A bold and thought-provoking new sci-fi comedy The Robot Dog will begin preview performances with Melbourne Theatre Company on Saturday 1 March at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. Packed with humour, this story sinks its teeth into some of the most provocative and challenging questions of our time. The Robot Dog invites audiences to reflect on the intersection of technology, culture, and human connection.
Set in Australia in 2042, where automation shapes everyday life, The Robot Dog is an imaginative exploration of what it means to connect to culture and how technology has shaped language, grief and identity in an all-too-believable future.
Janelle, a woman of Cantonese heritage, and her partner Harry, a First Nations man, move back into Janelle’s family home after the death of her mother. As they attempt to navigate their work, relationship and job seeking requirements, they find themselves assisted by the quirky AI controlling their home and a robotic therapy dog. Janelle and Harry are quickly swept into a world of augmentations, restrictions and chaos.
The Robot Dog is a collaboration that seamlessly blends laughter with sharp social commentary. It challenges a high-tech world and considers whether it strengthens connections or ultimately hinders them.
Created by Hong Kong-born multidisciplinary artist Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Luritja writer and technologist Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan. The Robot Dog is directed by Amy Sole, fresh off the success of the Melbourne Theatre Company x Ilbijerri Theatre Company Blak in the Room collaboration in 2024.
“Being part of this work has been a joy and a deep reckoning – stepping into a world shaped by two cultures that are not my own and learning from them. The best theatre doesn’t just tell a story – it wrestles with something real. It surprises us, drags us under, and spits us back out, changed. The Robot Dog does all of that and more,” says Director, Amy Sole.
Part of Melbourne Theatre Company’s acclaimed Education & Families program and originally commissioned through the NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program, this genre-defying production unpacks race, grief, and code-switching with wit and warmth. The Robot Dog is presented in association with Australia’s major triennial of Asia-Pacific performance Asia TOPA from Arts Centre Melbourne
Directed by Amy Sole, The Robot Dog creative team includes Set & Costume Designer Nathan Burmeister, Lighting Designer BROCKMAN, Composer & Sound Designer Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, Cultural Design Consultant Kat Chan, Luritja-Pintupi Language Consultant Lavinia Napaltjarri Heffernan, Cantonese Language Consultant Samantha Kwan and Movement Consultant Lyndall Grant.
The Robot Dog runs 1 – 21 March at Southbank Theatre, The Lawler. The show will tour regionally to Ballarat in March and Mildura in April.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian Diaspora communities are invited to book $5 tickets to The Robot Dog Community Night on Monday 3 March.
Tickets: https://www.mtc.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/melbtheatreco/
CAST & CREATIVES
The Robot Dog by Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan
Cast Jing-Xuan Chan, Ari Maza Long, Kristie Nguy
Director Amy Sole
Set & Costume Designer Nathan Burmeister
Lighting Designer BROCKMAN
Composer & Sound Designer Chun Yin Rainbow Chan
Cultural Design Consultant Kat Chan
Luritja-Pintupi Language Consultant Lavinia Napaltjarri Heffernan
Cantonese Language Consultant Samantha Kwan
Movement Consultant Lyndall Grant
Photo credits: Kristie Nguy and Ari Maza Long in The Robot Dog rehearsal room. Photo by Tiffany Garvie.
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