A disrupter, enabler and agent for innovation, Broad Encounters works creatively with artists and other brave minds to create live performances and experiences that matter.
Broad Encounters creates, presents and tours unique multi-sensory, immersive live productions that ignite the imagination, engage the senses and immerse audiences in brave new worlds.
Introducing bold new visions of how audiences can engage and interact with creative work, we stake ourselves passionately at the frontier of contemporary Australian productions, curating remarkable experiences that blend forms, shatter conventions, transform spaces and inspire imagination.
We are a small, flexible, passionate and committed team with skills that range the gamut of the creative arts practices, marketing and audience engagement and technical production skills. The company is led by co-founder and director, Kirsten Siddle.
Got questions? Get in touch.
Our Worlds -
It’s Showtime –
When Night Comes
The soiree of the year . . . dark, decadent and delicious. A bespoke, multi-sensory and distinctly intoxicating performance experience, The Society invites you to attend When Night Comes.
When Night Comes is an immersive performance for small groups that blends theatre and cocktails in a singular experience.
Maho Magic Bar
Maho Magic Bar is a celebration of Japanese culture, contemporary and traditional, and an invitation for audiences to suspend reality and be eclipsed by the wonders of magic.
Set in a bespoke touring pop-up bar, all neon fun on the outside and cool sophistication on the inside, master close-up magicians (direct from Japan!) visit each table to perform an intimate show for each group.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Welcome to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party — a cheeky and chaotic circus cabaret for the young and young at heart. Expect acrobatics, juggling, hula-hooping, high-flying antics, silly songs, and more than a spoonful of madness.
Under the playful direction of Mike Finch (former Artistic Director of Circus Oz), The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party blends world-class circus skills and interactive fun. Bring your imagination, bring your giggles, and don’t be late… the tea is already brewing!
Love Lust Lost
Descend to an enchanting new world, where madness roils, dreams unfurl and aching secrets bloom through the dark. An immersive, multi-sensory and intimate adventure where the timeless tales of Jules Verne, Hans Christian Anderson and Joseph Conrad collide across far-flung realms. The phantasmagoria that is Love Lust Lost will flood the far reaches of your mind with an intricate underworld – of terrible sacrifice, sweet surrender, lost souls and other-worldly fun.
A Midnight Visit
A Midnight Visit is Broad Encounters’ first large-scale work.
Inspired by the works, world and legacy of Edgar Allan Poe, the multi-sensory show upends boundaries and expectations, combining theatre, art, dance, film, soundscape and cabaret.
Set over 2500sqm and involving over 250 creators, the immersive theatre production has captivated over 58,000 people across Australia to date, received multiple five-star reviews, and won Best New Event of 2018 for Australia and NZ (Concrete Playground) and Best Performance Adaption from The International Edgar Allan Poe Society based in Baltimore.
A Journey Most Unusual
A theatrical experience takeover of the legendary Hotel Palisade this collaboration between Broad Encounters Productions and Hendricks Gin asks you to leave the mundane behind you and prepare to encounter strange characters, erudite entertainments, mind-expanding challenges and alluring scenes.
Part performance, part immersive experience, when you undertake A Journey Most Unusual, the only thing to expect is the unexpected.
Fame and Fortune –
"Broad Encounters has established the best sort of cult."
- The Age
“The leading creator of exciting and thoroughly immersive theatre in Australia right now.”
- Arts Hub
"A multi-sensory experience that leaves the audience spellbound...sets a new standard in immersive theatre."
- Dance Life on When Night Comes
"Love Lust Lost is an innovative work of surreal beauty that smashes the conventions of traditional theatre in all the best ways and sinks its teeth into you in a way that will make you want to return again and again. It cements Broad Encounters as a company at the forefront immersive theatre in Australia and one of the companies in the field to watch internationally. The narrative and the world that they have created is on par with the early productions of Punchdrunk, one of the world’s leading immersive theatre companies, and hopefully it’s just the beginning for Broad Encounters. It’s a privilege that we get to see a Meanjin-based company pushing the boundaries of their chosen form and testing it on us locals.”
- Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane on Love Lust Lost
"Re-defining the immersive experience by creating a truly all encompassing world"
– Australian Arts Review on A Midnight Visit
“Turns passive theatre-going into something bodily and undeniable.”
- Tide and Tide on When Night Comes
“What truly sets Maho apart is its ability to foster a sense of wonder in a relaxed setting. As the night unfolded, laughter and gasps of amazement filled the air, inviting guests to leave their worries behind and fully immerse themselves in the magic. This intimate environment allowed for personal interactions with the magicians, leaving audiences not just entertained, but feeling part of something truly special.”
- Theatre Travels on Maho Magic Bar