Xanadu | Presented by Mira Ball Productions at Ron Hurley Theatre Book: Douglas Carter Beane | Music and Lyrics: Jeff Lynne and John Farrar Producer: Elodie Boal | Director: Timothy Wynn Choreographer: Jennifer B Ashley Music Director: Rae Rose | Band Leader: Ruby Tate Makeup, Wigs and Set: Rosie Humphreys | Costumes: Jackie Fredericksen Sound Design: Jacob Cash | Lighting Design: Carter Firmager Pegasus Design: Garry Hull Photography: By B’rit Creative “Let it be known: in 1980, inspiration left the arts!” The original Xanadu film may have been considered a flop in 1980, but Mira Ball Productions’ stage version was anything but! This was a vivid, shimmering, farcical, self-aware journey on wheels. Literally. I’d never seen Xanadu before (oops!), so I went in only knowing the basics: roller skates, disco balls, Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly... and what I experienced was a full-throttle musical fever dream about inspiration, Greek mythology, legwarmers, and the terrifying thrill of making art and hoping someone else sees the magic in it too. The script was completely on the nose and absolutely knew it. It was packed with 80s slang, fourth-wall breaks, and some cheeky local and current references tucked into the glorious nonsense. Nothing about this production asked to be taken seriously, which was exactly why it worked. But beneath all the camp, Xanadu revealed a genuinely beautiful little heart: a love letter to every theatre person who knows the chaos of making something from nothing. That is where we truly live: somewhere between inspiration, panic, and sequins. The story follows struggling LA artist Sonny Malone, who is ready to give up on his life (bit dramatic...) when the Greek muses magically come to life from one of his murals. Clio disguises herself as an Aussie gal named Kira and stays on Earth to help inspire Sonny. Together with Danny McGuire, they dream up Xanadu, an entertainment venue in Venice Beach. But when two jealous muse sisters decide to meddle, love breaks divine rules, and suddenly we are off to Mount Olympus... a disco in the sky! Nykita O’Keeffe was enchanting as Kira/Clio. She had exactly the sweet, shimmering tone needed for this score, with that clean 80s popstar quality that made the whole thing feel bright and dreamy. As Clio, she carried herself with magical muse confidence. As Kira, she committed fully to the terrible (American idea of an Australian) accent. I also genuinely think Nykita had been possessed by the spirit of roller-disco Barbie. She glided around the stage with this sparkly quality, all while remembering singing, acting, blocking, landing jokes, and skating in circles like she had no concern for dizziness. Her sng “Suspended in Time” was especially beautiful, giving her a chance to show off her angelic voice while riding a Pegasus, as you do. Croft Phillips was wonderfully sweet and ridiculous as Sonny Malone. His Sonny was artsy, funky, chatty, sincere, and magnificently delusion in the way only a struggling artist in a musical can be. He gave Sonny such an earnest golden retriever heart towards Kira. His voice sparkled in the melodramatic “Don’t Walk Away.” I also need to mention the epic XANADU sign, which looked fantastic, even if Croft put the N backwards. Spelling is hard. Dreams are harder. Chris Kellett brought old-school charm and authority as Danny McGuire, later doubling as Zeus with great (bearded) fun. His duet with Nykita, “Whenever You’re Away From Me,” had a beautiful crooner quality, and the dance work by Jaya was slick, playful, and full of vintage glamour. Then there were the sisters. Samantha Sherrin as Melpomene and Kennedy Foley as Calliope were a wickedly funny pair, and their number “Evil Woman” absolutely brought the house down. Sam