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Beyond The Neck

Theatre Works proudly presents

Beyond The Neck
By Tom Holloway

A young boy who just wants to play cricket, a teenage girl begrudgingly playing happy families, a mother on a holiday gifted to her by colleagues, and a tour guide who revisits the site every day…. all strangers until they meet in the delicate aftermath of one of Australia’s darkest days. Stories intertwine and voices shift as memories, resentments, healing, and humanity collide.

Based on real accounts from people affected by the Port Arthur massacre, Beyond The Neck is a profoundly moving portrait of a community learning to live beyond trauma. Humour flickers through the darkness. Kindness sits beside pain. Creating a space for stillness, breath and hope, and a reminder that healing is a shared act.

A piece of theatre which is closer to a musical quartet than a traditional play, rhythm and timbre play vital roles in this powerful Australian work, almost as important as characterisation and narrative structure. A uniquely intricate and beautiful style of theatre writing, this new Theatre Works production, directed by Suzanne Chaundy, promises to be a highlight on the Melbourne arts calendar this March. Not to be missed.

Based in St Kilda, Theatre Works has been home to bold, independent theatre for more than 40 years. They give artists the space, support and freedom to take risks, and audiences the chance to discover powerful new Australian stories. Each year, they present dozens of productions across their three venues, from reimagined classics to brand new works, created in partnership with some of the country’s most exciting theatre makers.

Beyond The Neck is playing as part of the By Theatre Works programming stream. Other By Theatre Works productions in 2026 include Australian Open, Savages, Mara, Red Sky Morning, Lazarus, Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, The Wolves, and Lord of the Flies.

Directed by Suzanne Chaundy
Performed by Francis Greenslade, Emmaline Carroll Southwell, Cassidy Dunn and Freddy Collyer
Lighting design by Richard Vabre
Set and costume design by Emma Ashton
Sound composition by Philip McLeod
Sound design by Jack Burmeister
Produced by Theatre Works
Publicity by Sassy Red PR

19 March – 4 April 2026
Tues – Sat 7:30pm
Preview: Thursday 19 and Friday 20 March
Opening Night: Saturday 21 March
Tickets: $55 Full, $48 Concession, $40 Preview
Bookings: www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/beyond-the-neck
Enquiries: (03) 9534 3388
Venue: Theatre Works – 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
www.theatreworks.org.au

Duration: 75 minutes no interval
Age suitability: 15+
Warnings: Viewer discretion advised. Beyond the Neck reflects on the long-term impact of the Port Arthur massacre and the experiences of those affected in its aftermath. The play does not depict or describe the events of the day and contains no graphic violence. It focuses on recovery, grief, resilience, and human connection in the years that followed. Themes of mass violence, loss, and trauma are present and may be distressing for some audience members
Accessibility: Theatre Works is a wheelchair-accessible venue. A full-access guide will be available closer to the date

Event details

Venue: Theatre Works – 14 Acland Street, St Kilda
Bookings: https://www.theatreworks.org.au/2026/beyond-the-neck
Start Date: Friday 20 March 2026

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