The greatest darkness can often be concealed by an astonishing colour palette of pinks, reds and gold
The EMERGENCY DOLLHOUSE opens every evening, 6-10pm from Fri 9th- Sunday 25th June across 17 days in the centre of Hobart. It occupies four levels and 800 m2 of a large, astounding 200-year-old Georgian building in the heart of Hobart - with a multi-roomed sandstone basement. The Preview Night is a separate event from the following 16 nights due to ticketing requirements.
You're able to select a journey timeslot from 6-7 pm, 7-8pm, 8-9pm or 9-10pm. In general, the experience will take one hour.
Dolly is one of the nine characters who are residents of the life-size. Dolly's dollhouse agenda won’t be clear to begin with, but she’s wanting to convert you.
From the moment you enter triage you'll be captured and absorbed by this one-in-a-lifetime experience. You can't just be a voyeur. You must be a participant in the life-size dollhouse with its characters and emergencies.
"The world makes madwomen. The least you can do is be truly exposed."
Created and produced by Sabio & Male. Featuring performers from Sydney to Hobart, some with national exposure and national awards, will be revealed over the course of the next 4 to 5 weeks.
1 hr of immersion
3 very different phases in the journey
800m2 of levels & basements
Demolishing borders between the uncanny and fabulism, off-kilter contemporary and gothic darkness, the grotesque and the sanitised, this world premiere of the Emergency Dollhouse was designed specifically for the building and its temporary availability.
With style, rage & humour two of the most profound feminine archetypes will confront you and each other. In an electric and provocative debut to Dark Fringe, Sabio & Male shape a startling experience that maps a world taken over by masquerades, hidden agendas, and the characters of two women torn asunder by their extraordinary circumstances; Dolly and the Holy Mother.
Sabio & Male created the original world design, character profiles and audience experience design for the remarkable, idiosyncratic Emergency Dollhouse that covers both universal themes and deep personal experiences while being strongly, uniquely antipodean.
The design artist Sabio, has created award-winning costumes, sets and work that has appeared in the Sydney Opera House and many other venues. Sabio has also been commissioned for Marina Abramovic exhibitions and for film & TV projects such as The Nightingale, The Kettering Incident, Rosehaven and many other productions. David Male has received directing awards in New York and national digital awards in Australia.
Over the course of the project's development, since January 2022, Sabio was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer. Through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment Sabio has created astounding work for the Emergency Dollhouse. $5 from each ticket is being donated to the Menzies Medical Research Centre relating to a particular area of breast cancer designated by Sabio.
More than an escape room. More than traditional theatre. More real than any bad dream or virtual reality world could possibly be. You'll be triaged like in a hospital, and then your journey truly begins.
Approx 100 people each hour are able to travel through the Dollhouse each night, for 17 nights, from 9-25 June.
Please note the venue is a 200-year-old building that is safe however it has no working lifts, only stairs to the upper floors and down to the basement. Visitors need to negotiate 3 flights of stairs.
Further details and background info on the Emergency Dollhouse can be found on Instagram @emergency_dollhouse or in the info hub sections of Humanitix or, after 30 April, at www.emergencydollhouse.com