EMERALD HILL COFFEE PALACE

Emerald Hill Coffee Palace is a collection of 6 audio works distributed free as podcasts and which are creative responses to the history of the Emerald Hill Temperance Hall site, the Temperance movement, and the building itself. Since it’s original construction it has been a bastion of creative thinking and activity and this collection aims to honour that. As you sit in one of the local cafes and sip your coffee of choice, have a listen to some of the ideas and impulses which have sprung from the people connected to this wonderful old building. Have a laugh with the mocha or the frappe. Get a fix of history with our espresso or flat white. Take a lyrical journey with a cappuccino. There is even a bobbaccino for the kids! This project was created across the lands of the Australian Aboriginal people and we are honoured to be sharing in their storytelling tradition and has been made possible through the support of The City of Port Phillip and Arts Access Victoria Thrive Creative Grants for deaf and disabled artists.

Last refreshed: June 30th, 2025 at 1:43 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

LONG BLACK: Open Doors

Phillip Adam's Ballet Lab is the current tenant at the Temperance Hall. The journey to establish the company and find somewhere to explore and create has been a long one for Mr P and his company. Now, though, they have found a safe harbour and invested time, care, and money to restore the building to a state of grace, community and creativity. This is a poetic cycle in four songs echoing the story of Mr P and his Ballet Lab. FEATURING: Daniel Brasher , Josh Hayes , Damian Vuleta , and Samsara . ...

Sep 30, 2021•10 min•Season 2Ep. 6

FRAPPE: Phantom Of The Overlocker

The Temperance Hall on Napier Street has been a performance venue for most of its history. In the 1990s it was known as Napier Street Theatre and ran as a venue for hire. Here we present a fun parody of the well-known musical, Phantom of the Opera , in celebration of the shenanigans which went on there. It was inspired by a story about the day when a sewing machine was plugged in and blew a fuse, leaving the venue in total blackout. FEATURING: Jo Boyd , Daniel Brasher , April Garreffa , Josh Hay...

Sep 30, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 5

MOCHA: Fool's Gold

In 1980 a daring Frenchman created the Australian Nouveau Theatre as a place to explore European drama in an Australia-centric Melbourne theatre scene. In 1981 the Temperance Hall became their home and took on the name Anthill Theatre. It remained theirs until 1992 when they relocated to an unsuitable habitat and became extinct. Our improvisation honours this heritage with Pirandello's study on madness (Enrico IV) as the starting point. Goodness only knows where it will end though... FEATURING: ...

Sep 30, 2021•Season 2Ep. 4

FLAT WHITE: Six O'Clock Spill

The Temperance Hall was first constructed on it's current site in 1863 by the Emerald Hill Total Abstinence Society. From its inception it was used as a community space for meetings, concerts and other social activities. For a century the Temperance movement in Victoria had a strong hold on Melbourne, achieving restricted trading hours from 1915 through to 1963. Thus emerged the phenomena known as the 6 O'Clock Swill and a cultural legacy of entrenched binge drinking. Here is the Temperance stor...

Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 3

BABYCINNO - Different Shades

Emerald Hill is a glorious name for a beautiful area settled by English migrants, but in Australia our flora has a more subdued, silver sheen to match the hotter climes of the nation. Different Shades is a gentle teaching ballad exploring how the simple colour green can express so much about our location in the world. FEATURING: Jo Boyd and Michael Keighley Written by Samsara Arranged by Jo Boyd and Micheal Keighley Theme music by MBRYO TRANSCRIPT Support EMERALD HILL COFFEE PALACE by contributi...

Sep 30, 2021•8 min•Season 2Ep. 2

ESPRESSO: Terror Billius

On Valentine's Day in the year 1802, Captain Murray sailed the Lady Nelson into Port Phillip, bringing Englishmen to these shores for the first time. Over the following three days, they made contact with the local Boon Wurrung mob. The Captain's Log records of the events express the overwhelming virtue of the explorers and the double-dealing bad will of the native inhabitants. Terror Billius provides an alternate reading of those events. FEATURING: Daniel Brasher , Scott Knight , Damian Vuleta a...

Sep 30, 2021•Season 2Ep. 1

EMERALD HILL COFFEE PALACE: The Making of...

COVID 19 has wrought havoc on the arts and in Melbourne we are in lockdown #6. This has delayed the dropping of the Emerald Hill Coffee Palace collection. In the meantime, however, the Planet Arts Theatrical Ensemble has made a fun documentary. You can watch the video here or just have a listen right now. Don't worry, though, the collection is dropping very, very, soon! You can read the transcript here . Support EMERALD HILL COFFEE PALACE by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.c...

Aug 08, 2021•Season 1Ep. 2

EMERALD HILL COFFEE PALACE - COMING 24 JULY!

Wominjeka. Hello, I am Samsara and I am here to tell you about the grand opening of the Emerald Hill Coffee Palace. Come on in and enjoy a coffee of your choice. We have something for everyone! Emerald Hill Coffee Palace opens on 24 July and everybody is welcome. Our coffee menu is a collection of creative responses to the history of the iconic Temperance Hall in Napier Street South Melbourne. Head to one of the wonderful coffee houses in Emerald Hill – The Ambitious Act for example – place your...

Jun 11, 2021•Season 1Ep. 1

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