Exploring memory, trauma and the hidden cost of caring, Georgina Luck’s new play, The Memory Mirror will make its world premiere at Brunswick Mechanics Institute this September.
Daniel, a paramedic, has spent his career responding to emergencies, helping strangers through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
At the wonderfully eccentric Blue Mountains Mind, Body & Spirit Festival, an unexpected encounter and a cryptic message delivered by a black cockatoo sets in motion a chain of events that forces Daniel to look beyond the immediate emergency and towards memories he has spent years trying to leave behind.
Surrounded by colleagues, strangers and characters whose own relationships with memory are not always what they appear, Daniel must determine what the message means – and whether confronting the past might be the only way forward.
Part mystery, part drama and threaded with humour, the work examines memory, trauma, ageing and caregiving, and the often-unseen emotional weight carried by people whose lives are spent caring for others.
Directed by Drew Tingwell, The Memory Mirror brings together an accomplished cast of Australian stage and screen performers including Gabriel Partington (Three Sisters), Don Bridges (Uncle Vanya, Melbourne Theatre Company 2026, Jack Irish), Margot Knight (The Dressmaker), Jim Daly (Utopia), Anthea Davis (A Room of One’s Own) and Christine Husband (Rostered On).
“The script grew out of my admiration for the carers in our society, who dedicate themselves to looking after others while experiencing some of the highest levels of trauma. At the same time, they carry extraordinary stories, filled not only with drama and heartbreak, but also humour, resilience and compassion,” said Melbourne Playwright and Producer Georgina Luck.
Developed through the Merri-bek Performing Arts Residency, following earlier development through the Gasworks Script Lab, The Memory Mirror is a tribute to the carers in our society who stand beside us in our darkest moments, often while carrying unspoken burdens of their own.
Georgina Luck is an award-winning writer, producer and founder of independent arts collective G Luck Productions. Her fiction and scripts have been recognised in national awards and published widely in Australian literary journals and anthologies. The Memory Mirror is her second full-length play.
The Memory Mirror
Brunswick Mechanics Institute, 270 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Season: 9 – 13 September 2026 (preview: 8 September)
Bookings: www.humantix.com
For more information, visit: www.gluckproductions.com for details.
Image: A black cockatoo flies over the Blue Mountains (supplied)