As anyone familiar with both the late stage works of Verdi and the sweeping mise en scènes of Cecil B. DeMille would recognise, the visual and dramatic language of cinema owes a great debt to nineteenth-century grand opera.

Put simply, Anouk van Dijk’s production An Act of Now is a study of human behaviour in response to its environment. The internationally acclaimed choreographer makes her debut as Chunky Move’s new Artistic Director with this highly anticipated debut work, exploring proximity, isolation and humankind’s ability to coexist.

Even as his fourth and final Melbourne Festival burns bright, Brett Sheehy is sinking his curatorial teeth into his new role as Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company.

This is the fourth festival I’ve had the privilege to direct for Melbourne, and the tenth and final festival I will direct in Australia.

The Carnival Is Over The Seekers