Come you Spirits with Damien Ryan, present Antony & Cleopatra The Secret House of Death
Event description
Antony & Cleopatra: The Secret House of Death launches the forthcoming production in a one-off event in Sydney’s notorious Tatler underground venue in Darlinghurst. Immersing you in selected seductive scenes, live ritual inspired by the Initiations of Isis and interspersed with live biographical documentary-style presentations. Bringing you full magic, ritual and passion and the power of remembrance through historical context.
In a collaboration with award winning director Damien Ryan of Sport for Jove theatre company bringing a lifetime of Shakespearean expertise, storytelling and adaptation to channel the Come you Spirits magic, ritual, gravitas of performance and pulsating Kundalini energy.
This love story goes beyond time, through eternity and across dimensions. History brings us the true story of the titans of two empires – Mark Antony of Rome: the warrior torn between duty, passion and ascension and Queen Cleopatra of Egypt: a pillar of sovereignty and a Goddess standing as a portal to immortality.
Shakespeare provides the sumptuous, sensual verse in his most opulent play shattering limitations of scale and language.
Set in Egypt, performed in Tatler Sydney’s underground tomb-like intimacy, you will be immersed in this timeline deeper than you thought possible.
Marking the Leap Year (which Cleopatra herself introduced to us): Thursday 29th February, 6.30pm drinks and canapés, for 7pm start, in Tatler Sydney, 169 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst. The show finishes at 8:30pm followed by conversation, collaboration and celebration into the evening.
Take part in Passion, in Magic, in History.
Tickets are $72 each. Strictly Limited Capacity. Adults Only.
Expect an experience leaving you gasping for more.
MORE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE:
The performances and presentations by Jo, Charlie and Sontaan contain scenes with nudity, fire, Ancient Egyptian rituals, smoke from Frankincense and Myrrh, and suicide as spiritual ascension.
Vegan canapés will be served during the show and are included in the ticket price, as is Blue Lotus which will be offered as a tea elixir. This plant medicine is legal in Australia and was used in Ancient Egypt for its potent psychoactive and aphrodisiac power. In heiroglyphs it symbolises wisdom, knowledge, and the victory of the spirit over the senses. For more information on Blue Lotus please visit Healthline.
Tatler's full range of drinks will be available to purchase at the bar throughout the evening.
PAST REVIEWS FOR COME YOU SPIRITS:
“Come you Spirits will take you to a place just between the human and the ethereal, to demonstrate just how close we are through language and our connection to the natural world. Utterly indistinguishable from magic.” - Theatre Travels
"The moonlight performance was just magic. The costuming and acting were brilliant and the acoustics were extraordinary. The community can be very grateful to have such stunning cultural experiences.” - Commendation in NSW Parliament with a Community Recognition Statement by MP Tim James
"This is next-level experiential theatre. One of the best theatrical and outdoor adventure experiences you can possibly have in this or any other city." - City Hub
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shakespeare but not as you know it...The troupe had done the work for us, so all we needed to do was show up. Nourishment for the eyes, ears, nose and tongue and offered a weight off the heart and kinship with your fellow human beings.” - Arts Hub
“Minimalized cast, delivers maximized SHAKESPEARE. Highly Recommended. Magnificently performed by 4 outstanding actors.” - Sydney Arts Guide
“The performers are wonderful storytellers, utilising the energy of the audience and environment to provide a connection to language and the powerful soundscape is designed to be a whole-body experience. I found the performances to be spiritual and engaging. I was impressed with the passion and energy of the performances and completely mesmerised by the experience.”- Stage Whispers
"Come You Spirits are a theatre company with a difference. Not only do they offer strong, sharp performances of Shakespeare’s works (in well-paced productions), but they also engage uniquely with the space around them, and offer audiences an experience designed to enhance their connection to nature and wellbeing. They are making innovative steps in ecological or environmental theatre, and their site-specific work is spectacular. They are also generous practitioners who were much valued participants at our recent ‘Ecological Shakespeare in Performance’ conference at James Cook University.” - Dr Claire Hansen, Lecturer in English at the Australian National University
"Come You Spirits put the rhythms of Shakespeare's language in tune with the frequencies of nature and the elements, breathing new life into words and characters with which we have become too familiar. Enthralled by these performers in a production pared back to bare essentials, I found myself finding Shakespeare made new again as if by alchemy.” - Professor Laurie Johnson, QLD university, President, Australian and New Zealand Shakespeare Association
MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY:
The acclaimed company style amplifies the magic contained in Shakespeare's plays and celebrates the wonders and mysteries of the natural world reminding us of our own magic. We draw on Ancient Wisdom from around the globe to support the storytelling and to connect the audience.
The pace is fast, colourful, bursting with energy and physically dynamic with the story told in 1.5 hours by the troupe of 4 actors.
The soundscape used in all the shows has been originally composed by Brandon Read and is attuned to the natural frequencies of the body and of nature and is supported by a selection of Indian, Tibetan and African sound healing instruments played live.
The four professional actors in the troupe are Charles Mayer, Jo Bloom, Sontaan Hopson and Ciarán O'Riordan and each hold a Working With Children Check and have many years experience working with children to bring out their very best.
MORE ABOUT DAMIEN RYAN:
Damien is Managing Director and Artistic Director of Sport for Jove Theatre, now in its twelfth year, where he has directed more than 30 productions, written and developed three new works and adapted over a dozen plays. The company has a comprehensive Education Program developed by Ryan and works with tens of thousands of Australian students annually at secondary and tertiary levels. He has worked extensively with Shakespeare, performing in or directing over 70 productions in Australia and overseas, and has worked as actor, director and writer across Australia’s major companies including STC, MTC, Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir, Sydney Festival, Canberra Theatre Centre, Brisbane Festival, Queensland Theatre and in the Independent sector in Sydney. Recent directing credits include: the feature film Venus & Adonis (SFJ), Romeo & Juliet, The Crucible (SFJ), The Father (STC/MTC), Hamlet, Henry V, Henry IV Parts 1&2 (with John Bell), Romeo and Juliet (Bell Shakespeare), Rose Riot, Merchant of Venice, Antigone, Antony and Cleopatra, The River at the End of the Road, Cyrano de Bergerac, No End of Blame, Othello, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, Away, The Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth, Loves Labour’s Lost, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Crucible, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night, The Libertine (SFJ); Look Back in Anger (Old Fitz with Lizzie Schebesta). Acting credits include Venus & Adonis, Othello, Romeo and Juliet (SFJ), Life of Galileo, Twelfth Night, Nora (Belvoir); As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard 3, Comedy of Errors, Hamlet (Bell Shakespeare); Crime and Punishment, Under Milk Wood (SAT); Mother Courage, Isolde and Tristan, Hamlet, King Lear (Harlos). He has two award-winning play adaptations (Antigone and Cyrano de Bergerac) published with Currency Press and over a dozen Sydney Theatre, Green Room, Timeout and Glug awards as director and actor. He is a proud member of MEAA.