Sanctum Studio

SANCTUM STUDIO is a lens through which monstrous apparitions are made manifest.

“Theatre is a space in which the waking mind can address its illnesses; where paradox isn’t hypocrisy and mortality isn’t ignored; it is a sanctuary where monstrous apparitions can be viewed at arms length and laughed at; it is the shared pretence of momentary madness…”

--Henrietta Kuscht, Manifesto for the Ill, 1929

S a n c t u m T h e a t r e is a Melbourne-based, visual performance company

presenting ‘folk theatre’ in everyday spaces. S a n c t u m T h e a t r e aims to establish a fluid dialogue through time, blood and place – an animism for the twenty first century. Through its' ‘zero projects’ S a n c t u m T h e a t r e aims to re-animate and re-mystify local landscapes in the communal imagination. S a n c t u m T h e a t r e was launched in 2006 with lament: candles & compost, the first theatre production to be staged at the Abbotsford Convent. Since then S a n c t u m T h e a t r e have presented numerous interactive theatre events, community arts projects, exhibitions and the short film the ferryman and his wife. S a n c t u m T h e a t r e also tours roving acts to festivals, parades, parties, weddings and all manner of festivities. "[The movement] in the direction of emptiness,
DEFORMITY,
non-form,
is an ILLUSION-CRUSHING process
and the only chance to touch on reality."

--Tadeusz Kantor (1963)

25/05/2026

13/05/2026

Sanctum Studio will present Fungal Forest this weekend as part of Design Week group exhibition, Fruiting Bodies. Fungal Forest is a giant inflatable installation with an interactive sound design by Developed in partnership with and premiered at Glenroy Festival a couple of weeks ago. will also unwrap a couple of paintings and a sculpture from the CHRYSALIS exhibition that closed last weekend in Loft 275 Gallery, that was presented by and See you at the opening, Friday 6-8pm, 1/10-12 Moreland Rd Brunswick.

06/05/2026

Welcome to the CHRYSALIS. Come inside, get comfortable, you'll never be the same again. Every kind of transformation is possible within the CHRYSALIS.

6:30pm tomorrow, Thursday 7th May, there is a film screening to accompany the CHRYSALIS exhibition. We will be screening six Sanctum Studio shorts: CLOUDHEAD visits GRANDMA (featuring music by Aviva Endean, 2021), CORREA (sound by Sound Fossil, 2022), The Plains (animated by Ana Tiqua, based on the paintings of Philip Hunter and featuring the music of Sebastian Jorgensen, 2008), BANKSIA (featuring music by August Skiper, 2023), CHRYSALIS (sound by Sound Fossil, 2024), and the ferryman and his wife (sound by La Banda di Sandro and Lyrebird Pete, 2010).

The night will be introduced by MIAF artistic director, Malcolm Turner, and Lachlan Plain will read from the CHRYSALIS chapbook. After the screening join us upstairs in the gallery for light refreshments and soft drinks.

The screening will be held in Yarra-me Djila Theatrette at Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub. The exhibition is in Loft 275. Booking link in the bio. See you there.

26/04/2026

Wander through giant inflatable toadstools, and eavesdrop on the mycelial network by (https://www.instagram.com/ex____ponto____/)

📅 Sunday 3 May
⏰ 11am – 3pm
📍 Glenroy Community Hub and Bridget Shortell Reserve

—

The mushrooms are gossiping. They’ve been at it for 450 million years, passing messages through underground mycelium networks. Scientists have found their electrical signals travel in patterns that look suspiciously like words. We just haven’t been listening.

‘Fungal Forest’ gives you the chance to finally chat back.

Presented by .au (https://www.instagram.com/sanctumstudio.au/) and (https://www.instagram.com/artsmerri_bek/)
Image credit: .au (https://www.instagram.com/sanctumstudio.au/)

08/04/2026

Preliminary Sketches: The Witchetties. Exhibition opening tomorrow night, 6:30 - 8:30. Loft 275 Gallery, Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Hub. See you there.

06/04/2026

CHRYSALIS is a meditation on metamorphosis – on things becoming other things. The moon waxes and wanes, cells divide, babies grow, and grubs become butterflies.

This immersive installation combines Lachlan Plain’s sculpture and painting, with his rudimentary handcrafted animation. It is underscored by Nick Wilson’s mesmerizing
composition for guitar and prayer bowl.

The CHRYSALIS exhibition is presented by Banyule City Council and Melbourne International Animation Festival (MIAF).

9 April – 10 May 2026

Opening: Thursday 9 April, 6:30-8:30pm

Special Screening: Thursday 7 May, 6:30pm

Loft 275 Ivanhoe Library & Cultural Hub, 275 Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe

Mon – Thurs: 9am to 9pm; Fri: 9am 6pm; Sat – Sun: 10am to 5pm

01/04/2026

Behind the Scenes - Studio Tour: Sound Fossil sound studio, where the magic happens. The CHRYSALIS soundtrack was created here. See you at the exhibition opening (9th April ) or special screening (7 May) at Loft 275, Ivanhoe Library and Cultural Centre. Exhibition runs 9 April - 10 May. Reel featuring Three-Handed Creeper Waltz by . 🎬

05/01/2026

Transmission intercepted. Intergalactic interloper captured on film. Burlap Beehive and the Babbletrap. Tanglewood Festival, Thornton, Australia, Earth. One more revolution of our little planet around the sun. 2026…evolution, revolution or de-volution?

Address

1/10-12 Moreland Road
Brunswick East, VIC
3057

Website

http://www.sanctumtheatre.org/

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