THEATRE: Looking for Alibrandi - Brink Productions, HOTA

Title: Looking for Alibrandi

Presented By: HOTA, Home of the Arts & Brink Productions

Genre: Theatre / Drama

Synopsis: Josie Alibrandi is in her final year of high school—whip-smart, aspirational, and navigating the complexities of being a third-generation Italian-Australian teenager. With the weight of a family curse, a scholarship to maintain, and the push and pull of an overbearing Nonna and saintly mother, Josie’s journey through grades, boys, and identity exposes the tangled webs of class, culture, and family history. Based on Melina Marchetta’s iconic novel and cult film, Looking for Alibrandi gives a powerful voice to 1990s Mediterranean culture and was groundbreaking in confronting systemic racism in Australia from a migrant perspective. Award-winning director Stephen Nicolazzo brings this heartfelt story to life with live traditional Italian elements like passata sauce making, authentic music, and an Australian pop soundtrack, creating a vibrant, laugh-filled, and deeply moving theatrical experience.

Performance Dates: Thursday 19 June – Saturday 21 June 2025

Performance Times:

• Thursday 19 June: 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM

• Friday 20 June: 7:30 PM (Auslan performance, use promo code 'auslan')

• Saturday 21 June: 1:00 PM

Performance Location and Address: Theatre 1, HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

Ticket Costs:

• Adult: $65

• Seniors/Pensioners: $59

• HOTA Member: $55

• HOTA Artist & Teachers: $49

• Student: $42

• Student Group (6+): $38

Ticket Link:HOTA Tickets for Looking for Alibrandi

Warnings: Contains haze effects

Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes interval)

Creative Team:

• Director: Stephen Nicolazzo

• Writer: Vidya Rajan (adapted from Melina Marchetta’s novel)

• Set and Costume Design: Kate Davis

• Lighting Design: Katie Sfetkidis

• Sound Design: Daniel Nixon

• Musicians: Rosa Voto and Renato Vacerca

• Tarantella Choreography: Rosa Voto

• Dialect Coach: Paulo Bongiovanni

• Cultural and Language Consultant: Lucia Mastrantone

Other information: The Friday evening show is an Auslan-interpreted performance, making the theatre experience accessible for Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences.