Backstage Blog

Tom Holloway's BEYOND THE NECK is open! A profound By Theatre Works production, directed by Suzanne Chaundy, Beyond the Neck is based on real accounts from people affected by the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. Check out the full production gallery below (images by Steven Mitchell Wright) and book your tickets now before this incredible show closes on Saturday 4th April. "Beyond the Neck exhibits the immense skills and emotional depth of writer, director and ‘creatives’. Suz

In this week's Backstage Blog, we spoke to Fini Liu, director and performer in Eighteen Lives , coming next week to Explosives Factory as a part of Comedy Festival. Three performers move between six eras of Chinese history, shifting character, body and rhythm in moments. With no elaborate set and no costume changes, the actors transform time and space using only voice, gesture and the collective imagination of the room. Past lives echo into the present; private longing slips

Check out thest pictures from FEMOID. , Vixen Theatre Company's damning examination of the online misogyny epidemic, which enters its FINAL WEEK of shows tonight! FEMOID. closes this Saturday 21 March. Check out some of their best review quotes here: "The three performers provide wonderful, choreographed performances that entertain and challenge. Warren has penned a clever and entertaining piece of theatre that shines light on the disturbing rise of Incel and female hatred"

Scroll through these behind the scenes rehearsal shots of Eighteen Lives , preparing for their Comedy Fest run at Explosives Factory later this month! Eighteen Lives plays 25 March - 4 April at Explosives Factory, as a part of Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Take a sneak peak into the final rehearsals of FEMOID. as they get ready to open at Explosives Factory next week. We were laughing, we were joking, we were girls. FEMOID. confronts the dark, growing presence of misogyny in contemporary society. Combining text, voice-over, and projection, the show draws from verbatim incel forum board posts and merges them with in-yer-face theatre to create a visceral and unsettling experience. It offers a rare insight into the complex ideo

In today's Backstage Blog, we spoke to Iris Warren, playwright and performer in FEMOID. , which follows up it's successful 2025 Perth season with a run at Explosives Factory next week before heading to Sydney next month. FEMOID. confronts the dark, growing presence of misogyny in contemporary society. Combining text, voice-over, and projection, the show draws from verbatim incel forum board posts and merges them with in-yer-face theatre to create a visceral and unsettling e

The Port Arthur Massacre serves as a backdrop to this extraordinary chamber piece about rebuilding after tragedy. The four stories told in this delicate, poetic and quintessentially Australian text steer away from sensationalising the Port Arthur massacre and focus on the effects of loss and violence on people and their fragile journey towards healing. The play is set ten years after Martin Bryant shot and killed thirty-five people and wounded twenty more at Port Arthur on

The mass shooting at Port Arthur occurred on 28 April 1996 nearby and at the former penal colony Port Arthur, a tourist attraction and popular picnic location in Lutruwita/Tasmania. The perpetrator, Martin Bryant, killed 35 people and wounded 23 others, in the deadliest massacre in modern Australian history. The attack led to fundamental changes in Australia’s gun laws. The National Firearms Agreement between state and federal governments was announced within two weeks of t

The future is NOW at Explosives Factory this week, as Helene Tardif brings her exposing contemporary performance to our stage after an acclaimed season last year. Have a look at the gallery of shots from the 2025 season. Covid, lockdown, birthdays. The one decides to create a virtual reality to evade this dying world. His way to fight pollution, discord, inequality. The older generation is not ready, they want the past to come back. They fight against it, against each other

In today's Backstage Blog, we sat down with Rosie Roulette, the writer, director and producer of POKÉLESQUE , the drag / burlesque extravaganza opening at Theatre Works for a limited 5-show run next week. Q: It’s a play. It’s a Burlesque show. It’s Drag. It’s POKÉLESQUE! Where did the idea come from? My background is in musical theatre and classical voice. Whilst I have performed professionally throughout New Zealand and Australia as an actor/singer/dancer I fell deeply in lo

Check out these shots from inside the rehearsal room of I THOUGHT YOU SAID , the exciting debut work of Tip Toe Theatre opening at Explosives Factory next week. The stars are falling but what the hell are they supposed to do about it? It’s like every other nightshift for Sam and Frankie. They clock in, stock up the chips, steal some for themselves, bet on whether they’ll get one (or even two!) customers, and ignore the dying star outside. Everyone’s gotten used to it by now,

Here's what the critics have to say about the international sensation Robot Song , which plays it's final performances this week at Theatre Works: "The production tackles these themes of identity without a hint of the preachiness that often plagues family theatre" "Visually, it’s slick and inventive. Live animation, puppetry and animatronics blend seamlessly" "Actress Adeline Hunter is a revelation in the role. She commands the stage with a rare "it" factor, capturing Juniper

Here's what the critics have to say about the hilarious Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams , which plays it's final performances this week at Explosives Factory: Image: Dan Rabin “Deadmouse regularly treats the audience with elaborate physical comedy and witty dialogue loaded with irreverent humour” “There is an undeniably strong chemistry between the cast members, despite the absurdity of the premise and the larger-than-life nature of the characters; they all interact with each o

It’s a play. It’s a Burlesque show. It’s Drag. It’s POKÉLESQUE! Check out the full gallery of images from the last season of POKÉLESQUE ! Pokélesque plays 24-28 February at Theatre Works.

In today's Backstage Blog, we spoke to Helene Tardif, writer and performer in NOW , the contemporary exploration of the digital world we live in coming to Explosives Factory next week after a successful debut season last year. A 60 minutes DRAMEDY where you will travel in VIRTUAL REALITY where MAGIC meets FAKE COMEDY. Covid, lockdown, birthdays. The one decides to create a virtual reality to evade this dying world. His way to fight pollution, discord, inequality. The older g

In today's Backstage Blog, we spoke to the writer and director of I THOUGHT YOU SAID , Bronte Lemaire, about the show, it's journey, and what audiences can expect when they come to the Explosives Factory next week. The stars are falling but what the hell are they supposed to do about it? It’s like every other nightshift for Sam and Frankie. They clock in, stock up the chips, steal some for themselves, bet on whether they’ll get one (or even two!) customers, and ignore the dy

Fresh from Dumbfordton, check out these production shots of The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams , which opens tomorrow at Explosives Factory. The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams plays until 21 February.

As part of the upcoming series of THINKING GROUND workshops, The Voice in My Hands are taking Expressions of Interest for their VIMH Project Design Pathway. Check out their full pathway brief below: We are offering a special project stream to our upcoming THINKING GROUND at Theatre Works across Feb-March, which will give you the chance to work with VIMH to develop a new idea across 2026. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING TO SUPPORT? In exchange for attending THINKING GROUND, we are invitin

In this week's backstage blog, we spoke to Alana Louise (actor and writer) Sarah Palmieri (actor) Jason Schwab (actor) Joe Kenny (actor) and Nina Hopley (producer) from the Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams team, hearing all about the process as they prepare to bring their show to Explosives Factory next week! Dad’s a priest. Mum never came back from Bali. And all you want to do is win the bleeping X-Factor. Meet Shannon and Jodi – sisters, funeral directors and experts at buryi

In today's Backstage at Midsumma, we are speaking to Miranda Hill, who is bringing the classical music extravaganza Homophonic! back to Theatre Works this Midsumma after a successful run last year. Classical Music... but gayer! Homophonic! is back with even more new music by LGBTIQ+ composers! Bringing the disco ball to the concert hall and celebrating the amazing sound world of todays queer artists and storytellers. Performed by the Homophonic! string quintet and percussion,