had us eating out of the palm of her hand. She knew exactly when to command the room, when to throw in some improv, and when to let a look do the damage. And Kennedy proved she could do no wrong, with immaculate comic timing and a gift for making every ridiculous moment completely intentional. Together, they were theatrical menace in drapes. Peter Wood, Ashleigh Grabasch, Jaya, Molly Campbell, Sam Caruana, and Sophia Marzano gave the show so much of its sparkle. They kept popping up with little comic beats that made them impossible to glance away from. I kept catching something funny happening just off to the side: a face being pulled, a dramatic pose being struck, or a muse silently judging someone’s choices with divine authority. “Fool” became a bright, upbeat anthem, with Nykita leading beautifully while her sisters swirled around her like a glittery emotional support system with attitude. I particularly loved Jaya, Peter Wood, and Sam Caruana as three of the “sisters,” bringing supportive backup with sass, singing, and plenty of dance flair. The choreography by Jennifer B Ashley knew exactly what show this was. It was camp, character-driven, and full of fun. “Dancin’” was a highlight, throwing 1960s swing against 1980s excess in a dance-off that let the cast really play with the clash of styles. The muses constantly swept in and out of scenes with purpose, creating that feeling that inspiration could strike at any second, probably wearing a toga. Musically, the show was in strong hands with Rae Rose as Music Director. The band, featuring Ruby Tate, Mark Mirhan, Bryce Francis, and Dominic Nicholson, was tucked tightly into the "wings" but sounded fantastic. Ruby especially killed it in those jazzy keys moments. The live music gave the production a huge lift, and the score had that bright, electric nostalgia that made it very hard to stay seated. There were moments where the group vocals became a little overwhelming. Everyone on that stage had a powerful voice, which was a great problem to have, but it meant the blend occasionally got lost when they were all singing together. It may have been a mic balance issue rather than a performance one, but a little more definition in the mix would have helped the harmonies land more clearly. Visually, the show was a sugar rush. Jackie Fredericksen’s costumes were perfectly bright, sparkly, and outrageous in all the right ways, while Rosie Humphreys’ makeup, wigs, and set gave the production its cartoonish pop. Everyone looked like they had been styled by a Greek muse who had discovered an 80s aerobics VHS. Garry Hull’s Pegasus design added a wonderful bit of stage magic, and Carter Firmager’s lighting filled the world with every colour of the rainbow. The Olympus scene was one of the most absurd parts of the night, and I mean that as a compliment. The gods appeared with wild accents, wilder logic, and a parade of mythological creatures. Once Cyclops, Medusa, and Nessus appeared, the production had fully surrendered to its own madness. That was where Timothy Wynn’s direction really worked its magic. He let the show be ridiculous, but every pause, pose, and dramatic reveal was placed with care. The cast played the comedy boldly, but still cared enough about the story to make the audience care too, so that by the end we were on our feet giving them a standing ovation. I genuinely left with a headache from grinning/laughing so much. Mira Ball Productions gave us a glitter-drenched celebration of creativity, carried by a cast who committed completely to the bit. For all its neon and mythological chaos, it found something genuinely magical underneath it all. It was a ridiculous, joyful reminder that sometimes the dream really is worth chasing, especially if it comes with roller skates.

