Arts Centre Melbourne

Arts Centre Melbourne is delighted to announce we’re opening the Ian Potter State Theatre six months earlier than originally scheduled. Today the Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, and the Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts, Harriet Shing, officially announced the Ian Potter State Theatre will open in October 2026.   The State Theatre has been closed since March 2024 to undergo its largest refurbishment to date, as part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation. The refurbishment will introduce new aisles into the Stalls and Circle, new seats, sound systems, heating and cooling, and two new lifts to support accessible seating in the Stalls.   More than a thousand detailed decisions on materials and finishes have been made to upgrade the venue’s comfort, acoustics, and accessibility – all while honouring John Truscott's original interior design.   When the house lights shine again, we cannot wait to welcome you and our resident companies The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia home to the Ian Potter State Theatre.   Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (MAP Co) Development Victoria

Join BIPOC Creative Access Collective for an evening of reflection, listening and peer exchange, focusing on the role of Cultural Humility and Collective care to sustain Indigenous, Black and Person of Colour (IBPOC) identifying artists with disability. Disability Oration brings together the community of creative IBPOC with disability alongside practitioners working across cultural health, wellbeing and the arts to share insights and respond to questions shaped directly by their peers. This hybrid event will be Auslan interpreted, livestreamed and live captioned with panellists self-describing. Presented as part of International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD). 4 December | The Show Room. Book tickets: https://lnkd.in/gcmigsCH

We're proud to share this Vision Australia podcast interview with Anna Molnar, our Program Manager for Disability, Arts Access and Inclusion. In this 25-minute episode, Molnar discusses the ways visits to Arts Centre Melbourne are made accessible to the widest possible audience – in particular her work with the venues and companies on developing relaxed performances. A great listen for anyone interested in meaningful access in the arts. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/g-3_asAH

We are so excited to announce the 2026 Arts Centre Melbourne Schools Program. Our offering includes theatre, live music, dance and The Channel’s ever popular performing arts focused workshops and tours. From enchanting primary experiences like The Bookbinder and The Flying Canoe, to secondary works like Animal Farm and Sheltering, the 2026 program offers a rich mix of performances, workshops, tours and interactive installations. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gARQeDbn

How do you possibly design a dress worthy of a diva? Linda Britten knows. The Melbourne fashion designer has made outfits for some of the biggest names in show business. A former Australian Fashion Designer of the Year, Britten's award-winning designs have graced the stages of Arts Centre Melbourne, Opera Australia and Carnegie Hall, as well as starred in her own immersive installations. Ahead of Britten's bespoke design for Australian soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO being on display in our upcoming exhibition DIVA, we spoke to the designer about rising to the diva-worthy occasion. An Australian exclusive, DIVA is the first exhibition to be held at AMPA, Arts Centre Melbourne’s new Australian Museum of Performing Arts, located within Hamer Hall. Created by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, in collaboration with AMPA, DIVA opens December 11. See more details and book tickets: https://lnkd.in/gS9d6zYK #DIVA #AMPA #ArtsCentreMelbourne

Asia TOPA is incredibly honoured to have received the 2025 Melbourne Award for Arts & Events, presented by the City of Melbourne. Amidst a stellar field recognising outstanding contributions to the life of our city, members of the Asia TOPA team were presented the award at a gala ceremony at Melbourne Town Hall on Saturday night. Asia TOPA’s Creative Director Jeff Khan says: “In an increasingly turbulent world, art brings people together and inspires us to think differently about our future. Asia TOPA and Arts Centre Melbourne are honoured to be recognised for our contribution alongside such esteemed peers and colleagues, and this award inspires us to grow our contribution to the life of this beautiful city even further.” In 2025 Asia TOPA – Melbourne’s Asia Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts – returned to the city after a 5-year absence. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, Asia TOPA took place across 20 venues large and small, celebrating Australia’s place as an Asia-Pacific nation and bringing 410 artists and collectives from 17 countries to our city’s stages, galleries, public squares, nightclubs and university campuses. Attracting over 750,000 audience members, Asia TOPA created a new sense of community that brought people together across generations, geography and cultural backgrounds. After an incredibly successful 2025 festival, the Asia TOPA team are now planning the 2026-28 festival cycle. Since 2002, the Melbourne Awards has provided a platform to recognise the people who make our city an inclusive, creative and forward-thinking place we can all be proud of. Arts Centre Melbourne and Asia TOPA extend a warm congratulations to all of the 2025 finalists and winners, who work tirelessly to make Melbourne such an extraordinary place to live, work and visit.

