A spellbinding tale of sibling rivalry set against a backdrop of scientific discovery, Sydney Theatre Company presents the Australian premiere of Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood in the Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House from 12 April 2019.
Alice is a scientist working towards an important new discovery. Jenny is her sister, and believes any conspiracy she reads on the internet. They couldn’t be more different. So, when tragedy forces them together, the impact has unexpected consequences.
It’s 2008 and Alice’s team of physicists at the Large Hadron Collider are searching for the Higgs Boson, stitching together the fabric of the cosmos. But at home, Alice’s family is falling apart at the seams. It’s a story of facts and feelings, of resilience and decay, of particle physics and sibling rivalry, that reaches to the edges of time and space without ever losing touch with its very human heart.
Directed by STC Resident Director Jessica Arthur, acclaimed Australian actress Jacqueline McKenzie plays the role of Alice whilst Mandy McElhinney plays her sister, Jenny. They are joined on stage by Annie Byron, Jason Chong, Louis Seguier, Angela Nica Sullen, Nikita Waldron and Charles Wu.
One of Australia’s most beloved screen and theatre actors, STC audiences most recently saw Jacqueline in Orlando and The Present in 2015, and she has worked extensively with STC over the past two decades.
Her feature film career spans Australia and the USA, with her most notable performances including films such as Angel Baby, Romper Stomper and The Water Diviner. Jacqueline has appeared in countless television shows and mini-series, and has won multiple awards for her work. Most recently, she was a lead character in ABC’s Pine Gap.
Playwright Lucy Kirkwood continues her extraordinary run of hit shows, following on from Chimerica (2017) and The Children (2018). Mosquitoes is perhaps her best yet – a perfectly focused family drama woven together with big questions about the universe and our very existence.
Director: Jessica Arthur Featuring: Annie Byron, Jason Chong, Mandy McElhinney, Jacqueline McKenzie, Louis Seguier, Angela Nica Sullen, Nikita Waldron, Charles Wu Designer: Elizabeth Gadsby Lighting Designer: Nick Schlieper Composer and Sound Designer: James Brown Assistant Director: Jennifer Rani
Mosquitoes
Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Season: 12 April – 18 May 2019
Information and Bookings: www.sydneytheatre.com.au
Image: Jacqueline McKenzie and Mandy McElhinney feature in Mosquitoes – photo by Rene Vaile