DARKNESS at The Library Newtown Tickets
About DARKNESS at The Library Newtown
The past haunts the present, and the present is a kaleidoscope of infinite possibilities.
Set in the near future of wild storms and oppressive social controls, Darkness transports audiences into overlapping worlds of mystery, transformation, fantasy and wonder. A site-responsive theatrical experience like no other; rich and seductive, gothic and resonant.
Amid thunder and lightning, five deeply-curious and combative friends defy orders to take refuge in an abandoned house, now an eerie mansion of lost things. At its centre is the infamous poet Byron who, confronted by nature’s wrath, turmoil and plague, is caught in a tug of war of life and death.
Inspired by an extraordinary gathering in 1816, Darkness is created by artists Andrew Bovell, Zoey Dawson, Dino Dimitriadis, Dan Gioannoni and Megan Wilding. It comes alive with potent and entertaining stories as the cohorts trade brilliant tales, conjure spirits and look to the past to contemplate the future. It is a colliding landscape of rich imagery, startling transformation, flashbacks and forebodings.
Both intimate and epic, the adventurous production explores themes of savage nature, hunger for connection, life, death and the desire to be reborn and renewed. Dare to look into the future.
Experience Darkness
Run time
1hr 40mins (no interval) - Lock out applies. Late comers will not be permitted to enter the performance once it has begun.
Categories
Age
Recommended Age: 16yrs+
Start date
20th January, 2023
Venue
The Library - 5 Eliza Street, Newtown
Directions
THE LIBRARY An abandoned house has become a refuge of sorts. In this space, a collection of treasures remember a lost world, perhaps a simpler time, when nature seemed more in balance and even the four seasons offered their own pleasures and possibilities. As the world and weather rages outside, this forgotten place comes alive with curiosity and delight, a library of what the world once was, and what it could be.
GETTING TO THE THEATRE
BY TRAIN The Library is accessible via the T2 Inner West & Leppington Line, Newtown Station. It is a 5 minute trip from Central Station and a 260m walk to the Library.
BY BUS The Library is accessible by the following bus routes, stopping at Newtown Station: 352, 355, 370, 422, 423, 426, 428, 430, and night service busses: N10, N30 and N40
BY CAR Limited on-street parking is available within the local neighbourhood of the Library. Please check parking restrictions before leaving your car.
Secure Parking – Dendy Newtown Car Park. Open 24 hours. 250m walk to the Library.
More information about DARKNESS at The Library Newtown
In 1815, one of the largest volcanic explosions took place at Indonesia’s Mount Tambora, causing an unimaginable ripple effect around the world. As a result, 1816 was known as “the year without a summer”.
In 1816, a group of artists gathered one fateful night in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the state of the tumultuous world in which they found themselves living. You might recognise those artists: Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron and John Polidori. In fact, Mary Shelley conceived the idea for Frankenstein at that very gathering.
Whilst DARKNESS is heavily inspired by that fateful weekend, this story takes place in the future. The story follows five friends facing apocalyptic weather who decide to take refuge in an abandoned house. They trade brilliant tales, conjure spirits and look to the past to contemplate the future.
An eerily resonant piece in 2023, DARKNESS invites you to take refuge into overlapping worlds, ask bold questions of our times, and question what it means to be human. Get DARKNESS tickets in Sydney on TodayTix.
What to Watch For
- DARKNESS was created collectively by artists Andrew Bovell, Zoey Dawson, Dino Dimitriadis, Dan Gioannoni and Megan Wilding
- This is a site-responsive theatrical experience. you will enter the world of the play as soon as you step foot in the theatre (hint: look out for the very special bar set-up!)
- The play takes place in the historic Newtown School of Arts building, which director Dino Dimitriadis explains “allows us to respond to a unique site, a space where the past, present and future can collide in limitless possibility."
- You might recognise one of the key writers of DARKNESS, Andrew Bovell, who wrote the multi award-winning 2008 play, When the Rain Stops Falling which is still widely performed to this day.
CAST
Mary: Caroline L. George
Percy: Jerome Meyer
Claire: Imogen Sage
Byron: Alec Snow
Polidori: Zoran Jevtic
Standby: Drew Wilson
Created by: Andrew Bovell, Zoey Dawson, Dino Dimitriadis, Dan Giovannoni and Megan Wilding
Written by: Zoey Dawson, Dan Giovannoni and Megan Wilding
Producers: Rodney Rigby, Sharon Berkefeld, Neil Croker, Alexander Family Trust, Vic Barbeler, The Eliza St Syndicate, Victoria Jackson, Legal Minds Theatricals, Shamrock One
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