The most exciting events to attend at Rising festival

Flinders Street Station Ballroom, June 4 - August 31

If you loved the First Nations-led exhibition Shadow Spirit or Patricia Piccinini’s A Miracle Constantly Repeated in Flinders Street Station’s long-hidden ballroom, jump on the chance to explore that mysterious space once more. Swingers – The Art of Mini Golf is a nine-hole putting range with a difference designed by wild-hearted women, including Australian art-punk provocateurs Soda Jerk (Hello Dankness); Atlanta-based rapper BKTHERULA, who also pops up in Day Tripper; and multi-disciplinary marvel Miranda July, author of All Fours and director of a bunch of brill movies screening in a career retrospective at ACMI.

Arts House, June 3-15

Proudly queer Wiradjuri dancer and choreographer Joel Bray (Homo Pentecostus, Considerable Sexual License) fuses muscularly contemporary dance with party vibes. This time, he’s taking a back seat, making space for five fierce Brown women to excel in the global premiere of Monolith. Drawing deep on ancient energy that predates the horrors of colonisation by thousands of years, they are a tower of strength in a no-doubt breathtaking work that depicts them taking over a dystopian island designed by astonishing artist Jake Preval. It's all set to sick beats by composer Matthias Schack-Arnott.

Athenaeum Theatre and PICA, June 6-7

In a major coup for Rising, British singer-songwriter and actress Suki Waterhouse will be performing her first-ever Melbourne shows over two massive nights. At the Athenaeum Theatre on June 6, she radiated rock star vibes – the shaggy blonde hair, feathery jacket and sunglasses serving as the ultimate 'It Girl' uniform. But there were no hints of a too-cool attitude; Waterhouse is sweet and charming, candidly chatting about how happy she was to finally be in Australia after cancelling her appearance at Laneway Festival in 2024 due to her pregnancy. And her seranade of 'Johanna' to a fan who was brought on stage was adorably wholesome. Waterhouse belted through hits like 'OMG', 'Good Looking', 'Moves' and 'Model, Actress, Whatever', all while spinning around giant disco balls that twinkled under the golden-hued lighting. It was magical and dreamy in the best way possible, and we were all lucky to be in her sparkly orbit, if only for a night. If you've got tickets for her show at PICA, you're in for a real treat. 

Max Watt’s, June 4-14

Whether it’s getting ‘hitched’ to fellow not-that-way-inclined comedian Rhys Nicholson during the fractious marriage equality debate, navigating our oft-obscured super gay history in divine doco Queerstralia or ruining our ribs in comedy shows including eeeww alter-ego unleashing Dave – The Opener, Zoë Coombs Marr is a treasure. Her nightly variety spoof Wrap It Up! promises malarkey via a cavalcade of surely glittering but yet-to-be-announced stars in a show that hopefully leans more Hacks than Late Night with the Devil.

Union Theatre, The University of Melbourne, June 1-13

Who doesn’t love dearly missed Divinyls frontwoman Chrissy Amphlett? Born in Geelong, she was a rock star doing her thing in New York when she was too cruelly taken from us over a decade ago now, with her family heroically repurposing absolute banger ‘I Touch Myself’ as a breast cancer awareness campaign. Prima Facie star Sheridan Harbridge harnesses Amphlett’s rock‘n’roll roar in a soaring tribute co-created by Julia director Sarah Goodes that understands the best way to true pleasure is through learning to love yourself.

Union Theatre, The University of Melbourne, June 4-8

Think you know Shakespeare’s tragedy of the Prince of Denmark? This game-changing production from Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza upends gatekeeping power structures. Sure, the throne room scheming’s disastrous dance towards doom is present. However, the remarkable troupe of players with Down syndrome amplify the humour lurking in the Bard’s brutal text, reconfiguring it into something more joyous via rap monologues while examining the rotten state of affairs in a world that too often overlooks people with disabilities.

Hamer Hall, 1 June

When Beth Gibbons poured her heart and soul into the haunted lyrics “Give me a reason to love you,” emanating ghostly-like from ‘Glory Box’ on Portishead’s pioneering 1994 debut trip-hop album Dummy, anyone who listened immediately did. But we’ve had to be super patient for her debut solo album to drop, with last year’s Lives Outgrown well worth the inordinate wait. For two performances only on June 1, you can luxuriate in it and Gibbon’s silken vocals in the suitably epic surrounds of Hamer Hall – they are set to be shows to remember.

Chunky Move Studios, June 11-14

Splitting her time between Naarm and Bangkok, gifted Bundjulung/Ngapuhi dancer and choreographer Amrita Hepi has carved a remarkable career out of connecting the body to the ancestral, which makes a physically-driven team-up with sex worker, activist and writer extraordinaire Tilly Lawless super exciting. The pair worked with performance artist Mish Grigor (Oedipus Schmoedipus) as co-writer and director on this line-blurring work that challenges which careers are ‘respectable’ and who really owns our bodies.

PICA, June 11

PICA’s vast warehouse party-style space tucked away in Port Melbourne is the perfect place to welcome Brooklyn’s finest hip-hop titans, Black Star – Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, aka Mos Def, who brought his solo album The Ecstatic to last year’s Rising. While there was nearly 25 years between their 1998 debut album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star and 2022’s follow-up, No Fear of Time, they fielded a tonne of top-notch singles in between. But there’s no doubt this long-awaited live reunion in Australia will be five-side dimension huge.

Melbourne City Baths, June 14-15

One of the funnest things about Rising is how it transforms the city, rewiring our relationship with its spaces. Immersive soundscape artist Sara Retallick does exactly that with the historic red brick edifice of the Melbourne City Baths. In a rare after-dark treat, you can plunge into the invitingly lit pool for a sonic bath, with specially designed speakers below the surface. It creates a unique experience best heard by dipping your head under and feeling it in your bones as you soak your cares away.

Athenaeum Theatre, June 13-29

Genderqueer Filipino-Australian superstar Seann Miley Moore straps on the thigh-high kinky boots in the title role of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s trans-spectacular Tony Award-winning glam-rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. When Hedwig fled over the wall from East Berlin, the last place they expected to land was a trailer trash park in Kansas. You better believe Miss Saigon and The Voice alum Moore will pack a gusty punch into the greatest hits, including ‘Midnight Radio’ and ‘Sugar Daddy’.