THE ALCHEMIST by Ben Jonson (Adapted by Holger Syme)

I directed Ben Jonson's classic 17th century satire with a twist. Inside the house, it's the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Outside the house, it's steampunk Victorian England during the smallpox epidemic, where people are trying every crackpot invention they can to thrive in horrible circumstances.

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The world of The Alchemist is a dangerous one, where the con artist triumvirate inside could be caught and persecuted at any moment. I upped the danger in my production, creating a vile world of disease outside that the poor are desperate to seek refuge from. Inside, the house was an oddly symmetrical Wes Anderson uncanny sanctuary, where knocks from the outside shook the foundations of the floor.

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I was interested in exploring class dynamics during the pandemic, especially considering who comes out on top in the end. Sometimes when we eat the rich, they eat us instead.

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The Alchemist by Ben Jonson

Adapted by Holger Syme

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Produced by Theatre Erindale for their 2025/2026 season

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November 20-29 2025

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Directed by Aaron Jan

Staged Managed by Kasie Rayner

Set Design by Leslie Wright

Costume Design by Michelle Vanderheyden

Lighting Design by Magi Oman

Sound Design by Joe Taylor

Fight and Intimacy Choreography by Siobhan Richadson

Movement Coaching by Melinda Little

Vocal Coaching by Meredith Scott

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With: Kaitlyn Chalmers-Rizzato, Emma Scoble, Emma Benabdallah, Anya Reynolds-Swaine, Hasti Asarizadeh, Lauren Cattel, Shunsho Ando Heng, Jaden Jackson,  Nohely Cermeno Meireles, Laura Dumitrache and Gareth Roberts 

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Photos by Clarc Manglicmot

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For Tickets: https://www.showpass.com/the-alchemist/

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