Morgan Stern

by Gina Schien
directed by Goldele Rayment

Fate. Family. Madness.

Morgan Stern, from AWGIE award-winning playwright Gina Schien, explores one man’s experience of psychosis. The question is, “Which man?

Shifting between families, centuries and hemispheres, we are introduced to a mysterious character known only as The Gent, who has seemingly dropped into the world of a young man living in Sydney in the 1970’s. Fragmented stories of two families struggling with the mental illness of a young adult are contrasted against the backdrop of the infamous Bethlem Asylum and contemporary psychiatric care.

Places, people and stories crystallise and dissolve throughout the performance, and the image of a one-eyed ornamental goldfish will come back to haunt you.

Morgan Stern is a powerfully moving solo performance that will leave you with as many questions as it does answers.

A moving monologue Morgan Stern was described by critic Lisa Thatcher as: “A troubling, beautiful, uplifting ninety minutes that will leave you breathless”. Veteran actor Graeme Rhodes has been praised by The Sydney Morning Herald’s Jason Blake for his “exceptional performance” as The Gent.

In it, an Georgian gentleman slowly recovers heartbreaking memories of his daughter, whom he committed to the infamous Bethlem insane asylum. With each memory comes a growing realisation that he must make amends and try to save Morgan from the same fate as his daughter.

Part Black Mirror, part contemporary gothic drama, Morgan Stern has left audiences spellbound from Brisbane to Edinburgh and beyond.

Morgan Stern Performance History

• Blood Moon Theatre, Sydney, November 2016

• Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney, July 2017

• Edinburgh Fringe Festival, UK, August 2017

• Undercover Artist Festival, Brisbane, October 2017

Reviews

“Morgan Stern is a troubling, beautiful, uplifting ninety minutes that will leave you breathless… director Goldele Rayment and Rhodes lead us down many meandering paths inside our perceptions. The beauty and expanse of Morgan’s mind is represented with tremendous power and scope by the three creatives on display”

-Lisa Thatcher

“Morgan Stern demands a high level of concentration but does reward … Goldele Rayment brings it to life strongly and Rhodes gives a exceptional performance.”

-Jason Blake, Sydney Morning Herald

“Goldele Rayment’s manipulations of atmosphere and spacial configurations are cleverly calibrated… Graeme Rhodes delivers an astonishing performance”

-Suzy Goes See

Images by Chirssy Ianssen