Mercurius

Written and directed by John Jahnke

HERE, New York City, 2001

Created in residence at Chashama

Mercurius is an alchemical fable exploring the relationship between two sisters, abandoned on a remote island in their youth, and a hermaphrodite spirit they conjure to exact revenge on the ghosts of their parents. Blending Greek Tragedy, alchemical practices and Grand Guignol, this haunting tale examines the complex and dangerous consequences of lost and irretrievable childhoods. Inspired by the writings of CG Jung, Mercurius examines the inherent risk of wish fulfillment as scientific experiment, as the resentments of the past become flesh, enabling a from of purification to take place through karmic confrontation.