On the eve of Greek Easter, in the heart of Melbourne’s hospitality scene, the daughter of a wealthy restaurateur and a brooding sous-chef spiral into a volatile encounter that threatens to boil over.
This bold new adaptation of MISS JULIE, adapted and directed by Harry Haynes, reimagines August Strindberg’s classic in the supercharged environment of a contemporary Melbourne restaurant kitchen. With culinary fire and theatrical passion, MISS JULIE fuses live performance and fine dining in an unforgettable, immersive experience.
Starring Adam-Jon Fiorentino, Izabella Yena, and rising talent Annalise Gelagotis, the production runs for a strictly limited season at fortyfivedownstairs from 31 July to 17 August, with opening night on Saturday 2 August 2025.
MasterChef alumnus and celebrated Melbourne chef Conor Curran, whose curated pre-show dining experience enhances the production’s multi-sensory impact. The venue will be transformed into a working kitchen, where the boundaries between audience and action, food and feeling, collapse.
“Being part of a story that marries Greek culture with the hospitality of Melbourne is a position I know very well,” says Curran. “I’ve loved being able to create a dish that encompasses Greek history and brings it into a modern setting and helping Miss Julie become a fully immersive experience.”
“Melbourne is Australia’s culinary capital,” adds director Harry Haynes. “I wanted this Miss Julie to speak to that world; its intensity, its precision, its emotional cost. Like many artists, I spent my early career working in restaurants.”
“I’ve always felt the symmetry between theatre and hospitality; both are crafted in high-pressure environments to be consumed by the public, then vanish in memory.”
Haynes also explores deeper social dynamics: “I wanted to explore what happens when Mediterranean ritual meets Australian ambition, and how the unspoken hierarchies of hospitality culture can mirror much older, more dangerous dynamics.”
This production of MISS JULIE also marks the debut of Company 16 – a new repertory theatre company co-founded by Haynes and acclaimed director Iain Sinclair.
Company 16 is committed to reinvigorating actor-driven theatre in Australia, uniting emerging and established talent, championing essential craft, and fostering intergenerational mentorship through powerful, humanist storytelling.
MISS JULIE
fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Season: 2 – 17 August 2025 (previews: 31 July – 1 August)
Bookings: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
For more information, visit: www.company16.com.au for details.
Image: Izabella Yena, Annalise Gelagotis and Adam-Jon Fiorentino feature in MISS JULIE – photo by Matto Lucas