Since 2009, Dreamhouse Theatre Company has worked alongside young people, devising new works and showcasing Australian writers, in projects that explore and question contemporary Australian values.
We have presented theatrical works on issues and narratives that are increasingly relevant to the concerns of young people, often inventively told through comedy, drama, and magic realism. Plays are set everywhere from school yards in contemporary Australia, to war-torn countries, from mythical kingdoms to a teenager’s bedroom.
Dreamhouse carefully considers plays to be performed, in collaboration with the ensemble. Powerful storytelling is always at the heart of the chosen work.
Dreamhouse programs always value the voices of young people and looks for opportunities to engage them with local community organisations. In recent times, partners and collaborators have included Mornington Peninsula Shire, Peninsula Writer’s Club, Flinders Arts Show, Spark Youth Dance Company. In this way, the young people involved in Dreamhouse Theatre are also valuable members of the Mornington Peninsula community.
Past Productions.
The Snow – 2022
The Snow by Finegan Kruckemeyer. Directed by Carole Patullo. When an epic snowfall imprisons the residents of the tiny village of Kishka, young Theodore Sutton proposes the villagers build a catapult to fling him and six of the village’s [...Read More]
3 O’Clock Flagpole – 2021
3 O’Clock Flagpole by Steve Pirie. Directed by Carole Patullo. It’s the first day of a new school year for Stella Bunt, and everything is changing. New rules, new teacher, new responsibilities. Stella and the rest of Year 10 [...Read More]
Monkey – 2019
Monkey by Donna Abela. Directed by Carole Patullo. Tripitaka the monk, commissioned by Buddha, travels to India to fetch the true scriptures and bring them back as a blessing to the East. Under the watchful eye of the Goddess [...Read More]
Masquerade – 2018
Masquerade by Kate Mulvany. Directed by Carole Patullo. In a wondrous world of riddles and hidden treasure, bumbling Jack Hare is on a race against time to deliver a message of love from the Moon to the Sun. Far, [...Read More]
Stories in the Dark – 2017
Stories in the Dark by Debra Oswald. Directed by Carole Patullo. A terrified 12-year-old boy finds himself separated from his family in the unfamiliar streets of a war torn city. He takes refuge in a bombed-out house and in [...Read More]
Tales of Arabian Nights – 2016
Tales of Arabian Nights by Donna Abela. Directed by Carole Patullo. Young courtier Shahrazad poses as a ‘Smuggle’ (a refugee) about to be executed by the despotic King Shahrayar. To save her life, she tells the king a story [...Read More]
Workshops & Collaborations list.
Story People – A bit of a Stretch (April 2022)
Story People - A bit of a stretch A popular annual event on the Dreamhouse calendar is the intergenerational story-sharing morning tea and verbatim performance. 'Story People - A bit of a stretch' was a continuation of our previous [...Read More]
Stepping Out – Stories of challenge, change, and possibility – March 2021
Stepping Out - Stories of challenge, change, and possibility. (March 13th and 14th 2021) A continuation of the story sharing event and verbatim performance, that were popular elements in the ‘A Woman’s Place’ mini festival, Stepping Out featured a morning-tea story sharing event on [...Read More]
Darker (August – November 2020)
During the lockdowns and social distancing requirements imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dreamhouse created a digital theatre piece titled Darker, originally performed as part of When the Birds Come in (A Woman’s Place 2019), for 16 Days of [...Read More]
Zoom Workshops (May – November 2020)
Online theatre workshops led by Artistic Director Carole Patullo, with Dreamhouse’s 2020 ensemble. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dreamhouse could not present an annual mainstage production, yet our ensemble were busy honing their acting skills with regular Zoom workshops. [...Read More]
A Woman’s Place – When The Birds Come In (March 2019).
A collaboration between Mornington Peninsula Shire, Spark Youth Dance Company, Peninsula Writers Club and Dreamhouse Theatre Company for A Woman’s Place 2019. The event was a multi-media promenade theatre experience, including live performance, soundscape, projected image, written text and [...Read More]
The Art Critics (June 2018)
The Art Critics. A pop-up performance for the Flinders Arts Show Opening night. Dreamhouse presented a work where flamboyant and verbose art critics mingled and engaged the patrons with their curious and entertaining interpretations of art. [...Read More]
A Woman’s Place – Tales from the Ninth (March 2018)
A Woman’s Place - Tales from the Ninth. Tales from the Ninch was a collection of humorous, whimsical and moving scenes adapted from stories shared by peninsula women, and performed by an intergenerational cast. It was presented as part [...Read More]
A Woman’s Place – Right here (March 2017)
A Woman’s Place – Right here 2017. A 3 day performance, storytelling and workshop event that celebrated the stories of women living on the Mornington peninsula. The stories of women of all ages, were gathered and a in a [...Read More]
The Short Works Project (July – November 2017)
The Short Works Project. Melbourne based playwright Jessica Bellamy worked with the ensemble to develop their theatre script writing skills. Responding to a range of provocations over twelve weeks, the ensemble developed a number of solo and group written [...Read More]
The Presleys (November 2017)
The Presleys. A street theatre performance first performed for the Rosebud Rock n Roll Festival.‘The Presleys’ are a quirky extended family, all sharing an uncanny resemblance to Elvis, who mingle with shoppers and tourists, posing for photo and dance [...Read More]
The Construction Workers (January 2016 & 2017)
The Construction Workers. A street theatre performance for the Australia Day parade at Mornington in 2017 and the Australia Day event at Rye in 2016. The Dreamhouse ensemble performed as construction workers in a live street performance. [...Read More]
Monkey See Monkey Do (October 2012)
Written by Julianne O’Brian. Directed by Carole Patullo with assistance from Jane Bayly. This project was a script development with the Dreamhouse ensemble that centred around the impact of cyberbullying on a family and the wider community. A rehearsed [...Read More]
The Wetlands project – One Last Chance (March 2011)
As part of the Wetlands Project, ‘One Last Chance’ was performed at the Tootgarook Wetlands by the Dreamhouse 2011 ensemble and 4 professional actors; Jim Lawson, Carole Patullo, Steve Bastoni and Cliff Ellen. Project Details Director: [...Read More]
“Dreamhouse to me is a family outside of my family, we have inside jokes, different generations and much more. I really love being apart of Dreamhouse because I can perform without the feeling of being judged or embarrassed”.