Where we are, what’s at stake

After decades of tenaciously surviving cycles of precarity, in 2019 and 2020 HotHouse suffered a sequence of body blows when Federal funding to HotHouse was discontinued just before Covid closed the Butter Factory, then bushfires hit the Border region. While HotHouse has responded with characteristic creativity, empathy and ingenuity to each of these challenges, like many Australian theatre companies it has struggled to return to pre-Covid resource, audience and community connection levels.  

In 2026, HotHouse finds itself at a watershed moment. Market shifts, nationwide challenges to arts companies in the post-Covid era and recent local Albury and Wodonga Council budget cuts mean that we must explore new directions to secure the future of HotHouse. Without support for HotHouse, our community would lose: 

30 years of cultural infrastructure and history

The cultural impact on Australia of HotHouse, through its history, creative yield and alumni is extraordinary and still evolving. In 2027 we celebrate 30 years of HotHouse’s stories, achievements, people, and the company’s contribution to the cultural life of the region and the nation. 

Local artists, local storytelling

HotHouse has always been a place where local artists tell stories in imaginative ways through original creations. Landmark productions from Hotel Bonegilla to Embers, The Pyjama Girl and All The Shining Lights and BUNGAMBRAWATHA (Wiradjuri) in 2022, recognising the 50th Anniversary of the Aboriginal Family resettlement scheme in this area are just a few examples of the power of theatre to share important stories with our communities. Professional development opportunities provide career pathways and support for local artists to nourish and showcase projects and sharpen creative skills: residencies, mentorships, workshops, creative developments and dramaturgical assistance. Visiting artists share creative experiences with locals, building networks and collaborative opportunities beyond the region.  

Connection with First People and First Nations Culture

Legendary First Nations works, artists and companies have appeared on the Butter Factory stage from Yirra Yaakin’s Solid featuring Ningali Lawson (Walmajarri) and Kelton Pell (Noongar) in 2001, to Ilbijerri’s Jack Charles vs The Crown featuring Uncle Jack Charles (Bunerong/Wiradjuri) in 2013 and Torres Strait Island artist Ghenoa Gela’s My Urrwai in 2019 and NORPA’s My Uncle Frank created/performed by Rhoda Roberts AO (Bundjalung) in 2015. Established in 2012, for 10 years Black Border Theatre facilitated young local Aboriginal performers in the creation of new works. Post-Covid, Hot House presented the Mission Songs project in 2022. Currently, tangible recognition of Country at our venues, the Butter Factory Theatre on Gateway Island and A Month in the Country artists residence in the Wonga Wetlands is work in progress, with more First Nations performance projects in development. 

Creative expression and career pathways for young people 

From the famous Biting Dog festival (1998- 2008) to the Studio Ensemble, Generator, Black Border and Launchpad initiatives, HotHouse has always provided a platform to nurture creative expression, imagination, collaboration and confidence in young people with few tertiary theatre options in regional Australia. Currently, a new partnership with Australian Theatre for Young People provides high-level skills development opportunities through school holiday workshops for young people in the Border region.  

National Artists Residency - A Month in the Country

In 2004, a dilapidated Council-owned farmhouse on Wiradjuri Country near the Wonga Wetlands was transformed into an artist’s residency. Since then, HotHouse’s A Month in the Country (renamed The GreenHouse, it has since reverted to its original name) has changed the national conversation around the development of new theatre work. As director Marion Potts, a founding member of HotHouse’s Artistic Directorate, reflected in 2026: 

“A Month in the Country began as a conversation about the impact of the environment on creative work, immersion in landscape and ‘place’, that nourished our creative focus and imagination. As frenetic, time-poor, city-based artists, caught in the treadmill of delivery with no ability to reflect or explore the potential of an idea, it was an opportunity to quarantine time and space for process and was genuinely liberating. Over the decades, this initiative has provided a vital resource to hundreds of artists (who) benefit from the unique ecosystem and infrastructure that HotHouse provides. It continues to be vital and has the potential to grow further, supporting a changing and often volatile arts sector in meaningful ways.”