Photos: First Look at THE BLEEDING TREE at Southwark Playhouse

A gripping exploration of women pushed to the edge; the landmark Australian play The Bleeding  Tree is coming to Southwark Playhouse Borough this summer. This moving yet darkly funny  drama follows a mother and her two daughters who must go to extremes to survive. Check out all new photos below!

Playing the family’s unflinching matriarch is RSC Associate Artist Mariah Gale (A Midsummer  Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Globe; Henry VI: Rebellion, RSC; I May Destroy You, BBC). Mariah  is a regular of the London stage who won the Ian Charleson Award for her first appearance at  Southwark Playhouse (in ’Tis Pity She’s A Whore). In the roles of her daughters are screen star Elizabeth Dulau (Andor, Disney+; All the Light We Cannot See, Netflix) as Ida, and esteemed  AACTA-nominated Australian actress Alexandra Jensen (Talk to Me, A24; The Messenger, ABC),  who makes her UK stage debut as Ada.  

The Bleeding Tree is fascinating exploration of the moral ambiguity around what we do when  pushed to the limit. Following years of abuse from the man of the house, The Bleeding Tree’s leading women have finally reached the end of their tether and shot him dead. Now they must  deal with their fluctuating feelings – from shock to relief to guilt – all whilst figuring out how to  dispose of a body. This lyrical drama will examine women’s resilience and raise questions  around a community’s responsibility to speak out against violence. 

 

Photo Credit: Lidia Crisafulli

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