Arts Centre Melbourne

06/10/2026

A lick of drizzle didn't stop Bowl season kicking off in banging fashion over the weekend, with the second annual Freeform Festival overseeing four distinct stages across the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Zepherin Saint eased us into the afternoon, Ben UFO picked things up as the sun started to dip, Barry Can't Swim and Ogazón owned the early evening and Interplanetary Criminal took over the main stage into the night. Different sets, different stages, one very solid day of dancing.

Don't miss the rest of Bowl season with The Teskey Brothers, Naadha Gama, 84Fest and many more. Explore the full programme at the link: https://brnw.ch/21x6bMR

05/10/2026

To transform. To become. To emerge.

The Australian Ballet School's full-time students take to the stage in an exciting mixed bill of classical and contemporary dance. Featuring August Bournonville's Napoli Act III, Lucas Jervies' Butterfly Suite, Stephanie Lake's Chrysalis, a new work by Jack Lister and much more, this end-of-year season explores transformation in all its stages.

Bringing together students from across the School's full-time program, the production demonstrates the breadth of talent nurtured through Australia's national centre for elite dance training. From celebrated classical repertoire to bold contemporary works, audiences will experience remarkable artistry, creative ambition and the calibre of talent shaping the future of dance.

Emerge

13 & 14 November | Playhouse

To transform. To become. To emerge.

02/10/2026

“We have undeniably the best premium performance venue in Australia.” After nearly three years closure for refurbishment, our grand Ian Potter State Theatre is now open - and more comfortable and accessible than ever.

For the first time, there are new wheelchair positions in the stalls supported by two new lifts. There are new and improved seats, new aisles to make it easier for you to get to your seats, state-of-art lighting and sound systems, and new features to enhance the acoustics throughout the entire auditorium. All of the upgrades preserve the theatre’s heritage grandeur, originally designed by John Truscott.

Opening the Ian Potter State Theatre is the first completed milestone of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation - and the largest one for Reimagining Arts Centre Melbourne.

Chris King, the Director of the Reimagining project, explains what’s new in the theatre. Find out more at the link: https://bit.ly/4hrDKwY

01/10/2026

Did you know there's actually five seasons in a year? The four you know and love plus (most importantly), Bowl.

That's right, our annual season of major outdoor shows at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl is back. Kicking off this Saturday 3 Ocober with Freeform Festival, the Bowl's lush expanse, green grounds and city views will once again host a full day and night of electronic sounds from around the world. Expanding this year to span four stages, Freeform is just the first of a season that includes The Teskey Brothers, Jack Johnson, Spacey Jane, The Presets and Cut Copy, Empire of the Sun, Lizzy McAlpine and a whole lot more.

Final tickets for Freeform are available at the link: https://brnw.ch/21x65fJ

Images from Freeform 2025: Will Hamilton Coates

Freeform
3 October | Sidney Myer Music Bowl:

01/10/2026

Much-lauded songwriter, vocalist and producer Lizzy McAlpine is bringing The Over Country Tour to the Bowl, with special guest by Mila Bea.

This tour follows the release of McAlpine’s fourth album, Angel – this project has earned praise from NYLON, Consequence and more, with NPR’s All Songs Considered describing the record as ‘gorgeous’ and Rolling Stone hailing Angel as ‘magnificent’.

Angel and The Over Country Tour echoes the success of McAlpine’s 2024 album Older, which received widespread critical acclaim and saw her sell out an extensive international tour, performing sold-out nights at Radio City Music Hall, LA’s Greek Theatre and venues across the world. On The Over Country Tour McAlpine will visit New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, Paris’ L’Olympia, London’s O2 Academy Brixton and more.

Don’t miss out on this night of indie-pop magic.

Lizzy McAlpine
10 February | Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Much-lauded songwriter, vocalist and producer Lizzy McAlpine is bringing The Over Country Tour to the Bowl, with special guest by Mila Bea.

30/09/2026

What happens when you give an animal a second chance? For Lee Asher, the answer changed his life.

Founder of The Asher House – an animal sanctuary in Oregon – Lee has rescued more than 1,000 dogs since 2020. Along the way, his candid stories and infectious love for his pack have won him a global following.

Now, Lee is coming to Melbourne to share stories about the remarkable animals and unexpected moments behind his rescue journey. From the dogs who challenged him, to those who helped him find his purpose – he explores what it takes to keep showing up for animals in need, and what they can teach us about resilience, connection and starting again.

Warm, funny and deeply personal, An Evening with Lee Asher is for anyone who has ever loved an animal and felt that love returned.

Join Lee at Hamer Hall for a night of stories, heart and hope.

An Evening with Lee Asher
25 January | Hamer Hall

What happens when you give an animal a second chance? For Lee Asher, the answer changed his life.

30/09/2026

“Oh I’m sitting with all the people of Victoria.” Director Michael Kantor has worn many hats in his career in the Victorian theatre community. It means when he’s sat in our biggest theatre over the years, he’s keenly attuned to what it represents. How it feels. And how exciting a performance here can be.
 
This October Kantor will oversee Housewarming, a big weekend-long celebration of the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre, filled with song, dance, theatre, ballet, performance and more. Under Kantor’s direction, the spectacle will take audiences on a journey in search of the mysterious lyrebird missing from the Theatre’s iconic red curtain. What’s more, it’s free. You’ll just have to see it to believe.
 
Join the waitlist for updates on ticket releases at the link in bio.
 
Housewarming
9 - 12 October | Ian Potter State Theatre
 

29/09/2026

It’s here. This Saturday 3 October we welcome the reopening of the Ian Potter State Theatre as a historic place of gathering, ceremony and storytelling with the world-premiere of Gugu Dindi Gunyah (Many Rivers, One Home).
 
Following nearly two years of closure for refurbishment, our biggest stage will host a celebratory night of song and performance on the ancestral lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation.
 
Curated by Mutti Mutti, Nari Nari, and Yorta Yorta Songman, Kutcha Edwards, the evening will feature songs of culture, resilience and collective belonging, sung entirely in the Aboriginal languages of Song Keepers from across Victoria.
 
See you this weekend for a celebration.
 
Gugu Dindi Gunyah
3 October | Ian Potter State Theatre

28/09/2026

It's the five-star immersive show the world can't stop talking about. Sold-out seasons and absolutely no apologies. A "genius and unique experience." – The Spy in the Stalls.

The dining experience that changed everything.

Thirty years. 43 countries. Millions of dinners ruined. The world's longest-running Fawlty Towers show is back. Come and see why it's been hailed as "immersive theatre at its startling best" – Best of Theatre around the world. Step inside the iconic BBC TV series as Basil, Sybil and Manuel serve up two hours of chaos, comedy and three courses of food. Highly improvised, highly interactive and fully immersive, no two performances are ever quite the same. It's Australia's most successful theatrical export for a reason.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
15 - 20 March | The Leaper Family Pavilion

27/09/2026

Have you ever looked at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s vast roof and thought to yourself, “Wow, I wish I could scale that”? Well, sorry to say that you can’t for a myriad of health and safety reasons.
 
But some people do go up there precisely for health and safety reasons.
 
Arts Centre Melbourne’s RTO (Registered Training Organisation) offers Collarts Stage Management students the opportunity to partake in the Industry-based, Entertainment Industry Safety Program (Gold Card) at the venue, to help prepare them for entering the industry.
 
These students obtain comprehensive training covering the application of work, health and safety practices in a live production environment. And perhaps most excitingly, scale the roof of the Bowl.
 
Just like Leaf here.
 
Images provided by Leaf Rynehart