My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Australian Museum Of Performing Arts To Open DIVA, A New Blockbuster Exhibition

The V&A-developed exhibition will launch AMPA’s museum program in Melbourne.

By:
Australian Museum Of Performing Arts To Open DIVA, A New Blockbuster Exhibition

The Australian Museum of Performing Arts (AMPA) will open DIVA, its inaugural large-scale exhibition, featuring more than 250 objects drawn from the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Australian Performing Arts Collection, and international lenders.

The exhibition will explore how performers across generations have influenced aesthetics, public imagination, and the evolution of live performance, presenting costumes, archival materials, personal objects, and design elements associated with figures ranging from Maria Callas and Grace Jones to Kylie Minogue and Olivia Newton-John. In addition to historical material, DIVA will examine Australia’s contributions to global performance culture and trace how the definition of “diva” has shifted across time.

The exhibition includes a sound environment designed by Gareth Fry, featuring recordings spanning opera, soul, pop, and contemporary music. AMPA Chief Executive Karen Quinlan said the exhibition reflects artists whose legacies continue to shape Australian and international performance. V&A Senior Curator Kate Bailey noted that the project considers how performers have used their work to challenge expectations and reclaim the term “diva.”

Located within Hamer Hall, the Australian Museum of Performing Arts showcases material from the Australian Performing Arts Collection and international partners through rotating exhibitions. The museum highlights theatre, dance, opera, popular entertainment, and live performance history, drawing from an archive of more than 850,000 objects.

For tickets and further details, visit artscentremelbourne.com.au.








Need more Australia - Melbourne Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...


Videos


PAW Patrol™ Live! "Race to the Rescue" in Australia - Melbourne PAW Patrol™ Live! "Race to the Rescue"
MyState Bank Arena (7/25-7/25)
Arts Centre Melbourne presents New Owner in Australia - Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne presents New Owner
The Show Room, Arts Centre Melbourne (7/17-7/18)
The Music and Life of Barbra Streisand starring Melinda Schneider in Australia - Melbourne The Music and Life of Barbra Streisand starring Melinda Schneider
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne (8/07-8/07)
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl in Australia - Melbourne Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
fortyfivedownstairs (5/28-6/14)
Play In A Day: Volpone, Or, The Fox in Australia - Melbourne Play In A Day: Volpone, Or, The Fox
The University of Melbourne (11/18-11/18)
Magic School with Tim Credible in Australia - Melbourne Magic School with Tim Credible
Arrow on Swanston (5/30-7/05)
Menopause The Musical in Australia - Melbourne Menopause The Musical
Athenaeum Theatre One (9/02-9/06)
Influential in Australia - Melbourne Influential
The Slydini Showroom (7/07-7/11)
Ganesh vs the Third Reich - WITH Post-Show Artist Talk in Australia - Melbourne Ganesh vs the Third Reich - WITH Post-Show Artist Talk
Union Theatre (6/18-6/18)
Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of) in Australia - Melbourne Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of)
The Athenaeum (6/18-7/18)