Make the uphill slog to the posh end of Flinders Lane and you'll be rewarded with a descent into the depths of Fortyfivedownstairs, a gallery and performance space lining the lower levels of an old rag trade building. As a not-for-profit organisation, Fortyfivedownstairs exists to support and present independent art that leans towards the experimental side of things. The team says their purpose is to make money for artists, not from them.
Plays, cabarets and song cycles shown at Fortyfivedownstairs are often reviewed in Time Out, with the artists and creatives who incubate their work at the venue often going on to become mainstays of the main-stage.
This creative hub is large enough to hold a theatre production and multiple exhibitions at the same time, but intimate enough to feel like you've wandered into a secret haven for Melbourne's arts community.
Find out what's coming up in both the performance space and the gallery over at the venue website.