Almost ten years after its premiere, CONGRESS returns to the Melbourne Fringe Festival. Last presented within the extraordinary setting of Salisbury Cathedral, this new presentation reimagines the work for the heart of Melbourne, inviting citizens to gather once again in a time marked by political polarisation, social fragmentation and urgent questions about how we live together.

CONGRESS connects the personal with the political. Eight community participants are paired with leading writers and artists to create and deliver “first political speeches” — bold, intimate and hopeful visions for our collective future. Interwoven with music, movement and acts of communal gathering, the work unashamedly asks citizens to imagine change, demand transformation and rehearse new ways of being together.

Created and Directed by Tristan Meecham and Bec Reid
Sound Design: Nick Roux
Lighting Design: Bosco Shaw
Production Manager: Tom Brayshaw, Additive
Writers: Roger Monk, Fatima Measham, Maxine Beneba-Clarke, CQ Quinan, Isabella Eichler-Onus, Willoh Weiland, Skye Cusack, and Beau Windon.
Speakers: Uncle Charles Pakana, Geoffrey Lim, River Gammon, Tina Hosseini, Geoffrey Lim, Anna Pigdeon, Nicolette Forte, Vera Kipp-Murray, and Tony and Frank Cattafi.