Castlemaine State Festival presents
GRASS with live accompaniment by ZÖJ - seated show
Theatre Royal, Castlemaine (Castlemaine, VIC)
Friday, 27 March 2026 8:00 pm
Tickets via Castlemaine State Festival
Iranian-Australian duo ZÖJ — composer and kamancheh player Gelareh Pour and drummer Brian O’Dwyer — present a breathtaking live score to Grass, the 1925 silent film chronicling the nomadic Bakhtiari tribe’s epic migration through the mountains of Iran. Through ZÖJ’s haunting instrumentation, the film’s black-and-white imagery is reborn with new intensity. Pour’s kamancheh weaves melodies of longing and endurance, while O’Dwyer’s percussion evokes the earth itself — trudging footsteps, rushing rivers, the heartbeat of survival. This is not mere accompaniment but re-interpretation: a contemporary conversation between image, sound and heritage. Grass becomes a reflection on movement, displacement and the fragile relationship between people and land — resonating deeply with global stories of today.
Presented in partnership with CDoc, this performance offers both historical rediscovery and present-tense urgency — proof that music can breathe new energy into archives of endurance.
Iranian-Australian duo ZÖJ — composer and kamancheh player Gelareh Pour and drummer Brian O’Dwyer — present a breathtaking live score to Grass, the 1925 silent film chronicling the nomadic Bakhtiari tribe’s epic migration through the mountains of Iran. Through ZÖJ’s haunting instrumentation, the film’s black-and-white imagery is reborn with new intensity. Pour’s kamancheh weaves melodies of longing and endurance, while O’Dwyer’s percussion evokes the earth itself — trudging footsteps, rushing rivers, the heartbeat of survival. This is not mere accompaniment but re-interpretation: a contemporary conversation between image, sound and heritage. Grass becomes a reflection on movement, displacement and the fragile relationship between people and land — resonating deeply with global stories of today.
Presented in partnership with CDoc, this performance offers both historical rediscovery and present-tense urgency — proof that music can breathe new energy into archives of endurance.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Theatre Royal.
Bar open from 4pm
Kitchen opens from 5pm - menu (we offer a delicious, fast-paced pizza menu with plenty of indoor/outdoor seating available)
All shows have a small amount of unallocated balcony seating, but are set up as standing room and general admission, unless specifically promoted as a “fully seated show”.
Make sure to visit our Beer Garden (open in the warmer months).
Please note that trains to Melbourne / Kyneton / Bendigo etc usually run post event. Check the Vline schedule for specific show date