Brace Brace Presented by: PIP Theatre Written by: Oli Forsyth Directed by: Deidre Grace Sound Design: Freddy Komp Set Design: Bill Haycock Lighting Design: Geoff Squires Fight Director: Jason McKell Intimacy Director: Heidi Gledhill Photographer: Kris Anderson “You would think a hijacking would kill the romantic mood.” Ray and Sylvia’s story began like so many love stories do: eyes meeting across a crowded room. Romance followed. Then marriage. Then a honeymoon flight, with a whole future waiting for them on the other side of landing. But they never get the honeymoon they imagined. Brace Brace, written by Oli Forsyth and produced by PIP Theatre, is the kind of play that grips you by the shoulders and pulls you into a visceral journey. It is oddly funny, properly frightening, and painfully human. Told through Ray and Sylvia’s own voices, the production seats the audience close around the action on three sides. It does not let us sit back as distant witnesses. Instead, it pulls us into the fractured memory of the event. We are there with them, trapped in the noise, confusion, and terror of the plane cabin. In a single moment, a wild-eyed male passenger storms towards the cockpit and suddenly, the plane is plummeting towards the ocean. Sylvia, unbelted and thrown towards the front of the aircraft, makes a choice to act. Or perhaps her body makes the choice before her mind has time to catch up. In doing the unthinkable, she saves everyone on board. We are often captivated by disaster stories because they make us wonder, “What would I do in that moment of crisis? Would I fight, flee, freeze, help, hide?” But Brace Brace is not really about the flight. Not entirely... It is more interested in what happens afterwards, when survival comes with moral, psychological, relational, and physical consequences: the “why me?” moments, the survivor’s guilt, the anger, and the fragile coexistence of relief and grief. It is about what it takes to keep living after catastrophe, while parts of yourself remain forever altered and your nervous system is still somewhere in the sky, bracing for impact. Amelia Slatter and Henry Solomon are seated in theatre before the story begins, eyes fixed on the floor, waiting in lounge chairs like passengers called to a gate that no one wants to pass through. Brace Brace is primarily a narrated two-hander, and the dynamic between Henry and Amelia is truly compelling. Playing Ray and Sylvia, they swiftly and convincingly build a bond, then spend the rest of the play showing us how two survivors of the same event can process it so differently. Amelia Slatter is the blazing centre of this production. She is portrayed as tough, reactive, vulnerable, furious, and detached all at once. She moves between love, anger, and numbness like a pendulum of trauma, never at rest. Amelia’s performance feels deeply informed, whether through research, lived understanding, or extraordinary empathy for survivors. Sylvia’s PTSD is not portrayed through obvious symptoms, but through the paranoia infiltrating her home, depersonalisation, an insistent need for understanding, and the simultaneous presence of relief and grief. It is in her terror of being misunderstood and her desperation for someone to affirm her reality; someone to say, “Yes, this really happened. It was as bad as you say. You did the right thing.” Henry Solomon is funny, comforting, and quick-witted, delivering many of the play’s best one-liners. His dry, irreverent delivery injects much-needed life between the play’s more harrowing moments. But he is more than just comic relief; his portrayal is painfully human, even when frustrating to witness. He tries to remain himself, or at least convince himself that he can. His instinct is to move forward, to rationalise, to keep the relationship from being defined by the worst thing that has happened to them. Sometimes his stance suggests strength; other times, avoidance. Sylvia and Ray’s coping paths diverge so strongly that their shared experience becomes another kind of isolation. The more Ray wants to move away from the event, the more Sylvia is pulled back into its relentless grip. There is a brutal frustration in watching trauma alter a person’s fundamental sense of self while everyone around them waits for them to become “normal” again. Then there is Matthew Filkins, who gives a genuinely chilling performance as The Man. During the hijacking sequence, he is terrifying without needing to say a word. His physical presence, facial expression, and unstable intensity create an air of dread. The psychotic look he gives teeters somewhere between fractured reality and chilling intention. It is the sort of face that would haunt