World Premiere Season of THE LARK Starring Noni Hazlehurst Extends at Arts Centre Melbourne
Performances run 3 – 28 September.
By: Stephi Wild Aug. 20, 2025
An extra week of performances have been added to the world premiere season of The Lark starring Noni Hazlehurst at Arts Centre Melbourne. From 3 – 28 September 2025, one of Australia’s most loved actors takes to the Fairfax Studio stage for The Lark, an emotive solo production written specially for Hazlehurst by celebrated Playwright Daniel Keene and directed by award winning Director, Matt Scholten.
Set in a Melbourne, The Lark is a powerful meditation of life, death and change. Keene, Hazlehurst and Scholten, who were the creative forces behind the critically acclaimed production Mother, produce profoundly Moving Theatre. Together they explore complex social issues with honesty and exceptional craft.
Rose Grey, played by Hazlehurst, faces her final goodbye to The Lark – a small inner city pub slated for demolition. At 75 years of age, this building has been her entire life. She’s lived there since birth and takes over from her father after his retirement. Her memories, both bitter and sweet, bind her to The Lark more strongly than she realises. As memories overwhelm her, Rose must break free from the past.
“The opportunity to work with Daniel and Matt creating Mother was a rare privilege and a joy. To have the chance to collaborate again on The Lark is a miracle. No actor could ask for more,” said Noni Hazlehurst.
Noni Hazlehurst is a celebrated film, theatre and television actor. She has graced our screens, stages and airwaves for fifty years. Widely known and acclaimed for her lead roles in A Place to Call Home, Nancy Wake and The Shiralee, other television credits include ABC’s The Letdown and Redfern Now along with feature films June Again, Ladies in Black, Candy, Little Fish, Monkey Grip, Truth and The Mule.
Hazlehurst's extensive body of work has earned her numerous accolades including multiple Australian Film Institute (AFI) and Critics Circle Awards, and two Logie Awards for Best Supporting Actress. In 2016, she was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
As well as acting she has been much in demand as a presenter, including 10 years writing and presenting for Better Homes and Gardens, hosting SBS series Every Family Has a Secret, and her much loved time as Play School presenter for 24 years.
Noni’s time on Play School has led to decades of committed advocacy for children. She has served on several film and television industry boards and acted as a patron and ambassador for numerous children's welfare organisations. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1995 for her services to children and the performing arts.
“It has been a joy to write The Lark for such a skilled and generous actor as Noni Hazlehurst. Setting the play in the heart of Melbourne, our hometown, has enriched the writing and will empower Noni’s performance. The play is both a celebration of and an elegy for a very particular place in our shared cultural landscape,” said Daniel Keene.
Australia - Melbourne Awards - Live Stats
Best Musical - Top 3
1.
BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL (Regent Theatre, Melbourne)
54.5% of votes
2.
TWELFTH NIGHT (St Kilda Botanical Gardens)
18.4% of votes
3.
MJ THE MUSICAL (Her Majesty's Theatre)
16% of votes
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