if you live in narrm (melbourne), here's eleven shows you need to see in august which aren't important musical theatre slop (who the fuck can afford $150 to sit in a dress circle anyways)—as compiled by a theatre critic who sees 200+ shows a year.

Here's the top ten shows you need to see this July in Narrm (Melbourne) which you won't see advertised on the side of a bus (yes, this is a Book of Mormon subtweet). My credentials: I've seen 126 shows so far this year lol.

the only escape the slop might be live theatre, so, i found the 7 most exciting shows you're gonna want to see irl (if you're in Narrm/Melbourne this June)

it’s just HIT after HIT after HIT oh I’m OBSESSED #melbournetheatre

culturemaxxing > looksmaxxing

I've gone through the entire RISING program and found the 9 shows you won't want to miss out on that are coming to Narrm's big international festival of new art, music, and performance. Here you go 👇

literally I have never understood the golden ratio hype. like i really think if you try hard enough you can fit a spiral in any rectangle

At the risk of sounding like a 45 year old gay man, I love Madonna!!!!

I cannot believe I missed the Heartbreak High hype. Just finished S1E2 and I'm obsessedddd. How good is Australian media when it's given the support to excel???

May is dripping with excellent theatre to see in Narrm so this list of nine shows you have to catch this month was soooo hard to make. But I did it, so here are my top picks for theatre to see to expand your mind:

So this is fucked. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-1...

Government moves to temporarily ban 'certain cohorts' from Australia

Visitors from some countries could be temporarily blocked from Australia by a federal government concerned about a wave of people overstaying their visas due to the war in the Middle East.

abc.net.au

I'm so fucking keen for this show—created and performed by Cheng Lei, an Australian journalist who was detained in China for 1154 days. The team is wildly exciting and I'm just so keen for political theatre that comes up against the dangers of state censorship!! www.artshouse.com.au/events/1...

1154 Days - Arts House

A raw and riveting theatrical reflection on freedom, resilience and creativity.   While working as a journalist in China, one morning Cheng Lei was lured to work...

artshouse.com.au

saw a delightful show called Back to Te Maunga at La Mama on the weekend and wow I just loved it!! a gorgeous new Māori play about brotherhood and how the past bears down on us and colonialism I am a proud hater of realism but Joel Te Teira's lovely layered script cracked my anti-realism heart.

Melbourne Comedy Festival is sooooo soon (and I'm so excited) — I'm planning on writing a daily newsletter/diary during the festival as I try to catch 50+ shows in a couple weeks (lol) wrote up some details and my thinking about this little project on my blog www.ryanhamilton.work/your-vi...

Your visa to Gag City has been approved, chuckle f*cker

Introducing a pop-up newsletter full of my coverage of Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026

ryanhamilton.work

i actually don't think you can participate in opera/ballet/chalamet discourse if you don't actually see opera or ballet lol

just watched a video of a hot air balloon flight over narrm and i just think if i ever go on one of them i would end up an emotional sobbing wreck at the majesty of this stupid city i call home. sorry for loving narrm!!!

Emails are fun!!!!!!!

Thinking about what it means to praise art. I’m less interested in technical excellence than I am in art that represents the cultural/political world I want to live in. I want to say ‘this art belongs and should be our artistic baseline moving forward.’ Sort of using taste as a way to make utopia.

i wrote a big scary essay/review about a show i saw at Melbourne Fringe but maybe it’s actually about how we change things and how monash uni fucked me up and also how i have voted in every single election i’ve been a part of. 🔗 www.ryanhamilton.work/we-get-to-de...

We Get to Decide How We Live Through It

Reviewing ‘Democracy Repair Services’ by Noemie Huttner-Koros, directed by Martha Latham, presented at Melbourne Fringe in 2025

ryanhamilton.work

Arts criticism & journalism being reduced to marketing is incredibly depressing, and I am thankful for the approximately six people/outlets in the BG space who actually do criticism and/or journalism. I don't condemn the rest but I do feel sorry for them.

Saw Miss Julie last night at fortyfivedownstairs and I’m a little gagged. It’s a fairly strict adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie (which I’ve never seen nor read) set in the melb hospo sector.

Saw mother play at Melbourne Theatre Company last night and oh goodness!!! What a beautiful little show. I went in without having read anything about the show (literally didn’t even read the copy I had no clue what it was about) and was delighted on so many fronts.

Inspirational words about fighting fascism from ANDOR. Now with alt text.

Roxana Hadadi@roxana-hadadi.bsky.social · last yr.

I honestly think ANDOR is more inspirational and rousing than like, the past 20 years of democratic messaging.

I’ve always found the signage at Parliament station directing you to either end of the station concourse sooo weird because the entrances to the ‘Collins St’ side of the station are closer on the whole to Bourke st.

It’s been very underreported but the ABC has just gutted its arts and culture team. It will go down from 12 national arts, culture and entertainment reporters to 3. One of those will focused on writing PR for TV shows. It’s vandalism. We covered it on our podcast: podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/l...

How the Media Helped Israel Bomb Iran, the ABC’s Future, and the State of Australian TV

Podcast Episode · Lamestream · 18/06/2025 · 1h 8m

podcasts.apple.com

Jinkx Monsoon to play Mary Todd Lincoln in ‘Oh, Mary!’ beginning August 4.

Wowee, the outgoing director of Festivals Adelaide has some pretty strong words about the sector. www.indailysa.com.au/news/busines...

ok what if i made a play which was kill climate deniers combined with a theatre awards night and we hold the state arts minister hostage demanding money for the arts ??? is this something ???

Here’s a little (big) piece I wrote about Fat Pig, an opera which staged last weekend in Melbourne. It’s not really a review, just me trying to make sense of the feelings that seeing it brought up. It feels pretty scary to be so critical—but then again I’m just so tired of anti-fatness in theatre.

🐷 Lipstick on a (Fat) Pig

10 Reasons Why I’m Bloody Tired, a Personal Response to ‘Fat Pig’ at fortyfivedownstairs | Presented by Forest Collective and BK Opera

ryanhamilton.work

two men announce they are breaking up at the beginning of pride month, and you're all laughing?