Things will look a little different for Fyshwick-based Mill Theatre this year, with show announcements being drip-fed.

The theatre is taking a moment to “slow down” in response to the challenging financial times.

ACT ONE consists of three shows: an Australian murder mystery based on a true story, a captivating Brontë sisters’ parody, and a provocative story of the company at the heart of the global financial crisis.

Mill Theatre producer Lexi Sekuless said the best way people could help the theatre to survive was to leave the house and come to a show, rather than watch something on Netflix at home.

“When you watch something (at the theatre), it’s just down the road, you’re going to feel a little bit more alive because you’re invariably going to see a part of yourself (in the characters),” she said.

Sekuless said that looking forward to the year ahead, she was brainstorming new ideas such as a bite-sized festival showcasing shorter plays. Another idea was partnering writers with directors or designers.

“What’s going through my mind is, do I pull back on just the theatre shows and program and do things that are a little bit different?” she said.

The first show running at Mill Theatre this year is The Chalk Pit, based on an Australian true-crime story.

It centres around Thomas John Ley (1880-1947) who was a politician, lawyer, and ultimately, a murderer.

He was born in England but emigrated to Sydney as a child. Ley was seen as a controversial and ambitious figure. He served in various political roles, but his reputation was tarnished through shady business ventures and mysterious deaths surrounding his associates.

Rhys Hekimian, who plays Ley in the production said the script was a passion project of Canberra playwright Peter Wilkins.

“Peter has a very strong long-standing relationship with the National Library of Australia and the archives,” Hekimian said.

“He’s been running the Come Alive Festival in Canberra (which involves secondary students in the ACT) for more than a decade.

“And he’s an advocate for Australians telling our story.”

While a production of The Chalk Pit ran at Canberra Theatre Centre in 2013, Hekimian said Mill Theatre’s version was a new adaptation of the story.

Hekimian said being a history nerd, he enjoyed digging into the time period of the play.

“I asked myself the question of what does he want to achieve and what is the text in the storytelling? He sees this new land for opportunity – he likes to break the rules and push the boundaries.”

Hekimian said he jumped at the opportunity to play Mr Ley because he was excited to play a real person.

“You don’t often get to be a real person who existed in such a turbulent time before Canberra was properly cemented,” he said.

The Chalk Pit will run at Mill Theatre from 22 January to 1 February.

What’s next:

The Moors by Jen Silverman directed by Joel Horwood, which will run from March to April: inspired by the Brontë sisters and set against the desolate, windswept moors of England, The Moors delves into the lives of two sisters—one consumed by despair, the other entrenched in misery—living with their distant, brooding brother, a scullery maid, and a massive mastiff in a gloomy, decaying mansion.

Enron by Lucy Prebble, which will run across July and August, takes you inside the most infamous corporate scandal in history.

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