Theatre

Last Sunday saw the sleepy hollow of Lawloit come alive to the sounds of music and laughter at the annual bush concert. Jason alias Chipper Gordon was MC for the afternoon setting the scene for a lot of fun.

After moving hundreds of kilometres from NSW 2835 and 2830 to attend university, Scott Green and The Tuckman found themselves unfulfilled. Instead of following a traditional path, they made the bold decision to pursue their childhood dream of becoming professional wrestlers ... Watch out for The Dropouts from the Outback. ARR.News caught up with Scott and Tuck ...

One of Australia's oldest festivals, Brave New Works, is 31 years old and will run from April 3-6. Beginning in the late 80s, Denmark Arts has presented the event every year since.

Rachel Hagan. Central Yorke School's South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy students had a big welcome to a new year of SAASTA with visits from Port Adelaide Football Club and two Deadly Funny comedians stopping off at Yorke Peninsula.

Patricia Gill. South African born Ellis Pearson's love of art and reverence for nature will be revealed in an exhibition which opens at the Denmark Visitor Centre on Friday evening. The former professional actor and alumni of L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris will present 15 oil-on-canvas works.

The excitement was palpable at the re-opening of the iconic Roxy Community Theatre on Saturday night as the community was welcomed back officially into Leeton's 'Palace of Dreams'.

Madison Eastmond. Joining forces with other regional artists and teen ensembles in Whyalla and Bendigo for the 2025 Adelaide Festival, the Riverland Youth Theatre (RYT) will bunker down to survive an alien invasion in their new collaboration and retelling of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.

Sarah Herrmann. Just one act is visiting Yorke Peninsula this Adelaide Fringe season, while regions a similar distance from the city, such as the Clare and Barossa Valleys, are hosting up to 30 events. This has prompted a local arts advocate to urge YP audiences to speak out and, importantly, show up when the time comes, if they want to see more arts offerings here.

"Life Without Me" is written by the much-awarded Australian playwright Daniel Keene. It is a funny, honest and heartwarming story that invites us to question life itself, or at least our own.

Year 7-11 students from Barham High School had a taste of the theatre, acting and stepping out of their comfort zone with the Bell Shakespeare artist in residence program. Working with the famous Australian national touring Theatre Company Bell Shakespeare, students were offered a chance to immerse themselves in Shakespeare texts at the Golden Rivers Theatre Group home at the Faulkner Pavillion in Barham.

Volunteers of the Pelican Playhouse Committee are calling on the Clarence Valley community to assist them as they actively seek grant funding opportunities to restore and rebuild the iconic property in South Grafton. Following the devastating bushfires during 2019 and 2020, which impacted a number of theatre members, and the Covid-19 pandemic which forced the cancellation of several auditions and rehearsals, the Pelican Playhouse sustained significant structural damage during 2022 when devastating flooding occurred throughout Northern NSW.

Over 400 people enjoyed local theatre at its best on the weekend as they watched The Emperor’s New Clothes performed by the Piggery Lane Players. A big shout out goes to director, Will Lynch, and assistant director, Karen Shurdington, along with the talented cast and skilled crew as they brought this classic folktale to life.

After its 2023 premiere season and whistlestop tour of Far North Queensland’s small halls,  More than Tea and Scones, the play recognising 100 years of effort by the women of the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QWCA), is back on the road next month, bound for nine stages in the state’s southeast.

Sophie Baldwin. It is only 15 days until the curtain opens on the Golden Rivers Theatre Group’s spring production of The Emperor’s New Clothes. And it is going to be amazing according to performer and committee member Russ Allen.

Sebastian Calderon. A highly acclaimed dinner theatre production that is sparking conversation about mental health and wellbeing is returning to Loxton. After last year’s success, ‘Kick off ya Boots’ makes a comeback in 2024 for a new glimpse of the Connor family’s farming journey, with the show organised by Little Town Productions.

A new play by Cathouse Players is set in France and will be performed in Kyneton, but its star performers are Maldon and Castlemaine locals. ‘Trap for a Lonely Man’ is an intriguing mystery featuring familiar faces ... The Hitchcockian suspense is high in this 1960 comedy-mystery by French playwright and actor, Robert Thomas.

Jenny Pollard. A madcap romp filled with stunning vocals, incredible music and eye-catching costumes drew loud applause from the large crowd which attended the Lyster Opera performance of "The Italian Girl in Algiers" at The Rex last Saturday afternoon. The Charlton production kicked off the company tour which is headed across regional Victoria as well as a number of Melbourne locations.

Powerful, enlightening and entertaining,  My Cousin Frank  is a storytelling experience with one of Australia’s greatest artistic and cultural leaders, Rhoda Roberts AO. Join Rhoda in a special evening as she shares  tales of her first cousin Frank Roberts, a boxing champion who was the first Aboriginal Olympian.  

The Empire’s popular family festival Thrive on Arts will return from September 26-29, celebrating all things nature and the environment. Sponsored by C&K Childcare and Kindergarten, Thrive on Arts is an annual four-day festival celebrating play, imagination, creativity and storytelling, held during the spring school holidays alongside the iconic Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers.

Corryong College presented its own version of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland to appreciative audiences from June 19th to 21st, infusing contemporary elements into the timeless story. More than 100 students developed their acting, singing, musical and technical skills throughout Semester 1 culminating in a ‘wonderful wonderland’ of characters and musical experiences...

Casterton local and Year 10 student at The Hamilton and Alexandra College, Sarah Crowle, is heading to New York City to perform under the bright lights of Broadway. Sarah auditioned at the Victorian Dance Festival, held in Melbourne during April, and received an invitation to attend the New York City Musical Theatre Summer Intensive program.

Improvements at the Kyogle Memorial Institute were finished just in time for the latest production by Village Hall Players. 37 Postcards  still has performances this week...