nightmares. Despite knowing he is a sweetie in real life, Matt’s unsettling portrayal sent chills through me more than once. Matthew is also astonishingly quick in his character shifts. As a television interviewer, he snaps into a completely different mode, with that bright, polished, hungry media personality down to a fine art. Each character portrayal feels so distinct that, in a blink, he can become a grateful father, the pilot, the shrewd interviewer, or the man at the centre of the nightmare. The production’s first clever design detail appears before the play even begins: the program resembles an aircraft safety card. Inside, Bill Haycock’s minimalist set transforms the stage into a runway-like aisle, evoking a plane without literal interior props. No clutter, no hiding spaces, just bodies, words, sound, light, and my rising blood pressure! Freddy Komp’s immersive sound design feels visceral, with aircraft effects that seem physical rather than decorative. There are moments where I felt my body preparing for impact while my brain knew perfectly well I was sitting safely in a theatre. It reminded me of Darkfield’s Flight from 2024. Geoff Squires’ lighting design is colourful, controlled, and uneasy. Much of the audience remains in darkness while the action moves up and down the raised, narrow stage. The LED strips, like emergency exit lighting, are tied to the breath of the play, tightening and releasing with the same awful rhythm as panic. The physical sequences are some of the most impressive parts of the production. With Jason McKell as Fight Director and Heidi Gledhill as Intimacy Director, the attacks feel frighteningly real. Amelia and Henry narrate moments as they play them, which could easily create distance, but here it has the opposite effect. We hear what is happening while seeing bodies commit to it, so it becomes both memory and immediate action at once. Writer Oli Forsyth populates the play with brilliant one-liners, ethical knots, and emotional landmines, all perfectly placed and paced. It grapples with fear, power, identity, blame, justice, and the messy aftermath of doing what is “right.” As Sylvia exclaims in exasperation, “I had no idea helping stop a plane crash would have such moral consequences!” A key strength of the script is its tonal whiplash, jolting from humour to violence, tenderness to discomfort, and absurdity to deep sadness. Director Deidre Grace keeps those shifts moving with thrilling precision. There is not a wasted moment. The 80 minutes fly by (bad wording sorry!). The pace is relentless but not rushed, full of words, emotions, and action, yet still spacious enough for silence, tension, and dread. “Stop letting him define you!” may be a rallying cry, but this production makes painfully clear how impossible that can feel when trauma rewires your sense of safety. Together, the writing and direction understand that the real question is not simply, “What happened on the plane?” It is about “the person you choose to be after the worst happens.” Though I am fortunate never to have endured such trauma myself, members of my family have. This play makes me reflect much more deeply on how a single event that may last just minutes can cast long, haunting shadows; stretching on in ways no headline or court case can contain. I kept thinking of words shared by a family member during the Port Arthur 30th anniversary just last month: “Even in the face of profound darkness, there can still be a will to protect life. When people speak about survival, they often imagine strength as something immediate and visible. But for many of us, survival is quieter than that. It was learning how to gain confidence in a world that suddenly felt unsafe. It was carrying the grief, confusion, guilt, and questions that we may never have answers to. The scars people carry are real. They do not simply disappear with time. Even when the world moves on, and when headlines fade, and the attention shifts elsewhere, for those of us touched by that day, it is never forgotten. It lives within us.” That sense of surviving beyond the moment itself is what Brace Brace captures so well. This production is a rollercoaster in the truest sense (sending a similar rush of adrenaline through me actually!). It is strangely funny, confronting, and violent, but ultimately, it is about connection; the people we cling to, the ones we lose, and the ones, if any, who truly understand our pain. This is a meticulously directed, beautifully performed, and technically striking piece that leaves the audience charged with tension. I would see it again in a heartbeat. I might also, perhaps, like never to board a plane again, though that is a separate matter entirely.

