‘The Robot Dog’ to premiere in Melbourne

A bold new sci-fi comedy, ‘The Robot Dog’, will premiere at Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre, The Lawler, from 1 March 2025.

Blending humour with sharp social commentary, this genre-defying production explores the intersection of technology, culture, and human connection in a future where automation has reshaped everyday life.

Set in Australia in 2042, ‘The Robot Dog’ follows Janelle, a woman of Cantonese heritage, and her partner Harry, a First Nations man, as they return to Janelle’s family home following her mother’s death. As they navigate work, relationships, and job-seeking requirements, they find themselves entangled with an AI-controlled home and a robotic therapy dog. As technology influences their identities, language, and emotions, the play asks whether digital advancements bring people closer together or push them further apart.

Written by Hong Kong-born multidisciplinary artist Roshelle Yee Pui Fong and Luritja writer and technologist Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan, The Robot Dog marks a collaboration that fuses speculative fiction with deeply personal themes. Directed by Amy Sole, the production was originally commissioned through Melbourne Theatre Company’s NEXT STAGE Writers’ Program and forms part of MTC’s Education & Families program.

Director Amy Sole describes the work as “a deep reckoning” that wrestles with themes of race, grief, and code-switching. “The best theatre doesn’t just tell a story – it surprises us, drags us under, and spits us back out, changed. The Robot Dog does all of that and more.”

The creative team includes Set & Costume Designer Nathan Burmeister, Lighting Designer BROCKMAN, Composer & Sound Designer Chun Yin Rainbow Chan, and Cultural Design Consultant Kat Chan. Language authenticity is supported by Luritja-Pintupi Language Consultant Lavinia Napaltjarri Heffernan and Cantonese Language Consultant Samantha Kwan.

Following its Melbourne season, ‘The Robot Dog’ will tour regionally to Ballarat in March and Mildura in April.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian Diaspora communities are invited to attend ‘The Robot Dog; Community Night on Monday, 3 March, with tickets available for $5.

Tickets are now on sale via mtc.com.au.