The Rat Lab
Welcome to The Rat Lab. We offer a multi purpose space located at the Arts Incubator on Camp Street in Ballarat. Our mission is to provide space and support to local artists for rehearsals, training, the development of new work and skill sharing. The Rat Lab can be hired for the rehearsal and development of local live performance, and would also suit workshops, training and meetings.
We are based within the Arts Incubator at 36 Camp St, alongside Outlet Studio and LanceTV.
About the Space
It is very suitable for text devising work, text-based rehearsals, play readings, screen actor training, small site activations and some physical work (e.g. yoga, solo performance, voice work).
It is not recommended for physical theatre or high energy work such as stick training, viewpoints training, suzuki, dance, circus. It is also not recommended for live performances. There is very limited seating, no theatre lighting or sound equipment. The ceiling is low, there are metal plates on the ground and there is a pillar in the centre of the room - all of these affect sight lines and can be risky for performers doing high octane physical work, or who are working in bare feet.
book the rat lab for $15 per hour
Block bookings also available. Contact us to discuss your needs.
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about us
emma hall
Image by Bryony Jackson
I write and perform theatre, mainly my own. I have written and toured three solo works (We May Have to Choose, Ode to Man (Playlab) and World Problems (Currency Press)). I have also directed works at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne and co-devised productions with the Victorian College of the Arts (Show Cat!Sleep Faster!, 2020) and Federation University (After Joan, 2024). Find out more.
Dr Robert Reid
Dr Rob Reid appears on LanceTV
I am a playwright, director, experience designer, performer, academic, theatre historian and critic. I trained as a director at the Victorian College of the Arts and my PhD focused on the history of independent theatre between 1980 and 2010. I make theatre that is playful, participatory, political and intertextual. I use performance to reflect contemporary society in an attempt to stage/provoke the democratic process at a local level. My work is influenced by Richard Schechner, Augusto Boal, Allan Kaprow, The Sydney Front, The Geelong Mill and The Sex Pistols.
