EAT THE SCORE

If you’ve never been to a Backstage Music show before, expect the unexpected. For the past decade, we’ve been quietly rewiring the traditional concert experience, ditching formal halls for vibrant, unconventional spaces where music and audience interaction collide.

To mark our 10th birthday, founders Elizabeth Jigalin and Lamorna Nightingale are channeling our favorite ritual—the warm, chatty, post-show-dishes energy of a great dinner party—into a full-blown celebratory event: EAT THE SCORE.

We’ve crafted an event menu featuring highlights from ten years of adventurous live performance. We don’t want to spoil every surprise, but you can count on party bags, love letters, live on-the-spot musical commissions, outfits translated into sound, and salad making.

Fair warning: This celebration comes packed with live experimental sound, outrageous outfits, and gentle, highly entertaining attempts to extract money from your wallet for a good cause! Backstage Music is powered by community support, and donations are the secret ingredient that keep our music accessible to everyone in the room.

What your ticket gets you: Music, party snacks, and a bowl of our signature cauliflower soup (just remember to BYO salad vegetable!).

So dress up, grab a date, and celebrate the next decade of boundary-pushing sound!

#2 Proposition: Make a Salad (1962) Alison Knowles 

BYO vegetables, salad bowls, dressing, salad tossers, forks, peelers, graters, knives, etc.
“The salad is always different as Mozart remains the same.” (Alison Knowles)

RGB Glass Rainbow Maker (2018) Amanda Cole 

Wine glasses, lights, red, green, blue, two bowes, speakers.
“Ever since I was a little girl I have had a fascination with the colour spectrum.” (Amanda Cole)

101 Things to Do with Cauliflower (2018) Angus Davison 

6 cauliflowers, a chess set, bucket, blue pen, sand paper and a poem.
“Other vegetables may not be substituted for cauliflowers.” (Angus Davison)

after Morning Piece (1964-65) Yoko Ono arr. BackStage Music

“You can be wild and still be very wise.” (Yoko Ono)

Clothing Music (2021) Christine Johnston & Sonya Lifschitz

Your clothing, confessions, big hair, bespoke scores, clothesline, saw, songs.

“Eeuhp! Eeuhp! Eeuhp!” (Madame Lark)

“Dwoink-tk, plonnng-brrrt............ plip!” (Sonya Lifschitz)

De Profundis (1978) Sofia Gubaidulina

Accordion.

“Do you know why I love this monster [the accordion/bayan] so much? — It breathes!” (Sofia Gubaidulina)

the piano is my favourite animal (2026) Elizabeth Jigalin

Piano, two part invention, interventions, preventions, two hands, many ears.

“The piano [sic: panda] is my favourite animal.” (Elizabeth Jigalin)

Cake Piece (2014) Caitlin Rowley - Cake, plate, knife, screams.

“The piece is over when all the cake has been eaten” (Caitlin Rowley)

new work (2026) Aidan Eccleshall, Imogen Plunkett-Hamer, Henry Egan

Cheap Commissions (1980) Pauline Oliveros

Love Letters (2021) Inspired by Damian Barbeler 

Write a love letter or score to a previous Backstage artist or show memory.

PARKING - there is free parking on the streets that is fairly easy to find at night time. If you need an accessible parking spot then Michelle can let you know about a good spot nearby. michelle@livingroomtheatre.org.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

You can get to 21 Shepherd St, Marrickville by taking a bus. the 428 is a good option from the city because it takes you straight along George St, via King Street Newtown,

Enmore Road then turns right into Addison Rd. You get off at Denby St then it’s about a 5 min walk along Addison Road then turn left into Shepherd St. When you get to the corner of Jebez St - turn left again.

If you get the train it’s about a 20 min walk from Stanmore Station.

COMMUNITY TRANSPORT : The Leichhardt Marrickville Community Transport Group offers door-to-door transport for those who cannot use public transport. You can contact them at 02 9558 680002 or 02 9558 6800 or visit lctg.net.au. 

BATHROOMS : If you need the bathroom there is one gender neutral accessible bathroom. These toilets are not accessible.

ASSISTANCE ANIMALS are welcome at the venue and drinking water is available.  Probably the closest Park is Victoria Park on the corner of Enmore and Edgeware Rd.