STORIES THAT MUST BE HEARD by Chloé Charody

Melbourne Recital Center Primrose Potter Salon

August 2025

TRUTH IN THE CAGE, a setting of seven poems from Mohammad Ali Maleki’s poetry collection of the same name. Maleki, an Iranian refugee, was imprisoned on Manus Island for seven years, and then two years in a Brisbane detention centre, before finally being granted refugee status in Australia. This collection of poetry was written while he was inside Manus Prison, and reflects on the way he was treated in Australia’s detention system. Maleki now lives in Brisbane, where he continues to write poetry.

“You can find my whole life in my poems like a letter to God” - Mohammad Ali Maleki

Limbo: sonata for acrobatic violin

LIMBO is a ground-breaking interdisciplinary duet, which tells a poignant narrative through dynamic partner acrobatics, duo unicycle and cyr wheel, embracing circus and classical music in one captivating world.

LIMBO is set at Melbourne Park Hotel, Australia in 2021, a time when many refugees were detained indefinitely, some having been incarcerated by the Australian Government for up to 9 years. The sonata roller coasts through emotions of anger, frustration, fantasy & escape, exploding with one of the greatest weapons against oppression: hope.

Livia Brash and Jerry Wong performing TRUTH IN THE CAGE

Sonja Schebeck and Joshua Frazer performing LIMBO