Clear your calendars and prepare your senses – The Forge is turning up the heat, the volume, and the entertainment factor with the launch of the second half of the annual program that’s equal parts provocative, powerful, and just plain fun. Whether you’re after seductive spectacle, soul-stirring storytelling, or laugh-til-you-drop, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s start with ROUGE. This isn’t your average circus – it’s adult, and it’s audacious. It’s a full-throttle explosion of acrobatics, burlesque, and boundary-pushing performance art that will leave you breathless, bewildered, and blushing.  

Voted Best Theatre and Physical Show at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and collecting five-star reviews from every corner of the globe, ROUGE plays with sexuality, gender, and power – then flips it all upside down while dangling from a silk rope. This is strictly 18+ territory so leave the kids at home, bring your boldest friend, and prepare for a night you’ll be talking about long after the glitter settles.

In a very different (but equally unforgettable) mood, Waltzing the Wilarra takes us back to 1940s post-war Perth, where a secret club offers joy, music and stolen moments of love across racial lines, from a time when such things were both rare and risky.  

Decades later, as the club faces demolition, three former friends reunite to remember, reconcile, and raise their voices one last time. Featuring original music, moving storytelling, and the kind of emotional depth that lingers long after the curtain falls, this powerful production reminds us that reconciliation is more than just saying sorry – it’s about facing the past with open eyes and full hearts.

And of course, no winter at The Forge would be complete without the annual comedy blowout: the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, hitting our stage early July.  

It’s fast, it’s funny, it sells out every year, and if you’ve ever been the one who missed it, well, this is your redemption arc. Expect a rotating cast of some of Australia’s sharpest comics, including Meg Jäger, Oliver Coleman, Sashi Perera and Takashi Wakasugi (Japan), and hosted by Tim Hewitt, fresh off the festival circuit and ready to turn a Bairnsdale winter night into a comedy furnace.

So, what do you get when you mix jaw-dropping circus, heartfelt musical drama, and world-class comedy? Just another season at The Forge, really. It’s bold. It’s big. It’s packed with stories that demand to be seen, shared, and shouted about over coffee the next morning – or maybe even a wine that night.

Tickets are on sale now at eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/theforge or call the box office on 03 5152 1482.  

Book early, bring your friends and buckle up. The second half of 2025 is coming in hot at The Forge.  

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