La Mama has had a pretty tough time lately. Like all theatres, it's been unable to open fully over the last two years due to lockdown, but even before that it was dealing with rebuilding the Faraday Street space following a disastrous fire in 2018.
But just as the war-rak or banksia flower emerges renewed after a fire, so does La Mama. To celebrate the theatre's completed rebuild (and the end of lockdown), La Mama is hosting War-rak/Banksia Festival – a four day event of music, art and performance.
Highlights from the festival include a new play reading (My Sister Jill) by Susie Dee and Patricia Cornelius, a First Nations music line-up (including the Merindas and Djirri Djirri Dancers), an interactive performance from Melbourne Playback Theatre, and a full program for kids and families. The festival features more than 400 artists and marks the first time La Mama has been able to have audiences in the space since the 2018 fire.
For the full festival line-up and tickets, visit the website. War-rak/Banksia Festival runs from December 9 to 12.