Five under-the-radar Melbourne Festival highlights

At first glance, the huge program for the Melbourne Festival (Oct 4-22) can feel a little overwhelming. The city's annual celebration of international and local theatre, dance, music and visual art is packed with blockbuster shows and world-famous artists – so how do you narrow it down to a manageable number of things to see?

Here, we've selected five shows that may have fallen under your radar, but are all well worth adding to your calendar in October. For more advice on the best Melbourne Festival shows, check out this list of more highlights.