VIMH in association with fortyfivedownstairs presents
Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship) by Liv Satchell
16 – 27 September 2026
★★★★★ “…uplifting, mature theatre, guaranteed to leave you smiling”
Cameron Woodhead, The Age
Holly and Sam share a dream – to join the most elite squad in competitive summer sport: ballkids at the Australian Open. It’s their first day of training and they don’t know yet that they’re not going to get picked, or that they’re going to meet their best friend for the first time ever.
Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship) takes this chance encounter and chucks it in a blender, jump-cutting through the next two decades of Holly and Sam’s shared life together. Funny and moving, excruciatingly human, it’s an ode to lonely kids and what happens when they find each other.
Green Room Award winner for Best New Writing and co-winner of the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award, leading indie theatre company VIMH (The Grief Trilogy) are bringing back their Melbourne Fringe smash hit in a season not to be missed.
SHOW DETAILS:
Wednesday 16 – Sunday 27 September 2026
preview: Wednesday 16 September
opening night: Thursday 17 September
duration: 70 minutes
times:
Wednesday to Saturday 7:30pm
Sunday 5pm
ticket price: $35 – $45
bookings: 03 9662 9966
More info and tickets can be found here.
CREATIVE TEAM
Performed by Izabella Yena and Michelle McCowage
Written by Liv Satchell
Directed by Julian Dibley-Hall
Sound Design by Tom Backhaus
Lighting Design by John Collopy
Production Design by Filipe Filihia
Movement Direction by Xanthe Beesley
Stage Managed by Ashleigh Walwyn
Produced by VIMH
Image by Jack Dixon-Gunn
Production Images by Darren Gill
This season is proudly supported by the 2026 City of Melbourne Arts Grants.
The original season of Ballkids (La Mama Courthouse) was nominated for Best Theatre and awarded Best New Writing, supported by Melbourne Theatre Company, at the 2024 Melbourne Fringe Festival Awards. It was also the co-winner of the 2024 Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award. It was nominated for Best Production at the 2025 Green Room Awards and won Best New Writing for Independent Theatre.
This first season was proudly supported by the City of Darebin’s Community Grants Program and the Robert Salzer Foundation.
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