Arts / Theatre
Live theatre returns to the Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute
Two shows over next fortnight to start the new year
Mark Phillips
Years of lobbying have finally borne fruit for theatre director Kimberley Twiner, whose latest production will open at the Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute next week.
Twiner, a founding member of performance troupe Brunswick East Entertainment Festival, has been a longstanding advocate for more theatre spaces in Brunswick and Merri-Bek, so for Robert the Octopus to be put on at the Mechanic’s Institute is almost a dream come true.
The show, which is part of this year’s Midsumma festival, will premiere on January 29 and run until February 7.
It will be preceded this Friday by a one-off play from UNDERARTS, a Brunswick-based theatre group that runs programs supporting children and young people to create and present original performances.
Both shows are a sign that leaseholder Next Wave is delivering on its commitment to make the Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute, on the corner of Sydney Road and Dawson Street, more accessible to local performers and audiences.
The heritage-listed building is owned by Merri-bek Council, and includes a large multi-use room that is capable of staging small, intimate theatre shows. When it opened in 1999, it was designated as a performing arts centre, but in recent years Next Wave has mainly used it for works in development and rarely opened it to the public.
Part of a renewed three-year lease to the independent arts organisation that was secured in 2024 requires expanding the use of the venue and making it more available for the community.
For Twiner, it can’t come a moment too soon.
She has long been frustrated that there is no permanent dedicated space in Merri-bek for theatre and related live performance, despite the area being home to a large number of actors and creative workers.
“There are very, very limited opportunities and places specifically for theatre in Brunswick,” Twiner said.
“There are hundreds of live music venues and it’s often thought they are the same as performance venues, but you can’t do theatre in a music venue and there needs to be an education about that.
“We need fit-for-purpose theatre spaces or spaces that can be converted into theatre spaces because there is nothing in Brunswick and there needs to be a hub [for theatre] that is missing.”
Twiner said the neighbouring municipalities of Darebin and Moonee Valley had dedicated theatre and performance centres – such as the Clocktower Centre in Moonee Ponds and Darebin Arts Centre in Preston – but there was no equivalent in all of Merri-bek.
A permanent venue is needed not just for arts workers, but so a culture can be developed so that local audiences know they don’t have to leave the area to attend shows.
Securing the Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute as a venue was a process of “knocking on doors” and Twiner was full of praise for Next Wave’s chief executive officer, Elyse Goldfinch, who was appointed last year, for engaging with the issue.
“These are streets where I have been traipsing up and down for so many years and to feel that I can do my job in my community and my community can start to experience that is really satisfying,” Twiner said.
But she said that while promoting the show, she has discovered that much of the broader community is still unaware that there is theatre inside the Mechanic’s Institute.
In 2024, some councillors put aside misgivings about a lack of public access to the building to grant Next Wave a new lease until 2028, with two further options for three-year extensions.
In return, Next Wave promised the doors would be open more often for public events.
“Brunswick is home to one of Naarm/Melbourne’s largest creative communities, and we are excited to be at the centre,” the chair of Next Wave’s board, Max Delany, said this week.
“Next Wave’s vision for Brunswick Mechanic’s Institute is a vibrant hub for artists, local communities and curious audiences. Theatre is part of that, and we’re excited to be partnering with local theatre makers this year.”
The first show of 2026 this Friday has a strong local connection.
UNDERARTS is based at Balam Balam Place and has formed a partnership with Next Wave to provide its students with opportunities to bring their work to life in a real blackbox theatre.
Their first performance for the year on Friday is a Studio Ghibli-inspired work presented by eight to 13-year-olds.
Twiner is the director of Robert the Octopus, which has already sold out its opening two nights from January 29.
Written by Malthouse playwright in development Alex Duncan, it is a light queer comedy about looking for love.
Mich McCowage plays Sadie, who has a crush on her co-worker Georgia (Hallie Goodman). In a desperate attempt to capture Georgia’s attention, Sadie buys a pet octopus, Robert, played by Lily Fish, from whom she seeks romance advice. The results are predictably chaotic.
“It’s 100% physical comedy,” said Twiner, adding that the show would appeal to anyone aged 12 or above. Tickets are $40 ($30 concession).
Twiner and Fish are both founding members of Brunswick East Entertainment Festival, which gained national fame when they performed daily shows in the front yard of their share house during the lockdowns of 2020.
Rising rents have since forced them to relocate to Pascoe Vale but BEEF remains very much an active roving theatre troupe.
Twiner also recently initiated the Brunswick Theatre Network, which has garnered more than 200 followers on social media since its inception late last year.
The motivation for the network is to bring together theatre lovers of all types – audiences, actors and other live performance workers – so they can collectively seek more support from state and local governments for the sector in Brunswick.
A first meet-up will be held at the Co-conspirators Brewpub in Victoria Street this Saturday.
Twiner said there had been a rapid and enthusiastic response to the creation of the Brunswick Theatre Network which showed people in the area cared about live performance.
“There is a tension point because the branding of Brunswick and Merri-bek is as a cultural hub and a design district and the profile of the arts is used to attract people to come and live here, but the [public] money that is put into arts and culture is pitiful,” Twiner said.
“There is a miss-match, but the potential is huge.”
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