Melbourne is a city big on all things art. There’s almost always something creative, enlightening or just plain (and wonderfully) weird going – but don’t make the mistake of thinking all of Melbourne arty events only happen in the CBD. This May, Monash University is hosting Progress – A Festival of Ideas.
Over two weeks Progress festival will host a big number of amazing creative events to celebrate the opening of the new Ian Potter Centre at Monash University’s Clayton campus. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll think as the festival showcases some of Australia’s best creative talent across a series of comedy shows, theatre performances, talks and gigs.
The festival has secured a killer line-up of artists and speakers, with big names like muso Archie Roach, comedians Tom Ballard and Zoë Coombs Marr, and singers Thando and Sophie Koh set to perform at the brand new arts space.
While the event has some rip-roaring gigs on the cards, it also has a series of talks and discussions designed to explore and critique the word ‘progress’. In 2019 what is the relevance of the word ‘progress’? What is its scope and what sort of currency does it hold? Talks cover feminism, technology and creativity, an interview with Iranian refugee, journalist and writer Behrouz Boochani live from Manus Island via video link, and the mysterious ‘wheel of bias’ that prevents human progress.
The festival features free and ticketed events so there’s a little something for every budget. Progress – A Festival of Ideas is on from May 16 until May 26. Visit the website to browse the full line-up of events and to buy tickets.