Caravan Presented by Nash Theatre Written by Donald MacDonald Directed by Phil Carney Nothing screams "Aussie adventure" like a carefree beachside caravan holiday, and nothing's more relatable than watching that dream unravel in real life. Unfortunately, Caravan had its opening weekend delayed due to sickness, so I caught one of the later performances in the season instead. But the show must go on even after a bumpy road to get there! Credit to the Nash Theatre team for powering through and getting this caravan back on track. Caravan takes the classic holiday with old friends setup and gives it a firm shove into chaos. What kicks off as a breezy beach escape soon turns into a circus of lousy weather, awkward sleeping arrangements, an overabundance of booze, a shortage of personal space, and friendships we damage along the way. Directed by Phil Carney, Caravan follows two older couples, a bachelor, and a very out-of-place young girlfriend as they attempt to share the cramped interior of a caravan for two weeks. As old secrets, age gaps, romantic disappointments, and marital resentments begin to bubble up, the holiday environment becomes increasingly unbearable and hilarious. Set over one week in this single caravan, the play highlights the comedy of claustrophobia. Trapped by Mother Nature, the characters drink, argue, complain, play cards, read, and annoy each other... it was the 80s after all, with little else to do. Right from the start, the sounds of beach birds, waves, and cars let you know you're by the coast, even before the drama kicks off. The set, designed by Phil Carney, is one of the production’s strongest visual elements. It creates an instantly recognisable nostalgic environment. Inside the caravan, it's snug and practical, detailed and deliberately cramped. This isn't some roomy holiday spot with 360 degree ocean views and a fancy cheese platter. It's six people packed in close, with about four of them pretending they are coping far better than they are. By the grand finale, the slowly flooding caravan transforms the whole thing into a disaster zone. Watching everyone get progressively wetter, drunker, grumpier, and on the verge of snapping is a hilariously satisfying farcical treat. The sound design by Mark Corben and Dave Griffiths includes the beach birds, waves, passing cars, rain, and dripping water, which help build the world outside the caravan while also making the inside feel increasingly miserable. The dripping sounds are especially effective because they are irritating as hell. You understand instantly why the characters are losing patience. It's the kind of sound that starts off as background noise and ends up feeling like psychological torture. The lighting design, also by Phil Carney, supports the realistic style of the production clearly. Caravan dives into the world of long-term relationships and what unfolds when adults start acting like teenagers on a summer escapade. This isn't just a comedy stacked with zingers (although there are some great one-liners). The humour largely stems from how realistic the conflict feels. I might not be the target audience, but I can identify with the camping mayhem and the battles between spouses. Small spoilers ahead... Playing Penny Robinson, Phillipa Bowe brings a lovely sense of polite control to the group’s hostess and peacekeeper. Penny is doing her best to keep the holiday on track, even as secrets and irritation simmer underneath. Bowe shows us the pent-up wife beneath the surfce, quietly stewing while trying hard to maintain civility. Her tension builds nicely across the play, and when Penny finally snaps, it's wonderfully satisfying. Her shouting match with Monica is a major moment, and later, the drunken bonding between the two women has a funny, messy, girlhood quality that is very recognisable. James Hogan plays Parkes Robinson, the grumpy bugger married to Penny, with a vile temper and a slightly sleazy edge. Hogan has excellent dialogue delivery and handles Parkes’ grumbling, irritation, and outbursts with strong timing. He captures a man who complains easily and is used to getting his own way. Hogan adds a lot to the tense atmosphere inside the caravan, and his temper makes the space feel even more cramped. As Monica Price, Gemma Keliher is one of the funniest presences in the production. Monica is deeply unimpressed by everything: the caravan, camping, the weather, and almost everyone around her. Keliher gives her a brilliant face of visible distaste (RBF), making it extremely clear that Monica does not want to be there. Her awkward chitchat with the young Gwendolyn sets the strained social scene early on, and her later drunken antics are spot on acting (It was acting right?). Also, the detail that Monica happily has two cats and no kids is a whole mood. Nathan Seng brings a laid-back and straightforward vibe to Rodney Price, your typical Aussie bloke who prefers to keep things simple. Rodney’s back-and-forth with Parkes adds to the sense that the guys are always just one gripe away from a blow-up. There's a lot of shouting, especially among the men, and while it can become a little repetitive at points, it does suit the mounting chaos of the piece. Hayden Sullivan plays Pierce, the slightly pretentious bachelor. He feels slightly ridiculous