A dark stage with two dark red lights showing puppets and shapes.

24 – 27 Sep

Those Who Pass the Gateway

An overstrung man, flanked by a joker-musician and a poet-witch, gives a fantastical demonstration. Combining Jung, Sufi mystical poems, science, and cosmic horror, wrapped in haunting imagery and dynamic music, the ‘demonstration’ spirals into chaos – or is it clarity?

Be mesmerised and perplexed as you wonder; Is this madness or inspiration?

Mark Penzak and his team are masters of the macabre. Join them on this new adventure into strange new worlds.

Proudly part of the Melbourne Festival of Puppetry

Date	Times
Thu 24 Sep	9:00pm - 9:55pm
Fri 25 Sep	9:00pm - 9:55pm
Sat 26 Sep	9:00pm - 9:55pm
Sun 27 Sep	9:00pm - 9:55pm

Inside a bustling market hall

Things you can only see in the city

Uncover secret rooms, historic architecture and iconic landmarks found only in the city.

A family of four standing in a grand library with antique desks, large white walls and a dome ceiling.

Things you can only do in the city

There's only one place to find these rare Melbourne experiences and secret spots.

Multiple plates on a white table cloth.

Things you can only eat in the city

Where to find the city's most iconic dishes.

Discover more

Shark image from Jaws movie, with giant shark rising through the ocean towards a tiny fishing boat.

15 Oct – 8 Nov

The Shark is Broken

A razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud play about fame, failure, and friendship under pressure.

Portrait of an Indigenous woman surrounded by a border made up of close up images of a woman's eyes and mouth while screaming.

Wake in Fright

In a ferocious solo performance, Zahra Newman returns to the twisted heart of Wake in Fright.

A man's face is fragmented into many small, square pieces, with different parts of eyes, mouths, and other features mixed together in a mosaic pattern against a green background.

28 Sep – 31 Oct

Eliza

A gripping psychological thriller and unnerving depiction of the birth of artificial intelligence.

Five actors on stage with pedestal lecturns, conducting a reading of Shakespeare.

Play in a Day: Volpone, or The Fox

Bell Shakespeare’s lively script reading series celebrating rarely read classics.