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  • What Made Lesley Pratchett so Mad?

    Donna Hughes and Julian Dibley-Hall

    A reading of the new play 'What Made Lesley Pratchett so Mad?' by Donna Hughes, directed by Julian Dibley-Hall.

  • M A D: Mutually Assured Destruction

    Mike Green

    Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is a doctrine of military strategy and security policy where a full scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the annihilation of both sides. It is based on the theory of deterrence, which holds that the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons. As ridiculous as such a thing sounds, it is still today the modern deterrence of such an event

    Free

  • Spoken Word Circle

    fortyfivedownstairs presents

    This is an un-ticketed evening open to anyone from the curious to the ambitious who have an interest in sharing or experiencing living, breathing literature. The Spoken Word Circle encourages emerging and established writers of poetry, creative writing, lyricists, playwrights, novelists, biographers, diarists — all with a pen or keyboard and a fire in their belly for words are welcome.

  • SMALL!

    Group Show

    fortyfivedownstairs is excited to once again be hosting our community-sourced, small works exhibition SMALL!

    Free

  • The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven

    Ben Anderson and fortyfivedownstairs

    Winner of the Green Room Award for Best Independent Production in 2021, Kitan Petkovski’s acclaimed production returns as part of the 2023 Midsumma Festival. Join Queen Jesus (Kristen Smyth) for a revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk, and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus.

  • An Hour with Queen Jesus – Jo Clifford

    Jo Clifford

    In this Melbourne exclusive, revolutionary trans icon Jo Clifford hosts a deeply personal introduction to her ground-breaking play, 'The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven'.

  • Trophy Boys

    The Maybe Pile

    A new Australian play by Emmanuelle Mattana, 'Trophy Boys' is a queer black comedy and drag extravaganza about power, privilege, and high school debating. Directed by Marni Mount and presented as part of the 2023 Midsumma Festival.

  • Where the Ocean is the Sky

    Soile Paloheimo

    This body of artwork embraces and examines the interference that occurs when technology and nature exchange properties, rational and random patterns interpenetrate, and regular structure produces irrational effects.

  • Transcending Spaces

    fortyfivedownstairs presents

    This exhibition will showcase trans artists from all mediums and challenge gendered spaces, whilst acknowledging the vital role of community in making us feel loved and safe.

  • Off the Well Worn Path

    Ryley Clarke

    Observing the relationship of the human condition, time, family and place Off the Well-Worn Path seeks to connect the past and present through inheritance and regeneration.

  • Symptoms of Mortality

    Kashi Ruffilli-O'Sullivan

    To create is to exercise the faith to attempt understanding. To understand is to surrender to empowerment from the intangible.

  • Can’t See for Looking

    Oliver Bradley

    The view becomes a window when a fly hits the glass; the next thought is which side is the fly on.

  • Gould: Elizabeth Acknowledged

    Bronni Krieger

    In a contemporary portrayal of Elizabeth Gould, Krieger has set her against a backdrop of the Australian bush. Gentle triggers allude to her uncertainty in an unknown land, perhaps a fear of finding herself unwelcome.

  • The Portable Park

    Gretchen Kaye

    Parks can be places of hushed silence until we allow them to speak to us. Until we halt and listen carefully to the poetry.

  • CUT

    Talking Walls Theatre

    The Melbourne premiere of Adelaide playwright Duncan Graham's acclaimed psychological thriller about a stalked flight attendant, performed by Christina McLachlan and directed by Laurence Strangio ('L'amante anglaise' and 'Krapp's Last Tape').

  • “Meet Me Under the Clocks”

    Pamela Reid

    Growing up, going into the city to catch-up with friends was always, “Meet me under the clocks” at Flinders St Station. Collins Street was ‘the Paris end’ and Federation Square was the Gas & Fuel building site.

    Free

  • The Peace Tune

    Abiy Sahle (saxophone), Alexander Nettelbeck (piano), Conrad Henderson (bass), and Lawrence Grifa (drums) perform original instrumental compositions highlighting the unique scales and rhythms of Ethiopian Music in an uplifting performance. This concert will highlight the music of Abiy Sahle’s recent album release, ‘The Peace Tune’.

