Charlotte Salusinszky Reads
'The Crane Flies' on Nov 4
'The Crane Flies' by Michelle Hamadache is a tender, fantastical tale set in 1990s Italy, where young lovers and travellers work in a chaotic hotel kitchen deep in Dante’s woods. Don’t miss Charlotte Salusinszky’s brilliant interpretation of this short story on Tues Nov 4.
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Don’t Miss our last show for 2025 - Tues 4 Nov
Round up your friends (or a date!) for a night of short stories, laughs, and connection. Join us for the final StorySALOON Live show for 2025 on Tues 4 Nov at The Vanguard, Newtown. Experience one of Sydney’s most talked-about cultural events. Tickets selling fast so secure your spots ASAP!
Join us for StorySALOON
StorySALOON Live is your mid-week creative fix. Three short stories by award-winning and emerging writers, narrated by Australia’s most talented actors. We bring you short stories that will make you laugh, keep you hooked, and make you think. If you can’t see it live on stage, listen to the weekly StorySALOON Podcast.
StorySALOON Live
at The Vanguard, Newtown
$35 + Booking fee
NOV 4, 2025
Three vivid and compelling short stories: ‘Zucchini’, ‘Ferocious Animals' and ‘The Crane Flies’ by Monikka Eliah, Luke Johnson, and Michelle Hamadache.
'Zucchini', written by and read by Monikka Eliah, an Assyrian Australian writer, performer and rising star from Fairfield. ‘Zucchini' is a comedic and tender story about young womanhood, stuffed zucchini made the Assyrian way, and the love of a grandma. Eliah’s short stories and essays have been published in book anthologies, SBS Voices, Southerly, Kill Your Darlings, Meanjin and The Saturday Paper.
'Ferocious Animals', by Luke Johnson. It’s 1989, and grand final day. A boy watches his father lose his temper. His mother intervenes. A story about masculinity, footie, and how anger isn’t the only way. Luke Johnson’s short stories have been widely published in journals and his collection, Ferocious Animals. Read by Bayley Prendergast, whose stage roles include Beautiful Thing, Mr. Theatre Comes Home Different, How to Defend Yourself, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, The Removalists, The Inheritance, and the Australian premiere of Champions.
'The Crane Flies', by Michelle Hamadache. Italy, 1990s. A tender and fantastical story of young lovers and travellers who find themselves working in a hell’s kitchen at a hotel located in the heart of Dante’s woods and presided over by a fearsome woman, ‘una donna cannone’. Michelle Hamadache’s short stories have been published in Australian and international journals. Read by Charlotte Salusinszky, an actor, writer, and theatre-maker who recent roles include work with KXT, Belvoir 25a and New Theatre.
Hosted by Jane Messer, Founder & Chief Saloonist.
StorySALOON Podcast
Listen to the individual short stories, episode by episode.
Every week we release a new podcast. Our beautifully read short stories make for perfect listening when driving, exercising, or at bedtime.
We record each episode at our live shows and release them weekly.
Tune in to our in-depth monthly conversation series: ‘In the SALOON with…’ – our unique, in-depth, and revealing conversations with actors and authors.
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Vinaya Elijala and Roanna Gonsalves at StorySALOON Live
Last show for 2025!
We’re close to the end of our thrilling season of short stories, new voices, and astounding talent for 2025! Join us for a night of listening, conversation, and laughter on Tues 4 Nov as we wrap up a successful season of StorySALOON.
We were delighted by the support shown by the creative community, including our writers, actors, funders, sponsors, and our fabulous audiences.
We are excited to bring StorySALOON back in 2026 with more captivating short stories and performances. Stay up to date by subscribing to our monthly eNewsletter.
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Vinaya Elijala, Adam Dunn, and Alex Dimitriades
FAQs
StorySALOON tickets are available at the door, but it’s a gamble. We suggest you buy tickets in advance through The Vanguard or Moshtix. Online ticket sales close at 4pm on the show date.
$35 + booking fee.Doors open: 6.00pm
Shows starts: 7.00pm
Short interval midway
Show ends: 8.30pm
You can listen at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and iHeart. StorySALOON episodes drop weekly in the month following each live show.
