Chapel Off Chapel is a theatre venue in

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a po ...

, Melbourne. Located near

Chapel Street Chapel Street is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, running along the inner suburbs of South Yarra, Prahran, Windsor, St Kilda and St Kilda East. Route Chapel Street is essentially straight and runs for over 4.14 kilometres along an approxim ...

and opened in 1995, the venue consists of the 255-seat Chapel Theatre, the 150-seat Chapel Loft and a visual arts gallery. Chapel Off Chapel is particularly associated with independent music theatre and cabaret. It has hosted independent productions of musicals, many as Australian premieres, including ''

Dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Dogfighting first occurred in Mexico in 1913, shortly after the invention of the airplane. Until at least 1992, it was a component in every majo ...

'', ''tick, tick... BOOM!'', '' Violet'', ''

The Color Purple ''The Color Purple'' is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.

'', ''

Thrill Me ''Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story'' is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff. It is based on the true story of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, the so-called "thrill killers" who murdered a young boy in 1924 in order to ...

'', '' John & Jen'', ''

Avenue Q ''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of ...

'', ''

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of ...

'', ''Loving Repeating'', '' Blood Brothers'', ''

Hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...

'', ''It's Only Life!'', ''

Gutenberg! The Musical! ''Gutenberg! The Musical!'' is a musical written by Scott Brown and Anthony King. Brown and King developed the show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City, where it ran for over a year. The show was part of the 2005 and 2006 Ne ...

'', ''

Zanna, Don't! ''Zanna, Don't!'' (subtitled "A Musical Fairy Tale") is a 2003 musical written by Tim Acito with additional lyrics and material by Alexander Dinelaris. The story is set in a parallel universe where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality is ...

'', ''Is There Life After High School?'', ''Bat Boy'', ''

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change ''I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change'' is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro and music by Jimmy Roberts. It is the second-longest running Off-Broadway musical.Gans, Andrew"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change Ends NYC Run ...

'', ''

The Last 5 Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and ...

'', '' Hello Again'', '' Songs for a New World'', ''Kooky Tunes'', ''And The World Goes Round'', '' Putting It Together'', '' Lucky Stiff'' and '' Closer Than Ever''. Australian musicals performed at Chapel Off Chapel include ''

Prodigal Son The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable wit ...

'', ''Life's A Circus'', ''

Only Heaven Knows ''Only Heaven Knows'' is a musical by Alex Harding. It is a gay romance set in Sydney's Kings Cross during the 1940s and 1950s. Productions ''Only Heaven Knows'' premiered at Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company at the Stables Theatre in June 19 ...

'', ''Tea with Oscar'', ''Joe Starts Again'' and ''All Het Up.'' Chapel Off Chapel also regularly hosts ''Home Grown'', a showcase for new Australian musical theatre works. Performers who have appeared at ''Home Grown'' events include

Todd McKenney Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He is best known as a judge on Australian television talent show ''Dancing with the Stars''. As a theatre performer, he has appeared in numerous pro ...

, Amanda Harrison, Lucy Durack,

Virginia Gay Virginia Gay (born 16 September 1981) is an Australian actress, writer and director, mostly known for her work on the Australian TV dramas ''Winners & Losers'' (as Frances James), and '' All Saints'' (as Gabrielle Jaeger). Education Born in ...

and

Kerrie Anne Greenland Kerrie Anne Greenland is an Australian actress and singer, known for performances in musical theatre. She won the Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Éponine in the 2014 Australian version ...

. The bluestone building is converted from the former Independent Church, built in 1858-9.

References

{{Theatres in Melbourne Theatres in Melbourne Music venues in Melbourne 1995 establishments in Australia Former churches in Australia Buildings and structures in the City of Stonnington