TEN THOUSAND HOURS Comes to Arts Centre Melbourne

Fresh from their triumphant return Edinburgh Fringe season, award-winning Australian circus company Gravity & Other Myths will bring its critically acclaimed production Ten Thousand Hours to Melbourne for the first time with a two-week summer season in the Playhouse from 13 – 25 January 2026.  

"It's been some time since Gravity & Other Myths has been in Melbourne. We've got a lot of artists that call Melbourne home, and we can't wait to bring Ten Thousand Hours to a city that has such a vibrant arts culture, and in particular Circus scene,” said Lachlan Binns, director of Ten Thousand Hours.

Binns said Ten Thousand Hours is a powerful performance that serves as a vivid tribute to the dedication required to master a craft. Built around the concept of the “10,000-hour rule” – a theory that was popularised by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 book Outliers: The Story of Success – the production blends elite acrobatics, movement, improvisation and humour to explore themes of effort, collaboration and human potential.

A giant digital countdown clock dominates the stage where eight world-class acrobats deliver gravity-defying feats: human pyramids, shoulder-walks, flips and leaps that seem effortless yet grounded in immense discipline.

“This show is an ode to the countless hours needed to achieve great things. Through highlighting the nuance of high-level acrobatics, audiences experience a heightened appreciation of the countless hours required to master the skills they are witnessing,” said Binns.

Their movements merge circus skill, contemporary dance, visual storytelling and physical theatre, all presented without elaborate costumes or sets; just gym wear, benches and energy.

Joined on stage by live musician Nick Martyn, the performers warm up, joke and play games with each other and the audience all while attempting challenging stunts, multiple times. But, when stunts don't go perfectly, they're treated as playful challenges – not failures – captivating the audience when they finally succeed.

“Our shows generally have some live musical element to it. We make shows about groups of people connecting and doing what they love, so it always feels so much more genuine and alive when there is a musician on stage with us. This is a brand new composition by Nick Martyn and Shenzo Gregorio (who also composed our other show Backbone). It's a mix of live percussion on a drum kit plus electronic samples and backing tracks. It's all played and triggered by one guy, Nick!” said Binns.

Ten Thousand Hours has been described as physically daring, yet joyful, welcoming and whimsical – a love letter to the human body and the amazing things it can do. It is less about storytelling and more about inviting families, circus first-timers and fanatics to witness the physical and emotional landscape of expertise in real time. It's a reminder that behind every effortless moment lies thousands of hours of hard work.

Australia - Melbourne Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL (Regent Theatre, Melbourne)

55.1% of votes

2. TWELFTH NIGHT (St Kilda Botanical Gardens)

17.9% of votes

3. MJ THE MUSICAL (Her Majesty's Theatre)

16.5% of votes

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