Created by Matthew Lutton and Keziah Warner, Hour of the Wolf invites audiences to Hope Hill – a fictional town that is yours to freely explore on the longest night of the year, at The Malthouse from 19 October 2023.
Hour of the Wolf builds on the landmark success of Because the Night, Australia’s first large-scale immersive theatre production of its kind, which was a blockbuster success from March to August 2021 and dubbed ‘Melbourne’s must-see theatre experience [of 2021]’ by Time Out Melbourne.
The immersive theatre experience will include over a dozen fully realised locations in the town and a cast of 11 actors. This style of production allows audiences to walk through the production while the actors perform around them. The actors do not directly interact with audience members, and at the end of each scence audiences can choose which actors to follow.
Malthouse Theatre will elevate the immersive theatre genre further in Hour of the Wolf by realising additional immersive elements, including personalised, location-based sound design and interactive puzzle-solving to unlock deeper layers of story.
Hour of the Wolf audiences will encounter three interweaving stories that unravel a town’s folk legend about a mysterious wolf that visits once a year. Audiences can choose which of the 11 characters to follow, pick left or right at the end of every scene, and trace the night from different points of view. Attendees will be provided with headsets to guide them through the performance as they walk freely, finding places to sit or stand and watch the actors.
Following a different performer will allow them to follow a different storyline. There is no correct order, as each character’s journey will repeat three times over the duration of the performance, inviting attendees to go back to the beginning and make different choices each time about which performers and storylines to follow. Every audience member will make their own decision and experience the show differently, collecting the entire story but in a different order.
With a stellar cast including Lucy Ansell, Jack Green, Natasha Herbert, Kevin Hofbauer, Keegan Joyce, Brooke Lee, Emily Milledge, Christina O’Neill, Eva Rees, Karl Richmond, and Katherine Tonkin, with set design by Anna Cordingley and costume design by Zoe Rouse, Hour of the Wolf invites audiences to immerse themselves in the story and experience this new form of theatre that is taking the world by storm.
With its world premiere on 19 October and originally scheduled to run for three weeks, the production has been extended due to strong demand for tickets. With many sessions already sold out, the production will now perform until 3 December.
Director: Matthew Lutton | Featuring: Lucy Ansell, Jack Green, Natasha Herbert, Kevin Hofbauer, Keegan Joyce, Brooke Lee, Emily Milledge, Christina O’Neill, Eva Rees, Karl Richmond, Katherine Tonkin | Interactive Dramaturg: David Harris | Set Designer: Anna Cordingley | Costume Designer: Zoe Rouse | Associate Set Designer: Karine Larché | Lighting Designer: Amelia Lever-Davidson | Composition & Sound Designer: Jethro Woodward | Stage Manager: Lyndie Li Wan Po | Assistant Stage Manager: Rosemary Osmond
Hour of the Wolf
Merlyn Theatre – The Malthouse 113 Sturt Street, Southbank (Melbourne)
Season: 19 October – 3 December 2023
Information and Bookings: www.malthousetheatre.com.au
Image: Mrs Wolfe – photo by Tamara Scott