ENE World

15/09/2026

Behind the Scenes: Rehearsing a Chinese-Language Play in Melbourne 🎭

From movement and “dancing” (sort of 😂) to mastering different Chinese dialects — here’s a sneak peek into rehearsals for Eighteen Lives 祖宗十八代!

They say it takes years of practice for just one minute on stage. So what does it really take to bring these characters to life? Let’s find out! 🤩

🎭 Eighteen Lives 祖宗十八代
📅 Sep 29 – Oct 3
📍 Festival Hub: Meat Market – Blackwood Box
🎫 Tickets link in the bio ⬆️

08/09/2026

🔥 48-HOUR FLASH SALE — 25% OFF FULL PRICE TICKETS!

Thinking about seeing Eighteen Lives at Melbourne Fringe? Now’s the time to book!

Melbourne Fringe’s second and final Flash Sale is here:

🎟 25% OFF Full Price tickets
⏰ 12 PM Tuesday 8 September – 12 PM Thursday 10 September
⚡ 48 hours only

Following our seasons at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and in Hobart, Eighteen Lives has continued to evolve — and we’re excited to bring a new version of the show back to Melbourne this Fringe.

If you haven’t booked yet, this is your chance!

📍 Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代)
🎫 Tickets link in the bio
📅 29 Sep – 3 Oct 2026
📍 Festival Hub – Meat Market, Blackwood Box
🎭 Performed in Mandarin with English subtitles

48 hours only. See you at the theatre!

02/09/2026

💥 ACTOR FILES UNLOCKED | Multiple Identities Exposed

We were just trying to introduce the cast of Melbourne Chinese comedy Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》… until we discovered they all have multiple identities. 😳

📁 ACTOR 01 — Tony Zhang
Pork Butcher Bing · Head of the Huang Family · Swordsman · Soldier

📁 ACTOR 02 — Yuan Lu
Noodle Master Li · Eldest Son of the Huang Family · Poet · Soldier

📁 ACTOR 03 — Fini Liu
Blacksmith Wang · Second Son of the Huang Family · Courtesan · Soldier

Four eras. Different names. Different lives.
Same faces — and somehow, these three always find each other. 🤯

Coincidence? Past lives? Something else entirely? 👀

Unlock the full story on stage ⬇️

🎭 Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》
📅 29 Sep – 3 Oct
📍 Festival Hub: Meat Market — Blackwood Box
🎫 Tickets link in the bio
TheatreComedy DoTheatre

29/08/2026

POV: your director and actor start fighting in the middle of the show 😱

So here’s what happened… 👀

I work behind the scenes at Do Theatre, a Chinese theatre company in Melbourne, and this year we’re bringing the comedy Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》 to Melbourne Fringe.

But there’s been ✨drama✨ since rehearsals began.

Our director and one of the actors have been constantly butting heads — mostly because this actor is OBSESSED with improvising and absolutely refuses to stick to the script. Every single time he promises, “I swear I’ll follow the script next time.”

Does he?

Of course not. 😡

And then, during an ACTUAL PERFORMANCE, our director finally LOST IT.

THEY STARTED FIGHTING. ON STAGE. 😱

The other actor tried to break them up and nearly got dragged into it too.

Audience confused.
Crew panicking.
Absolute chaos.

And just when I thought things couldn’t possibly get any worse…

Our director suddenly announced that he’d had a dream in which EVERYONE DIED.

Excuse me??? 😭

Then he started talking about some kind of psychic or medium… and before we could figure out what on earth he was talking about—

ALL THREE OF THEM DISAPPEARED FROM THE STAGE.

And then these random people started showing up.

One claimed to be from the Qing Dynasty.

Another from the Tang Dynasty.

And then someone turned up from the THREE KINGDOMS PERIOD???

Guys, I genuinely have no idea what is happening anymore. 🫠

So if any of you can figure out who these people are, why they look strangely familiar, and what any of this has to do with our three idiots—

please come and help me. 🙏

Apparently, some friendships take more than one lifetime to explain.

Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》

📅 29 Sep – 3 Oct
📍 Festival Hub: Meat Market — Blackwood Box
🎫 Search Eighteen Lives on Melbourne Fringe Festival

A Chinese-language comedy about three people, four eras, eighteen lives… and a friendship that somehow refuses to die.

