A rehearsed reading of a play by multi award-winning writer, performer and theatre maker, and 2019 writer-in-residence, Angus Cerini will be held in the library on Friday 21st October at 6pm.
Angus describes his play, Ellen, as: “It is a November day in Melbourne in 1880 when Ellen King visits her son in his cell at the Melbourne Gaol. She has come from her own cell in the same jail. His name is Ned Kelly and tomorrow he hangs.
“What does the mother of a killer say to her son? Why was she locked up in the very same prison? With the last of her 12 children just five days old still on the breast. And what relevance does this story have to our world today?”
Five years ago Angus was commissioned to write a play about Ellen Kelly, mother of Ned. He says what he found out along the way surprised him. Bored him. Infuriated him. And made him wish he’d never agreed to write the play in the first place. Because to tell the story of Ellen King, you have to tell the story of Ned Kelly. And does the world need any more of that?
Susie Dee will direct the play reading. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members and include a glass of wine. Bookings are required by calling 9650 3100 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pianist/composer and singer/songwriter Monique diMattina will make her debut at the library on Friday 14th October, presenting her latest work, Miles Franklin the Musical.
Monique’s performance will pay homage to the Australian writer and feminist Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin, who is best known for her novel My Brilliant Career, which was published in 1901. Franklin was passionate about the development of Australian literature and is remembered with the Miles Franklin Award (the prize money was an endowment in her will) and the Stella Prize, which is awarded annually for the best literature work by an Australian woman.
Monique will perform on Friday 14th October from 6pm. Members are free and guests pay $10. Refreshments will be provided. Bookings are essential, either by calling 9650 3100 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our first member tours in September were a terrific success, with members taking up the opportunity to have an insider’s peek at the Athenaeum and learn more about the organisation’s incredible history.
We have scheduled two more free tours for members in November, on Monday 7th November at 10am and Monday 14th November at 10am. Members are welcome to bring a friend to the 45-minute tours, which start in the foyer.
This is a terrific opportunity to hear some stories about your Athenaeum, which has been a fixture on Melbourne’s cultural scene since 1839.
Numbers will be capped so bookings are essential, either by calling 9650 3100 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Congratulations to our current writer-in-residence, Declan Furber Gillick (pictured), and our inaugural writer-in-residence, Patricia Cornelius, whose works are both featuring in the Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2023 program.
Declan’s play, Jacky, is described as a sharp and witty play about family, community and culture, and examines the personal cost of navigating it all in contemporary Australia. It will open on 27th May 2023.
Patricia’s work, My Sister Jill, is set against the backdrop of 1950s and ‘60s suburban Melbourne and is a family drama that captures the spirit and struggle of a generation of Australians post-world war. It will open on 28th September 2023. My Sister Jill will be directed by Susie Dee, who has directed play readings at the Melbourne Athenaeum Library.
