PREVIEWS: GOD by Ferdinand von Schirach

What's a preview performance? A preview is a full run of the show with costumes, running from beginning to end. If everything is going well, the preview will not be interrupted but the Director or Stage Manager may stop the show. Previews are an essential part of the production process and they are under-utilised in Australia. It is not the same as watching a rehearsal but you might notice a few creaks or bumps and this is reflected in the reduced ticket price.

The opening night of this show is Wednesday 3 December and you can book tickets for those shows here.

The Play

Enter the council, hear the experts, make your judgement. Rachel Gärtner has requested a dose of pentobarbital - a drug used overseas to peacefully end life. The legal courts have ruled she has the right to choose, but the ethical question remains: should a doctor assist her? The decision is in the audience’s hands.

After the sell-out success of Terror in 2024, The Mill now brings back Ferdinand von Schirach with GOD - a play of particular relevance as the ACT introduces voluntary assisted dying this November. Set inside Germany’s Ethics Council, the audience is thrust into a moral showdown.

Blending courtroom drama with razor-sharp philosophy, GOD puts the toughest of questions centre stage: How far does freedom go? What role should the law, or medicine, play in our most personal choices? Like Terror, the audience must decide the outcome, voting at the end of each performance.

Provocative, gripping, and unflinchingly human, GOD is more than theatre, it’s an edge-of-your-seat reckoning with power, choice, and the values that shape our world.

Duration: 120 minutes approximately with an intermission

Audience suitability: Teens and above, lawyers, doctors, lovers of theatre and questioning ethics, philosophy and morality.

Please note this show has strobe effect lighting and some loud sounds. Please check with the team for full details so we can tell you exactly what this show is like! hello@milltheatreatdairyroad.com

CREATIVES & COMPANY

Cast

Rachel Gärtner: Heidi Silberman

Ms Biegler: Alana Denham Preston

Dr Keller: Maxine Beaumont

Dr Sperling: Timmy Sekuless

Bishop Thiel: Richard Manning

Professor Litten: Helen McFarlane

Chair: Jay James Moody

Council Associate: Sarah Hartley

Contingency and understudy for Dr Keller: Chipz Jin (playing Keller 230pm & 730pm 13 December)

Production Team

Writer: Ferdinand von Schirach

Translator: David Tushingham

Director and Designer: Lexi Sekuless

Sound Designer: Damian Ashcroft

Costume Designer: Annette Sharpe

Shadow Costume Designer: Nicola Vavasour

Lighting Designer: Andrew Snell

Scenic Painter: Letitia Stewart

Set Builders: Revive Canberra

Production Stage Manager: Bea Grant

Deputy Stage Manager: Paige MacDonald

Assistant Director: Eli Narev

Photographer: Daniel Abroguena

Producer: Lexi Sekuless Productions

Principal Sponsor: Willard Public Affairs

By Arrangement with International Performing Rights Ltd

TICKETS

All tickets are $35 inclusive of GST but exclusive of Humanitix booking fees. Tickets are fully transferable up to one day before the event only. No refunds are available.

Tickets are for entry only and are available online until one hour before the show. From that point, box office tickets in person are available for purchase.

Also available is a special PREVIEW + MAIN SHOW Ticket for $70 inclusive of GST but exclusive of Humanitix booking fees. Watching a preview is like being let in backstage and seeing the very end of rehearsals. You become part of the process! If you would like to see a preview and then return to watch the show in its final and fully polished form then please enjoy this special double ticket price of $70 for two tickets. For this price you get to see the show twice. Once this ticket is booked we will contact you to ensure we can secure the right dates for you to attend the show.

SEATING & ACCESS

All tickets are general admission and no seats are reserved so the earlier you arrive, the better position you will have. If you have any access needs and require reserved seating you must email us before the show please hello@milltheatreatdairyroad.com
Seating is in an L-shape to create a dynamic and intimate playing space.
The venue is fully accessible for wheelchairs with a ramp from the P3 parking spot and same level access from entry into building 3.3 into the theatre all the way to the accessible seating positions inside the Mill. We have two wheelchair seating positions both with very different views. Please contact us at hello@milltheatreatdairyroad.com so we can talk through the options, including adding companion card tickets. One option is on the short side, the other option is on the long side. All accessible bookings will be reserved.
Every seat in the house has a great view, and a different view. Patrons walk through the set to find your seats, adding to the intimacy of the space. This means, late arrivals or patrons who leave the theatre before intermission or the end will NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE THEATRE.

ARRIVAL & PROTOCOLS

ENTERING

Please head to the Box Office on arrival. You really must do this please. If you have already purchased a ticket, the Front of House team checks off the name of every booked attendee. Please do not try to walk directly into the theatre.
If you haven’t purchased a ticket, you can get one onsite an hour before show time. However, it is a very small theatre and we have started selling out and we do not hold any seats.
The doors open approximately 15 minutes before show time. The Front of House team will let you know when you can enter.

LOCK OUT

Due to the unique layout of the venue, the audience walks through the stage to take their seats. This means we cannot accommodate anyone slipping in late for the beginning of the show or for the return after intermission. This also means, if you need to leave during the show, we cannot allow you back in. If patrons are rude or resistant about this fact then it makes for both an unsafe and unpleasant time for everyone. Please think about this before you book and before you arrive.
The Front of House team rings a bell and counts the audience to ensure you won’t miss out but please don’t tempt fate otherwise you will be locked out and we cannot let you in. We even call any audience who might be running late to make sure you won’t miss the show!

CAST AND CREW

We have a COVID-contingency cast member. This process means that should any cast or crew be unwell, our contingency cast will step in to ensure the safest environment for the company and audience. The Front of House team will ensure audiences are alerted to any changes before each show.

LOCATION

The Mill Theatre is in Building 3.3, the Screencraft and KeepCo building which is a short walk from Capital Brewing. There are two easy ways to approach the Theatre:

PARK in P3 at the back of the precinct. From there you will see building 3.3 which has a large Screencraft sign. The public entrance is just up from that sign (not underneath it!). Once inside, walk about 5 metres and the theatre is to the right, next to Mojo Guitars.

WALK from Capital Brewing or the Less sculpture into the KeepCo building, pass Ramen Daddy and at the end of the corridor we are on the left.

PARKING

All parking in the precinct is free with several accessible parking spots in all the parking locations. The best spot to park is P3 at the back of the precinct. If you park elsewhere please be warned that signage and way-finding around the precinct is extremely difficult. Arrive in plenty of time to possibly get lost, possibly be in a bad mood, and remedy that with a drink at our bar before enjoying a smashing show!

REFUNDS

Under what circumstances will you accept refunds?

When the event is postponed/cancelled you will receive a refund

Should we expect a credit or transfer instead of a refund?

Yes, transferring your ticket to another date or crediting your ticket to another show is allowed at any time. Please email hello@milltheatreatdairyroad.com to arrange this.

Contact the host of PREVIEWS GOD - November 2025 - Mill Theatre at Dairy Road