The Grasslands theatre project focuses on the concept of home and connection, while also defining the history of native grasses in the region. 

It is designed and directed by local duo Rebecca Russell and Ken Evans, who have continued to push the artistic boundaries with their latest performance. 

The central dancer will literally take a bath during the show, which will also feature projections on a five-metre tall outdoor screen and a native smoking ceremony. 

The central image of the bath came to Rebecca when she noticed tubs dotted everywhere across the region. 

"They were in the middle of paddocks, on patios, and it made me think that baths really are a place of reflection and cleansing and vulnerability," she said. 

"I really wanted to play on that." 

The pair moved to Clunes some years ago, after  facing increasingly expensive rent in Melbourne. 

They agreed they would "have to move, or get a real job". 

So, they moved. 

Now they are regional artists working for regional people.

"We have had to redefine our approach, with our audiences now expecting something completely different to the Melbourne crowd," Rebecca said. 

"Much of our audience around this area isn't used to seeing theatre and it's often a community attending shows, rather than simply art lovers. 

"This means we have to think about how to really connect with them individually and connect them to people and images they recognise." 

To do this, Rebecca has interviewed families who have lived in Clunes for generations - and will include the audio in the performance. 

This, she says, will bring connection to place.

"People will know these voices and stories and be able to resonate with them," she said. 

"That's a huge part of this performance."

Melbourne dancer Janette Hoe, and the "unconventional cellist Kristin Rule will also be integral to the show, with a man-made hill and projections acting as the "other two performers" on the night. 

Surprisingly, "simple weeds" inspired the show initially, with Rebecca discovering the beauty of some of the region's grasses when first arriving in town.

"I fell in love with the weeds on the journey from Melbourne to Clunes and that was it," she laughs. 

"The grasses were going crazy with the rain and I guess it sounds strange to say it inspired this whole show - but it did."

Rebecca started researching the region and soon realised it had a huge history of native grasses that no one really knew about.

She said only 0.1 per cent of volcanic plains remained in Victoria and some of that was in Clunes. 

So she worked to enrich the performance's content with the history "as well as educating people along the way". 

"The show's ultimately about one small corner of what was once a vast ecosystem - the grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plains," she said. 

"There is a long story to this little part of the world - this site was once a volcanic plain, a school, a knitting mill and now a bottle museum. 

"We really explore that in the show."

Rebecca said this will be coincided with the sense of place and "what home means to us humans". 

Rebecca and Ken have been grappling with their connection to Clunes since moving there - originating from other parts of the state, they say their connection is fragile. 

But, they feel they still belong. 

"It's funny how your idea of home changes when you move and you become connected to new places," Rebecca said. 

"We really did accidentally end up here and now, we wouldn't be anywhere else."

They worked on the STEAM project at Lake Goldsmith last year, which attracted an audience of some 2000 people.

Ever since, they have wanted to offer their own town something specifically about them, 

"Since this project idea came along two years ago, I feel we have really learnt about the area and the people" she said. 

"It's terrifying and exciting that we're nearing the show now, and we just want people to come along, bring some picnic rugs, and just give theatre a go."

The free show will be held outside the Clunes Bottle Museum on November 28 and 29 from 8.30pm. Food will be served at the Clunes Neighbourhood House beforehand. All welcome.