Presented by Tayo Tayo Collective in association with fortyfivedownstairs.
MR BIG is supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants and through the Australian Cultural Fund.
MR BIG’s development was supported by Darebin Arts through the Darebin Arts Speakeasy Spare Room program and Midsumma Festival through the Midsumma presents program 2026.
Malthouse Theatre
113 Sturt Street
Southbank, VIC 3006
7 February 2026
fortyfivedowstairs
45 Flinders Ln
Melbourne VIC 3000
24 June - 5 July 2026
-
Is it a ghost story? A musical? A therapy session with a dead parent? Yes.
MR BIG aka Tatay, A Transwoman and That Tiring Tune! is a dark comedy tracking a Filipina trans woman caught between Melbourne and Manila. It explores the voice in your head that sounds suspiciously like your dad singing Sinatra... badly.
Haunted by childhood songs and family ghosts, our protagonist navigates the messy intersection of grief, love, and identity. It is a story about the love that was crooked, the silence that shaped us, and the versions of ourselves our families never met.
It’s loud. It’s tender. It’s unapologetically Filipino.
-
PREMIERE SEASON
24 June – 5 July 2026 · fortyfivedownstairs
Presented by TAYOTAYO Collective in association with fortyfivedownstairsCast (in order of appearance)
Diana / J-ghost — Dax Carnay-Hanrahan
Joey / D-ghost — Trevor Santos
Dion — Ken Paolo
Nolet / Alfie — Ayril Borce
Tess — Anna Buenaseda
Jerry — Aiden Gale MirandaCreatives
Writer — Dax Carnay-Hanrahan
Director — Beng Oh
Producer — Sasha Leong
Stage Manager — Teri Steer
Assistant Stage Manager — Claire Le Blond
Dramaturg — Matthew Bostock
Musical Director & Sound Designer — Ben Keene
Lighting Designer — Vivienne Hargreaves
Set & Costume Designer — Christina Logan-Bell
Visual Storytelling — Jordan Hanrahan-Carnay
Promotional Photography — George JaffordDEVELOPMENT & STAGED READING
Written & Created by Dax Carnay-Hanrahan
Directed by Beng Oh
Producer — Sasha Leong
Associate Stage Management — India Worsnop
Composition, Musical Direction & Sound Design — Ben Keene
Dramaturgy — Matthew Bostock
Graphic Design — Jordan Hanrahan-Carnay
Promotional Photography — George JaffordDevelopment & Staged Reading Cast
Trevor Santos, Ken Paolo, Miles Paras, Aiden Miranda, Marlon Dance-Hooi, Dax Carnay-Hanrahan
“★★★★
Sidesplittingly funny gallows humour. The all-Filipino cast is unfaultable.”
“As funny as it was gut-wrenching.”
“A fascinating insight into the cultural nuances of a Filipino family through their lens of hope, love, anger, joy, sorrow, death and desire.”
“★★★★
Testament to its singularity as a piece of theatre.”
“A universal tale that will have you in tears, in joy and in sadness. One to watch and to remember.”
“Centring Filipino and trans narratives that transcend genre and emphasise joy, euphoria and possibility, elevating many other local Filipino and queer creatives alongside her.”