Expressions of Interest are open to deliver your program under PLAY 2026 at Arts Centre Melbourne. PLAY is our public program where everyone can create, learn, and share artistic ideas together. We welcome emerging creatives, experienced artists, young people, families, and lifelong learners to join us in shaping The Channel program at The Show Room, our dedicated space for learning and participation. EOIs are open until 23 November 2025. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gPcnDbn6 Photo credit: Mark Gambino 

We're thrilled to share that six Long Play episodes and five Unstaged mini docs from the Australian Music Vault are now live on the SBS On Demand website. Long Play dives deep with some of the country’s most influential and unsung heroes music figures – including Emma Donovan, Paul Kelly, Kate Cerebrano and more – as they reflect on their lives in music. Unstaged takes you behind the scenes as it follows artists from the wings onto the stage, featuring the likes of Archie Roach, City Sessions and Midsumma. Head to SBS On Demand to watch the full episodes.

On this day in 1982, Hamer Hall (then known as Melbourne Concert Hall), officially opened after more than a decade of construction. The opening day was packed with family activities and an evening concert featuring pianist Geoffrey Tozer, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and more. Since then it's hosted generations of performances from the likes of Nick Cave, Penn & Teller, The Seekers, David Byrne, Celeste Barber, The Wiggles and more, and is about to welcome the introduction of our Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA) to its folds. What's the most memorable show you've seen at Hamer Hall in the past 43 years? Credits in comments ↓

Congratulations today to Katherine Horseman of Hohab who has been announced as the next recipient of The John Truscott Prize, in collaboration with Arts Centre Melbourne. Named after the designer of Arts Centre Melbourne’s striking interiors, this prize honours the John Truscott Foundation and its strong association with Arts Centre Melbourne, through the inaugural exhibition at the Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA), DIVA. Katherine, an experienced Exhibition & Spatial Designer, will create the exhibition design for DIVA, in collaboration with Nutshell. “I’m honoured to be a recipient of a John Truscott Design Foundation prize,” says Horseman in a statement. “The prize has allowed me the time and creative freedom to develop a complete exhibition design concept for DIVA, the inaugural exhibition at AMPA. To create a truly immersive experience I have collaborated with Nuttshell, who have brought their graphic design expertise to the project. Together we have taken inspiration from Truscott’s material, palette and aesthetic to create a sumptuous experience with spaces fit for a diva!” DIVA will launch Arts Centre Melbourne's new Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA) when it opens on 11 December 2025. “Congratulations to Horseman, as well as Zoë Allnutt and Beth Robinson from Nuttshell, who were commissioned to deliver the exhibition design for DIVA,” said Sandra Bruce, Director of Collections and Exhibitions at Arts Centre Melbourne, in a statement. “Their engagement was made possible thanks to the generosity of the John Truscott Design Foundation, through their new Prize program, which contributed significant funds to support exhibition design for AMPA’s first showing. Katherine’s design concept drew inspiration from Truscott’s interiors around our venues, so we are very excited to see these come to life when DIVA opens at AMPA in December." AMPA will be located at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne. The John Truscott Prizes celebrate the discovery and support of creative talent, with a focus on practitioners involved in the creation of memorable public spaces, public events and performances. The program is supported by principal sponsor, The Hugh D.T. Williamson Foundation which supports and strengthens communities through its many valuable programs, including enhancing the cultural life of all Victorians through the arts. Prizes are managed in partnership with a number of Victoria’s leading cultural organisations.