studio 138

Spoon River: Echoes of Longing

A unique, one-off theatrical experience—rehearsed readings from Spoon River Anthology interwoven with live music. Sweetly melancholy, darkly funny, lighthearted yet mysterious, reflective yet raw.

Banned for years in Menard and Fulton counties, Spoon River Anthology was groundbreaking upon its release. Written by Edgar Lee Masters, this poetic masterpiece gives voice to those resting beneath the soil of Spoon River Cemetery—nostalgia mixed with unfiltered emotion, secrets laid bare, lives and longings revealed.

Praised by literary greats like Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot, Spoon River Anthology remains as haunting and beautiful as ever. Now, brought to life at Dubbo’s Black Box Theatre.

Content Warning: Contains adult themes and sensitive subjects.

Black Box Theatre, Dubbo
Thursday, 24 April | 7:30 PM
Approx. 1 hour
One show only – Tickets $15 (online or at the door)
https://events.humanitix.com/spoon-river-echoes-of-longing

Part of UNBOXED – Creative Sessions, made possible with support from Dubbo Regional Council and Western Plains Cultural Centre.

From Blank Page to Black Box: Write a Play in 2 Hours

Ready. Set. WRITE!

Get ready for a fast-paced, no-holds-barred sprint into playwriting! In just two hours, you’ll go from a blank page to a short, stage-ready script, perfect for performance in a black box theatre. No overthinking. No endless rewrites. Just pure creative energy and a story that demands to be told.

What’s the deal?

A high-energy workshop designed to get words on the page—FAST.
Learn how to generate ideas at lightning speed and craft compelling scenes.
Keep it lean and mean—a 1 to 2-page play with big impact.
No tech stress! Bring whatever you like to write or type on, but a Google account is recommended for shared resources. Tech support is NOT included—we’re here to write, not troubleshoot!

Where? Black Box Theatre, Dubbo
When? April 3, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Cost? $30 per person
Barrier to entry? If cost is stopping you from joining, reach out to Studio 138—we want everyone to share their stories!

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about getting it DONE. Are you in?

Tix: https://events.humanitix.com/from-blank-page-to-black-box-write-a-play-in-2-hours

Part of UNBOXED – Creative Sessions, made possible with support from Dubbo Regional Council and Western Plains Cultural Centre.

2025 Romance Rules Film Festival winners

Romance Rules Film Festival 2025 – A Fantastic Night of Film

The Romance Rules Film Festival at Studio 138 was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a night of short films exploring romance in all its forms. There were plenty of laughs, moments of reflection, and a great sense of community as we enjoyed films from around the world.

The audience favourite ended in a three-way tie:

• Little Issues – Directed by Jerah Milligan (USA)

• The Meaning Of No – Directed by Reid McGowan, Mik Gojic (Australia)

• 26 eXes – Directed by Tess Lafia (USA)

Congratulations to these filmmakers for their outstanding work.

Thank you for being part of this celebration of storytelling. We look forward to welcoming you to our next event.

2025 Romance Rules Film Festival – Official Selections & Tickets

Join us for the 2025 screening of the Romance Rules Film Festival. We have a great line-up of short films from around the world all about romance – the good, the bad and the ugly!

When: February 21, 2025 @ 7.30 pm

Venue: Studio 138, 54 Mountbatten Drive, Dubbo, 2830

BYO: Drinks & snacks

Some films include adult themes, sexual references and occasional coarse language

Tickets: $15 (inc GST) at the door and online (see secure ticket link below)

Note: strictly limited tickets.

Romance Rules Film Festival

$15.00

Buy now

Official selections

These will be screened at the festival

Little Issues, dir – Jerah Milligan, United States
FOTOAUTOMAT, dir – Rémy Mégard, Australia
Reflexion, dir – Alan Bidard, France
My Darling Helen, dir – Joy Mc Keon, Ireland
The Meaning Of No, dir – Reid McGowan, Mik Gojic, Australia
26 eXes, dir – Tess Lafia, United States
TALK, dir – Dario Nadile, Australia
VILLETTA CON PISCINA (Villa with pool), dir – Karma Gava, Italy
Sidewalk Serendipity, dir – Elvia Hill, Blake Cortes, United States
INDOOR, dir – DHAWAL POKLE, India
Sticky Buns, Ravioli, and White Cake, dir – Nicole Pouchet, United States

Finalist

These films will not be screened and were finalists in the selection process.

