THE MARES

$5.40 – $15.00

A RED DOOR PUBLICATION

“The moon is bright.
The tide is low.
Go.
Bring back daughters.
Restore our army.”

Somewhere in time, an island of women warriors and their brave mares defend their land as two opposing armies of men approach - many years into a long, brutal war.

Meanwhile, across time and space, a horse trainer tries to get her prize filly to mate. But she has to rely on old, barbaric methods in order to create new life…and perhaps even save her own.

As the gender-armies meet, fight, exalt, succumb and survive on the island, the visceral, blood-soaked biosphere of the Amazon warrior women of Greek mythology storm towards us through time. Blood spills in the modern stable. Past and present gallop together as historical myth gives rise to modern reality, and we are made to question the very notion of gender, of revolution, of power, of sex, of loyalty, of love…

The Mares received an astonishing response from audiences and press when it played in Tasmania for the Ten Days on the Island festival in 2019. There was an outpouring of conversation that resonated across the island - fury, grief, humanity, camaraderie and, most importantly, hope.

Written in response to the current climate of gender politics, Kate Mulvany’s physical, prescient and poetic new work is wrought with grief and yet brimming with wry humour. It is a play for our times, exploring themes of power – physical, sexual and psychological – and weaving parallel narratives as it moves seamlessly through time, style and gender, galloping towards an unexpected yet inevitable climax.

Please note: contains strong language

Commissioned by Tasmanian Theatre Company. Produced by Ten Days on the Island with the generous support of the Seaborn, Broughton and Walford Foundation.

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