  • CUOROSENSA: A Reverse Archaeology

    Marco Luccio

    In Cuorosensa, the artist’s bold, energetic and confident mark-making coheres into recognisable Luccio-esque themes — we see his Eiffel Tower, his Trojan Horse, his meditations on the myths and figures of classical antiquity — but closer inspection reveals a canvas of interlocking postcards with tantalising glimpses of the messages they once conveyed.

  • True West

    HSTheatre

    Actors Mark Diaco and Justin Hosking – co-founders of HSTheatre ('The Long Red Road' at fortyfivedownstairs) – will alternate the roles of brothers Austin and Lee in a new production of Sam Shepard’s modern masterpiece about the double nature of sibling rivalry.

  • Spoken Word Circle

    Featuring new and established wordsmiths

    fortyfivedownstairs presents Spoken Word Circle 22 April 2023: Saturday from 4:30 - 5:30 pm admission: Free ..An open mic night for anyone with pen or keyboard and a fire in their belly for words. All are welcome. fortyfivedownstairs Spoken Word Circle In the third week of April, fortyfivedownstairs continues the widely-enjoyed Spoken Word Circle happening for writers…

  • Gunga-na Dhum-nganjinu (The Stories We Hold Tightly)

    Isobel Morphy-Walsh

    Join this family of storytellers - Uncle Larry Walsh, Victoria Morphy, Hannah Morphy-Walsh, and Isobel Morphy-Walsh - and their special guests, as they weave creation, song, story, and movement together. Presented as part of the 2023 Yirramboi Festival.

  • Paul Capsis – Dry My Tears

    Paul Capsis and Francis Greep

    Paul Capsis, the inimitable and incomparable icon of cabaret, returns to fortyfivedownstairs for the Melbourne premiere of 'Dry My Tears', following an acclaimed run in Sydney. Accompanied by The Song Company's Francis Greep, Capsis will perform an acoustic set that includes music by Kurt Weill, Elton John, and Johnny Mercer.

  • Primavera

    John Mezzini

    Primavera showcases a collection of figurative paintings exploring themes of isolation, physical expression, and sexuality.

  • Orison

    Rebekah Stuart

    In relating closely to the term ‘Barocco’ meaning disfigured or oddly shaped pearl, the artist feels that so long as we are living, mortal beings, the openings to inspire us closer into who we are, may require the light’s counterpart of darkness to never desist.

  • Fishtail

    Kyle Minors

    Using algorithmic processes and generative techniques, the artist explores the intricate patterns and shapes that emerge from natural phenomena like the flow of water, the growth of plants, and the cold majesty of mountains.

  • Climbers

    Fever103 Theatre

    Presented by Fever103 theatre and directed by Monique Marani, this new Australian play about a young Cambridge student’s discovery of the Night Climbers (a secret society that gathers on the rooftops) is a powerful and poignant exploration of the barriers women face in traditionally male institutions, and the strength it takes to dismantle them.

  • Act of Love

    Shayle Flesser

    A new solo show of contemporary abstract paintings by artist Shayle Flesser.

  • Exiles

    Bloomsday in Melbourne

    Bloomsday in Melbourne's annual celebration of James Joyce continues with the Victorian premiere of his only play, exploring questions key to his masterpiece 'Ulysses' (1922). If love is constrained by conventional bonds of fidelity, is it love at all?

  • Spoken Word Circle

    Featuring new and established wordsmiths

    An un-ticketed evening open to anyone from the curious to the ambitious who have an interest in sharing or experiencing living, breathing literature.

    Free

  • Voice Plains & Memory Depth Metres

    Annette Wagner

    Focusing on a specific water system, the Murray River Floodplains network, Wagner explores a network of material and socially-engaged artworks that brings into view our individual and collective social and political memories of water.

  • Honne

    Ksenia Shinkarenko

    Ksenia’s work aims to open an intimate dialog that transitions the viewer from their daily chaos to a remote restorative space, inviting them to look within and find the connection to the wider world.

  • Just a Boy, Standing in Front of a Girl

    15 Minutes from Anywhere

    Director Beng Oh and writer Jane Miller continue their acclaimed collaboration ('True Love Travels on a Gravel Road' and 'Cuckoo' at fortyfivedownstairs) with an adaptation of Medea for our times.