Forge Youth Theatre

04/09/2026

🎭 FROM MAKER TO PERFORMER 🎭

Making the mask is only the beginning.

Throughout Term 3, our young theatre-makers have imagined, designed and created their own masks and props.

Now comes another challenge — bringing them to life.

What happens to your movement when you put on a mask?

How can the way you hold a prop tell us something about your character?

How do you communicate a character when the audience can't see every facial expression?

As we move closer to the end of term, our students are taking their creations into the rehearsal room and discovering how design and performance work together to tell a story.

Something that began as an idea on a page is becoming part of a performance. 🔥

And soon, our families will have the chance to see the results...

👀 Inside the Forge is coming.

01/09/2026

🔥 THE FINAL STRETCH 🔥

The sketches have become masks.

The ideas have become props.

And now, the characters are finding their way into performance. 🎭

September has arrived, which means our young theatre-makers are entering the final few weeks of their Term 3 creative journey at Forge Youth Theatre.

Over the coming weeks, our Embers, Kindling and Flame Ensembles will be rehearsing, refining and bringing together everything they've explored and created throughout the term.

From those first ideas on paper to handmade masks, props and characters ready for performance, it's exciting to see just how far they've come.

And very soon, we'll be inviting our Forge families to see what happens...

🔥Inside the Forge 🔥

01/09/2026

🕷️🎭 More young performers taking to the stage in Bendigo!

Students from ACA – Academy of Creative Arts are presenting ARAKHNE, an original drama production written especially for the ensemble.

We love seeing young people given opportunities to work on original theatre, develop characters, collaborate as an ensemble and experience bringing a new piece of writing from rehearsal room to performance.

Best of all — entry is FREE! 🙌

📅 Tuesday 15 September
⏰ 5:00pm
📍 BSE Theatre
🎟️ Free Entry

If you’re free, head along and support another group of young Bendigo performers and theatre-makers! 🕷️✨

Chookas to the students and creative team as they head into their final rehearsals! 🔥🎭

And a shout-out to Laura White for the wonderfully atmospheric poster artwork!

30/08/2026

🔥 Look How Far We’ve Come… 🔥

It started with ideas.

Then came sketches, experiments and plenty of papier-mâché.

Characters began to emerge.

Props started appearing.

And those characters gradually found their way into the rehearsal room. 🎭

As August comes to an end, our Term 3 students have already travelled a long way through the creative process — and now we're beginning to bring all those pieces together.

Next comes more rehearsing, refining and preparing to share what we've created at 'Inside the Forge'.

We’re incredibly excited to see where the next few weeks take us.

🔥 From the first idea to the finished performance — this is what happens 'Inside the Forge'.

29/08/2026

🧚✨ A little Shakespearean magic is coming to Bendigo!

Our friends at Emily Calder’s School of Performing Arts are bringing A Midsummer Night’s Dream to the stage! 🌙🎭

Filled with mischievous fairies, mistaken identities, young lovers, larger-than-life characters and plenty of comedy, Shakespeare’s much-loved play is a wonderful opportunity for young performers to explore one of theatre’s great stories.

We love seeing young artists across Bendigo tackling different styles of theatre, developing their craft and sharing their creativity with audiences.

If you’re looking to support local youth theatre, check out the shared post for performance dates, venue and ticket details.

🧚🌿 Chookas to the cast, crew and creative team as they prepare to bring a little magic to the stage!

28/08/2026

🌟 Confidence Is Built One Step at a Time 🌟

Standing in front of other people and performing can feel like a very big step.

That’s why at Forge, we build towards it.

A drama game.
A character choice.
Sharing an idea.
Rehearsing with a partner.
Performing a scene for the group.

Each experience gives our young performers another opportunity to take a creative risk, discover what they can do and grow a little more confident.

We don't expect everyone to walk through the door ready for the spotlight.

We give them opportunities to find their confidence along the way. 🎭

25/08/2026

🎭 There’s More Than One Way to Be a Theatre-Maker 🎭

Not every young person who joins Forge wants to be centre stage — and that’s okay!

