The Lark

8 July - 12 July, 2026

The Lark

From the creators of the critically acclaimed Mother (★★★★★) comes The Lark.

Noni Hazlehurst, beloved star of stage and screen, takes centre stage in this new work written by Daniel Keene and directed by Matt Scholten.

Rose Grey is saying her final goodbye to The Lark, a small inner-city pub in Melbourne. It’s been closed for six months and will be demolished as the suburb gentrifies. But for Rose, now in her seventies, this derelict building is her whole life.

She’s lived here since she was a child, finally taking over from her father as he grew old. Her memories, both bitter and sweet, bind her to The Lark. Trapped in the past, she fears that The Lark might hold her forever in suspension. Now she wants to escape from this cycle of endless return and wrench herself free.

With rave reviews on its 2025 world premiere in Melbourne, you won’t want to miss Noni Hazlehurst's breathtaking performance. A powerful and moving meditation on life, death and change.

Originally commissioned and produced by Arts Centre Melbourne and Hey Dowling.

Auslan Interpreted Performance – Sat 11 Jul, 2:00pm

Want the full HOTA experience?

You're spoilt for choice with dining options. Enjoy a pre or post show dining experience at Palette Restaurant, The Exhibitionist Bar or the HOTA Cafe.

Book Now

Session Times

Sold out

7:00 PM

Gallery

Cast

Daniel Keene – Writer

Daniel has written for the theatre since 1979. He has won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Drama twice, the NSW Premier’s Literary Award for Drama three times, the Adelaide Festival Award for Literature, the Wal Cherry Play of the Year Award, the Sumner Locke Elliot Prize (New York), the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award and the Sydney Myer Performing Arts Award. He has also been awarded the Kenneth Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts for his contribution to Australian theatre. His work has been presented at the Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide International Arts Festivals and at Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Since 2000 over 80 productions of his work have been presented in Europe, predominantly in France. In 2016 Daniel was appointed to the rank of Chevalier de I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

Matt Sholten

Matt is a director, producer, writer, and lecturer and is the Artistic Director for award-winning, prolific independent theatre company If Theatre. Matt is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and the University of Melbourne and has directed for Melbourne Theatre Company, La Mama Theatre, Belvoir Street Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Queensland Theatre, JUTE, Playlab, TheatreWorks, Tasmanian Theatre Company and many others. Matt’s theatre work has been nominated for two Helpmann Awards, four Green Room Awards, the Australian Performing Arts Centre Association’s Drover Award, and If Theatre won the 2015 Drama Victoria Award for Best Production for Mother, and their co-production of The Campaign was nominated for four Tasmanian Theatre Awards, winning one. Matt’s debut short film Belonging, based on the play, won the Melbourne Queer Film Festival award for Best Documentary. He has taught at the VCA, QUT, USQ, Griffith and Melbourne Universities. Matt is currently producing, writing and developing a series of creative projects for theatre, film and television.

Noni Hazlehurst

Noni is one of Australia’s favourite and most respected actors and presenters. The celebrated film, theatre and television actor, beloved Playschool presenter, and host of Every Family Has a Secret and Better Homes and Gardens, has undoubtedly one of the most impressive and wide-ranging career portfolios in the business. On stage, as well as countless other appearances for the STC and MTC, she has performed Mother since 2015, touring the east coast and in seasons at Belvoir St in Sydney, HOTA on the Gold Coast, QPAC in Brisbane, and Arts Centre Melbourne (2024). She was awarded Best Actress at the Matilda Awards for Mother in 2018. Other recent credits include the feature films June Again, Ladies in Black, Truth and Sting, and the television series A Place to Call Home, The End, One Night, and Upright. In 2016, she was the second woman to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. Among her many awards, she has won two Critics’ Circle Best Actress Awards, four AFI Awards - Best Supporting Actress for Little Fish and Waiting At The Royal, and Best Actress Awards for Fran and Monkey Grip, two Logies - Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-series for Waterfront and Best Supporting Actress in a Mini-series for Ride On Stranger. In 1995 Noni received an Order of Australia, and in 2007 she was bestowed a PhD honoris by her alma mater, Flinders University.

