The SESSIONS Story

 

Reflections on The SESSIONS Project: A Journey from Lockdown to Now

It all started in lockdown.

Six months into Melbourne’s isolation, I was belting out show tunes in my tiny apartment shower like it was the Theatre Royal stage. My audience? The bathroom tiles. My reviews? Noise complaints from the neighbours.

But in those quiet, solitary months, I had time to reflect. I realised how much I missed the stage—the adrenaline, the connection, the pure magic of performing. This love had been with me since my first show in primary school, where I fell head over heels for the applause and energy of being on stage. Life got in the way for a while after that, but once I returned many years later, I couldn’t stop. I took on every role I could, threw myself into every production, and lived and breathed theatre. For years, it was my everything.

Come early 2020, I made my big Tasmanian leap to the mainland, Melbourne was my destination. I was determined to make something - and someone - of myself, but before I could even begin, COVID hit, and that was that. After months spent locked up in my 10th floor apartment in the middle of the Melbourne CBD, lost in myself and lost in my life, I decided to move back home to Hobart.

When I moved back in early 2021, I realised the theatre scene I’d left behind wasn’t the same. Friends kept asking the same questions: “How do I get on stage here? Where are the opportunities? Is there even a place for performers anymore?” The truth was, I didn’t have any answers.

Theatre had stopped. The community was scattered. And with it, opportunities to connect, create, and perform had virtually disappeared. For so many of us, the spark of being on stage dimmed low, replaced by the inertia of staying inside. I found myself longing for what was gone, but I also wasn’t sure how—or if—it could ever come back.

But I did know some stories.

Remembering Thirsty Thursdays: Hobart’s Forgotten Heartbeat

There was a time when Hobart’s creative community had a home—a place called Thirsty Thursdays at the Theatre Royal Bar. Every Thursday night, performers, directors, and artists gathered after rehearsals to connect, create, and share. The stories of that time are legendary, though I never got to experience it myself.

I’d heard of duets being thrown together on a whim, new shows being dreamt up over a couple of drinks, and artists trying out raw material in front of their peers. It wasn’t just an event; it was the heartbeat of the community.

But when the bar closed down, that heartbeat stopped. The space disappeared, and with it went that sense of belonging.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if we could bring something like that back? What if we could create a new heartbeat?

This was a thought that stayed with me, and throughout those many days and nights in my apartment, I pondered this very idea for a crazily long time.

The Beginning of The Idea

During lockdown, I scribbled a note to myself in my phone. It was messy and didn’t make much sense at the time, or now, but it captured something I felt deeply.

 

It doesn’t make any logical (or grammatical) sense, but somehow it articulates the basis of our project.

It would take years for that note to manifest into anything real. But when I returned to Hobart and found myself surrounded by an incredible group of creative and like-minded people, the seed started to grow. I didn’t know exactly what it looked like, but I knew something was possible.

In early 2023, after producing my first show back in Hobart, I caught up with a group of friends and local creatives, who already had a concept in the works for a collaborative show at Pancho Villa and Voodoo Bar in North Hobart. I piggybacked on their idea, blending it with my vision for a curated open mic night, and before we knew it, we had our first date: July 6, 2023. I’ve even pulled out my original concept document:

 

And just like that, we were off and running. Our idea had life.

Season ONE: 2023

Our first SESSIONS night at Voodoo was magic. We didn’t know if anyone would come, but we turned on the mic, opened the doors, and hoped for the best. What we got was a room full of energy, love, and performers who lit up the stage.

The second show followed in August, also at Voodoo Bar, and once again, the magic was undeniable. We were onto something. We publicly launched on social media and I started to get project hoodies manufactured. Our idea, our brand and our project was truly coming alive and starting to breathe. I was over the moon.

By September, it was time to grow. I used the blueprint from True West, the play we’d produced in 2022 at the Hidden Theatre, and applied it to The SESSIONS Project. We moved into the Hidden Theatre, and for the first time, we weren’t just hosting a night—we were building something bigger. We ran our own bar, brought in food trucks, sold merchandise and pulled off a full 5 hour night packed with music, passion and energy. It was a huge success and a testament to the power of the Hobart community.

The momentum kept growing. We held six shows in total across 2023, on the first Thursday of each month - in honour of the Thirsty Thursday legacy - with the final one, Volume VI, in December. Over those six shows, over 70 performers took the stage, including 11 duets and four bands. Together, they performed 162 songs, 60 of which were originals.

