The Nightline turns Melbourne's anonymous late-night voice messages into an immersive theatre experience at Malthouse Theatre.
Ever wondered what strangers actually say to each other in the dead of night? Malthouse Theatre is about to let you eavesdrop.
The Nightline is bringing Melbourne’s real, anonymous 3am phone messages to life this August.
Created by documentary theatre maker Roslyn Oades alongside ARIA Award-winning sound artist Bob Scott, The Nightline is an immersive audio experience built entirely from real voice messages left by Melburnians between midnight and 6am.
The Nightline – Malthouse Theatre
- Dates: 13 – 29 August 2026
- Venue: Bagging Room, Malthouse Theatre, 113 Sturt St, Southbank
- Performance times: 6pm, 7pm and 8pm (Tuesday – Saturday); 9pm (Thursdays and Fridays)
- Tickets here
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Audiences sit at a solitary table, pick up a vintage telephone and work a switchboard to tune into recordings from shift-workers, insomniacs, truck drivers, prank callers, emergency workers, new parents and late-night revellers.
The show was originally set to premiere in Melbourne as part of RISING’s inaugural 2021 program, but the season was cancelled on opening night due to a pandemic lockdown. Since then, The Nightline has toured to Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival, the Gold Coast’s Bleach* Festival, and internationally to Canada’s Carrefour international de théâtre de Québec.
For every new city the production visits, Oades and Scott collect a fresh batch of local voice messages, calling out to night owls via late-night radio and community networks to build a snapshot unique to that place.
For this Melbourne season, the pair put the call out to the city’s nocturnal residents once again, gathering a raw and specific portrait of what keeps this city up after dark.
Guiding audiences through the experience is The Nightline Concierge, played by Katia Molino, who strips away any traditional theatrical spectacle in favour of deep, focused listening. As the switchboard connects listeners to different voices throughout the night, the line between stranger and confidant starts to blur.
The Nightline’s message bank remains open to callers throughout the season, with messages recorded in July eligible for inclusion in this run, and anything after that considered for future seasons.
Anyone keen to leave their own anonymous late-night message can do so at nightlineproject.info.
For more information, head here.
