As the artistic director of Sydney’s Griffin Theatre suggests, the idea behind the Lysicrates Prize for a new Australian play - and the source of that idea - is unusual. The wealthy executives and philanthropists John and Patricia Azarias were inspired by the Lysicrates monument in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens. It’s a replica of a monument in Athens that honours the wealthy patron of the Theatre of Dionysus, which happens to be the birthplace of tragedy and comedy.
Triple Threat performer Elise McCann (Miss Honey from Matilda The Musical) plays Cathy in Ensemble Theatre's production of the Jason Robert Brown musical The Last Five Years, from 29 March to 27 April, 2019.
Two young and ambitious New Yorkers. Cathy is an actor. Jamie is a writer. They fall in love and dive head first into a relationship. What could possibly go wrong?
July 2019 will herald the inaugural Sydney Cabaret Festival, celebrating both international and Australian cabaret stars. Tickets will go on sale from 18 March.
Cirquedu Soleil will return to Australia from October 2019 with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities™. KURIOS will premiere under their Signature Big Top on 2 October 2019 in Sydney at Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park. Written and directed by Michel Laprise, KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities is a tale in which time comes to a complete stop, transporting the audience inside a fantasy world where everything is possible.&nbs
The 2019 production of the multi-award winning, record breaking musical CHICAGO, produced in Australia by John Frost and Suzanne Jones, will premiere from August 20 at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre.
This year a record 28 million people will have their holiday on a cruise ship. Two Australian entrepreneurs are doing their bit to fuel the boom by leasing vessels and cramming them with top entertainment. David Spicer reports from the Bravo Cruise of the Performing Arts.
Boarding the Royal Caribbean Radiance of the Seas in Sydney – bound for New Caledonia and Vanuatu - I knew I would be offered plenty of high cholesterol food at the buffet, but I wasn’t quite prepared for the volume of high cholesterol entertainment.
Independent reviewer Simon Parris complements his Australian theatrical calendar with visits to New York and London each year. With a focus on musicals and plays, Simon shares his Top Ten for 2018.
10. The Ferryman (January 2018, Gielgud Theatre, London)
Jez Butterworth’s epic new play The Ferryman featured a multigenerational cast of 23 performers, including a live baby, as well as a live goose, rabbits and even rats.
Just a few weeks away from premiering her new show – Jan van de Stool in Parting the Red Curtains, at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in March 2019, Queenie van de Zandt spoke to Beth Keehn.
Since Queenie’s alter-ego Jan was unleashed more than a decade ago, the Dutch-born ‘musical therapist’ has become an Australian cult comedy classic – she even reached the semi-finals of Australia’s Got Talent, keeping judges on their toes with quick quips and spectacular vocal vaulting.
The rich depth of Queensland’s theatre industry was celebrated at the 2018 Matilda Awards on February 18, 2019 with the coveted Gold Matilda awarded to debase Productions in honour of its ground-breaking work over two decades.
debase was lauded for using comedy to raise social awareness and challenge audiences to question stereotypes, history and identity; and for its commitment to telling Australian stories.
