FESTIVAL RETURNS 7 - 9 JULY 2026

FESTIVAL RETURNS 7 - 9 JULY 2026

APPLICATION INFORMATION

WHAT IS MUSE?

MUSE Festival at UniMelb Southbank (VCA & MCM) is a celebration of the Fine Arts and a complete takeover of the Dodds Street Performing Arts Building (879). Held during the winter break over three days, MUSE is Southbank’s first-ever student-led Performing Arts Festival, now entering its fifth year.

MUSE exists to support up-and-coming artists and serve as a launchpad for new work and new voices. Each year, the festival continues to grow, showcasing emerging artists as they take bold first steps, experimenting, taking risks, and pushing boundaries in an environment that values learning, curiosity, and failure as an essential part of the creative process.

Think of MUSE as the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music’s own Fringe Festival

MUSE belongs to everyone. The Festival serves to facilitate a multi-disciplinary, cross-faculty collaboration that brings together students from across the university, encouraging them to collaborate and take their learning beyond the classroom.

Our vision is to create a space where students are empowered to create freely, to take risks, and to claim their right to creative expression. MUSE is a place where artists grow, connections are formed, and practices are developed. The conversations, collaborations, and wild ideas that begin here don’t stay within the walls of 879. We've seen artists move from tiny studios to major fringe festivals, larger theater venues like Theatre Works, La Mama Courthouse, The Motley Bauhaus and beyond.

And now we welcome you.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR MUSE?

MUSE Festival is open to current (2026) UniMelb Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM) students. Within these parameters, anyone can be part of MUSE! We’re all about variety, whichever form that comes in. Arts focused or not, we welcome events of all kinds. Our Festival embodies freedom of expression - at its loudest. So if you have something to say, here’s the place to say it.

In the spirit of collaboration, we strongly encourage applications and expressions of interest from all University of Melbourne FFAM students this includes but not limited to:

  • Acting / Theatre / Musical Theatre / Dance / Music Students are encouraged to complete the MUSE Application Form and submit a pitch for the work you would like to present at MUSE 2026.

    Other Artists interested purely in collaboration, rather than creating or devising new work, are also encouraged to complete an Expression of Interest.

    The MUSE Team 2026 will assist in connecting you with other artists who are seeking collaborators with your skills.

  • Production Students who would like to present a work are encouraged to complete the MUSE Application Form.

    Students who would like to collaborate on other works are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest.

    The MUSE Team will work to connect you with artists seeking venue technicians, designers, and production support. There will also be opportunities closer to the festival commence date to join the MUSE Team 2026 within the Production Team.

  • Not sure which option to select but still want to be involved? No worries!

    The Expression of Interest form includes a section where you can indicate your interest, and we will contact you when volunteer opportunities arise. We are always in need of extra hands during festival season.

APPLYING FOR MUSE

To apply with a work for MUSE, please fill out the MUSE Festival 2026 Application Form, beginning from March 2nd, 2026. Applications close strictly on April 3rd, 2026 at 11:59PM.

All artists will be required to submit the following information:

  1. Artist Full Name and Pronouns

  2. Email

  3. Year Level and Course of Study

You will then be asked to consider whether your work may be appropriate for MESS.

MESS is MUSE’s development program for new, messy ideas. Please see below for further information regarding MESS.

APPLY NOW

APPLICATION PROCESS

All applications will be asked the following:

1. Title of the work

Please provide a title of the work, if you have one. Please note that this can change and there is no expectation for this to be your final title.

2. Pitch us your work!

Tell us as much as you can about the work you want to put on at MUSE. Sell it to us. This is your chance to tell us anything we might need to know about the content of your piece to bring it to life.

3. Select the Genre / Style for your work

From the drop down list, select the genre that most closely aligns with your work. Options don’t quite match? Select “Other” and include more information so we know how best to assign your piece.

4. Technical Requirements

What are the technical requirements for your work? We are aware that in the early stages of development you may not fully know what you will require. Unsure of what to write? Please give us your best guess as to what technical elements you envision, including lighting, sound and projection/vision. We will confirm everything with you later in the process during artist meetings and assist in bringing your show to life.

5. Staging Vision

Pitch us how your show will look! In this section we would love to hear your dream design for your show. How will the audience be seated? What props/costume will you be using? What are the set elements like? And are there any specific space requirements for your work? This will help us determine the scope of your work and the best venue to allocate for the Festival season.

HOT TIPS

To make your application stand out, we recommend taking your time filling it out and including as much information as possible.

If you are still developing your work and don’t have some of the information we’re asking for, that’s okay! Include what you can, and let us know which areas are still being determined.

We want to be as excited about your work as you are, so don’t be afraid to talk it up! If you think it’ll be spectacular, then let us know that it’ll be spectacular!

The information included in your application is what we will use to allocate venues and technical resources, so keep that in mind when filling out your form. If you think you need a specific venue, tell us why!

MESS

MESS is our very own development program for new, messy ideas

Do you have an unfinished script, a crazy idea that you'd like to test, or want a low-stakes environment to test out a new idea? MESS could be the place to showcase your work.

MESS pieces can be:

  • Script readings

  • Short showings of a couple of scenes from an unfinished work

  • Slam poetry

  • Improvisation works

  • And anything else unfinished or messy

The idea is for MUSE to provide a space for these works in development to be shown and receive feedback at the request of the artists. Please note for MESS minimal production elements (set/costume/lighting/sound) will be provided.

To apply for MESS please fill out the MUSE Artist Application form and select “Yes” in the MESS section. Then complete the rest of the form as usual; there will be prompts to assist for MESS specific applications.

NEXT STEPS

Once the MUSE Team has reviewed your application, we will contact you with the outcome of your application at the end of the mid-semester break on Friday, April 3rd.

You will then receive an Artist Information Pack detailing everything you will need to know about presenting your work at the Festival. This includes:

  • How the Festival will operate

  • Required forms, including Artist Agreement and Media Release

  • Key dates and deadlines

  • Access to production resources, including Stock Shop

  • Guidelines and resources for rehearsing and developing your work

ARTIST MEETINGS

You will then have TWO Artist Meetings with members of the MUSE Team. The purpose of these sessions is to discuss your work and answer any questions the MUSE Team may have.

  1. The first Artist Meeting will take place shortly after your acceptance into MUSE, within the first week back from Mid Sem Break, Week 6.

  2. The second and final meeting will occur in Week 12 to confirm ALL details of your work before the Festival enters Production Week.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • MUSE Festival is about showcasing new voices and promoting new ideas. Therefore, we ask that all submissions are fresh works. However, you are welcome to adapt / parody existing works and use short excerpts in your performances.

    Under the UniMelb licensing agreement, you will need to obtain the licence to use a copyrighted script. This includes existing plays, musical works, TV, or radio excerpts.

  • We accept any work and ideas, big or small. However, we also want to keep MUSE a safe space where everyone - artists, audience, organisers, and faculty - feels comfortable and welcome. This includes following appropriate UniMelb guidelines and policies.

    If you’re unsure whether your idea is appropriate, reach out to our Welfare and Wellness Team and we will have a discussion about your work.

  • While we encourage you to get involved as much as possible, we respectfully ask that you dedicate your time to a maximum of two MUSE works. This is to prevent issues with scheduling, and also help preserve your physical and mental wellbeing!

    We encourage you to consider your time, energy, and course commitments before running the risk of overcommitting. Unsure if you’re taking on too much? Reach out, and we’ll be able to offer some guidance through our Welfare and Wellness Team.

  • Under the UniMelb licensing guide, you are covered to use licensed music as long as it is part of a UniMelb event, including MUSE Festival.