Victorian Opera 2016 season

Update 28/07/21: Performances of Because the Night resume July 28 following Victoria's fifth lockdown.  There’s been a lot of hype about Because the Night, Malthouse Theatre’s new production where the audience can freely explore an immersive set while the cast perform around them. “Immersive” really is the word here, and for once the oft overused term doesn’t feel like a gimmick – nor does the intensely detailed open set undermine the integrity of the production. Because the Night is undeniably a work of theatre, but one that approaches the art with a bolt of inspiration that will attract new audiences to the discipline.  It’s apparent from the get go that Because the Night is unlike any production Australian audiences have seen before. The audience are split into three groups, each entering the performance from a different location. Ushers provide each person with a dark robe and Donnie Darko-style black rabbit mask to cover their face – apart from serving to differentiate audience from cast, the costume immediately puts visitors in the right headspace; goodbye Melbourne, hello Elsinore.  If you’ve seen Melbourne’s 2019 season of A Midnight Visit or even been lucky enough to attend Punch Drunk’s Sleep No More in New York, you’ll get the drill. The cast of six – which when we attended was Keegan Joyce (Hamlet), Nicole Nabout (Claudia), Syd Brisbane (Polonius), Ras-Samuel Welda’abzgi (Laertes), Jen Vuletic (Gertrude) and Artemis Ioannides (Ophelia) – are oblivious to the audie

There's something lurking in the darkness beneath Melbourne and it's emerging into the light this spring. Monsters is a new work created in collaboration between Malthouse Theatre and Stephanie Lake, bridging the space between theatre and dance in a gothic performance that will leave you chilled.  Stage and screen actress Pamela Rabe (Wentworth, The Testament of Mary) stars as a woman whose sister has disappeared beneath a sinkhole in Melbourne. As she delves deeper and deeper, she encounters monsters – both figurative and literal – with dancers Olivia McPherson, Jessie Oshodi and Jame Vu Anh Pham portraying the creatures that go bump in the dark.  Monsters is a joint project between Malthouse artistic director Matthew Lutton, choreographer Stephanie Lake and Sydney-based writer Emme Hoy. The production is two years in the making, with the trio intending to create a story that feels like a dream (or possibly a nightmare). Speaking on the work, Lutton says: "We want to welcome audiences back to a live experience that causes the hair to lift on the back of your neck, and the joy of imagining what you see in the dark when the lights are turned off." With performances of Because the Night still taking place across Malthouse's main building, Monsters will be presented inside the theatre company's construction workshop, which is being converted especially for this production. Monsters runs from August 30 to September 12. Tickets are available to the public from 9am, August 3, with