Full details of our available spaces are below.
For all venue enquiries email the Building Manager with the following information:
- Which venue at The Malthouse interests you
- Relevant dates and times
- Type of event or presentation
- No of people expected at your event or presentation
For technical enquiries email the Operations Manager.
The Malthouse
Conveniently located close to ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art), Chunky Move, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Arts Centre, The Malthouse houses three theatres, rehearsal studios, meeting rooms, a bar and a café in the heart of Southbank.
Originally built in 1892 as a brewery and malting works, The Malthouse was generously donated by Carlton and United Breweries in 1986 with the vision to provide a home for the creation and presentation of contemporary Australian theatre.
Since the official opening of The Malthouse in 1990, the flexible, stylish and intimate theatres remain highly sought after by a range of organisations, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Festival, Victorian Opera, Chunky Move, Bell Shakespeare and even more contemporary dance and theatre companies. These events complement the year round productions produced and curated by Malthouse Theatre, the resident theatre company of The Malthouse.
The Malthouse is also used as an exciting alternative to more conventional conference facilities and reception centres, hosting conferences, product launches and AGM’s for a range of corporate clients.
Theatres
The Merlyn Theatre is the largest of the three theatres within The Malthouse and is named after Dame Merlyn Myer DBE to mark the generosity of the Sidney Myer Fund, The Myer Foundation, and the individual members of the Myer family who made The Malthouse conversion possible.
The versatile venue offers a unique seating design and stage relationship which makes it ideally suited for drama, dance, music and opera – both contemporary and classical – as well as a unique venue for conferences, product launches and private functions.
The Merlyn can seat up to 512 patrons on three levels. The Merlyn Theatre features an orchestra pit and flexible seating, with the ability to offer reserved and general admission attendance.
Download Tech Specs and Plans for the Merlyn.
The Beckett Theatre is ideally suited for performances and events that are intimate and engaging. Named in honour of John Beckett, the designer and theatre consultant responsible for The Malthouse conversion, the Beckett Theatre boasts a warm atmosphere retaining many of the original features of the building.
The Beckett Theatre can seat up to 198 people on two levels. In great demand for performances from all areas of the performing arts, the Beckett Theatre is also used successfully for conferences and other similar functions. Entry is by reserved seating or general admission.
Download Tech Specs and Plans for the Beckett.
The Tower Theatre was developed in 2005 as a flexible black-box studio theatre.
With flexible rostra of up to ten rows, in a multitude of configurations, the Tower Theatre seats up to 99 patrons. The performance space has become a premiere destination for dynamic independent theatre and intimate conferences.
Download Tech Specs and Plans for the Tower.
Function and Rehearsal Spaces
For information on our Connections Packages for group functions, click here.
The spaces available for functions act as additional rehearsal and presentation spaces that are available for hire:
The Bagging Room (named after the process of bagging malt) can accommodate up to 180 people for a seminar or conference and also serves as a functional rehearsal space. The Bagging Room contains many of the early features of The Malthouse; timber beams, exposed brickwork and even some original machinery. Dimensions 15m x 12m
The Hoopla! Room (named after a very early incarnation of the production company, Hoopla!) is ideally suited for rehearsals workshops, seminars or meetings accommodating between 30 – 80 people. Dimensions 11m x 9.5m
The Shell Room (named after one of the corporations who contributed to the development of The Malthouse in 1986) is an intimate room suitable for board and management meetings, workshops and dinners for up to 20 people. Dimensions 8m x 6m
The Kiln is located next to the café on the ground floor. The actual kiln used to roast barley for the process of brewing beer in 1892. The Kiln can accommodate cocktail parties for up to 60 people and sit-down dinners for up to 40. Dimensions 16 meters x 6.7meters
The Mezzanine is located in The Malthouse Foyer overlooking the main foyer and café/bar area. The Mezzanine is suitable for private drinks and catered functions.
Logos
For hirers, The Malthouse’s venue logo is available as a high resolution EPS file and a low resolution JPEG.
Download:
EPS (350KB)
JPEG (50KB)