Want to buy StorySALOON a book or a drink? We welcome donations of $15 $25, or even $50.
We’re building a new cultural event for Australia via our live show and podcasts.
Your donation* supports StorySALOON by providing work and wages for Australian writers, actors, and crew.
* Donations over $2 are tax deductible via the Australian Cultural Fund.
StorySALOON’s authors' short stories have been published by Australian journals, book publishers, or have achieved a place in an Australian short story prize. Here are the publication details.
NOV
Monikka Eliah, ‘Zucchini’, Meanjin, Summer 2021.
Luke Johnson, ‘Ferocious Animals’, Ferocious Animals, Recent Works Press, 2021.
Michelle Hamadache, ‘The Crane Flies’, Overland, Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize 2021 Shortlist.
OCT
K.A. Ren Wyld, ‘Clatter Tongue’, This All Come Back Now: An Anthology of First Nations Speculative Fiction, ed Mykaela Saunders, UQP, 2022.
Claire Aman, ‘Golden Hour’, Overland, Issue 249, Summer 2022.
Abigail Ulman, ‘The Couples Therapist’, The Monthly, Issue Dec 2022 - Jan 2023.
SEPT
Roanna Gonsalves, ‘The Skit’, in The Permanent Resident, UWA Publishing, 2016.
Christos Tsiolkas, ‘Dance Hall Days’, in Into Your Arms: Nick Cave Songs Reimagined, edited by Kirsten Krauth, Fremantle Press, 2023.
Jake Dean, ‘Apocalypse, then', in Griffith Review, 2024.
JUNE
Gillian O’Shaughnessy, ‘In This Tale of a Suburban Tiger, the Part of the Mother is Played by a Bird’, Splonk, 2022; ‘Starfish’ in Jellyfish Review, 2022; ‘1989’ in Aniko Press, 2023.
Margo Lanagan, ‘Singing My Sister Down’, in Singing My Sister Down and other short stories, Allen & Unwin, 2017.
Anne Casey-Hardy, ‘In Disguise, Lying Low’, in Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls, Simon & Schuster, 2022.
MAY
Oliver Coulter, ‘Aitu’, Going Down Swinging, Nov 2022.
Cate Kennedy, ‘GPS’, in South of the Sun: Australian Fairy Tales for the 21st Century, Australian Fairy Tale Society, 2021.
Paddy O’Reilly, ‘Baggage Claim’, in Overland, 2018.
APRIL
Monique Choy, ‘Tinder Date’ in Soak: UTS Writers' Anthology, Brio Books, 2023.
Nic Low, ‘Octopus’ in Arms Race, Text Publishing, 2014.
Kathryn Gledhill-Tucker, ‘Protocols of Transference’ in This All Come Back Now: An anthology of First Nations speculative fiction, ed Mykaela Saunders, UQP, 2022.
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Vinaya Elijala, Adam Dunn, and Alex Dimitriades
StorySALOON champions Australian short stories
Our mission is simple: to grow audiences for short fiction and bring these stories to life in unforgettable ways.
At StorySALOON live shows, talented actors take centre stage, performing hand-picked short stories with passion and flair. Each show is a one-of-a-kind mix of lively conversation, devilishly good short stories, and remarkable performances.
StorySALOON Podcast is building a lasting archive of these brilliant Australian works, capturing every vibrant reading and conversation so the short stories live on for new audiences anytime, anywhere.
Founded by writer Jane Messer, StorySALOON is where Australia’s finest short stories find their audience — and where stories, laughter, and community meet.
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Donate to StorySALOON
Want to buy StorySALOON a book or a drink? We welcome donations of $15 $25, or even $50.
We’re building a new cultural event for Australia via our live show and podcasts.
Your donation* supports StorySALOON by providing work and wages for Australian writers, actors, and crew.
* Donations over $2 are tax deductible via the Australian Cultural Fund
Acknowledgement of Country
StorySALOON acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first storytellers of this land. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, as we create, perform and listen on unceded Gadigal land.