^{Cover image: The creatives and performers featured in 600 Seconds – MUSIC’s three works. Image by Mohammed ‘Ayo Busari’.}

600 Seconds – MUSIC

Tuesday 7 July, 2026

Blue Room Theatre

The Blue Room Theatre’s 600 Seconds short works program returned earlier this month to remind us exactly what makes it so special. 600 Seconds supports local emerging and established creatives in creating new or experimental pieces, allowing them to test out new ideas under a mentor. Each piece lasts 10 minutes (or 600 seconds), covering five distinct categories: Moves, Makes, Montage, Music and Menagerie.

This year’s 600 Seconds – MUSIC program featured three Perth creatives: artist and producer Alyssa Dalao; composer Jaxon Degebrodt; and singer songwriter Ruby Delgado. The artists were mentored by Tao Issaro, an Indian/Australian multi-instrumentalist and composer. Issaro is a multi-award-winning musician who has worked for organisations such as Encounter Theatre, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and Tura New Music.

The show opened with Alyssa Dalao’s Hello Dear Self: Revelation, which explores the internal dialogue between body, heart, and mind. Through a monologue and anxious heartbeat audio, Dalao evokes the pressure of constant internal dialogue: the never-ending to-do list repeating in our heads until it becomes too overwhelming to do anything at all. In this performance, the sound seemed to swallow the room. Dalao’s melodic original song reminds herself and her audience to take a pause and calm down. She performed it behind a screen to create dreamy silhouettes, creating a sense of calm and softness within the room, immersing her audience in the performance by taking them through the emotions at the very centre of the piece.

Jaxon Degebrodt’s !!P-Force!! felt oddly out of place sandwiched between the other acts. Nevertheless, it was the most entertaining performance of the night. Also showcasing the talents of artists Eli Boyd and Alix Simatos, !!P-Force!! features a crime fighting Power Rangers style pop band dedicated to bringing peace and love to the entire world. Packed full of jokes delivered with perfect comedic timing, the musical-esque performance had audience members laughing out loud.

After a brief intermission, we were welcomed back for Ruby Delgado’s Shoot me in the Heart, an intimate performance inspired by the experience of menstrual pain. Accompanied by musicians Jakob Bertone, Blake Freeman, and Jared Hermara, Delgado’s set ranges from sultry jazz to climactic vocals reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s The Great Gig in the Sky. Enhancing Delgado’s dramatic vocals was an equally dramatic lighting design. Deep reds and emerald greens left you no choice but to be completely captivated, with Delgado creating certainly the most intense performance of the night.

Together, Dalao, Degebrodt, and Delgado’s performances captured the spirit of 600 Seconds: giving artists space to test experimental work before a live audience in a supportive, low-pressure setting. Each piece draws you into its own world, leaving you with a deeper appreciation of the artists’ distinctive approaches and the music they create. By the end, you left eager to see what each artist – and The Blue Room Theatre – will offer next.

The Blue Room Theatre