THEATRE WORKS AND FAIRBAIRN + WILD PRODUCTIONS PRESENT
Caesar | Caesar
BY CHRISTOPHER BRYANT, HEATHER FAIRBAIRN AND KATE WILD
11-28 NOVEMBER | BOTH VENUES
BY CHRISTOPHER BRYANT, HEATHER FAIRBAIRN AND KATE WILD
St Kilda transforms into a fractured republic on the brink of collapse in CAESAR | CAESAR, a radical reimagining of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Told from competing perspectives, and unfolding simultaneously across two iconic venues, this groundbreaking theatrical event places audiences at the centre of a society tearing itself apart. As action is live-streamed between Theatre Works Main Space and the Explosives Factory, audiences at both venues witness the same events as two very different stories.
You choose. Will you stand beside Brutus as he plots to unseat a tyrant within the Explosive Factory’s high-stakes television studio, where image is everything and truth is negotiable? Will you join Portia at Theatre Works’ Main Space, burning with purpose, yet powerless to act as the world fractures around us? Or, why not see both sides of the story: book a double ticket and piece together the truth behind the media spin.
Over a three-week season, from 11 – 28 November 2026, award-winning theatre-makers Christopher Bryant (Theatre Works’ The Other Place), Heather Fairbairn (Victorian Opera’s Katya Kabanova) and Kate Wild (fortyfivedownstairs’ The Cherry Orchard) join forces to interrogate Shakespeare's thriller through the lens of our media-saturated political present, while daring to offer an alternative eco-feminist future.
What happens when democracy becomes televised entertainment? When revolution becomes content? When the planet itself becomes collateral damage in the fight for fame and power?
With new text by Christopher Bryant and a cinematic supercut of Shakespeare’s original masterpiece, Fairbairn + Wild Productions’ CAESAR | CAESAR is bold, urgent and unmissable – a theatrical revolt where the personal is political, and the political is perilously personal.
VENUE
ACROSS BOTH VENUES
THEATRE WORKS
14 Acland Street, St Kilda
EXPLOSIVES FACTORY
Rear Laneway, 67 Inkerman Street, St Kilda
DURATION
90 minutes
WARNINGS
ACCESSIBILITY
Explosives Factory is accessed via a flight of stairs and is not wheelchair accessible.
“Adventurous, courageous and persuasive [...] This Katya deserves five stars for its energy, originality and general excellence.”
- The Age (Katya Kabanova)
“A coup for Victorian Opera, which has struck gold with the powerful and refreshingly new cinematic approach of this production directed by Heather Fairbairn.”
- Patricia Maunder, Limelight (Katya Kabanova)
“Brilliant… clever” - Chris Boyd, The Australian “The genius of Christopher Bryant’s play [...] is a testament to theatre; its history, its versatility and, in particular, to two women whose legacy should be acknowledged.”
- David McLean, Melbourne Observer (The Other Place)
“An almost-perfect work of art.”
- Crikey (The Cherry Orchard)
“This sensitive, intelligent production of a much-loved classic marks director Kate Wild as someone to watch…. This is a production of unusual quality, highly recommended.”
- The Age (The Cherry Orchard)
DATES + TIMES
Wednesday 11 November - 7:30pm (Preview)
Thursday 12 November - 7:30pm (Preview)
Friday 13 November - 7:30pm (Opening)
Saturday 14 November - 4:00pm
Saturday 14 November - 7:30pm
Tuesday 17 November - 7:30pm
Wednesday 18 November - 7:30pm
Thursday 19 November - 7:30pm
Friday 20 November - 7:30pm
Saturday 21 November - 4:00pm
Saturday 21 November - 7:30pm
Tuesday 24 November - 7:30pm
Wednesday 25 November - 7:30pm
Thursday 26 November - 7:30pm
Friday 27 November - 7:30pm
Saturday 28 November - 4:00pm
Saturday 28 November - 7:30pm
Theatre Works has a lockout policy for latecomers. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to ensure you don't miss out.
Refunds will not be issued to latecomers.
TICKETS
FULL PRICE
CONCESSION*
PREVIEW
$48.00
$38.00
$30.00
*Seniors, Student, MEAA, Health Care and Low Income card holders
Shows in the WITH THEATRE WORKS stream align strongly our values and missions - these works we co-produce and co-present with independent artists and/or companies. Projects within this stream receive significant producing, marketing, PR and production support in addition to free use of the venue and a generous box office split.
CREDITS
WRITERS
Christopher Bryant
Heather Fairbairn
Kate Wild
CO-DIRECTORS
Heather Fairbairn
Kate Wild
PRODUCTION DESIGNER (EXPLOSIVES FACTORY)
Nathan Burmeister
PRODUCTION DESIGNER (THEATRE WORKS)
Savanna Wegman
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Aron Murray
VISION DESIGNER
Aron Murray
COMPOSER / SOUND DESIGNER
Anthony J. Walker
MEET THE ARTIST
FAIRBAIRN + WILD
Fairbairn + Wild Productions is a cross-border collaboration between directors Heather Fairbairn (Northern Rivers, NSW) and Kate Wild (Brisbane, QLD). Embracing the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary theatre, they create distinctive, artist-led work that is bold in form, conceptually rich, and grounded in dramaturgical rigour. Shaped by a shared belief in slow development and creative risk, their practice emphasises regional leadership and the nurturing of emerging talent. Together, they develop work that challenges convention and values collaboration, with creative partnerships that span the continent - from Tasmania to Central Queensland - ensuring regionally-made stories are part of national and international conversations.
