Midsummer Mischief. Timberlake Wertenbaker

The Midsummer Mischief festival was produced at The Other Place at the Courtyard in summer 2014. The Ant and the Cicada: A mysterious investor has set his sights on a prime piece of Greek real estate.Owned by two sisters whose lives and beliefs are at odds, and with debts rising all the time, the property’s future is uncertain. In a Greek tragedy, everybody loses. Through the struggle between two very different sisters for control of their family home, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s new play explores why we are willing to let the home of art and democracy crumble as the rest of Europe looks on. Revolt. She said. Revolt again. You are expected to behave… Use the right words Act appropriately Don’t break the rules Just behave. This play is not well behaved. It examines the language, behaviour and forces that shape women in the 21st century and asks what’s stopping us from doing something truly radical to change them. I Can Hear You: Tommy is dead. It’s always tragic when they die young. People have posted loads of nice stuff on his Facebook page. His sister Ruth has returned for the funeral and wants to get it just right. Proper cutlery and a good spread. The send-off he deserved, and certainly better than they managed when mum died. The following Sunday Ruth’s plans to leave again are interrupted as the doorbell rings and in walks someone very unexpected. This naturalistic supernatural play examines what the possibilities are for the women in Tommy’s family, and questions if it’s as easy for everyone to reveal what it is they want. This is Not an Exit: One day Nora decides she can’t have it all: where would she put it? Desperate to fight but not knowing how or against what, she attempts to navigate the difficult terrain of womanhood; but certain others have different ideas… This new play is a funny and ferocious drama about the absurdity at the heart of modern womanhood, and what really stands in the way of fulfilment.