{"product_id":"the-village-square","title":"The Village Square","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3pm, Sunday 15th November\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eEnter The Village Square. On your left, music and fables. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e On your right, your own imagination.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Village Square\u003c\/strong\u003e is a show that combines live music performance and storytelling. Set in an imagined town some years ago (as all good fairy tales are), The Village Square presents narratives of love and loss, misfortune and mirth, the graceful and grotesque.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeaturing renowned cellist \u003cstrong\u003eZoe Knighton\u003c\/strong\u003e, award winning guitarist\/composer \u003cstrong\u003eRobbie Melville\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the charismatic and much-loved \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Piper\u003c\/strong\u003e as The Narrator, the fables sparkle with the magic of traditional mythology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Fruit Mechanic\u003c\/em\u003e, the engine of an obnoxious tourist’s thunderous motorcycle is transformed into silence by an artful greengrocer. In \u003cem\u003eThe Fog\u003c\/em\u003e, a thick cloud descends upon The Village, sending the entire population into a deep sleep until The Dogs discover a way to rouse them. \u003cem\u003eKind And Sorrowful\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of a young man who is saved from drowning by the River Spirit with unforeseen repercussions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePiper’s alluring narrations pack an emotional punch in the most unobtrusive way, and the soundtrack quality of the compositions display Melville’s characteristic sense of warmth, quirkiness and romantic melancholy. Though travelling through environments of contemporary classical, folk and jazz, Knighton and Melville weave the disparate elements into a unified world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Village Square enjoyed a sold out run at the 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival, receiving multiple Judge’s nominations for \u003cem\u003eBest Music Show. \u003c\/em\u003eEvocative, enchanting and above all, human, The Village Square is a captivating combination of music and spoken word.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA beautiful work of storytelling and music working in symbiosis - \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMusic Judge, 2025 Melbourne Fringe Festival\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou’ll find no pyrotechnics here, no extraneous notes. Just Melville’s exquisite, unadorned compositions, painting word-pictures in music - \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eDes Cowley, Rhythms Magazine November 2025\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWatching this trio doing what they do best was incredibly moving, simple, and held us in a wisdom that was immensely deep yet light as a feather. This show is a gentle lullaby to the world in pain. Re-enchanting the extraordinary within the ordinary - \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eHolly Rowan, Heartline Reviews 2025\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist Bios\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRobbie Melville\u003c\/strong\u003e is an Australian guitarist and composer whose work blends jazz, contemporary classical, folk, experimental and improvised musics into intimate and evocative narratives. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has earned acclaim as both a performer and a composer. Beginning his performance career in his teens, he was appointed Principal Guitar Chair of the Australian Pops Orchestra in 2005.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis supportive musicianship has led to work with artists as diverse as Shane Howard, Nat Bartsch, Stephen Magnusson, Liz Frencham and Krystle Warren, and to international tours with Irish musicians Mundy and Roesy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2025, Melville launched \u003cem\u003eThe Village Square\u003c\/em\u003e, a multi-format storytelling project that stands at the forefront of his creative work. Set in an imagined town out of time and place, the project combines an album, a book of short stories with wood engravings by Australian artist David Frazer, an audiobook, and a live performance show. Featuring renowned cellist Zoe Knighton and the charismatic narrator Richard Piper, \u003cem\u003eThe Village Square\u003c\/em\u003e weaves music and spoken word into an enchanting, human-centred experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelville’s earlier projects highlight his breadth as a composer and bandleader. His quintet cleverhorse released \u003cem\u003eGoodnight, Mr. Monster\u003c\/em\u003e (2007) and \u003cem\u003e50:fifty\u003c\/em\u003e (2016), while his trio Antelodic received praise for \u003cem\u003eQuiet Sufficient\u003c\/em\u003e (2017) and \u003cem\u003eTo Iceland! To Iceland!