In a galaxy, far, far away Blackfellas have taken their fight for sovereignty to the outer edge of the universe.

Under the leadership of handsome space warrior Barry. The black rebels war with the fierce Causaxon Army.

But Barry is caught driving a spaceship without a license and thrown into space jail!

He needs saving!

It’s now up to three unlikely fighters; a time traveling stowaway, a janitor and a failed military clone to band together to find their hero aboard the Blackstar Space Ship.

However in their search they discover the unexpected… really unexpected.

Come join their adventure!

As well as hosting events from pioneering creative organisations across Melbourne,Brunswick Mechanics Institute is committed to supporting local artists and their practice through our creative development initiative. First up in development is Australia’s leading and longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre company Ilbijerri with rehearsals of their play ‘One More River To Cross’.

Wilma Reading is one of Australia’s most accomplished jazz singers, however her name is largely unknown. ‘One More River To Cross’ charts the rise of a young Indigenous singer, contrasted against the complex politics and social upheaval of 1960s Australia. Wilma believed race and gender were no barrier to her ambition. When she sang she could be anyone she wanted to be.

Hugely successful she toured the world, appearing regularly on TV, singing for the troops in Vietnam and even performing in Berlin as the wall came down. With determination and resilience Wilma Reading created a successful singing career that continues to this day. ‘One More River To Cross’ brings to the stage her inspirational story, a story that needs to be heard.

Stay tuned to Ilbijerri’s website for show details and tickets as they are announced.

After selling out in 2016 and 2015, The Practice team returns once again to amuse, provoke and inspire. The world has found itself in an ecstasy of confusion, a multiverse of blinding lights and murky shadows. Heroes will lead you through the miasma of modern life and into the zone where you become one with the ether and bravely face your own mortality. Submit to the experience previously described as “deep, meaningful, and also comedy gold“.

Heroes: Beyond the Practice has the following rules:

1. You will sign a disclaimer accepting full psychological and metaphysical risk.

2. You understand that Heroes requires the audience to move from one location to another.

3. Enjoy yourself!

Born out of the wintery depths of a suburban backyard shed, contemporary Melbourne theatre group THE BLOOMSHED are taking their latest work on the road to get a whiff of the bigtime. Emerging writer and theatre maker James Jackson, in collaboration with actors Elizabeth Brennan and Tom Molyneux, has taken inspiration from Russian author Nikolai Gogol’s famous eponymous short story and turned it into something reflective of the dystopian post-paradise of 2017.

A CEO is crying in front of a mirror. A severed nose is lying on the floor. There are inspirational quotes plastered everywhere – WE CAN ALL BE HEROES – just make sure you don’t stop producing. Disparate narratives collide around the missing appendage; a psychotic, hallucinatory journey as people start falling to pieces. THE NOSE is an attempt to locate the systems that exploit our bodies.

Mediochre productions presents Ripe, a new play by Nic Plüss.

RIPE follows Claire, Elisabeth and the worlds they navigate together. One has just left high school, home and her mother’s judgement for a life with a man who won’t pick up the phone. The other knows the city down to its plumbing, people down to their darkness and has theorised her world down to its molecules. Two girls meet on the streets of Sydney and it feels right. It’s a surreal and sensory exploration of the relationships with people who can cut to your core and the safety to be found outside of comfort zones. They spend the night navigating Elisabeth’s clients, Claire’s mother and boyfriend, cat ladies, cruel people, buffets and boats. They exercise compassion and control when met with a violent, volatile world and explore the depths of themselves through the eyes of the other.

The Yarra Valley based gin distillery Four Pillars have teamed up with CULT Cinema & Bar to design a refreshingly original Negroni in honour of Dario Argento’s candy coloured nightmare SUSPIRIA. Pairing their limited edition Bloody Shiraz Gin with a juicy slice of blood orange, Four Pillars have crafted the perfect cocktail to sip on while enjoying this classic Italian horror.

TICKET INCLUDES: Admission to the film, a Bloody Negroni cocktail on arrival served by Four Pillars bartenders, complimentary drinks pre-screening, food and a post film DJ set by Melbourne psych lords and party starters, Joey Walker and Lucas Skinner.

