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  • SMALL! 2026 Submission Form

    presented by fortyfivedownstairs

    Submissions are now open for fortyfivedownstairs' sixth annual community-sourced exhibition of small works: SMALL!. Entries close Monday 9 November, 5pm.

  • Never Closer

    Patalog Theatre

    Dierdre is stuck – between friends, lovers and nations; haunted by the ghosts of the lives she almost lived. When her old school friends gather in her kitchen on Christmas Eve, their once charming differences devolve into divisive fractures, revealing a dormant powder keg tempting the tiniest of sparks. Patalog Theatre in association with fortyfivedownstairs presents the Melbourne premiere of Grace Chapple’s “remarkable debut” (Arts Hub), directed by Marni Mount ('Trophy Boys').

  • Slivers of Time: an exhibition of drawings

    Suzanne .k. Franklin

    Perth based artist Suzanne .k. Franklin (sue.k.) returns to Melbourne with a new body of work. Further exploring her materialist positioning as an artist, the development of the work for Slivers of Time adhered to strict rules of format and composition with the motifs of a single sphere and a horizon line becoming simply devices for navigating space. Freed is the exploration and discovery of the material of the medium of Inktense Pencil.

  • Slipping Sideways

    Dorothy Lipmann

    'Slipping Sideways' explores the experiences of elderly women experiencing homelessness and the ways society overlooks those who fall outside its norms. Through the hybrid, ambiguous forms in her oil paintings, Lipmann seeks to find the extraordinary within the ordinary, embracing uncertainty, displacement and the unconventional. The exhibition also connects human vulnerability with environmental destruction through depictions of the exploited landscapes of the Pilbara.

  • 5/6

    Jennifer Fletcher, Lisa O'Keefe, Carolyn Roberts, Chris Rowe & Jill Symes

    In 1993 six artists: Jennifer Fletcher, Lisa O’Keefe, Carolyn Roberts, Chris Rowe, Jill Symes, and Dee Waterhouse, came together for the exhibition Form, Figure, Fragment, at Caulfield Arts Complex. From this meeting of minds, an enduring friendship developed and in 2013 there was a further group show. Following the passing of Dee Waterhouse, the remaining five friends have come together again for one more display of collective energy - a celebration of friendship through art.

  • This Is Our Youth

    Lunatix Theatre

    In a new production presented by Lunatix Theatre and directed by Maeve Hook ('Never Closer'), Kenneth Lonergan’s 'This Is Our Youth' is a darkly humorous, bittersweet portrait of youth poised on the cusp of adulthood. Three privileged Upper West Side kids — drug-dealing Dennis; his dispirited, free-thinking best friend, Warren; and self-conscious fashion student Jessica — hang out, smoke pot, scheme for cash, and challenge each other. We follow them as they make tentative steps towards authentic, vulnerable connection, all in 24 hours.

  • DIREL Lake Tyrrell: Traces in Salt, Colonisation by Design

    Lea Rose

    This solo exhibition presents the culmination of Lea Rose’s practice-led PhD research, bringing together extensive fieldwork undertaken at Direl (Lake Tyrrell). Combining moving image, installation and archival research, the exhibition reflects the relationship between the landscape and colonial histories.

  • The Highly Strung Players

    The Highly Strung Players

    Over the past decade the Highly Strung Players have been entertaining audiences with performances of Peter Rose’s short plays. This absurdist troupe, which began appearing at fortyfivedownstairs in 2017, presents rehearsed readings with a changing ensemble. Now the Highly Strung Players return to fortyfivedownstairs with its most ambitious program yet: a two-night season of four inter-related plays.

  • The Cooper Prize

    16th Street Foundation and Company 16

    The 16th Street Foundation and Company 16 invite you to the announcement of The Cooper Prize 2026 winner, a prestigious international $20,000 playwriting award championing bold, original theatrical voices. During the evening, excerpts from the top four finalists' new theatre works will be presented through professionally directed readings, brought to life by an ensemble of Melbourne’s finest actors, culminating in the live announcement of this year's winner.

  • Jerk Beach

    Pummel Squad

    Pummel Squad have been allowed back to fortyfivedownstairs for their fourth annual pantomime. After sold out seasons of 'Marginalia' and 'How The King Learned To Live Forever', they’re taking us on a trip to a town that time forgot. It’s 'Gidget' meets 'Jaws' meets 'ET' meets Pummel Squad, and it’s playing for four nights only. So grab your boogie boards and get down here or you'll regret it. 

  • Bright Star

    fortyfivedownstairs

    fortyfivedownstairs presents the world premiere stage adaptation of Jane Campion’s beloved film, inspired by the profound romance between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Adapted by Emmanuelle Mattana ('Trophy Boys') and directed by Cassandra Fumi ('The Crocodile' and 'Rhinoceros'), 'Bright Star' melds Campion’s tender screenplay with Mattana’s theatrical reimagining, Keats’ transcendent poetry, and original compositions by Rachel Lewindon ('The Inheritance') to create one of the year’s major theatrical events.