Celebrating one year of UMAC

Melbourne’s northern CBD has been transformed into a vibrant cultural destination, with University of Melbourne Arts and Culture (UMAC) hosting 82 performances with 13 major arts organisations, resulting in over 21,000 attendees in its first year.

UMAC, the University’s public arts initiative, has turned the University’s Arts and Culture Precinct on its Parkville campus into a lively year-round hub with performances, exhibitions, and student and community engagement.

Martin Foley, Board Member of RISING and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, celebrated UMAC’s contribution in enhancing Melbourne’s arts scene.

“UMAC’s partnership with RISING to deliver the Victorian premiere of the groundbreaking production Counting and Cracking greatly enriched our city,” Mr Foley said.

S. Shakthidharan’s acclaimed play about his family's generational story from Sri Lanka to Australia had a successful run at the University’s Union Theatre last year.

“Our ongoing partnership activates the University’s new state-of-the-art theatres with outstanding local and international productions and continues to make Melbourne a potent cultural destination.”

UMAC’s programming, including collaborations with major festivals RISING, Midsumma, and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, has prioritised diversity and accessibility. Nearly 30 per cent of Counting and Cracking attendees spoke a language other than English at home, while over half were first-time RISING festivalgoers.

With the new Parkville railway station set to open this year, the anticipated increased foot traffic will continue to amplify the precinct's cultural impact.

University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global, Culture and Engagement) Professor Michael Wesley said UMAC is complementing the University’s broader public contribution.

“UMAC embraces our University’s role as a catalyst for social inclusion, knowledge-sharing and artistic exchange,” Professor Wesley said.

“UMAC’s success highlights our role beyond education by bringing the wider community onto our campus and providing affordable, innovative experiences while empowering artists and enriching our students' lives.”

“Increasing our civic engagement through UMAC has helped the University to create an exciting new community hub in our Arts and Culture Precinct, where our cultural venues drew almost one million visitors in 2024 through a range of University events, exhibitions and entertainment.”

Director of UMAC Virginia Lovett said students and alumni engage directly with UMAC’s programming, from collaborating on productions to gaining hands-on experience in arts management.

"The University of Melbourne, as Victoria’s largest employer of artists and creatives, empowers students by integrating UMAC into its curriculum, equipping them with industry-ready skills and immersing them in a world of cultural enrichment and artistic excellence."

Emerging and established artists alike benefit from UMAC’s unique model. Melbourne theatre maker Sarah Giles, who is currently producing a new work with UMAC, noted, “UMAC is filling an important gap in Melbourne’s creative culture. The guidance and expertise at the University is rare – UMAC is empowering artists like me to experiment, innovate, and connect with broader audiences.”

UMAC’s 2025 program already features three shows in June during RISING, including Amplified, a new cabaret on the life of the Divinyl’s Chrissy Amphlett, a reimagined Hamlet, and UK-based experimental theatre group Forced Entertainment’s Table Top Shakespeare.