Reviews

“Hazlehurst’s portrayal of Rose is nothing short of a tour de force”… “Keene’s exquisite writing…is an incredibly moving exploration of life moving on after death” - Matt Bell, Standing Inn-ovation
“Noni Hazlehurst delivers a world class performance” - Alex First, The Blurb
“Theatre in its purest form”...“The Lark is…delivered by one of the greatest performers Australia has ever seen” - Jesse Chaffey, scenstr

From Mozart to Leunig - a journey through words, whimsy and the power of music Hailed by Limelight magazine as ""Australia's top echelon of musicians,"" Ensemble Q Australia tours its Regional Touring Program with a vibrant mix of beloved classics and compelling new Australian works. ; Featuring ABC Classic presenter and writer Ed le Brocq, the program unveils a newly commissioned work by Anne Cawrse, inspired by le Brocq's deeply moving story Sonam & the Silence, a meditation on the transformative power of music. In a similar spirit, le Brocq gives voice to Michael Leunig's whimsical imagination in Calvin Bowman's Curly Pyjama Letters. Bookending these new works are great pillars of the chamber repertoire - Puccini’s hauntingly lyrical Crisantemi, Webern’s deeply romantic Langsammer Satz and Mozart's much-loved Clarinet Quintet, featuring internationally renowned clarinettist Paul Dean. Ensemble Q is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland

FESTIVALS & SERIESCLASSICAL MUSIC

Thu 16 - Sat 18 Jul

Onstage Dating

Bron Batten is going on first dates. Live onstage. Watch from the safety of your seat or volunteer to be a part of the action as Bron takes modern romance to the next level – all in front of the audience! You could bear witness to the blossom of true love – or watch it crash and burn in front of your very eyes. Developed whilst she was in residence in Paris, London and Lithuania, Bron went on over 60 online dates as part of her ‘research’, determined to get to the heart of the internet. This is the result. Featuring a different person each night, this hilarious, award-winning and sell-out show has toured all over Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Europe, thrilling audiences with its unique insight into the world of dating. In the age of Tinder and the online dating app, you can witness the thrill and heartbreak of modern dating up close and personal, as Bron facilitates, interrogates and gleefully destroys the rituals of contemporary romance. Auslan Interpreted Performance – Sat 18 Jul, 2:00pm

FESTIVALS & SERIESCOMEDY

Thu 23 - Sun 26 Jul

Night Night

A story of life, death and other dimensions. Travel beyond the limits of our reality with a heartwarming theatrical film, crafted live on stage. Pip is a downtrodden Antarctic scientist on a quest to discover the origin of life. Haunted by visions of an albino penguin, she stumbles upon a hidden plane of existence that challenges everything she thought she knew. As her world unravels, Pip must team up with a mysterious, glowing entity to reveal the threads that bind life, death and the universe. From the multi-award-winning team behind Lé Nør [The Rain], Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer and New Owner, Night Night takes you on an extraordinary journey, blending puppets, animation, and DIY digital magic. Witness the onscreen story while experiencing the behind-the-scenes artistry in a cinematically playful, transcendent adventure. Auslan Interpreted Performance – Sat 25 Jul, 2:00pm

FESTIVALS & SERIESTHEATRE

Tue 28 Jul - Mon 3 Aug

AUTO-TUNE

Presented by HOTA and re:group performance collective

FESTIVALS & SERIESMUSIC

Thu 6 - Sat 8 Aug

Gillian Cosgriff - Life, Oh Life

Presented by HOTA

FESTIVALS & SERIESCABARET

Wed 19 - Sat 22 Aug

Heartbreak Hotel

Heartbreak Hotel offers a holistic and humorous exploration of how heartbreak affects our minds and bodies, in an exhilarating new performance blending vulnerable memoir, famous novels, and scientific texts. This one is for the young hearts, the old hearts, and the broken hearts. Heartbreak Hotel invites audiences into a world of love, loss, and everything in between. Join Karin McCracken as she navigates the highs and lows of heartbreak, with Simon Leary embodying the ex-loves and best friends along the way. Packed with lo-fi covers of classic breakup songs, bad Tinder dates, and tentative fresh starts, this show is as funny as it is heartfelt. In an exhilarating new performance blending vulnerable memoir, famous novels, and scientific texts, Heartbreak Hotel offers a holistic and humorous exploration of how heartbreak affects our minds and bodies. Created by Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken, winners of the 2022 Bruce Mason Award, this work is generous, reflective, and full of wit. You’ll want to cry. You’ll want to laugh. And you’ll leave reminded of the value of feeling deeply — the good, the bad, and the heartbreakingly beautiful. Auslan Interpreted Performance – Sat 22 Aug, 2:00pm

FESTIVALS & SERIESTHEATRE