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Media Release – Mara

Media Coverage:
Theatre Matters
Melbourning
Beat Magazine

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Theatre Works and Machination Theatre Ensemble proudly present

Mara
By Hanna Pyliotis
Directed by Megan Jones

This is not a fairytale. It’s a reckoning.

This April, acclaimed theatre-maker Megan Jones and Machination Theatre Ensemble bring an emotionally resonant new work to the Theatre Works stage. An inventive reimagining of the Cinderella story, told from the perspective of the stepmother, here we meet Mara; a spirited, ambitious girl desperate to escape her prescribed destiny and transcend her mother’s fate.

While marriage to a wealthy widower seems to promise a new beginning, the fantasy unravels. Families won’t blend, her husband vanishes, and she is left caring for a stepdaughter who will never love her. Exploring the emotional terrain of blended families and the complex bonds between parents and children, Mara is set in a crumbling home haunted by broken promises.

One musician and one actor bring ten characters to life in this epic and powerful production. Children, parents, lovers, and ghosts emerge in a collision of yearning, memory, music, and myth.

Selected for the 2026 VCE Theatre Studies Playlist and playing as a part of the By Theatre Works programming stream, this exciting new work invites audiences into a living storybook. Running for two weeks only at the Acland Street venue, it’s well placed to be a true highlight on the Melbourne Arts Calendar, not to be missed!

Based in St Kilda, Theatre Works has been home to bold, independent theatre for more than 40 years. They give artists the space, support, and freedom to take risks, and audiences the chance to discover powerful new Australian stories. Each year, they present dozens of productions across their three venues, from reimagined classics to brand new works, created in partnership with some of the country’s most exciting theatre makers.

Mara is playing as part of the 2026 By Theatre Works programming stream. Other By Theatre Works productions include Australian Open, Savages, Beyond The Neck, Red Sky Morning, Lazarus, Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, The Wolves, and Lord of the Flies.

Written by Hanna Pyliotis
Directed by Megan Jones
Performed by Aurora Kurth and Ania Reynolds
Music and sound design by Ania Reynolds
Original music by Hanna Pyliotis and Ania Reynolds
Lighting design by TBC
Set and costume design by TBC
Produced by Theatre Works

22 April – 2 May 2026
Tues – Sat 7:30pm, Tues – Fri 11am, Sat 2pm (25 April only)
Preview: 22 (7:30pm) and 23 April (11:00am)
Opening Night: Thursday 23 April 7:30pm
Tickets: $55 Full, $48 Concession, $40 Preview
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/mara
Enquiries: (03) 9534 3388
Venue: Theatre Works – 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
www.theatreworks.org.au

Duration: 90 minutes no interval
Age suitability: 15+
Warnings: depictions of bullying
Accessibility: Theatre Works is a wheelchair-accessible venue. A full-access guide will be available closer to the date

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High-res images for download (click on hyperlink, then right-click to download): 

Photographer: Dan Rabin
Subjects (L-R): Aurora Kurth 

Mara Landscape Image