MONSTEEN Will Premiere at RISING 2026

Monsteen is inspired by youth culture – cosplay, gaming and live action roleplaying (LARPing), to provide an alternative to a risk-averse parenting styles and screen time. It provides an opportunity for young people to take social risks amongst their peers in a playful, dynamic and safe environment.

A group of up to 20 participants, with no prior acting experience are led through different scenarios, navigating class politics, meetups at secret hangouts, boring dinner with parents and choosing sides in ugly friendship battles. As the game progresses, players must try and come to terms with their monstrous side.

Throughout Monsteen, players are introduced to spells and magic that can influence pathways throughout the game. Infinity cast members such as Zara Nawaz (15) act as guides throughout the game. They function as custodians of the work and make sure players understand the mechanics of the game to keep them engaged.

"I enjoy seeing [other] young people have fun and immerse themselves in the experience. Monsteen gives them a chance to be whoever they want to be in a supernatural world, a chance that many people haven't experienced before," Zara says.

Arts Centre Melbourne's Head of Creative Engagement Cynthia Nolan Myers said seeing the work make its debut was exciting.

"Watching Monsteen grow from its early development to a premiere presentation with the City of Melbourne's SIGNAL team at Melbourne's premiere arts festival, RISING is a proud moment for Arts Centre Melbourne and a powerful reminder of how the early investment in creativity can launch extraordinary artistic journeys," Nolan Myers said.

Based out of Naarm/Melbourne and Djilang/Geelong, Infinity is led by Artistic Director Jackson Castiglione who is passionate about the process of working with young people and creating work that's meaningful to them. Their work is centred around youth culture, and is driven by the perspectives and interests of its core team – five young leaders who co-devise, perform and provide guidance to other young artists.

"We're really interested in championing young people's ideas, voice and agency. I believe if you're making an artwork for a particular age, it's important to have representation from that demographic I think the way young people consume ... view and participate in art is very different to previous generations. Monsteen speaks to young people's interests at this moment in time," Jackson said.

Arts Centre Melbourne's PLAY program was critical to the success of Monsteen, providing Infinity with end-to-end support to engage young people Jackson said.

"The Channel has built up this enormous public trust over the years with young people and their families. I can't think of many other programs in Melbourne that allow performances to be developed in such a way that's so in tune with young people."