Martinmas 2023 Shows
Every semester, Mermaids funds a number of shows that are put up in different venues across St Andrews. This page lists all our upcoming shows, and we invite you to follow both us and the productions on social media for more information and updates in the lead up to the performances!
Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
The Barron (at the Byre), 1 & 3 October
Waiting for Godot was a true innovation in drama and the Theatre of the Absurd’s first theatrical success. The play consists of conversations between Vladimir and Estragon, who are waiting for the arrival of the mysterious Godot, who continually sends word that he will appear but who never does. (Content warnings: discussion of suicide, sexual themes
George Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession
Buchanan Lecture Theatre, 7 & 8 October
Newly a ‘woman’ and stepping into Victorian society, Vivie has to battle with her own morality as the question of a woman’s right to bodily autonomy is abruptly placed before her. Learning of how her mother, Mrs Warren, has both exploited and been exploited in order to advance in society, Vivie must find her own way, both with her relationship with her mother and her male counterparts. (Content warning: Use of prop gun.
Ingmar Berman's Through a Glass Darkly
The Barron (at the Byre), 9 & 10 October
A play adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Oscar-winning film by Jenny Worton. The play focuses on the dynamics of a family unit at their remote summer home. Over a twenty-four hour period, all of them must confront questions of love, death, power, and sexuality; what is real, what is illusory, in the face of hereditary sickness and familial trauma. (Content warnings: Mental illness theme, language, sex, sexual assault references, incest, suicide references, strobe lighting)
Kilda Kennedy's Cyrano de Puppet
The Barron (at the Byre), 23 & 24 October
Cyrano, a genius poet made insecure by his self-perceived ugliness, loves Roxanne. Roxanne, a beauty and lover of poetry, loves the handsome yet inarticulate Christian. Christian is a puppet. Cyrano assists Christian in wooing Roxanne, so that she may be happy, and he gets to finally tell her how he really feels – even if it’s through Christian. Cyrano de Puppet is a comedic retelling of Edmond Rostand's most influential and famous play, which at its core asks "Is it better to be an ugly man, or handsome puppet?" (Content warnings: Sexual Harassment, depictions of war, death, and violence.)
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Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution
The Byre Theatre, 31 October & 1 November
Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution follows the story of Leonard Vole, a young man accused of murdering a wealthy widow. This post-war courtroom drama voices the passionate testimonies of an array of witnesses. One man pleads for his life, the jury decides his fate and we attempt to uncover what really happened on the night of October 14th. (Content Warnings: Murder, physical violence, descriptions of domestic violence, discrimination, xenophobia)
William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Buchanan Lecture Theatre, 11 & 12 November
Three mediums gather in an old house to host a séance; evoking spirits of the dead to perform for them in a profane ritual, foretelling warnings of the past and future, of a ‘Butcher and his fiend-like Queen.’ Of Macbeth. As The Witches manipulate the ghosts like marionettes, a story of ambition, revenge, and madness unfolds. A prophecy promised to Macbeth causes him and his wife to spiral into wickedness. As the Macbeths both slowly transform into monsters of their own ambition, rival forces within the Scottish court make moves to retake the throne – will they be better than what came before. (Content warnings: violence (murder), blood and injury, implied suicide)