News

Nancye Hayes Up Close and Personal.

It’s the highest honour bestowed by the Live Entertainment Industry - The JC Williamson Award. This year three Leading Ladies shared the honour, Toni Lamond AM, Jill Perryman AM MBE and Nancye Hayes OAM (pictured above). As it happens all three received their training in the once mighty JC Williamson Company, which for a century was the producing company that dominated Australia and New Zealand.

Opera Australia Announces First Brisbane Season in 20 Years

The 2012 Brisbane season by Opera Australia has been announced, with tickets going on sale to the public from Monday 21 November, through QPAC. In May and June 2012 Australia’s national opera company will present The Magic Flute and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for the first time. The casts include Queensland-based singers, Conal Coad, Andrew Collis and Milica Ilic as well as some of Opera Australia’s most renowned stars such as Taryn Fiebig, Lorina Gore and Jacqueline Dark.

Taymor Sues Spider-Man Producers

Earlier this week Showbiz411 reported that original director and co-writer Julie Taymor is suing the producers of Broadway’s Spider Man: Turn off the Dark, the named defendants being Michael Cohl’s 8 Legged Productions.

Malthouse Announces 2012 Season

Malthouse Theatre's 2012 season, unveiled by Artistic Director Marion Potts on November 7, features a mix of Malthouse Theatre’s signature engagement with cutting-edge contemporary dance and theatre, alongside companies and genres rarely seen on the company’s stages. Malthouse Theatre has transformed its season structure to present one single season that reflects the breadth and vivacity of Australian contemporary performance across its three stages. Drawing artists and ideas from all over the world, the twelve mainstage productions include six world premieres, fiv

Songs For Nobodies National Tour

Joanna Murray-Smith’s one-woman show, Songs For Nobodies, starring Bernadette Robinson, will play a return Brisbane season at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from May 16 - 31, 2012 and Perth, at the State Theatre Centre of WA from June 22 to July 1, 2012.

The national tour has already included seasons at Brisbane Powerhouse (November 2011) and return seasons in Melbourne at The Fairfax Studio from December 21 – January 15, 2011, Sydney at The Playhouse, Sydney Opera House from February 3 – February 19, 2012.

Scarlett Strallen: Globetrotting Mary Poppins

West End performer Scarlett Strallen has stepped into the title role of Mary Poppins for eight weeks, as Verity Hunt-Ballard takes a well-earned break. Neil Litchfield caught up with Scarlett in her dressing room at the Capitol Theatre, Sydney early in her stint in the show.

Scarlett has now taken over the title role of Mary Poppins four times, twice in the West End, on Broadway and now in Sydney.

How does stepping into a role compare with creating it from day one?

Sydney Fringe 2011 Awards for Excellence

The 2nd Annual Sydney Fringe Festival Award-winners were announced and their work celebrated in a ceremony at the Sidetrack Theatre, Marrickville, on November 3.

It does, however, seem a rather long time lapse between the close of Fringe on October 2 and the awards presentations, compared to, say, the 2011 Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals, where the awards were presented on the closing night of the festival

Festival Director Richard Hull said that more than 70,000 audience-members attended more than 250 events in over 80 venues.

SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2012 THEATRE AND DANCE

The program for the 2012 Sydney Festival, running from January 7 - 29, has been announced.

Sydney Festival includes theatre, dance, music, exhibitions, film and talks that takes over the city, celebrating Australian work as well as welcoming international companies. The Festival features free large-scale outdoor events including concerts and performances.

Cafe Rebetika! Greek Music, Theatre and Dance from the Heart

Cafe Rebetika!,a dramatic love story set in the slums of 1930s urban Greece amongst the rise of rebetika, the "Greek blues," is conceived and directed by Stephen Helper. He’s best known as the co-creator of the Broadway hit Smokey Joe’s Café. Neil Litchfield caught up with him.

Greta Scacchi Arrives Today to Rehearse Williamson World Premiere

Greta Scacchi arrives in Sydney today (November 1, 2011) from her home in London to commence rehearsals tomorrow for the World Premiere of David Williamson's Nothing Personal, with local cast membersRachael Coopes, Jeanie Drynan, Julie Hudspeth, Emma Jackson, Andrew McFarlane, Matthew Moore and Greta Scacchi.

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