SUSPIRIA: Dario Argento’s horror masterpiece SUSPIRIA is a feast for the senses. From it’s visually stylish, atmosphere-laden opening scene paired with a booming score by GOBLIN, to the masterful use of deep primary colour and intricate set designs, SUSPIRIA will put you into a cinematic trance.

“Suspiria is really quite funny, during those isolated interludes when nobody is bleeding.” – New York Times

Karen From Finance is coming to CULT Cinema & Bar! We’re very proud to announce this special event screening hosted by the Queen of Corporate herself! Take your chats with Karen further than the water cooler and buy her a stiff drink before the show at the CULT bar and then settle in for Karen’s performance before the screening of this iconic Australian film.

TICKET INCLUDES: Admission to the film, a glass of sparkling on arrival and an afternoon performance with Karen to take this classic film to the next frockin’ level!

KAREN FROM FINANCE: Karen celebrates her New Years on July 1st each year, and isn’t shy of the odd Friday night after-work drink with the ladies. Her weaknesses include the ATO, Revolver, cute temps from the Agency and conjoined paper clips. In 2017 Karen From Finance took off to the United States of America for her first ever international tour where she was featured at RuPaul’s Drag Con, and continued on to headline shows in New York City, Minneapolis and Los Angeles, as well as a feature spot on the Californian based web-series ‘Hey Qween’.

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT: “We’re unplugging our curling wands and going bush Felicia!” C’mon, let’s go. Let’s jump in that gorgeous bus and head off towards Alice with Mitzi Del Bra, Bernadette Bassinger and Felicia Jollygoodfellow who lip-sync to disco hits in heels and amazingly elaborate costumes. Oh, and let’s turn up the volume. The Village People, Lena Horne, Patti Page and, of course, Abba… Let’s turn it up nice and loud.

HEAR MY EYES: The Hear My Eyes team work with local musicians to reinterpret a film’s soundtrack and perform it live at the screening. We’re super psyched to have Melbourne electronic masterminds Sleep D sonically re-interpret David Lynch’s surreal ERASERHEAD.

SLEEP D: From the southern fringe of Melbourne, Sleep D are quickly establishing themselves as the axis of the Australian electronic subterranean. The duo send dancers around the bend with their weekly DJ sets and compelling live performances that have transposed riverside amphitheatres, Boiler Room, Berlin Atonal, Panorama Bar, Inner Varnika and Golden Plains Festival.

ERASERHEAD: 40 years since it’s release, David Lynch’s ERASERHEAD is still blowing minds. This bizarre, entrancing, distrubing film is considered Lynch’s seminal work and still remains one of his most perplexing. An ode to parenthood and reproduction, Lynch’s grotesque body-horror is not a film you’ll be able to erase from your head easily.

CULT Cinema & Bar have teamed up with Brunswick’s own Los Hermanos Mexican Taqueria to serve up their delicious traditional Mexican tacos to accompany Robert Rodriguez’s outrageously entertaining action film EL MARIACHI. On the day, Los Hermanos will be cooking up their famous fish, pork, chicken, mushroom and zucchini tacos (vegan options available) and bringing along their ultra rare tequila & mezcal collection. Come down early for a some tasty tacos and a live performance by local hero ‘The Lone Mariachi’.

TICKET INCLUDES: Admission to the film, three delicious Los Hermanos tacos (made to order), a live mariachi performance and a post-screening DJ set of EL MARIACHI inspired tunes.

LOS HERMANOS:  Los Hermaons Mexican Taqueria is hands down our favourite Mexican joint this side of the Pacific Ocean. If you haven’t been lucky enough to visit this Brunswick institution, now’s your chance to sample these insanely addictive tacos.

EL MARIACHI: At 23 years of age, Robert Rodriguez’s earned a cool $7k by selling his body to medical science then immediately used it all to bring his passion project to life. Now, thankfully, we have EL MARIACHI. Reminiscent of Sergio-Leone-Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns, this hilariously entertaining low-budget shoot-‘em-up offers up a sexy, action fuelled adventure that just keeps you wanting more.

“Using the well-worn theme of mistaken identity, writer-director-producer-editor-cameraman Rodriguez has here crafted an action flick infinitely more exciting than many a film costing ten thousand times as much, transcending its budgetary limitations with wonderful ingenuity, invention and sassy wit.”  – Empire