There’s a lot to look forward to in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, from a massive urban garden to the highly-anticipated The Fox: NGV Contemporary. And soon, you can explore a new cultural destination at Arts Centre Melbourne. Celebrate Australia’s legacy in the performing arts at the new Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA). This cool space will open in phases on the upper terrace of Hamer Hall, and it will open for its first phase in December 2025.
Australian Museum of Performing Arts
This museum will present exclusive exhibitions, and showcase rare objects from the Australian Performing Arts Collection. This Collection contains over 850,000 objects relating to the history of circus, dance, music, opera and theatre. This includes costumes and rare objects from familiar names like Kylie Minogue, Barry Humphries, Nick Cave, Hugh Jackman, Olivia Newton-John and more. It also includes pieces from notable institutions like The Australian Ballet, Circus Oz, Melbourne Theatre Company and Opera Australia. The museum will also host touring international exhibitions related to performing arts.
“I’m so pleased to be bringing to life the long-held vision to make the riches of the Australian Performing Arts Collection more accessible to the Victorian community through new and expanded spaces,” said Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Karen Quinlan AM. “Through treasured objects, iconic performers and a rich theatrical history, AMPA will enable us to share with the world the incredible performing arts history and stories of the stages of Australia and beyond.”
For Phase 1, the museum will open with almost 500 square metres, dedicated to showing exhibitions. In Phase 2, the space will grow to about 800 square metres.
The first exhibition will be announced in September, and the gallery will open in December.