#祖宗十八代

22/08/2026

When a bunch of drama queens get together for a poster shoot 🎭📸

New looks. New design. Same chaotic energy. ✨

A brand-new poster for the Do Theatre production Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》— Fringe Special Edition is coming your way!

The final shots drop next week 👀 But first, here’s a little behind-the-scenes peek at a photoshoot filled with laughter, drama, and way too much fun. 🎬😂

Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》
📅 Sep 29 – Oct 3
📍 Festival Hub: Meat Market – Blackwood Box
🎫 Search Melbourne Fringe Festival for tickets

#祖宗十八代

08/08/2026

EIGHTEEN LIVES is coming to Melbourne Fringe 2026! 🎭

Three actors.
Eighteen lives.
Six historical eras.
And a LOT of family history.

From ancient times to the modern world, Eighteen Lives《祖宗十八代》 races through generations in a wildly funny, physical and unexpectedly moving journey about family, identity, memory — and the ancestors we carry with us.

Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles, the show is made for audiences from all cultural backgrounds.

⚡ 48 HOUR FLASH SALE NOW ON! ⚡
The perfect time to meet the ancestors.Melbourne Fringe

📍 Meat Market – Blackwood Box
📅 29 Sep – 3 Oct 2026
🎭 Melbourne Fringe Festival
🎟️ Only 5 performances

Grab your tickets during the 48-hour Flash Sale!
https://www.melbournefringe.com.au/whats-on/events/eighteen-lives -book-now

#祖宗十八代

What if the people in your life have always been there?Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代) is a funny, strange and unexpectedly moving theatre work about reincarnation, fate and the people we keep finding across lifetimes.Across six wildly different eras of Chinese history, three performers transform t...

04/07/2026

What happens when a story leaves the page and enters the body?

Over six weeks, seven storytellers draw on myths, fairy tales, fictions and personal memories, exploring the art of telling a story.

Using the physical theatre training of Jacques Lecoq and Giovanni Fusetti's approach, they experiment with movement, voice, space, rhythm, and imagination to discover how stories can be told through the body and voice. The Poetics of the Body is a sharing of this creative process.

Join us for an evening of imagination and experimentation.

Performance Information｜July 16-17th, 2026｜7:30PM｜Performance Space, Library at The Dock, Docklands, Melbourne｜Presented by Do Theatre

Content Advisory
This showing contains themes of loss, death, grief, family conflict, fantasy violence, and emotional distress. Some performances may include sudden loud sounds and depictions of physical struggle.

Recommended for ages 12+. The show will be mainly performed in Mandarin, no English subtitles will be provided.

01/07/2026

On June 6–7, Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代) was successfully presented at Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart.

From MICF in April to Hobart in June, this production has continued to grow through countless adjustments and new discoveries. With each rehearsal and each stage, it has developed new branches and a more vivid life of its own.

The Hobart tour was made possibly by a team of seven: three actors and four crew members. For half of the team, it was their first time in Tasmania. In just a few days, there were tears, illness, injuries, nerves, and exhaustion. Our touring team faced and overcame all the challenges through collaboration, patience, and mutual support. This tour would not have been possible without the support and dedication of every member of Do Theatre.

To our audiences in Tasmania: thank you for your laughter, cheers, applause, and encouragement. Thank you for your love and generosity over the years. Your support gives us the courage to keep moving towards bigger stages.

Theatre is precious because it happens in the moment when actors and audiences meet each other and breathe together. It brings us into the present, and reminds us to embrace it.

See you at the theatre next time.

#墨尔本生活 #墨尔本

06/06/2026

Hobart, we are here for one more night only! Tickets are flying out the door. Book now via the link in bio or our event page.

June 6th 8PM | Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart | Performed in Mandarin with polished English caption.

02/06/2026

Eighteen Lives is on stage This Friday & Saturday. Our touring team is starting to arrive in Tasmania, and we can't wait to meet our Hobart audiences!!

June 5-6th | Peacock Theatre, Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart | Book your tickets via link in bio / event page NOW | Performed in Mandarin with polished English caption.