Australian theatres take centre stage at fortyfivedownstairs

Melbourne’s iconic theatre spaces, usually glimpsed only from the stalls or backstage corridors, will be brought into sharp focus in February as photographer Cameron Grant presents Australian Theatres Unveiled at fortyfivedownstairs.

Running from February 5 to 14, the exhibition offers an intimate photographic exploration of some of Australia’s most significant theatre venues, capturing everything from grand street-facing façades to dressing rooms, wings and backstage spaces rarely seen by audiences.

Developed over the past three years, the series reflects Grant’s dual background as a visual artist and performer. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, Grant said the project was driven by a deep personal connection to theatres as places of both work and belonging.

“These buildings hold an emotional history,” he said in his artist statement. “They’re second homes for performers, and spaces where stories are shared night after night.”

The exhibition arrives at a time when Melbourne’s live performance sector continues to rebuild following the disruptions of the pandemic. Grant describes the works as both a celebration and a form of preservation, presenting theatre architecture as cultural heritage while elevating it through fine-art photographic techniques.

The collection spans venues from around the country, revealing the textures, light and quiet moments that define these spaces beyond performance hours. From ornate signage to worn backstage corners, the images highlight how theatres function as living, working environments shaped by generations of artists and audiences.

Australian Theatres Unveiled builds on Grant’s first solo exhibition of the same name, shown at his Brunswick East studio in 2024, which attracted strong interest from industry figures. The fortyfivedownstairs exhibition marks the next stage in what Grant describes as an ongoing visual archive of Australia’s theatre landscape.

Melbourne-based Grant is also the director of Parenthesy, a digital media production house specialising in live performance photography. His work has appeared in publications including Rolling Stone, Deadline and The Guardian, and he has collaborated with major organisations such as Arts Centre Melbourne and Michael Cassel Group and Disney.

The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday February 5 and runs through to Saturday February 14. Entry is free.

Australian Theatres Unveiled is showing at fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. •