Observer

OBSERVER: Blakyard

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Led by matriarch and curator Dr Paola Balla, and co-created with her children Rosie Kalina and Katen Balla, a bit thing invites audiences into an intergenerational Blak family home where cultural stories, creativity and daily life exist side by side. Until July 18.Visitors move through a house built within the North Melbourne Town Hall, exploring…

OBSERVER: Jersey Forever

Seventeen years since the ground-breaking Australian premiere of Jersey Boys, original stars Bobby Fox, Glaston Toft, Scott Johnson and Stephen Mahy, will reunite in a spectacular live concert Jersey Forever, to perform the iconic music of Jersey Boys and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for one night only at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on August…

OBSERVER: The Ballad of Dan O’Malley

Monstrous Theatre and Paul Mitchell Productions have announced the cast for Paul Mitchell’s controversial new play The Ballad of Dan O’Malley: A Football Tragedy, being presented from August 12-22 at The Explosives Factory, Theatre Works St Kilda.Justin Bell leads the cast as Dan O’Malley; the coach caught between his love of the game and big-league…

OBSERVER: Davitt Awards

Sisters in Crime Australia has announced the 2026 Davitt Awards Longlist.For a quarter of a century, Sisters in Crime Australia has been shining a spotlight on the incredible achievements of women crime writers of fiction and non-fiction.From the first year of the Davitt Awards with its seven entries, to the present day where more than…

OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report

Sunday, June 21, 2026

ShowsOff the Leash Theatre: Garage Girls (by Candace Miles, Madeline Nunn, Anna Rodway), Until June 27 at Drouin Hub, Trafalgar Public Hall and Bunyip Hall. Director: Keira Jarred. Bookings: offtheleashtheatre.com.auMOARTZ Inc: Chalkface (by Ange Betzien) Until June 27 at Monash Hall, Reserve St., Yallourn North. Director: Mike Pullar. Bookings: moartz.tickets@gmail.comWarrandyte Theatre Company: The Father (by…

OBSERVER: Love letter to Scotland

Glenrothan is one of those films that inspires the comment ‘what’s not to like?’Set and filmed in rural Scotland, it’s the story of prodigal son Donal, who fled the ancestral distillery business 35 years ago for the bright lights and his music club in Chicago, and is finally persuaded to return to reconnect and clear…

FRANKSTON: Jersey Boys by PLOS Productions

PLOS Musical Productions presents Jersey Boys, The Story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons from July 24 to August 1 at the Frankston Arts Centre.The musical tells the true story of the 1960s American pop band Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and features all their hits including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk…

OBSERVER: Silence

Subverse Theatre presents Silence by British playwright Moira Buffini from July 3-18 at the Brunswick Mechanics’ Institute.Rarely performed in Australia, Silence is a dark comedy about survival, love and the roles that we are expected to play.Viking raids threaten a kingdom already on the brink of collapse. A paranoid King Ethelred refuses to leave his…

OBSERVER: Uncle Vanya

Melbourne Theatre Company has announced a cast of stage and screen performers for Uncle Vanya, being presented July 21-August 22 at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse.Uncle Vanya is written by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Joanna Murray-Smith and directed by Anne-Louise Sarks.Cast members include Daniel Henshall (Uncle Vanya) and Catherine Van-Davies (Yelena), Fayssal Bazzi (Astrov), Carolyn Bock…

OBSERVER: Stella

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Monique diMattina’s Stella is a new Australian musical about Stella Miles Franklin, tracing more than 60 years of her life from the Brindabella Valley in rural Australia, through Sydney, Chicago, London, and back home.Directed by Julia Robertson, Geraldine Hakewell is terrific as Stella, portraying her as multifaceted and conveying the determination and single-minded focus that…