New work by Maxine Mellor comes to Brisbane Powerhouse
Multi-award-winning playwright Maxine Mellor returns to Brisbane’s main stage this May with Playlab Theatre’s latest production ‘Horizon’.
‘Horizon’ features Sam Foster (Viral, Undertow) as Cole, a proud Ford Falcon owner, and Ngoc Phan (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Village) as Sky, a young woman navigating the unspoken elements of corporate life. This product is set to take audiences on a wild journey across the country, and deep into the secrets and lies that Cole and Sky tell each other and themselves.
Mellor is an award-winning and critically acclaimed playwright of over twenty works. Her influence has spanned all over Australia with many of her plays being published with both Playlab and Australian Plays. ‘Horizon’ is fresh of the Mellor printing press and Brisbane is being granted the first look at this new work which hits hard and hits home.
Playlab Theatre’s Artistic Director Ian Lawson said, “I wanted to commission a work that spoke about aspiration… our society’s aspiration. What type of country does Australia want to be? We seem to be at a crossroads, burdened by our past, but also fearful about our future… this is fertile dramatic territory.”
This creative environment spurred Lawson and Mellor to discover a narrative that spoke to the current social and political environment of Australia.
Playwright Maxine Mellor explains, “We first started talking about this piece in 2018, and then shaped it through 2019. We were inspired by the big juicy topics of the world prepandemic: left versus right politics; national identity; the environment; the #metoo movement; relationships between men and women; and the questions around redressing crimes of the past. Uncannily, even after postponing the production in 2020, the play’s themes have only gotten more relevant!”
“This is a play for all Australians. With two main characters in their 30s, there’s an obvious appeal to that demographic and younger – those who are questioning what country they’ll be inheriting”.
Actor Sam Foster when discussing the characters said, “I think the characters in this play are both very symbolic and represent much bigger issues facing Australia and society as a whole.”
“My hope for Cole is that people will be able to see him as a three-dimensional character in the context of the play, while at the same time reflect on what he ‘represents’ in our society”.
Actor Ngoc Phan adds, “My character Sky is a beautifully complex character that struggles with being the person she thinks she is. She represents a larger ideal for this country – what would Australia be if we had the courage to release the systems and belief structures that keep us in a toxic past?”
“Transformation of self and society is hard but necessary, and you must never waiver from it; otherwise you become complicit in what is destructive and will never get to see what’s on the other side,” said Phan.
‘Horizon’ plays at the Brisbane Powerhouse from Wednesday, 19 May 2021 – Saturday, 29 May 2021. Tickets are available from Playlab Theatre website
Press release provided by Playlab Theatre
