Mercury is a new play about astronauts, cookie dough ice cream, and the woods. About peer pressure and mental health. About what happens when you think your friend might have been murdered.
Era struggles to make sense of an awful event, and Oscar seems to want anything but to be helpful. Both just want to run away. But events like these do not leave easily, and if you’re given the chance to make a perfect escape, at what is the cost?
Mercury originated in workshops conducted with community mental health volunteers. In a time when it is estimated 44% of people in Ireland will have direct experience with mental health issues (either themselves or close family/friends), we asked what people who consistently volunteer in the area of mental health support can teach to us. Their words, judgements, and experiences form the basis of this play.
The New Theatre supports New Writing with the assistance of Dublin UNESCO City of Literature & The Arts Council Ireland.
