It is not essential to bring anything, but General Admission ticket holders are welcome to bring a travel rug, chair or cushion to sit on – whatever you need to make yourself comfortable on the grass. A Reserve ticket holders do not need to bring chairs, your seats will be set up prior to your arrival on site.
Please note that low rise chairs at a maximum of 15cm from the ground can be used towards the front of the audience viewing area. If you bring a standard height chair, these will be placed at the rear of the audience viewing space.
Our productions take place outdoors and there is no cover. Please consider bringing a hat, coat, blanket, sunscreen and a water bottle when attending.
Please note that umbrellas cannot be raised during performance times.
Dressing up is optional and encouraged for all our shows!
For our Outdoor Mainstage Melbourne shows, you are welcome to bring your own food, drinks, and anything you would typically bring to a picnic.
Our Family Theatre shows allow you to bring food and drinks. However, alcohol may be prohibited at certain venues or shows. Please refer to the venue information page for the specific show you are attending for more details.
For all our indoor productions, outside food is not permitted. However, you are welcome to bring bottled water.
All our outdoor shows are presented in the style of “Picnic Theatre”. This means you can bring along everything you would bring to a picnic such as food, drink and a picnic rug to sit on. You can bring standard height picnic chairs but you will need to sit at the back of the audience area so people sitting on blankets and low rise chairs can see the show unobstructed.
Chair hire is also available onsite for $5 for all Shakespeare Under The Stars performances. No pre-booking possible and there are limited numbers.
We are here to help you and make the most of your experience, so please let us know your individual requirements when booking. You can contact us on 03 8676 7511 or email to boxoffice@shakespeareaustralia.com.au.
Please note, all performances take place on grass.
Our primary location for ticket sales is via our website.
Alternatively, you may use our secondary ticketing partners: Ticketmaster, TodayTix and Halftix.
Onsite Box Office Sales are also permitted on arrival, (subject to availability).
Please note, Viagogo is not a legitimate ticket seller for any ASC events.
On arrival at the venue, you’ll be shown to your Premium Reserved seating area with a low-rise chair under the stars. Once settled, head to the bar pre-show to pick up your complimentary red, white, or sparkling wine to enjoy during the performance. During the interval, or whenever you like, you can visit the kiosk to collect your complimentary tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.
A Reserve seats are set up prior to doors opening and are now allocated seating. We reserve the right to reallocate tickets due to operational requirements.
The Australian Shakespeare Company is pleased to support the Companion Card program. You may purchase one Companion Card ticket during the regular booking process.
If you require additional Companion Card tickets, please contact the box office directly on 03 8676 7511.
Please ensure to bring your valid companion card with you on the date of the performance.
If a show is 'Fully Booked' this means there are no more tickets available, however more allocation may sometimes become available closer to the performance date if other patrons exchange their tickets.
Some performances may have a waitlist available which will be accessible via the show information page. We encourage guests to sign up so we can let you know when more tickets are released.
While we love that you want to enjoy the show in comfort, we ask that CoolCabanas, large umbrellas, and other items that may obstruct the view of other patrons not be brought into the performance area.
We encourage bringing low-profile seating like picnic rugs or low-back chairs to ensure everyone can see the stage and have a great experience. If you're unsure about what to bring, please check the specific event guidelines on your ticket or contact our team for further clarification.
Each venue has its own information page with maps, directions, transport and other general information. You may find this page on the show page by clicking the button labeled, "Venue Information."
The gates to the performance area open 2 hours prior to the start of the show.
The performance area opens 1 hour prior to the performance.
Dogs are not allowed at performances of mainstage or family theatre shows. However, services animals are always welcome.
You are allowed to take photos of the stage, as well as with your family and friends before the show. However, no photos or video are permitted during the performance.
Our audience areas are smoke-free, especially at our family shows. Each venue has a different policy on smoking. Check out the venue information pages to know more.
Alcohol may be brought to the Southern Cross Lawn along with your picnic.
You may also purchase beer, wine or sparkling by the glass or bottle from our bar on-site.
There will also be a range of pre-mixed drinks and non-alcoholic options available from our bar.
This ticket is for carers and support works with a valid Companion Card.
This card is for people with significant and permanent disability who have a lifelong need for a high level of support to participate in community events and activities.
The card allows a person’s carer free entry into participating venues and events.
Companion Cards are part of a nationally run program that aims to promote a person’s right to fair ticketing and to make community access and participation more accessible and affordable.
When purchasing a Companion Ticket, please remember to bring your companion card with you so our box office team may sight it on arrival.
If you are not able to provide a valid companion card, you may be asked to upgrade your ticket to a different price type.
We cannot gather accurate and up to date weather data from the Bureau of Meteorology until approximately 2 hours prior to the start of each show.
We closely monitor rain maps and radars to assess whether or not the predicted forecast will eventuate as planned, be delayed, change directions or disperse.
In addition to this, the current El Nino pattern adds another layer of complexity to assess for cancellations. It means that sudden weather changes are more likely and thus, advance warning from the Bureau of Meteorology for some weather events has been compromised.
