Observer

GREATER BENDIGO: Truck driver charged

Saturday, September 12, 2026

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man following a fatal collision in Bendigo last year.Emergency services were called to reports a truck had collided with a pedestrian on High St just after 8.30am on October 10 last year.The pedestrian, a 15-year-old boy, died at the scene.The truck driver, a 36-year-old Sebastian man, was…

OBSERVER: Literary Awards winners

Friday, September 11, 2026

Writing Australia announced the winners of the 2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, celebrating six outstanding books that reflect the breadth, skill and vitality of Australian storytelling.The winners were revealed at a ceremony at the National Library of Australia, Canberra, on Thursday (Sep. 10).The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards recognise the exceptional contribution Australian writers, illustrators, poets…

OBSERVER: Dirty Rotten Scroundrels

Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre presents the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels until September 26 at the Lilydale Mechanics’ Institute, 39-41 Castella St, Lilydale.With music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Jeffrey Lane, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is directed by Alan Burrows. Originally a 1988 hit movie starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, the musical written in…

OBSERVER: An Evening Without Kate Bush

Arts Centre Melbourne and Hey Dowling present An Evening Without Kate Bush from October 13-18 at the Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne.Audiences of the cult cabaret are invited to enter Strange Phenomena, howl with the Hounds of Love and dance on the moors with Wuthering Heights all over again. An Evening Without Kate Bush pays…

OBSERVER: Handel and Bach

Internationally acclaimed harpsichordist and early music specialist Kristian Bezuidenhout joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for a Handel and Bach concert at Ringwood’s George Wood Performing Arts Centre, Ringwood on Friday, September 18.Australian-born and now based in London, Bezuidenhout is one of the world’s leading period-instrument keyboard players, celebrated for his performances of Mozart, Bach and…

OBSERVER: Heir

Candice D’Arcy, Blake Barnard and David Gray met in 2023 while studying their Masters degree at the Victorian College of the Arts.Now they are presenting the new Australian play Heir as their first collaboration. Heir will be presented on October 13-17 at 7.30pm at the Festival Hub, Meat Market, North Melbourne in the Craft Room.Written…

OBSERVER: High School Musical

A tape of Grease standing on a desk was a deft nod to the origins of the story behind Disney’s High School Musical.Troy (Gabriel Tiller) and Gabrielle (Sophia Kouknas) met during the holidays but must now overcome the tribal partisanship of the school they attend to realise their true identities.The energy and intensity, especially of…

OBSERVER: Crimes of the Heart

Heidelberg Theatre Company’s latest show, Crimes of the Heart, welcomes audiences with an impressive open-stage set depicting the kitchen in the Magrath sisters’ house in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.Designed by Morgan Thomas-Connor,the set extends the full width of the large stage, with admirable attention to detail authentically capturing the play’s 1974 era.Written by Beth Henley and directed…

OBSERVER: Fairytale Ending

British-born comedian Roisin McAlinden returns to Melbourne for the Fringe Festival with her feminist comedy hour, Roisin McAlinden: Fairytale Ending from October 6-10 at 6.45pm at Bard’s Apothecary.Directed by Penny Greenhaigh, the show is a personal and playful exploration of feminism, gender roles, queer identity, and the power of women telling their own stories.Performance dates:…

OBSERVER: Manifesto of Silence

The premiere of Manifesto of Silences by Irene Holub will be presented at Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, from October 6-11.Presented by Arts House and Melbourne Fringe, the work allows audiences to feel their way into a history they may not have lived, .pushing opera beyond spoken language by using Auslan poetry, light, projection…