Searchlight Festival is open!

Searchlight Festival opened last night to a very appreciative audience.   The programme continues tonight, with a reading of Sandra Fiona Long’s Tyrant with Sharks, followed by a double bill featuring Antoni Jach’s Waiting for Isabella and Wes Snelling and Benn Bennett’s hilarious Black Bag.

Michael Dalley and Paul McCarthy performed their show Intimate Apparel initially from the seating bank, with their audience in the performance area. The show was hilarious and more than a little unPC, one audience member described it as “feeling so wrong and yet so very right“.

Prior to Intimate Apparel we had opening drinks and a  screening of Cathy Vogan’s film Mimosis, accompanied by some live performance.  The film was intense and gorgeous in our gallery space.

Searchlight Festival is produced by fortyfivedownstairs and Tashmadada. We acknowledge the invaluable support of the Portland House Foundation in making this event possible.

We are also are grateful to our programme advertising partners and neighbours Cumulus Inc and Sofitel Melbourne, as well as La Trobe University, Victorian Writers Centre and Cloudwine Cellars.