A treasure trove of performing arts history is finally getting a new home

The Age

11-05-2025

Down in the depths of Hamer Hall, behind a secret door, is a treasure trove of performing arts history. The drawers and cabinets all look simple and practically identical, but unless you're part of the curatorial team, the contents come as a complete surprise.
One drawer is filled with ballet slippers, another with handwritten notes. A nearby shelf displays set models of plays long since passed, and the cupboards are filled with costumes, sequins and, unexpectedly, Ossie Ostrich from Hey Hey It's Saturday.
'We've got opera, we've got dance, we've got theatre, we've got magic, we've got comedy,' curator Sandra Bruce, director of collections and exhibitions at Arts Centre Melbourne, says with a laugh.
Arts Centre Melbourne has been building the 850,000-item collection since 1975 – even before its first building opened in 1982 – and now, in the collection's 50th year, it is opening a new dedicated museum space to showcase the unique archive.
In December, Arts Centre Melbourne will open the Australian Museum of Performing Arts in Hamer Hall, in the site formerly occupied by restaurant Fatto. The space will host two exhibitions a year, predominantly drawing on the centre's sizeable collection, with the goal of not simply putting items on display, but telling some of the many stories that have long remained untold.
'We've always known that there's this amazing Australian performing arts collection,' says Bruce. 'It sounds a bit corny, but to be able to bring it back up into the light and to share it with the public I think is very exciting and very important.'
The collection has been a priority for Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Karen Quinlan from very early on. 'The conversation started, really, at the very beginning with my first interview for the job,' she says. 'When I started in the role, I was very aware of the collection, and I also knew that I would do something with it.'
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks underscores the importance of the new space, saying the museum will 'showcase our national collection at a scale never before possible'.