Theatre brings together all kinds of creativity.

Some students love creating characters and performing.

Others discover they enjoy designing masks and props, developing ideas, solving problems or helping bring the world of a performance together.

Throughout Term 3, our students have been experiencing different parts of the theatre-making process and discovering where their own strengths and interests might lie.

🔥 At Forge, there’s space to create, experiment and find your place.

Interested in joining us?

🌿 Embers & Kindling — Ages 5–11
Thursdays | 5:30–7:00 pm

🔥 Flame — Ages 12–14
Wednesdays | 5:00–7:00 pm

📍 St Paul’s Cathedral Hall, Bendigo

Send us a message to find out more or organise a trial.

25/08/2026

🎭🎶 Get’cha Head in the Game — Girton is heading to East High!

Girton Grammar School Bendigo is bringing High School Musical to the stage, and we’re excited to see another fantastic student production showcasing the talent, creativity and hard work of young performers and theatre-makers in our community.

School productions give students the chance to collaborate, challenge themselves and experience everything that goes into creating live theatre — both on stage and behind the scenes. ❤️🎭

If you’re looking for a fun night of musical theatre, get along and support these talented young artists!

And a huge CHOOKAS from everyone at Forge Youth Theatre to the cast, crew, musicians, creatives and production team. Have an incredible season and enjoy every moment under the lights! 🔥✨

Check out the shared post for performance and ticket details.

23/08/2026

👀 Something is taking shape inside the Forge...

The sketches are becoming masks.
The masks are becoming characters.
The characters are finding their stories.
And our rehearsal room is beginning to look very different from where we started. 🎭

Throughout Term 3, our young theatre-makers have been designing, creating, experimenting and rehearsing as they work towards sharing their creations with their families at **Inside the Forge** later this term.

There’s still plenty of work ahead — but watching all those individual ideas begin to come together is one of our favourite parts of the creative process.

🔥 The Forge is heating up...

Stay tuned for more glimpses behind the scenes.

22/08/2026

🎭 Looking for an opportunity to get involved in local theatre?

Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENx10 Casting Night is happening next week!

TENx10 brings together ten original 10-minute plays, with opportunities for local performers to help bring these new stories to life. Casting Night is relaxed and welcoming — it’s not a formal audition, and no experience is necessary. Come along, hear the plays, and put your hand up to read for any that catch your interest!

There’s also a little Forge connection this year — one of the ten selected plays was written by our Artistic Director, Kerry, and we’re looking forward to seeing it begin its journey from page to stage alongside nine other original works. 🔥✍️

📅 Wednesday 26 August, 6:30pm
📍 Bendigo Theatre Company

Whether you’re an experienced performer or have been thinking about giving community theatre a try, Casting Night is a great way to get involved.

Check out the shared post for all the details! 🎭✨

TENx10 2026

📳 In a world where scams are increasingly sophisticated and commonplace, an ordinary phone call becomes high stakes encounter between deception and awareness. Behind every scam is both a potential victim and a system that allows exploitation to thrive.

Kerry Turpie's “Hello? Who’s Scamming Who?” explores the importance of vigilance and digital literacy in modern society, and is a stellar addition to Bendigo Theatre Company’s TENx10 season. Maybe you too could be a stellar addition to the show?

Whether you're a seasoned performer or have always just wanted to give acting a go, TENx10 is the perfect, low-commitment opportunity to get involved, meet awesome people, and build your confidence!

Our TENx10 Casting Night is super relaxed, collaborative, and fun. See a script you like? Put your hand up and read a character! Nominate your favourite plays at the end of the night, and we’ll match everyone up. Since each play is only 10 minutes long, rehearsals are flexible and low-key.

🗓 When: Wednesday, 26th August 2026 at 6:30 PM
📍 Where: Patricia Lyon Black Box Theatre, 15-17 Allingham St, Bendigo
🎭 Details & Performance Dates: Head to the TENx10 page on the BTC website!

Come along, read for “Hello? Who’s Scamming Who?”, and discover your next role or your very first stage opportunity. ✨