Observer

OBSERVER: Thomas Heywood

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Classical organist Thomas Heywood celebrates the 200th anniversary of organ music in Australia with a concert of classical favourites performed on the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ on Sunday June 29 at 2pm. Admission is free, but bookings are essential.Australia’s very first pipe organ had its first public performance on May 15, 1825 at St…

OBSERVER: Garcon

Award-winning visual artist, spoken word poet, and storyteller Wani Toaishara brings his one-person show Garçon to Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, as part of Darebin Arts Speakeasy’s season of boundary-pushing performances from July 16-20.Recognised for his cross-disciplinary work exploring Black life, dislocation, and Indigeneity,Garçon offers an intimate and poignant journey through the streets and communities…

OBSERVER: Australian Tapestry Worskhop unveiling

The Australian Tapestry Workshop hosted a cutting-off ceremony to reveal Australia’s first 3D tapestry – a groundbreaking floating ellipse installation that is destined for the $1.5b new Footscray Hospital.It was a major cultural event at the intersection of public art, First Nations design, healthcare and architectural innovation.Welcome to Country – now you see me: seeing…

OBSERVER: Lightning Thief

A truly musical fantasy, first conceived by Rick Riordan, a story about the Greek God, Poseidon’s “half blood” son who has an attention deficit hyperactive disorder and dyslexia. Monash University Student Theatre (MUST) embraced the work to a full house season of some 10 performances under Director Kyra Hatzikosmidis and her formidable crew.The full title…

OBSERVER: Dog Man The Musical

Dog Man: the Musical is the performance adventure based on Dav Pilkey’s worldwide bestselling book series, and returns to Melbourne for 10 performances from September 30 – October 4 at the Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne.The show follows the chronicles of a canine superhero, who loves to fight crime … and chew on the furniture.While trying…

OBSERVER: Scratch That

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Wit Incorporated presents Scratch That, a curated selection of works-in-progress, on Sunday, June 29 from 2.30pm – 4.30pm at Mamma Chen’s, 42A Albert St, Footscray.Described as a ‘relaxed and inspiring afternoon’, Scratch That will unearth fresh new talent and bold new ideas and showcase emerging creatives in Theatre, Music, Comedy and Sketch.Drinks can be purchased…

OBSERVER: Legends of the Skies

LOTS Theatre hit the road on tour to the Ballarat Heritage Festival to present a reprise of the 12th series of Legends of the Skies, celebrating the 90th anniversary of the MacRobertson Trophy Air Race.Two shows were presented in Ballarat Airport’s historic mess hall to capacity audiences, and acknowledgement for the success of this project…

OBSERVER: The Yellow Line

The Yellow Line by Essence Théâtre Productions in conjunction with Nga Matai Purua is a bold play inspired by events at the soon to be closed Port Phillip Prison.Co-authors Berne-Lee (Nana) Edwards and Alaine Beek, collaborated and researched for the content of the play with both the Maori and Pasifika communities.While Maori people are indigenous…

OBSERVER: Lord of the Dance

The world’s most successful dance show, Lord of the Dance, will return to Australia for the first time since 2015, performing in Melbourne on Saturday, August 30 at 7pm and Sunday, August 31 at 2pm at the Margaret Court Arena.This new show will blend tradition with cutting-edge innovation. State-of-the-art technology, dazzling special effects, and updated…

OBSERVER: El 47

El 47 tells the true story of Manolo Vital (Eduard Fernández), a bus driver living in Torre Baró, a slum area nestling in the hills surrounding Barcelona.Vital, frustrated by the inaction of the City Council to provide a bus route to the town, hijacks his bus and drives it to his neighbourhood.The background to Vital’s…