News

10th Annual Australian Cabaret Showcase: Winner and Runner Up

The judges of the 10th Annual Australian Cabaret Showcase faced the unenviable task of deciding between a field of eleven rising local cabaret performers.

So challenging did the task prove, that they decided to substantially narrow the gap between the reward offered to the winner and the runner-up. Coming from the various cabaret festivals around the country, the judges decided to produce the runner-up at the full range of cabaret festivals around the country.

All Roads Lead to Forum

A funny thing happened to the Stephen Sondheim musical ‘Forum’ on its way to Broadway success. It looked very shaky until a hit song was added. Fifty years on Geoffrey Rush has joined the show’s history by starring in a new production at  Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. Coral Drouyn reports on how all roads have led to Rome for the show and the star.

One of the most delicious elements of life is that we never know the road we will travel until we’re actually on it; and the destination is rarely where we think it will be.

Christine Anu: The New Bloody Mary

Christine Anu, one of Australia’s most successful Indigenous performers steps into “Bloody Mary’s” shoes for the Brisbane season of South Pacific. She is the first Indigenous performer to play the role in an Australian professional production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical and gets to sing the iconic songs “Bali Hai” and “Happy Talk.”

Australian Cabaret Showcase: Interview with Jeremy Youett

The 10th Annual Australian Cabaret Showcase (December 17 to 22, 2012) promises to introduce a great line up of cabaret talent across Australia this week. The annual event provides a platform for cabaret and musical theatre performers to showcase their talent in front of an audience and before a panel of judges, including some of Australia’s leading entertainers and industry professionals.

Finalists now announced.

2012 Sydney Theatre Awards Nominations Announced

Nominations were announced today (December 14) for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2012, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday January 14, 2013 at 6pm at the Paddington RSL.

2012 CONDA AWARDS

The 34th Annual City of Newcastle Drama Awards (CONDAs) were presented at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre on Friday December 7.

Carl Young, the artistic director of Stooged Theatre, a company he co-founded while a high school student a decade ago, has won the 2012 Newcastle City Council Award for Outstanding Achievement in Newcastle Theatre.

His win was announced by Newcastle City Councillor Stephanie Posniak at the 34th at the Civic Theatre tonight.

Red Stitch:- A Seamless Launch.

If you want safe, middle of the road theatre, then most likely you’ll have no interest in Red Stitch’s first season for 2013. I, on the other hand, prefer to A) be challenged; and B) stay awake during a performance, so Red Stitch as a company is a theatrical delight for me, always cutting edge, frequently offbeat.

Lucy Durack: Legally Blonde.

The stage musical version of Legally Blonde opened at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre in October, with Lucy Durack playing the lead role of Elle. It’s even more demanding than Glinda in Wicked, but she told Neil Litchfield that having a lot in common with the character is a big help.

STOP PRESS: Lucy won the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical at the 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards.

LA BOITE 2013 SEASON

Brisbane’s La Boite has unveiled a new-look season for 2013 that includes Holding the Man, The Glass Menagerie and a very new look at The Wizard of Oz. Classics sit at the heart of the season of five Mainstage and six La Boite Indie productions.

There’s a classic of the American stage, one of Australia’s great love stories fresh from a run in London’s West End, a surprising trip down the yellow brick road, a new Australian play, and a special show for kids and their families set in a huge pool of green slime.

Tunes or Story: What Makes A Hit Musical?

You might think great tunes make great musicals. Not according to some. David Spicer speaks to two men who believe great stories are the bedrock of the art form, Tony Award winning Director/Choreographer Jerry Mitchell for Legally Blonde The Musical and Oscar Hammerstein III, namesake grandson of one half of the great creative team Rodgers and Hammerstein..

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