Carlton’s delightfully unpredictable arts haunt, The Motley Bauhaus, is rolling into September with clowns confronting mortality, improvised comedy, Balkan music, open-mic poetry and an impending invasion of puppets.
Based at 118 Elgin Street, Carlton, The Motley has built its identity around the sort of live performance that rarely fits comfortably into conventional boxes. Theatre, comedy, music, visual art, poetry and works still finding their feet all share the building—and September’s program captures that unruly mixture beautifully.
Weekly Events Keep the Bauhaus Moving
The venue’s regular weekly program offers plenty of reasons to wander in even before the month’s special events begin.
Motley Scratches takes over Monday nights at 7pm, providing a space for artists to try new material and audiences to witness performances while they are still being shaped. The featured edition, Motley Scratches: Clowns!, promises fresh, silly and experimental clowning hosted by Mel McGlensey.
Artists and aspiring artists can settle in for Long Pose life-drawing sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm.
Wednesday nights also belong to The Motley Open-Haus, a free poetry and prose open mic beginning at 7.30pm. Writers of all experience levels are invited to read anything from poems and haikus to short stories, spoken word and longer works in progress.
Friday nights bring The Big HOO-HAA!, Melbourne’s longest-running weekly improvised comedy show. Beginning at 8.30pm, it pits two teams of improvisers against one another in completely unscripted scenes, songs and comic chaos inspired by suggestions from the audience.
Casket Base Asks the Awkward Question
Running from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 September at 7pm, Casket Base arrives with a wonderfully blunt invitation:
“Do you ever think about dying?”
If the answer is yes, the show’s creators reckon this may be the evening for you.
Rescheduled as part of The Motley’s Netherworld Festival program, Casket Base combines clowning, drag and death in a theatrical encounter with the subject most of us spend a remarkable amount of energy avoiding.
It is macabre territory, certainly, but the show’s playful presentation suggests death will not be permitted to sit quietly in the corner looking solemn. Audiences can check availability through The Motley Bauhaus What’s On page or the Netherworld Festival ticket listings.
Fast, Furious and Entirely Unscripted
On Friday 4 September at 8.30pm, The Big HOO-HAA! returns with its regular helping of high-speed improvised comedy.
Nothing is written in advance, no two shows are identical and the audience plays an active role by supplying the suggestions that send the performers hurtling into scenes, characters and songs they could not possibly have rehearsed.
Big HOO-HAA tickets and performance information are available through the company’s website.
Accordions, Violin and Balkan Bangers
The front bar changes musical direction on Saturday 5 September from 6.30pm, when Sofia, Svetlana and Alana bring two piano accordions and violin to The Motley.
The trio combines upbeat original music with what they cheerfully describe as “Balkan bangers”.
Accordionists Sofia Chapman and Svetlana Bunic are joined by violinist Alana Hunt for a performance drawing upon Balkan, continental, circus, tango, post-punk and cabaret traditions.
Bunic is an accordionist of Balkan descent based in Nipaluna/Hobart, while Chapman and Hunt have travelled through Eastern Europe studying and performing the music that informs their work.
The performance takes place in the front bar and admission is free. Further details are available through the Sofia, Svetlana and Alana event page.
Then the Puppets Take Over
Later in the month, the puppets move in.
The Melbourne Festival of Puppetry runs across Melbourne from 22 to 27 September 2026, with The Motley Wherehaus hosting a substantial part of the adult and teenage program from 24 to 27 September.
The expanded festival also reaches La Mama, Arts Centre Melbourne, ACMI and other locations around Carlton and central Melbourne. Its program encompasses children’s productions, adult performances, workshops, masterclasses, street shows, films and free roving puppets.
The Motley Wherehaus program includes Please Remain, Pilgrim II, Dr Pathicus’ Unnatural Adventures, Die, Die Die Old People Die!, Embellish, Those Who Pass the Gateway and the gloriously titled Very, Very, Very Late Puppet Show.
The festival is not solely for children. Some Motley performances explore grief, ageing, desire, queer identity, transformation and the stranger corners of human behaviour. Patrons should check individual age recommendations, content information and accessibility details before booking.
Families are also well catered for across the broader festival, with puppet theatre, workshops and a free Puppet Picnic at the Carlton Highrise Estate on Saturday 26 September.
The complete Melbourne Festival of Puppetry program and tickets are available online, while the City of Melbourne festival listing provides an overview of venues, prices and free activities.
Event Details
Venue: The Motley Bauhaus
Address: 118 Elgin Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053
Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm–1am
Venue program and bookings: themotley.com.au/whatson.html
Melbourne Festival of Puppetry: melbournefestivalofpuppetry.com.au
The Motley Bauhaus acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which it operates and pays respect to Elders past and present.
