Monash Academy of Performing Arts announce the MLIVE 2019 season

Following a highly successful inaugural year, MLIVE are excited to announce their 2019 season.

MLIVE is a diverse program of both Australian International performances including live music, dance, and theatre. As the program is part of Monash University, the Monash Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) are curators for the yearly program. Its aim is to display a cultural response to Melbourne’s diverse and open-minded communities whilst still encompassing the principles of the University – discovery, ambition, respect and openness.

2018 saw great successes, including a concert by internationally acclaimed pianist Stephen Hough; a Jazz Greats Weekend featuring Vince Jones, Joe Camilleri and Megan Washington; and the world premiere of the new Australian musical The Dressmaker: A Musical Adaptation under the Pratt Musical Theatre Artists in Residence program.

MAPA Executive Director, Professor Paul Grabowsky AO, said that the 2018 season was just the beginning of this incredible cultural experience. “Our vision was to curate a year-long season of events that challenges audiences, invites them to see new works and gives an opportunity for people to immerse themselves in a range of cultural events, and we are confident people will enjoy the 2019 program as much as we enjoyed curating it.

Running from March to October 2019, the upcoming season is broken up into five themes – Progress, Weightless, Family Fiesta, Symphonic and Wood, Metal & Vibrating Air; each of which offer a series of curated events for all ages.

“MLIVE is unique in the way that we commission new work through the University’s ground-breaking collaboration with the Pratt Foundation to nurture the future of Australian music theatre, as well as co-commission work with other festivals and arts companies around the country,” Professor Grabowsky said.

The ‘Progress, Festival of Ideas’ (16 – 26 May) will celebrate the opening of the brand new Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts, with performances challenging the idea and concept of Progress – a word with a strong resonance in the history of the University – and finding new meaning in the modern and constantly changing world.

The festival includes Whale, a new play by award winning playwright Fleur Kilpatrick making its world premiere; Smokestack, a night of comedy featuring entertainers such as Tom Ballard, Zoe Coombs Marr and Rod Quantock; Duet for One with Canadian pianist Eve Egoyan; Songs of Freedom, a one-night-only musical journey featuring Thando and Sophie Koh amongst other performers; Wavelength II, the music-cross-installation brainchild of MLIVE Works in Progress commission winners OK EG (Lauren Squire and Matthew Wilson); and finally, Archie and Paul, a collaborative performance between Archie Roach and MAPA Executive Director Paul Grabowsky.

‘Weightless’ focuses on dance and movement, with Dust, a collaboration between Dancenorth and award winning set designers Liminal Studio; and two pieces from Norwegian company Panta Rei Danseteater – I Wish Her Well and Lullaby.

The July school holidays bring a ‘Family Fiesta,’ (5 – 7 July) to MLIVE, with The Young King, a stage play of Oscar Wilde’s short stories by Helpmann Award winning company Slingsby, with The Sound of Drawing by Polyglot theatre and I See You Like This from Jessica Wilson, both interactive events.

‘Wood, Metal & Vibrating Air’ (27 June – 26 September) will showcase the new Ian Potter Centre once again, and boasts a lovely array piano recitals from performers Tomoe Kawabata, Benjamin Martin, Luke Howard and Elyane Laussade.

The ‘Symphonic’ section of the program brings the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to Monash with their MSO Monash Series featuring pieces such as Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 3, with the series showcasing soloists playing Clarinet, Violin and Cello. This part of the program also houses the Soweto Gospel Choir, an acclaimed South African vocal group; Leonard Bernstein’s Chister Psalms, performed by Monash University Singers from the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music; and Russian Masters, Revolution, and Music Under Dictatorship, orchestral performances by the Monash Academy Orchestra.

The final show in the ‘Symphonic’ section of the program, and the one marking the end of the 2019 season, is a brand new musical under the Jeanne Pratt Musical Theatre Artists in Residence Program – an adaptation of Miles Franklin’s coming-of-age novel My Brilliant Career. Award-winning duo Dean Bryant and Mathew Frank have been commissioned to write the piece, and will be a great follow up to 2018’s success of The Dressmaker in the brand new Alexander Theatre.

Tickets for the 2019 season of MLIVE are on sale now. For more information and to book, please visit the MLIVE website: Monash.edu/mlive