WRITTEN BY AZMY
EDITED BY CHARLOTTE FRASER
The MUSE festival is an annual tradition from the Victorian College of Arts that, this year, will run from 10 am–10 pm from July 7–9. It is completely open to the public: every theatre enthusiast should get themselves a free ticket and explore all the incredible shows on offer!
There is something absolutely magical about what these students create: every show is created by students purely for love of the game. Their passion emanates from every room.
The MUSE festival creates a unique environment where creative and talented students are able to have fun together whilst having a platform to share their art, which ranges from cabarets to original devised theatre to dance and more.
On the first of June I went to see The Glass Menagerie at Melbourne Theatre Company alongside VCA student/old friend Amelie Barham. In a moment of out-of-character bravery, I offered to director Ben Keun to write about his upcoming MUSE show, Working Title. He said that would be cool, and on the train back home I emailed Dialog editor Charlie to ask about this possibility (thankfully she said yes) and thus, exactly a month later, I found myself at the VCA watching a Working Title rehearsal.
Working Title is one of many shows part of the MUSE festival, a free showcase of student work from across all departments of the VCA. Keun describes it as “an absurdly silly show” with its roots in the improvisational theater genre Commedia dell’arte and aesthetically inspired by 2000s sitcoms such as The Office.
Set in the office of Big Company Incorporated Inc., the central plotline concerns the theft of two hundred billion dollars from the company and the ensuing shenanigans as Bridget (Barham) and Hilda (Christaron Newstead) compete to solve the case first whilst the general chaos of the office continues to unfold around them.
Having seen a dress rehearsal, I can attest to the fact that this show will be a ton of silly fun. Comedy is something that is difficult to do well, and these first-year theatre and actor students have done a phenomenal job creating a show that is consistently engaging and humorous. The ensemble is overflowing with chemistry and unafraid to quip off one another in moments of improvisation and moments of audience interaction are well-integrated into the world of the play.
Ben Keun, Director and Writer:
Whilst this was mostly a devised piece, it is Keun who handpicked this brilliant cast and stitched everything together into a somehow comprehensible work of absurdist theatre. He has guided the ensemble into creating an exciting and fascinating story that plays on the absurdity of status, class, and capitalist institutions. He surprised me by mentioning that this is his first time directing – he certainly seems made for the craft with the way I watched him give notes and experiment with the cast’s performance. Keun has created an almost bizarrely calm rehearsal room where everyone feels that they can be seen and heard, where no idea is too stupid or too silly to play with.
Roshni Sinha as Harley:
Harley Kino, inspired by the commedia character Harlequin (Arlecchino in Italian), is a bubbly bottom of the chain character. Sinha plays Harley with enthusiasm, her bright eyes accentuating the character’s excitability and love for playing jokes. Sinha describes Harley as being incredibly fun to play as,
whilst her intelligence is often overlooked (she’s not very good at spelling), she is witty and intelligent when it comes to face-to-face interaction and her dynamic with the other employees is always amusing to watch. Sinha notes that Bridget and Harley are “the only two, really, that notice that the audience are there and reference them,” and despite being “the lowest status, but they have enough foresight to be like ‘oh yeah, there are people watching us, by the way.’”
Amelie Barham as Bridget
Bridget Geller, based on Brighella in Commedia, is a character who is slightly above Harley on the corporate ladder, but not by much. Barham describes Bridget as being torn between the two worlds of play and being serious. She has a love for playing pranks with her friend Harley, but also desires respect from others – a fun juxtaposition to experiment with and a fascinating character to get into the psychology of.
Barham plays Bridget with a mix of rigidity and flexibility and as an audience member, you can almost feel the moments when she wants to lean into the silliness and reigns herself back.
Leonardo Murrieta Lagos as Al
Al Capan (derived from the Commedia Il Capitano) is described by Murrieta as someone as “will do anything if it means people will think highly of him, and because … everyone takes advantage of that, it, you know, has the opposite effect,” and it’s been a fun challenge to play “the stark difference between his bravado and his insecurity.” Al presents a confident facade of himself in his desire to be loved, which often gets between the potential for friendship with his co-workers. Murrieta plays off his fellow actors with ease, earning the character’s comedy with his charisma and dedication.
Christaron Newstead as Hilda
Hilda Tory, (Il Dottore, The Doctor) is second-in-command on the corporate ladder. Played by Newstead, Hilda is self-assured and confident, with a mysterious history. Newstead remarks that unlike Al, Hilda feels no need to be “consistently trying to prove herself the way Al kind of is,” she “expects things of people because she knows that they have to answer to her.” Newstead plays Hilda’s complexity with a cool composure, maintaining feigned nonchalance in her efforts to uncover who stole the money and be promoted to CEO of Big Company Incorporated Inc.
Callum Doherty as Grant Aloné, Xander Edwards and Callum Beena
Keun ensures that Working Title brings out Doherty’s great strength when it comes to character acting. Doherty expertly moves through the physicalities of three totally different characters, from the elderly company CEO, Grant Aloné (Pantalone), to nervous intern, Xander Edwards (Zanni), to the mischievous mail lady, Callum Beena (Colombina), Doherty has not been given an easy job. He rises to the challenge with hilarity, dedicating himself entirely to the differing physicalities and comedies of each character’s quirks.
Audience Interaction
Don’t fear the mentions of audience interaction in this piece – it is all incorporated seamlessly; the audience feels like a part of the world. You may be asked to push buttons or write something down, and the actors will improvise based on your response. That is to say, relax and have fun with it, because the cast are having fun with it too!
I’ve been asked by Murrieta to pass on a request to audience members of Working Title: “if you get given a piece of paper to write on, write the most diabolical things on it. It’ll make the improv so much better.”
And a final word about Working Title from Keun: “If you love Barbie, you’ll love this show. If you hate Barbie, you’ll love this show.” He’s right. Trust me.
The best part about the MUSE festival is the incredible range of student works on offer from across all fine arts from dance, puppetry, concerts, cabaret, original theatre, and more. Doherty articulates that “you can go in, you book a free ticket for the day, and then you can essentially wander around the space and stumble into something that will surprise you in X way or Y way. In one room, you’ll find a comedy. And then next door you’ll find a harrowing horror show. I think finding that kind of plethora of stimulants and experiences is really intriguing. Exciting.”
I highly recommend that everyone peruse the programme and explore the VCA for a day – there is absolutely something there for everyone.
Follow working title on Instagram @working_title_show.
The MUSE festival will be running from July 7th to 9th. Tickets can be booked via Humanitix, and the programme can be perused on the MUSE festival website.
AZMY is a creative studying a Bachelor of Arts at UniMelb. This year, they are making theatre with The Werkz Ensemble and Cipta Theatre company!
CHARLOTTE FRASER (she/her) is a writer, performer and editor based in Melbourne. She holds a BA in English and Theatre Studies and is currently completing her Masters degree at the University of Melbourne. Charlotte is also the 2026 Dialog Editor.
The Dialog is supported by Union House Theatre
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