Strut & Fret, Australia’s most successful independent theatre company, has dazzled audiences all round the world with its intimate cabaret. Coral Drouyn explores its rise to international success and an encore production of its greatest success, Blanc de Blanc.
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more …”
Hay fever blights some noses in a garden, but the enormous nose of the hero becomes the only blight on the landscape in the beautiful garden settings of Adelaide’s Blue Sky Theatre/Open Gardens SA co-production of Cyrano de Bergerac. The nose hilariously complicates the unfortunate hero’s luck in love. Lesley Reed reports on this delightfully romantic summer event. With its various stunning garden venues, it’s a must for both theatre and garden enthusiasts.
Revivals of classic musicals dominate the landscape in 2019. Musicals new to Australia are harder to find, but provide the highlights of the year.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Capitol Theatre Sydney from January.
Roald Dahl’s most popular book sold 20 million copies and spawned two movies. Now Australia gets the chance to see a replica of the Broadway musical production of the classic.
Chaos is returning to the stages of Australia with the The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s biggest disaster to date, Peter Pan Goes Wrong. Two of the writers, Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer, explained exactly how to stuff things up to David Spicer.
When Henry Lewis was coming home from High School one day he realised that he had forgotten the key.
“It was pouring with rain, so I attempted to get into my own house through the dog flap which we had in the back door to the kitchen,” he recalls.
The Fabulous Singlettes are performing their spectacular Christmas Show at the Memo Music Hall, St Kilda, Melbourne on of December 21-22, 2018. Noami Eyers, a founding member of the group, spoke to Flora Georgiou.
Flora Georgiou: Naomi, you founded the group back in 1986 - what were the trigger points that lead you to start your own group?
Universal Theatrical Group, Working Title Films, Greene Light Stage, Michael Coppel Entertainments and Louise Withers Presents have announced the adult cast for the 10th Anniversary Australian Tour of Billy Elliot the Musicalwhich opens at Sydney Lyric Theatre in October 2019, followed by seasons at Festival Theatre at Adelaide Festival Centre from December 29, Melbourne at the Regent Theatre from February 2020, Crown Theatre Perth from June 2020 and QPAC’s Ly
State Theatre Company South Australia has announced Mitchell Butel as its new Artistic Director.
The award-winning actor and director, who is currently starring in State Theatre Company and Windmill Theatre Co’s co-production of Rumpelstiltskin at the Southbank Centre in London, will relocate from Sydney to take up the four-year position.
Joining Executive Director Jodi Glass, Mr Butel will commence the role in March - a month before outgoing Artistic Director Geordie Brookman moves to Berlin.
At a Christmas gathering at the new premises of the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation in Neutral Bay recently, the successful recipients of its 2018 Grants were announced. The Foundation provides financial and practical support for a wide variety of individuals and organisations involved in Australian theatre and performing arts including the funding of an annual grants program.
Thirty nine applications were received and ten projects, events and individuals were successful in receiving a total of $128,000 in grants. They are:
