There is a town high in hazy mountain air where birds steal dreams from sleeping residents, where machinery parts are made of vegetables, where music and language swim together in the river, and where the townsfolk live out lives of joy and sorrow. Welcome back to The Village Square.
With a new cycle of whimsical stories and compositions, the acclaimed collaboration returns, bringing together the captivating, madcap narration of Richard Piper and the creative chemistry of cellist Zoe Knighton and guitarist Robbie Melville. Together, the trio roam through contemporary folk tales filled with humour, longing, and beauty.
In 'A Friend Of Yours', an unknown dog arrives in The Village and charms everyone before mysteriously disappearing. In 'One Way Ticket', a stonemason, deafened by the shock of tragic events, builds a bell tower for a flock of birds. 'The Well' tells the story of The Innkeeper, who unites sorrowful memories with a fake gold ring to restore the town’s water supply.
The Village Square is a dreamy, intimate place suspended somewhere between myth, memory, and music. Following its sold-out Melbourne Fringe debut, this new season invites audiences back into a world where the unusual feels ordinary, and the ordinary becomes enchanting.
“Watching this trio doing what they do best was incredibly moving, simple, and held us in a wisdom that was immensely deep yet light as a feather. This show is a gentle lullaby to the world in pain. Re-enchanting the extraordinary within the ordinary”
Holly Rowan, Heartline Reviews (2025)
Robbie Melville, winner of the 2021 Johnny Dennis Music Award, has also received several other awards, including the Industry and Orkeztra prizes in the Composition Competition for world music ensemble Orkeztra Glasso, and first place for “Junkyard” in the Instrumental Category of the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, which attracted over 19,000 entries. He has released numerous albums independently and on labels including ABC Jazz, Jazzhead and Lionsharecords, and has produced national Australian tours with support from Creative Australia.
Zoe Knighton has been cellist and Artistic Director of Flinders Quartet for 25 years. She has produced works including Behind Closed Doors with Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, Puck’s Dream and The Mendelssohns. She has released 11 CDs on the MOVE label and toured internationally, including a 2023 performance at Carnegie Hall with duo partner Amir Farid.
Richard Piper has had an extensive acting career in England and Australia, appearing in over 80 productions, including 40 with Melbourne Theatre Company. His credits include the musicals Oklahoma!, King Kong, Billy Elliot and Come From Away, as well as screen roles in Wentworth, Tangle, Underbelly, City Homicide, Correlli, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spreadsheet and Savage River.
“Radiant and heart-rending”
“A beautiful work of storytelling and music working in symbiosis”