Audiences packed the room at every show, no matter where we were, and we didn’t spend a cent on traditional advertising. Word-of-mouth and organic social media posts carried us though every month. It proved what I’d hoped all along: if you tell people where to go, they’ll come.

And they didn’t just come—they stayed. Every show ended with jam sessions, spontaneous collaborations, and performers glowing with the joy of doing what they love - our dream from day one.

Our FREE Ethos

One of the first big decisions I made for The SESSIONS Project was that our core events would always be free. At the time, it wasn’t just a creative choice—it was an ethical one.

In those early days, I didn’t know what these nights were going to look like. Would people show up? Would performers feel comfortable? Would the concept even work? I couldn’t justify charging for something so unpredictable. It felt wrong to put a price on something that was still figuring itself out.

But more than that, I couldn’t take money without paying performers. That’s a hard line for me—if there’s money coming in from tickets, it has to go back to the people on stage. At the same time, I didn’t want performers to feel the weight of expectation that often comes with a ticket price. Charging an audience creates pressure for performers to “earn” the cost of admission, and I didn’t want them reduced to whether or not they were worth someone’s $20. There have also been numerous times over the years when a ticket price has meant me not being able to go to a gig, which is always a kick in the guts, but it’s real.

I wanted The SESSIONS Project to feel different. I wanted it to be a space where performers could experiment, connect, and grow without worrying about meeting a certain standard. The ethos of these nights being “always free” became a cornerstone of what we do.

But that choice wasn’t without its challenges. Free events are hard to sustain as a business model, everything costs money, and that is something I’ve spent all of 2024 figuring out. How do you build something sustainable when you’ve committed to keeping it accessible? It’s taken time, experimentation, and a lot of problem-solving, but we now have now built a sustainable business model that allows the project and our artists to thrive, while still being inclusive to all.

The Break and Rebuild: 2024

After Volume VI in December 2023, I made the decision to hit pause on The SESSIONS Project. I needed space to focus on producing This Is Our Youth at the Theatre Royal in January, but more importantly, I needed time to reflect on how The SESSIONS Project could fit sustainably into my life. I didn’t want it to become a burden of expectation—for me, the team, or the community we’d worked so hard to build.

2024 became a year of quiet rebuilding. While the project was mostly stagnant from a public perspective, behind the scenes, we were working hard. We facilitated one major show in June—a collaboration at Hobart Brewing Co. with Unearthly Frequencies and a packed lineup of local artists—to remind the community that we were still here. Once again, the night was a massive success, a testament to the strength of what we’d built.

During this year, I also focused on helping the team take charge of their own careers. This was a deliberate trial for what was to come, a chance to see how the project could empower performers to lead their own creative journeys while still being part of something larger.

I took everything we’d learned in 2023—the successes, the challenges, and the moments of magic—and began laying the foundation for the next chapter:

• A Proper Website: A home for information, updates, and inspiration.
• Dedicated Booking and Registration Systems: Streamlined tools for performers and audiences alike to sign up, book tickets and take charge of their own participation.
• Gig Management Tools: Resources for artists to plan and prepare for their performances.
• Marketing and Publicity Resources: Empowering artists to promote their work while building the project’s profile.
• Education Systems: Workshops, mentorships, and resources designed to empower performers with the skills and confidence to grow in their craft and careers.

The goal was simple: facilitate opportunities for others while ensuring the project could run sustainably. It needed to be something that worked for everyone—not just for me. And now, as we relaunch in 2025, I’m proud to say that The SESSIONS Project can stay true to its ethos while also being something that does work for everyone.

The Relaunch: 2025 and Beyond

Now, we’re ready to go.

In January 2025, The SESSIONS Project will return with a 2 day season at the Peacock Theatre, packed with shows, workshops and more. It’s a chance to show what’s possible when a community comes together to create something meaningful. This isn’t just about putting on a show; it’s about creating a space for performers to rediscover the magic of being on stage.

Beyond January? Who knows? That’s what’s so exciting.

What started as a dream in my Melbourne apartment has become something far bigger. It’s a place where performers, audiences, and creators come together to celebrate what makes the arts so special. It’s about connection, collaboration, and rediscovering the joy of creating together.

We’ve rebuilt our community. Now, we enjoy it—one SESSION at a time.

And this time, we’re here to stay.

 

Much love, 

Jacob x