The Arts Centre Melbourne has officially announced a new performance space, The Show Room – an intimate 150 seat studio theatre that will provide audiences the opportunity to experience groundbreaking theatre, music and dance performances up close.
The Show Room program will feature productions from both independent artists and established arts institutions, including provocative new works from acclaimed theatre creators Van Badham, Gary Abrahams and Kristen Smyth alongside the much-anticipated return of Wang Chong 王翀. The Show Room will also present collaborations with and productions from The Australian Ballet, Arts Access Victoria and Melbourne Fringe throughout the rest of 2024.
The creation of The Show Room represents the Arts Centre Melbourne team at its most creative as the organisation goes through a period of redevelopment.
“While the State Theatre undergoes refurbishment until 2027, we saw an opportunity to transform the existing State Theatre Rehearsal Room into a more intimate performance space, along with a year-round program” said Arts Centre Melbourne’s Director of Programming Stephen Armstrong.
“Without The Show Room we wouldn’t be able to present performances that have the potential to truly capture audiences in such an intimate space. The curated, site-specific program allows us to engage with the broader Victorian and international performing arts communities in completely new ways,” he said.
“Alongside our existing venues – Hamer Hall, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the Fairfax Studio and the Playhouse – The Show Room brings a new dimension to both our existing relationships within the arts community as well as giving us the chance to work with artists and organisations that deserve the spotlight we can offer as Victoria’s flagship performing arts venue.
“The Show Room’s 2024 program includes productions that are of exceptional quality, from a multitude of genres and created by some remarkable artists. We couldn’t be more delighted to debut The Show Room this week and see how the space is shaped as we gain momentum into 2025,” he said.
The Show Room 2024 Program:
- 27 July – 4 August | Little Murmur
- 11 – 15 September | Grug
- 2 – 6 October | Private View
- 16 – 26 October | Werewolf
- 28 October – 3 November | Bodytorque
- 6 – 16 November | Made in China 2.0
- 20 – 30 November | Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein
Early bird discount tickets for performances of Werewolf, Made in China 2.0 and Cruel Britannia: After Frankenstein are available until 11am Friday 26 July.
