About Us

Why Deadhouse?

For many centuries in the northern hemisphere morgues were called Deadhouses because bodies could not be buried in the winter when the ground was frozen, so the dead were stored in Deadhouses until the thaw. For 140 years prior to 1972 Sydney’s Deadhouse was the Sydney Morgue and Coroner’s Court located in lower George Street. Walking past one day I had the epiphany that our immersive tales could be derived from the thousands of cases that passed through that grim and intriguing place, hence the birth of Deadhouse Productions..

Our Productions

Immerse Yourself In The Crypt

Join us and our team of twenty creatives, actors and crew to immerse yourself in some classic Australian tales of true crime as you’re guided through scenes that unfold before you in the Crypt beneath St James’ Church. This two hundred year old sandstone structure was designed by early Sydney’s renown convict architect Francis Greenway. The Crypt is a burial ground.

Help us thrive

We are a proud Not For Profit performance organisation and registered charity.

Deadhouse Productions partners with Actors Anonymous Inc to produce innovative new Australian works.

Box office ticket sales, grants and donations are tax deductible, and revenue covers out-of-pocket costs of productions. Nobody gets a fee, but surplus funds after costs are covered are shared amongst our team.

We strive for equality, equity and excellence.

The Producers

We three have been involved in these true crime immersive productions for five years. We are passionate about exploring new tales from Sydney Morgue and delivering them in increasingly powerful and innovative ways. Immersive theatre is a form that places the audience withing the story and amidst action. Daunting, engrossing and thrilling.

Stephen Carnell

Founder & Executive Producer

Stephen Carnell is a creator of theatre, film and events. His focus is upon new work, edgy themes, powerful performance, innovative design and unusual locations.

Liviu Monsted

Writer, Director, Producer

Liviu Monsted is a published playwright, director, producer and the Artistic Director of Mon Sans Productions.

Leof Kingsford-Smith

Actor, Producer

Leof Kingsford-Smith is an actor, producer and voice-over artist. His experience spans Stage, TV, Film and Role play. He has performed in theatres from Sydney to The West End of London.

Walking Tours

Because we have a powerful passion for history, culture, true crime and the place where we live, Kings Cross, we’ve designed three walking tours that capture the past and present of this magnificent and notorious place, it’s inhabitants and the buildings and locations that help tell its story.

The Potts Point peninsula was connected the first English settlement soon after the arrival of the First Fleet. This place has seen sailors, soldiers, convicts, farmers, huge estates, magnificent architecture, poverty, razor gangs, a string of ‘Godfathers’ and their goons, crusaders, good and bad police, murders, disappearances, mobsters, dark secrets, a bohemian sub culture, hippies, Les Girls (the first drag cabaret), US GIs, drugs, the arrival of the first Mardi Gras March and the largest LGBTQI population and largest military base in Australia. It’s been and still is the home of some of Sydney’s best restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs and theatres. Plus of course some of the quirkiest, smartest, darkest, funniest, most beautiful and dedicated people to inhabit Sydney over the past 200+ years. Kings Bloody Cross lives! We love it and want to share it with you.