
Events
Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne
Featured events
Hamlet (RISING 2025)
It’s funny. It’s moving. It’s tragi-comic theatre that stays true while toppling the throne to get somewhere new.
Eight performers with Down syndrome joyously deconstruct Hamlet in this adaptation from Peruvian theatre company Teatro La Plaza. They share their frustrations. They reveal their desires. They deliver the big soliloquy all at once—in rap form.
It’s a dazzling mash-up that melds film with live performance and turns the age-old question of Hamlet’s madness back in on itself. The actors are each on the prince’s quest for self but they’re also together, as they face shared obstacles to their expressions of uniqueness. In the process, they dare to ask whether “to be or not to be,” is really the question. Or is it the yardstick of normality–in a conformist, productivity-obsessed society–that could really use a closer look?
In a world that often pushes many people aside, this Hamlet focuses on the importance of community rather than the story of one depressed Danish prince. Along the way, it uncorks the essence of the story and lets it fizz.
Weighing the options: The pros and cons of weight loss drugs
Groundbreaking medications such as Ozempic are being used throughout Australia to address obesity. However, as with many pioneering technologies, these weight loss drugs bring with them many complex implications, including delayed policy adaptations, societal shifts, and questions about their long-term safety.
The weight loss and diet industries have long been plagued by conflicting advice and predatory practices. As Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic patent expires in 2026, we face a critical question: Are we prepared for the widespread use of these medications and their potential consequences?
Join Dr Norman Swan and a panel of experts as they look at the current and future use of GLP-1 inhibitor medications in Australia.
Agenda
5:45pm - Formalities begin
6:00pm - Panel discussion
6:30pm - Q&A
7:00pm - Networking
7:30pm - Event concludes