This April, acclaimed theatre-maker Megan Jones and Machination Theatre Ensemble bring an emotionally resonant new work to the Theatre Works stage. An inventive reimagining of the Cinderella story, told from the perspective of the stepmother, here you will meet Mara; a spirited, ambitious girl desperate to escape her prescribed destiny and transcend her mother’s fate.

While marriage to a wealthy widower seems to promise a new beginning, the fantasy unravels. Families won’t blend, her husband vanishes, and she is left caring for a stepdaughter who will never love her. Exploring the emotional terrain of blended families and the complex bonds between parents and children, Mara is set in a crumbling home haunted by broken promises.

One musician and one actor bring ten characters to life in this epic and powerful production. Children, parents, lovers, and ghosts emerge in a collision of yearning, memory, music, and myth.

Selected for the 2026 VCE Theatre Studies Playlist and playing as a part of the By Theatre Works programming stream, this exciting new work invites audiences into a living storybook. Running for two weeks only at the Acland Street venue, it’s well placed to be a true highlight on the Melbourne Arts Calendar, not to be missed.