\u003c\/em\u003e (2020, ABC Jazz). His solo album \u003cem\u003eTangled Trails\u003c\/em\u003e (2023) reimagines a 1921 silent film through a richly varied musical lens spanning jazz, blues, contemporary classical and folk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMelville’s compositions have received multiple awards, including the 2021 Johnny Dennis Music Award and first place in the 2018 International Songwriting Competition Instrumental Category. He has composed for film and media, including \u003cem\u003eHidden Truths\u003c\/em\u003e and the British documentary \u003cem\u003eGenus\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis current projects include his folk ensemble \u003cem\u003eThe Secret Trio\u003c\/em\u003e, his contemporary jazz \u003cem\u003eQuartet\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAntelodic \u003c\/em\u003eand the \u003cem\u003eSmallchestra. \u003c\/em\u003eHe continues to explore improvisation with drummer Ronny Ferella in \u003cem\u003eThe Magic Lantern Sessions\u003c\/em\u003e, creating in the moment live soundtracks to silent films.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e“While subtly evading expectations, Robbie Melville loads his music with a restrained melancholy conveying innocence rather than knowingness, the upshot being an unusual emotional ambiguity blending resignation and contentment.”\u003c\/em\u003e John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eZoe Knighton\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter starting cello at the age of nine with Jill Kahans, and graduating from the University of Melbourne with the highest mark of her year, Zoe went on to establish herself as one of the country’s most sought after cellists. Having studied with Christian Wojtowicz, Michel Strauss (Paris) Nelson Cooke, and Angela Seargeant, she is now in demand as chamber coach and teacher at various institutions. A regular panelist for major competitions, Zoe combines many facets of her career with performing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoe has played numerous concertos with Melbourne Orchestras and with pianist Amir Farid, made an impressive debut at the Melbourne Recital Centre to great critical acclaim in 2009. Their partnership has resulted in recordings for ABC, concerts throughout Australia and the release of five CDs on the\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.move.com.au\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e MOVE\u003c\/a\u003e label. Zoe and Amir will reunite in 2020 with performances in New York and throughout Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoe has been praised for her “thrilling tenor sound” (Limelight Magazine), “sublime phrasing” and “many great technical demands carried off with ease.” She has released three other titles on the MOVE label, including the complete suites for solo cello by J.S Bach.\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoe is a founding member of Flinders Quartet and plays a 1780 Benjamin Banks, a 2020\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.rainerbeilharzviolins.com.au\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e Rainer Beilharz\u003c\/a\u003e cello made in Castlemaine, Victoria, and a Michael Taylor bow made in 2012.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e“Knighton has produced a reading of great artistic integrity.” Gordon Kerry \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e“She radiates confidence in her work and participates with personality and no little finesse … Well worth hearing for the pleasure given through this player’s familiar warmth and honesty of musical character.”\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eClive O’Connell \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRichard Piper\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRichard Piper has had a distinguished acting career in England and Australia, appearing in over 80 productions, including 40 for Melbourne Theatre Company. After training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Piper appeared in West End productions Grease and Elvis. In the 1980s he travelled to Australia as part of the band The Bouncing Czecks, before deciding to move to Melbourne permanently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis Australian theatre credits As You Like It, The Lady in the Van, Twelfth Night, Born Yesterday, Double Indemnity, Ghosts, Music, The Gift, Drowsy Chaperone, Rockabye, Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Give and Take, Dumb Show, The Daylight Atheist (Green Room Award), Betrayal, Man the Balloon and Life After George for MTC. Other theatre credits include The Black Rider, ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (Malthouse Theatre); The Secret River, Gross und Klein, Great Expectations, Moby Dick (Sydney Theatre Company); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wars of the Roses, Henry V, Henry IV (Bell Shakespeare); Moby Dick, Marat Sade, The Comedy of Errors, Restoration, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, What the Butler Saw (STCSA); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and Much Ado About Nothing (Australian Shakespeare Company).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePiper has appeared in the musicals Oklahoma!, King Kong, Billy Elliot, Come From Away, and on screen in Wentworth, Tangle, Underbelly, City Homicide, Satisfaction, Correlli, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spreadsheet and the upcoming Savage River for the ABC.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Event","offers":[{"title":"General Admission","offer_id":52305365172512,"sku":"TS-71c388","price":45.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Concession","offer_id":52305365205280,"sku":"TS-cc7f26","price":35.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0986\/5809\/1296\/files\/7d6c6841-e2b7-44e3-8be8-fb0283c46439.jpg?v=1788576057","url":"https:\/\/www.nightingalegallery.com\/products\/the-village-square","provider":"Nightingale Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}