Chimerica
28 Feb - 1 Apr 2017
Roslyn Packer Theatre
The Play
CLOSED
"Electrifying" The Guardian ★★★★
Sydney Theatre Company and
Colonial First State Global Asset Management present
CHIMERICA
By Lucy Kirkwood
Australian premiere
Everybody needs a hero
As tanks roll through Tiananmen Square, a young man holding shopping bags walks out to block their path. In a hotel a few hundred metres away, a young American photojournalist trains his lens on the scene and captures a piece of history.
It is an image that has come to symbolise courageous and defiant protest, and yet the name of the hero - known simply as 'Tank Man' - has remained a mystery. Twenty years later, a cryptic message is left in a Beijing newspaper that gives a clue to that hero’s identity. Who was the man in front of the tanks? What happened to him? And could he still be alive?
Inspired by one of the 20th century’s most powerful images, Chimerica tracks two decades of complex US-China relations alongside the personal stories that exist beyond the margins of history. At once intimate and geopolitical, it is a gripping thriller, a touching romance, a cracking comedy and a rich drama.
A playwright described by The Independent as “the most rewarding dramatist of her generation”, Lucy Kirkwood’s exhilarating, filmic script premiered at London’s Almeida Theatre before winning an Olivier Award for Best New Play and going on to an acclaimed West End season.
Our award-winning Artistic Director Kip Williams (All My Sons) directs a visually enthralling Australian premiere of this captivating epic. After winning Helpmann Awards in 2016 for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, Mark Leonard Winter (King Lear) features as the photojournalist at the centre of the action, together with Jason Chong (Netflix’s Marco Polo), and a magnificent ensemble cast who are joined by 20 young artists from the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
"This production is a triumph." The Australian
“As beautiful as it is engrossing… Quite simply breathtaking.” Australian Book Review
Duration 3hrs (including interval)
Content warning Strong language, violence
#STCCHIMERICA
THE MEANING OF CHIMERICA[chai-meh-ricka] The word Chimerica is a combination of the words ‘China’ and ‘America’ coined by academic historian Niall Ferguson and economist Moritz Schularick to signal the intertwined economies of those two countries. |
Pricing information
Season Ticket prices
Pick 6 or more plays to create your Season Ticket package. More info
Saturday evening A Reserve $84
Adult A Reserve $79
Concession $63
Seniors cardholder $72
Preview $61
Under 30 $61
Single Tickets
Saturday evening A Reserve $105
Saturday evening B Reserve $95
Adult A Reserve $99
Seniors cardholder A Reserve $90
Adult/Seniors cardholder B Reserve $89
Concession $79
Under 30 $77
Previews $77
Groups (10+ people) $84
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Transaction fees may apply
Season Ticket bookings (packs of 6 or more plays): no fees
Single ticket bookings: $7.50 online; $8 telephone; $0 Box Office counter
Dates & Prices
Dates
Previews 28 Feb – 3 Mar 2017
Season 6 Mar – 1 Apr 2017
Performance start times
Preview performances 7.30pm
In-season performances Wed – Sat 7.30pm; Mon & Tue 6.30pm; Wed 1pm;
Sat 1.30pm
Pricing and ticket information
2017 Season Tickets (packs of 6 - 14 plays) on sale now
A Season Ticket saves at least 20% on full price single tickets and you get many other benefits. More info.
Season ticket prices
Saturday evening A Reserve $84
Adult A Reserve $79
Concession $63
Seniors cardholder $72
Preview $61
Under 30 $61
Single tickets
Saturday evening A Reserve $105
Saturday evening B Reserve $95
Adult A Reserve $99
Seniors cardholder A Reserve $90
Adult/Seniors cardholder B Reserve $89
Concession $79
Under 30 $77
Previews $77
Groups (10+ people), excluding Saturday evening $84
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Concession, seniors and under 30 tickets
Suitable and valid identification must be provided for collection of tickets and at the venue, such as your concession or proof of age card. Alternatively, you may email a copy of your identification to [email protected]. Please quote your booking reference number.
