Arts Centre Melbourne has announced the creation of a new 150-seat performance space, The Show Room.
“While the State Theatre undergoes refurbishment until 2027, we saw an opportunity to transform the existing State Theatre Rehearsal Room into a more intimate performance space, along with a year-round program” said Arts Centre Melbourne’s Director of Programming Stephen Armstrong.
The Show Room. Photo @ Marie-Luise Skibbe
“Without The Show Room we wouldn’t be able to present performances that have the potential to truly capture audiences in such an intimate space. The curated, site-specific program allows us to engage with the broader Victorian and international performing arts communities in completely new ways.”
The Show Room program will feature productions from independent artists and established arts institutions, including new works from theatre creators Van Badham, Gary Abrahams and Kristen Smyth and the much-anticipated return of Wang Chong 王翀. The Show Room will also host collaborations with and productions from The Australian Ballet, Arts Access Victoria and Melbourne Fringe.
The Show Room’s premiere work is Little Murmur, an international contemporary dance production from Aakash Odedra and Lewis Major. The stage adaption of the children’s book Grug is on stage from 11 – 15 September. The acclaimed Restless Dance Theatre production Private View will play from 2 – 6 October.
Restless Dance Theatre’s Private View. Photo © Matt Byrne
On stage from 16 – 26 October is a new collaboration between columnist and playwright Van Badham and director Gary Abrahams (Yentl). Developed and presented in a collaboration between Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Fringe, Werewolf is a journey into the volatile politics of modern extremism, inspired by the chilling aesthetics of old Hollywood horror.
The Australian Ballet’s Bodytorque, a collective showcase of contemporary dance works will be staged from 28 October – 3 November.
Wang Chong 王翀. Photo © Zixuan Wang
Beijing director Wang Chong 王翀 returns to Arts Centre Melbourne with Made in China 2.0 from 6 – 16 November, a solo performance that takes audiences on a journey deep inside his personal experiences as an artist and provocateur in uncertain times.
Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein is a queer reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic novel from transgender playwright and performer Kristen Smyth. Playing from 20 – 30 November, the work is a gritty exploration of Thatcher’s dystopian Britain: a chaos-ridden world of gothic proportions. The work has its debut at Edinburgh Fringe before its Australian debut at The Show Room.
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