of the fallen human soul through trials of inner harmonising of opposing forces in preparation for uniting with divine spirit.

Alchemy is a visceral, ceremonial piece of theatre in which three figures move through the darkness of the human condition toward something luminous. DYER is a man crushed by grief, addiction, fear and self-destruction. JAEGER is his volatile companion — ruled by lust, rage and the seduction of oblivion. ATHENA is an ethereal winged being who descends into their world: part goddess, part spirit guide, part mirror held up to the soul.

LANGUAGE

Together, they speak only in Shakespeare — and yet this is no anthology. Every line has been alchemised into something new: a single living text that moves through grief, jealousy, addiction, lust, desire, surrender and finally, love. The language of the world's greatest writer, harnessed to ask the oldest question: can a broken soul make the leap?

MOOD

Dark, sensual and deeply ceremonial, Alchemy inhabits a world of smoke and ash — hooded figures, harlequin shadows and the divine feminine ascending through a liminal dreamscape where the subconscious and the waking world blur into one, and the line between reality and imagination dissolves entirely — where healing sound frequencies move through the space, breathwork is woven into the action, and the audience is never merely watching. They are inside the alchemy itself.

From the company that critics call "utterly indistinguishable from magic" — this new work is Shakespeare as ritual, as medicine, as transformation.

with

Charles Mayer as Macbeth

Josephine Mayer as Lady Macbeth & Second Witch

David Halgren as Banquo

Ciarán O'Riordan as MacDuff

Willa King as First Witch

Ella Havelka as Third Witch

with

Lighting Design and Sound by Adam Applebaum

Design by Art Director Letitia Hodgkinson

Following the 2025 season of sold-out performances, our ★★★★★ production hailed as "THE Macbeth for our times: raw, relentless, and deeply human" (Sydney Arts Guide) returns in 2026 to ignite audiences once again.

This powerful adaptation dives into the heart of Shakespeare’s most haunting work, reminding us that, even in the darkest moments, we always have a choice. Themes of ambition v destiny, power v paranoia, love v duty, and the duality of the human spirit crash together in a story that challenges us to confront our shadows and seek redemption.

This Macbeth distills the play to its essences, told through the central characters — Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, Macduff, and The Witches. Audiences are immersed in Shakespeare’s language, dramatic tension, and ethical questions in a way that sparks analysis, discussion, and empathy. A "Captivating" (SMH) element of our production is Wiradjuri dancer Ella Havelka (The Australian Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre) as the Second Witch. As a passionate advocate for First Nations storytelling through dance, Ella brings a unique and powerful energy to the stage, weaving ancient wisdom with contemporary artistry, expanding the theme of "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

As Lyn Belvedere for Sydney Arts Guide says, “This production is a triumph for the ages, THE MACBETH, that is psychologically penetrating, and theatrically bold. With powerhouse performances, innovative staging, and relentless emotional intensity, this is Shakespeare at its most vital.” 

with

Ray Chong Nee as Othello

Charles Mayer as Iago

Jo Mayer as Emilia

David Halgren as Cassio

and

Ella Havelka as Bianca

with

Lighting Design by Adam Applebaum

Costume Design by Jo Mayer

Sound Design by Charles Mayer

3 October The Settlers Arms, St Albans

11 - 14 November Concourse Chatswood

18 - 21 November Darling Quarter Theatre

We are proud to unveil a brand new production of Othello, starring new troupe member Ray Chong Nee (Sport for Jove, Bell, STC), set in the transformative landscape of early colonial Australia. This adaptation reframes Shakespeare’s most searing tragedy within a world of first encounters, shifting power, and cultural collision, where love and jealousy unfold against the backdrop of devastating change.

The heart of the story sees the man Othello navigating leadership, trust, prejudice, and betrayal — whose deception and downfall echo the power struggles of the young colony. The redcoats' rivalries in camp are surrounded by timeless country where the hope of harmony weaves through the story, a vision of coexistence and the beauty of learning from ancient perspectives.

Audiences are invited to consider how Shakespeare’s exploration of race, loyalty, and justice connects with Australia’s history, and how theatre can challenge us to reckon with the fractures that still shape our society.

Performed with the raw intensity of a six-character ensemble, this new adaptation immerses audiences in Shakespeare’s language while opening pathways for deep discussion around influence, violence and human frailty.

This is more than a retelling of a classic play — it is a transformative theatrical experience that is uniquely Australian, urgent, and profoundly human.

CRITIC'S REVIEW

☆☆☆☆☆

“This production is a triumph for the ages, THE Macbeth, that is psychologically penetrating, and theatrically bold. With powerhouse performances, innovative staging, and relentless emotional intensity, this is Shakespeare at its most vital.”

Lyn Belvedere, Sydney Arts Guide