Melbourne Theatre Company Artistic Director Simon Phillips last night announced MTC’s Season 2008, 11 plays and a special studio presentation to Feed Your Soul.“A mere glance through this season will reveal a more-than usually mouth-watering theatrical smorgasbord,” says Simon, now entering his ninth season as Artistic Director of Australia’s longest established professional theatre company.
“There’s pure joy and political enquiry. There’s delicious hypocrisy and dazzling integrity. Above all, there are the actors – those marvelous magicians and soothsayers – to counsel you, entertain you, challenge and seduce you, to hold a mirror up to you or your most irritating neighbour.”
Just some of the actors set to tread the MTC boards in 2008 include John Adam, Alison Bell, Peter Carroll, Caroline Craig, Essie Davis, Guy Edmonds, Daniel Frederiksen, Marcus Graham, Kim Gyngell, Bert Labonte, Garry McDonald, Marshall Napier, Caroline O’Connor, Christen O’Leary, Genevieve Picot, Grant Piro, Pamela Rabe, Greg Stone, Thomas Wright, Dan Wyllie, William Zappa, Matt Zeremes, and Julia Zemiro.
“We also have a really thrilling collection of new works by established masters and younger Turks,” Simon continues.
“Patrick Marber swashes his buckle while Tom Stoppard flexes his paradoxes, Joanna Murray-Smith’s lyrical laughter joins David Williamson’s satirical chuckle and Tim Conigrave aches autobiographically while Patrick White snipes poetically. Young American writer John Kolvenbach sings of the healing powers of love while Tennessee Williams eloquently tears people apart.”
This is an exciting time for MTC. Earlier this month Simon also launched mtc@home, a $5 million capital fundraising campaign for the Company’s two new Southbank homes: MTC HQ (creative headquarters at 252 Sturt Street to which the Company will move in mid-2008) and the MTC Theatre (currently under construction at the corner of Southbank Boulevard & Dodds Street and due to open in June 2009).
2008 Tickets: Seven-to-11 play subscription packages are on sale from Thursday 27 September 2007. Full price packages start from $317 (youth and concession prices also available). To book visit www.mtcsubscribe.com.au .
Single tickets for individual productions will be available from Monday 3 December 2007 (for Don Juan In Soho and The Season At Sarsaparilla), 28 January 2008 (Rock ‘N’ Roll, Love Song and Holding The Man), 10 March (The 39 Steps), and 7 April (all remaining Season 2008 productions) at Ticketmaster outlets, the Arts Centre Box Office or on 1300 136 166.
See www.mtc.com.au for further details
