Stage Briefs

A Table For Six, Please! Celebrating Australia’s Leading Ladies

On Friday 6th November at 7.30pm, Riverside Theatres Digital will present Table for Six, Please! starring a line up of Australia’s leading ladies - Geraldine Turner, Chloe Dallimore, Madeleine Jones, Georgina Hopson and Olivia Vasquez - joined by musical director Lucy Bermingham on the piano. The evening will be available both in the theatre and live streamed to audiences’ homes, in a one-show only performance at Riverside Theatres Parramatta.

Summer of ’69 Cabaret for Adelaide

David Gauci and his Davine Productions ensemble will present a cabaret event inspired by the sights and sounds of the psychedelic Sixties during November 2020, performed by ten cast members from their Adelaide Fringe '20 production of Beautiful - The Carole King Musical. 

Final Young Cast Members Announced For Pippin

Producers John Frost and Suzanne Jones have announced the four young boys who will share the role of Theo in the Broadway musical PIPPIN which opens at the Sydney Lyric at The Star for an exclusive season from 24 November 2020.

The young actors are William Wheeler (12, Rodd Point), Ryan Yeates (15, Canada Bay),  George Halahan-Cantwell (12, Erskineville) and Andy Alexander (11 years old, from Lilyfield).

Adelaide Fringe Announces $500,000 in Grants to Assist SA Artists for Fringe 2021

Adelaide Fringe will deliver a boost to South Australian artists and venues with the announcement of $500,000 in grants to assist them in their planning for the 2021 season.

NSW Theatres Can Be Half Full.

New South Wales Entertainment facilities including theatres, cinemas and concert halls will be able to increase their capacity to 50 per cent and corporate events at function centres will be able to welcome up to 300 attendees from next week.

The Premier’s Major Events Taskforce has agreed theatre, cinema and concert goers can return to entertainment venues in greater numbers and that corporate events at function centres can increase attendance, provided venues have COVID-Safe plans and adhere to public health requirements.

The Hatch Lab Musical Theatre Residency Program Announces Inaugural Residents

The Hatch Lab Musical Theatre Residency Program has its first residents as they begin a yearlong development for the world premiere of their new Australian musical, 

Paper Stars.

The Hatch Lab was created by Salty Theatre, with the support of Theatre Works, to assist artists in their development of new musicals and provide much-needed support to writers and composers who seek an opportunity to revise, workshop and ultimately bring to life their musical works on stage.

Opera in Adelaide Botanic Garden in October

Live performances by Co-Opera in association with the Botanic Gardens of SA and their Botanica Lumina program are returning in October 2020, with Acis

Accommodation Relief Program in NSW as Part of Covid-19 Assistance Fund

Actors Benevolent Fund of NSW has announced an Accommodation Relief Program as part of their COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund. 

This program will provide up to 65 recipients, who are ineligible for Government benefits, with a monthly stipend of $500.00 over 3 months (total value $1,500) to assist with rent or mortgage payments. 

Awards Lashed

David Spicer reports.

Organisers of The Rob Guest Endowment Award have been accused of a “white-wash” by selecting a group of 30 semi-finalists for this year’s competition, entirely devoid of any representatives from the BIPOC community.

In response to criticism of the competition, organisers issued a statement which attracted a further social media backlash.

The statement in summary :

Playwrights’ Development Program Next In Line Goes

Darlinghurst Theatre Company has announced that its Next In Line program will resume as planned, thanks to a City of Sydney Cultural Grant. Announced in September last year, the program is a strong manifestation of the company’s commitment to artists, showcasing upcoming, fresh and boundary-pushing playwrights.