La Mama Theatre, Independent theatre in Carlton, Melbourne, Australia.
La Mama Theatre is an independent theatre in Carlton, Melbourne, operating across two venues on Faraday Street and Drummond Street. Each venue has its own small performance space used for contemporary and experimental productions.
Betty Burstall founded the theatre in 1967, inspired by a similar venue she had visited in New York. A fire in 2018 damaged the original 1883 building, and the theatre reopened in 2021 after reconstruction.
La Mama has long served as a starting point for Australian playwrights and performers who go on to work across the country. The small audience size means you sit close enough to the stage to notice every gesture and expression.
Both venues are in Carlton and easy to reach on foot from the surrounding streets. Because the spaces are very small, arriving a little early gives you time to find your seat and get comfortable before the show starts.
After the 2018 fire, the stage was rebuilt to match its original size rather than being made larger as part of the renovation. This means the relationship between performers and audience remains as close today as it was before the fire.
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