Creator
Sarah Austin
BioSarah Austin is an award-winning theatre maker and researcher with a specific expertise in collaborating with children and young people to create contemporary performance work.
About
The Art House Presents
An Uncertain Time by Sarah Austin & Co
Produced by Performing Lines
An Uncertain Time is an immersive, sensory performance designed specifically for babies and their carers. Enjoy 30 minutes of special time for you and your littlest one, plus optional play time after the show.
An Uncertain Time uses a combination of live and recorded music, ethereal and malleable lighting design, visual projections, physical theatre and circus, and sensory experiences to create a narrative journey for both baby and carer. It is a tactile, sensory and visual experience that will captivate babies and adults alike.
The work explores ideas of love, loss, hope and the notion of uncertainty that permeates the first year of a child’s life, for both the child and their carers. It reflects on the infinite possibility and potential of early childhood, as well as the responsibility of caring for new life in an ever-changing environment.
This work is for babies and their carers. To ensure a focused experience and bonding time, parents and carers please make arrangements for other children to be cared for during the performance time. The performance is capped at 12 babies with up to three carers each and is designed such that the babies and their carers sit on the floor in a rough circle while the performers inhabit the space in the centre and occasionally rove between the audience.
An Uncertain Time was adapted in 2025 through the support of Midsumma Festival and ArtPlay. The premiere season was assisted by Besen Family Foundation as well as Darebin City Council through the FUSE Fund. The project and the 2026 tour have been supported by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Gallery
Photo: Sarah Walker
Photo: Sarah Walker
Photo: Sarah Walker
Photo: Sarah Walker
Photo: Sarah Walker
Cast and Creatives
Costume Designer
Niow
BioNiow is a performer, designer and visual artist. Previous work includes Nuku (Geelong After Dark), Lake and Conservatory (Melbourne Fringe), Phoenix (La Mama) and Only a Year (Sarah Austin & Co).
Performer
Loz Sheree
BioLoz Sheree is a proud Wakka Wakka person who has been living on Kulin land pursuing a career in the arts since 2016, and using theatre, music and visual art to tell their story.
Performer
Desiree Katakis
Designer
Rainbow Sweeney
BioRainbow Sweeny has over 15 years professional experience delivering a broad range of arts projects, and is currently the Associate Producer with Polyglot Theatre.
Lighting Designer
Richard Vabre
BioRichard Vabre is an award-winning lighting designer whose vast CV of work includes collaboration with leading Australian companies including the Melbourne Theatre Company.
Composer / Sound Designer
Madeleine Flynn & Tim Humphrey
BioMadeleine Flynn creates unexpected situations for listening. Their work is driven by a curiosity and questioning about listening in human culture. Tim Humphrey creates unexpected situations for listening. Their work is driven by a curiosity and questioning about listening in human culture.
AV Designer
Richard Chambers
BioRichard Chambers is a graphic designer with over twenty years of experience, including work in theatre, textiles, and apparel.
Musician
Winter McQuinn
Photography
Pia Johnson & Sarah Walker
Produced by
Performing Lines
Reviews
"My baby was captivated from start to finish! It was so well thought through for both children and adults!"— Audience Member