We ask for your patience and understanding in these circumstances while we do our best to make the, "right call." We will continue to do our best to give you as much warning as we can, while also avoiding cancellations where possible.
In the event of a cancellation, customers will be notified by a text message and an email, and a public notice will be placed on the home page of the website.
In the event of an inclement weather cancellation, we aim to notify customers 2 - 3 hours prior to the start of the show.
In the event of an inclement weather cancellation, we aim to notify customers 1 - 2 hours prior to the start of the show.
We have an onsite bar serving a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, tea, and coffee, along with a wide range of bar snacks available for purchase.
Food ordering is facilitated by an office pizzeria that delivers just before the show starts, with orders typically closing one hour prior to the performance.
Please note that food ordering may not always be available; in such cases, we suggest ordering via Uber Eats to 100 Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, 3000.
The menu for onsite ordering is linked below.
Earliest notification of a cancelled performance will be on-the-day of the performance.
Usually, performances proceed if there is light, misty drizzle. However, from time to time, it will be necessary to cancel a performance.
If a performance is to be cancelled, patrons will be notified via text message and email.
Earliest notification for a MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCE: 2-3 hours prior to the start of the show
Earliest notification for a FAMILY THEATRE PERFORMANCE: 1-2 hours prior to the start of the show
Guests will be able to exchange their tickets for another night, or receive a credit note for future ASC performances.
If you are nervous about a performance proceeding in mild inclement weather, you may exchange your tickets for an alternate date using the Date Change Request form on our website.
Ticket exchanges are sometimes necessary for our patrons due to weather conditions, family illness or unexpected emergencies. You can exchange tickets for another performance date, subject to availability (conditions apply). If a performance is cancelled due to weather, you are eligible for a lifetime credit note for the face value of your tickets. This is valid for any ASC production in Australia.
For MAINSTAGE performances, all exchanges must be made 3 hours prior to the performance start time.
For FAMILY THEATRE performances, all exchanges must be made 1 hour prior to the performance start time.
Please fill out our Ticket Exchange Form to request a date change.
If a performance is to be cancelled, patrons will be notified via a text message and an email.
We will also display a cancellation notice on the home page of our website.
Earliest notification of a cancelled performance will be on-the-day-of the scheduled performance and in some circumstances, may be within an hour of the scheduled start time.
We ask for your patience and understanding in these circumstances while we do our best to make the, "right call."
The current La Niña pattern adds another layer of complexity to assess for cancellations as sudden weather changes are more likely and thus, advance warning by the Bureau of Meteorology has been compromised.
We will continue to do our best to give you as much warning as we can, while also avoiding cancellations where possible.
We aim to notify guests 2 - 3 hours prior to the start of the show.
We aim to notify guests 1 - 2 hours prior to the start of the show.
Chairs are not supplied either by the Production Company or Venue; however you are welcome to bring your own picnic/camping chairs.
We ask that if you bring a high rise chair elevated more than 15cm off the grass, you sit towards the back so you do not obstruct the view of other patron’s. Staff on site will be able to assist you.
Low-rise and standard height chairs are available for hire from our box office for $5 each, subject to availability. Hire chairs cannot be arranged and paid for in advance.
Hire chairs are not available at our family theatre productions.
If you have lost an item at one of our shows please give us a call on (03) 8676 7511 or email us at boxoffice@shakespeareaustralia.com.au
If you find an item, please pass it onto one of our team members so hopefully it can be reunited with its owner.
We understand that meeting the performers after a show can be a magical experience, especially for young audience members. While we aim to facilitate meet-and-greets whenever possible, these opportunities are typically reserved for important requests, such as for children with unique needs.
Even then, there are several factors that may impact whether a meet-and-greet can take place:
Even when meet-and-greets are pre-arranged, unforeseen circumstances may require us to adjust or cancel them at short notice due to any of these reasons however mainly because of weather. It's important that this is communicated to the child.
If you’d like to request a meet-and-greet for a specific reason, we recommend reaching out to our team in advance. While we can’t guarantee it, we will do our best to accommodate your request.
You can bring standard height picnic/camping chairs but you will need to sit at the back of the audience area so people sitting on blankets and low rise chairs can see the show unobstructed.
A-Reserve ticket holders have low rise chairs preset for them prior to arrival.
Below image shows differences in heights.
Allocation exhausted means that there are currently no tickets available for this event.
It is possible for more tickets to be released however there are no guarantees that this will occur.
If you are looking for a single extra ticket, please contact our Box Office on 03 8676 7511.
If you cannot attend for any of the above reasons, please contact the Box Office and we will happily change your ticket to another date or issue you with a lifetime credit.
Notification of illness and no attendance must be made no later than 1-hour prior to the start of the show for Family Theatre and 3-hours prior to the start of Under the Stars events.
No refunds will be issued for illness.
The performance start time is the marked time on your ticket and booking confirmation, it is not the venue opening time.