Access requirements
For specific access requirements, please call Box Office on (02) 9250 1777 to book your seats.
Transaction fees may apply
Season Ticket bookings (packs of 6 or more plays): no fees
Single ticket bookings: $7.50 online; $8 telephone; $0 Box Office counter
Insight Events
Pre-season Briefing
Mon 20 Feb 6.15pm
Wharf 2 Theatre
FREE. RSVP here
Audi Night with the Actors
Mon 6 Mar post-show
Mon 20 Mar post-show
Matinee Club
Wed 15 Mar 12pm
Find out more about our Insight Events
Access Performances
Captioned performances
Wed 15 Mar 1pm
Fri 17 Mar 7.30pm
Audio described performance
Sat 18 Mar 1.30pm
Creatives
Director Kip Williams
Set Designer David Fleischer
Costume Designer Renée Mulder
Lighting Designer Nick Schlieper
Composer & Sound Designer THE SWEATS
With
Matthew Backer, Gabrielle Chan, Jason Chong, Tony Cogin, Geraldine Hakewill, Brent Hill, Rebecca Massey, Monica Sayers, Mark Leonard Winter, Anthony Brandon Wong, Charles Wu, Jenny Wu
Ensemble
Brianna Altmann-Bishop, Cara Bessey, Tiegan Denina, Ellis Dolan, Lincoln Elliott, Aaron Gobby, CJ Joy, Jack Keen, Jesse Layt, Olivia McLeod, Billie Miles, Kaitlin Nihill, Chaya Ocampo, Daniel Pryke, Adam Spain-Mostina, Grace Stamnas, Harrison Sweeney, Rachel Tunaley, Chemon Theys, Taylah Wright
Marketing photo James Green
Production Photographer Brett Boardman
Tank Man photo ©Stuart Franklin | Magnum Photos | Snapper Media
This listing is updated as cast and creatives are confirmed in the lead-up to the production, and if there are any changes to the team. Ensure you have the most up-to-date information about each play by opting in to our enewsletter.
Reviews
Audiences are raving about this fast-paced thriller...
“Amazing, brilliant and totally enthralling, it held the audience in its grip for the entire performance. We were all standing, whistling and cheering and the end...totally superb.” Jo-Anne via Facebook
“Incredibly powerful, gut-wrenching and thought provoking. I think it will stay with me for a long time.” @haylesnew via Twitter
“Brilliant. Complex, provoking, beautiful, funny.” @NeilVonHeupt via Twitter
“The story telling was inspirational.” Tanya via Facebook
“Absolutely Wonderful!!! Fast paced, wonderfully written, beautifully acted.” Lynne via Facebook
“Best play I have seen in years.” Catherine via Facebook
“What an absolutely fabulous play…The choreography and attention to detail was astonishing.” Vanessa via Facebook
Critics are saying...
"Electrifying." The Guardian ★★★★
"This production is a triumph." The Australian
“Ingenuity, insights, humanity and many theatrical delights.” The Sydney Morning Herald
“Operatic in scale and filmic in style… as entertaining as it is provocative.” Daily Review ★★★★ ½
“Compelling energy and dramatic dexterity.” Limelight
“As beautiful as it is engrossing… Quite simply breathtaking.” Australian Book Review ★★★★ ½
UK reviews of the play...
“A triumph of storytelling; a gripping, multilayered thriller.” Time Out London
“Serious, witty, multi-layered...Sheer theatrical boldness.” Independent, UK
“Gloriously rich, mind-expanding” The Guardian, UK
“Extraordinarily ambitious, rich and entertaining…” The Telegraph, UK
“Raises weighty issues but is also a gripping theatrical thriller that holds the audience enthralled." The Telegraph, UK
“This combination of big themes and absorbing characters, of intellectual concerns and strong plot, feels both new and urgent” Daily Telegraph, UK
"A phenomenon... Puts a whole world on the stage." The Telegraph, UK
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