St Kilda creative hub drives resurgence of visual and performing arts

Aimed at repairing the damage inflicted on visual and performing artists by the COVID lockdowns, a community hub of creative professionals in St Kilda is driving a series of initiatives.

Based at the Alex Theatre complex in Fitzroy Street St Kilda, the creative hub has launched a raft of live, online and free-to-air programs designed to create new employment opportunities for artists.

General Manager of the Alex Theatre St Kilda, Allan Rendell, said the enforced closure of live performances at the three-theatre complex during the COVID lockdowns was the catalyst for experimenting with different ways to help maintain artistic livelihoods.

Rendell notes “during the COVID lockdowns a team of creative professionals involved with The Alex developed a series of new vehicles to showcase the creative industries.  We now have a range of programs promoting the Arts emanating from the Alex Theatre, including visual arts, music and literature, as well as an acting and a ballet school, and a studio dedicated to webinars.

“It has been a massive effort by all those involved, mainly voluntary, and we are now developing funding streams to ensure the initiatives are sustainable and provide direct financial support to artists.”

The flagship project has been ‘Live from St Kilda, with Ben Murphy’, a one-hour weekly variety entertainment and chat show, starring comedian/magician Ben Murphy, recorded at the Alex Theatre, now before a live audience, and screened on free-to-air community TV Ch31 on Friday evenings.

‘Live from St Kilda’ features host Ben Murphy interviewing guests such as Vanessa Amorosi, Archie Roach and Gretel Killeen on stage, live music performances, stand-up comedy and games.

Since its inception last year ‘Live from St Kilda’ has now gained an audience of over 200,000 across community free-to-air television on Ch31 in Victoria, Ch44 in South Australia, Sky/Face TV in New Zealand and online.

Murphy says that what started out as a series of Zoom chats with his celebrity friends for some fun during lockdown has now developed into a full-blown variety show featuring skits, comedy, games, music, interviews and performances.

“We are showcasing an amazing variety of acts and entertainers which is hitting a nerve with audiences and is a unique offering across Australian media,” Murphy said.

Other arts programs originating from the creative hub at The Alex Theatre in St Kilda include ‘The Art Hunter’, a series on the visual arts presented by JOY.FM personality David Hunt (https://www.thearthunter.tv/); ‘The Alex Café’, a program on writers and books (https://www.thealexcafe.com/); ‘Alex Rocks’, a musical program (https://www.alexrocks.com.au/); and a new online program, ‘Amplify’, which will feature live music from The Prince Bandroom.

“This is a community-led resurgence of arts activity and we are delighted to be a focal point for making things happen,” Rendell said.

The current season of ‘Live from St Kilda’ invites live audiences in studio at The Alex every Tuesday evening through until 7 June.  Bookings are available 

Images from top: Ben Murphy at St Kilda Alex Theatre Ben Murphy; St Kilda Alex Theatre Vanessa Amorosi and Ben Murphy; St Kilda Alex Theatre Ben Murphy and Audience