Last Night, dir – Patrick Nevian, Alice Schmidt, Germany
Yohiro, dir – Luigi Di Domenico, Italy
People Come and People Go, dir – Jess Milne, Australia
Dinner Parties, dir – Jess Milne, Australia
Bacon Sundae, dir – Leon Braun, Australia
A Night’s Chemistry, dir – Jamal Thomas, United States
The Perfect Stranger , dir – Jack Davies, United Kingdom
CAKE, dir – Isaiah Sturge, Not Specified
Someday Soon, dir – Amanda Romero, United States
I am not alone, dir – Michael Parks, Singapore
Al Revés, dir – Luis Figeuredo, Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
The Patricia Party, dir – Jonathan Frey, United States
Julienne of Light Bulbs, dir – Dave Lojek, Germany
La Conquista, dir – Julen Laburu, Argentina
You’re My Kind, dir – Joseph Gerges, Australia
The Cut After The First, dir – Matthew Shadbolt, Australia
Trip Down Memory Lake, dir – Nick Bolton, Australia

Thrills and Chills Fest 2024 – winners

We had a terrific night at the screening for the 2024 Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest screening. The audience loved the incredibly diverse genre short films from around the world.

Congratulations to the category winners (see below). As per the rules, we have reserved the right not to award winners in a small number of categories.

A big thank you to filmmakers Kalina Davis (“Hidden Prey”) and Julianna Purnell who attended the screening in person.

We’ll be opening entries soon for the 2025 season.

Official selections screened at the event

‘They’re Coming’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): Camy “Cameron” Arnett

‘Unit 17: Week 3’
Country of origin: United States
Director(s): David Kaye, Theresa Stefaniak

‘Reboot’
Country of origin: China
Director: CHRIS QI YAO

‘Hidden Prey’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Kalina Davis

‘Lab Rat’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Ben Hargreaves

‘La Soglia’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Nicolò Tonani, Sofia Gasparetti, Simone Colombo

‘I Was’
Country of origin: Italy
Director(s): Matteo Capatti, Lorenzo Mazzucchi

‘Demon Dog’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Juliana Purnell

‘Ruined Date’
Country of origin: Mexico
Director: Antonio Rotunno

‘Doom Scroll’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Roy Weiland

‘Moonbeans: A Tale of Two Astronauts’
Country of origin: United States
Director: James G. Maynard

‘The Missing’
Country of origin: Australia
Director: Lovejeet Singh

‘The Man in the Red Pants’
Country of origin: Australia Director(s): Liam Govan, Hassibullah Kushkaki

‘Delivery’
Country of origin: United States
Director: Braydon Leadbetter

Category award winners

Audience favourite – “The Missing”

Short film – Horror / Thriller – “The Missing”

Short film – Sci Fi – “Lab Rat”

Director – Lovejeet Singh “The Missing”

Actor – Alex Botto – “The Missing”

Song / score – Paul Shrofel (score) “Hinter-Land”

Production design – “The Man in the Red Pants”

Sound design – “I Was”

Mobile phone / tablet film – “Demon Dog” & “Hidden Prey”

Trailer – “I Was”

Poster – “They’re Coming”

Screenplay – horror / thriller – “Chrysalis” by Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt

Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest screening October 18, 2024

Silhouette of crow on a tree branch with a reddish cloudy moon in the background

Join us for the screening of the first ever Thrills and Chills Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror Fest.

We’re celebrating independent genre short films with the most interesting and intriguing genre films from around the world.

As well as thrills, scares, dystopia, and fantasy, you’ll also be treated to a few laughs.

Note – not suitable for audiences under 15. May include gore, supernatural themes, violence, coarse language, and sexual references.

Details:

Location: Studio 138, Unit 1 / 54 Mountbatten Drive, Dubbo, NSW, 2830

Date: October 18, 2024

Time: 7.30 pm

BYO snacks and drinks

Tickets: $11 (inc GST)

Thrills and Chills Fest – Oct 18, 2024

$11.00

Buy tickets