Eighteen lives (祖宗十八代)
Fringe Festival Hub: Do Theatre
A beautiful comedy about reincarnation, missed connections and the people we keep finding. What if the people in your life have always been there?
Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代) is a funny, strange and unexpectedly moving theatre work about reincarnation, fate and the people we keep finding across lifetimes. Across six wildly different eras of Chinese history, three performers transform through lovers, enemies, parents, children and strangers.
Performed in Mandarin with English subtitles, it blends sharp comedy and physical theatre into a fast-moving, visually playful meditation on history.
Dates
Tuesday 29th Sep, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Wednesday 30th Sep, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Thursday 1st Oct, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Friday 2nd Oct, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Saturday 3rd Oct, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Tickets
Venue
Meat Market Blackwood Box, Fringe Festival Hub
36-56 Courtney Street
North Melbourne,
Victoria
3051
Australia
Website
Google Map
A beautiful comedy about reincarnation, missed connections and the people we keep finding. What if the people in your life have always been there?
Eighteen Lives (祖宗十八代) is a funny, strange and unexpectedly moving theatre work about reincarnation, fate and the people we keep finding across lifetimes. Across six wildly different eras of Chinese history, three performers transform through lovers, enemies, parents, children and strangers.
Performed in Mandarin with English subtitles, it blends sharp comedy and physical theatre into a fast-moving, visually playful meditation on history.
Do Theatre is a Melbourne-based independent theatre collective creating bold, multilingual performances that blend comedy, physical theatre, and contemporary storytelling. The company is known for visually inventive and fast-paced works that explore culture, identity, and human connection through humour and theatrical experimentation.
Do Theatre productions have been presented at major Australian arts festivals, received award recognition, and earned critical acclaim from publications including The Age, Theatre Matters, and Stage Whisper.
Presented by Do Theatre
Directed and created by Fini Liu
Produced by Sally Chen
Presented as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival 2026
Contains haze, low audience interaction, sudden loud noises, strobe lights and sustained bright lights, mild coarse language.
Content warning: bullying, colonisation, death, grief, racism, self harm or suicide, sexual harassment, use of replica weapons, violence, war.
Accessibility