among the long-term couples, particularly with his much younger girlfriend in tow. His relationship with Gwendolyn adds to the play’s themes of age, maturity, and social discomfort, and he seems to invite judgment from the others simply by existing As Gwendolyn, Samantha Herde is excellent at showing discomfort without needing many lines. Her face gives away everything before she speaks. Playing the 26-year-old fish out of water among old pals and older couples, Herde’s reactions are a quiet highlight throughout the play. She often looks like she is trapped in someone else’s parents’ divorce, which is both super funny and strangely spot-on. Her politeness in the middle of all the passive aggression and increasingly unhinged adult behaviour makes the group dynamic complete. Together, this ensemble works well to build the slow breakdown of the story. The actors make us believe that these characters have known each other long enough to know exactly how to push each other's buttons. The awkwardness between the three women is particularly effective early in the play, while the guys' arguing adds another kind of pressure. The best group moments come from the final act when everyone is stuck inside together, wet, cranky, drunk, bored, and rapidly running out of patience. By the end, it feels like they're about ready to strangle each other as the caravan slowly sinks. There are some wonderfully memorable lines throughout, like “This is far worse than with the children!” The writing has a cheeky attitude toward marriage, fidelity, friendship, and blurred boundaries, and Nash Theatre’s cast leans into the messiness with commitment. The pacing does drag slightly, with the middle section losing some momentum and dwelling too long on the same issues. However, the final act revives the energy significantly and offers the production's strongest comedic moments. It's like witnessing a late-night drunk gathering where everyone has moved past politeness into shouting, arguing, oversharing, and emotional honesty. We've all been there... Nash Theatre delivers a funny and increasingly ridiculous portrait of a beach holiday from hell. It may not make you want to book a caravan getaway anytime soon, but it will absolutely make you grateful for a solid roof, separate bedrooms, and holidays where nobody has to say, “What’s a husband between friends?”

The Agent Presented by Zebramez Creative at Anywhere Festival Brisbane Written by Meryn Cooper Directed by Mel Poole Assistant Director: Sebastien Skubala Movement Director: Megan Hind Stage and Props Manager: Isabel Folland “It’s important to look successful.” The Australian housing market already feels like a spy thriller. There are secret offers, suspicious phone calls, emotional manipulation, people lurking around houses they cannot afford, and a constant feeling that someone knows something you don’t. There is something uniquely humiliating about trying to secure housing in Australia. Add in the words “property manager” and I personally begin preparing for psychological warfare. So when The Agent turned real estate agents into secret agents, complete with inflated egos, office farce and a giant amount of self-importance, it did not feel like a huge leap. The experience began before the play did, with the program presented like a top secret document and the audience entering as though we were attending an auction. It was a clever little framing device that immediately put us in the right state of mind. The venue itself, The Warehouse in Milton, was being sold to us by Phoebe Maher’s brilliantly named Jane Bond, who enthusiastically auctioned it off for a casual $1.9 million. Bargain, really. At the centre of the story was Michelle Schrodinger, played by Meryn Cooper, an ambitious real estate agent determined to land a major sale before the Real Estate Agent of the Year Awards. Cooper’s author’s note explained that the show came from her own frustration with the housing market, and that came through clearly. The script took the dehumanising process of renting, buying, applying, inspecting and being judged by your financial worth, then filtered it through farce rather than fury. The real estate agent/secret agent pun was very much on the nose, but that was part of the fun. The writing had clearly come from lived experience, because the satire was painfully recognisable. Cooper was excellent as Michelle, with the exact voice of a real estate advertisement: bright, polished and smooth enough to sell you a granny flat as a “rare opportunity.” Michelle was relentless, self-important and entirely convinced she was the hero of her own action film, especially when she responded to a buyer stating “My mother recently passed…” with “Wonderful!” Horrifying, yes. Unfortunately accurate. Plus, her power suit was fabulous, and the chunky old-fashioned key necklace was a brilliant costume detail. Jamie Delmonte was very funny as Brad, the flamboyant receptionist who was loveable, dramatic, and spectacularly bad at his job. Brad danced, did the splits, ignored responsibilities and seemed personally attacked by the office phone ringing (relatable). His side plot involved bloating and constipation caused by his diet, which is not my personal favourite genre of humour, but the audience certainly enjoyed it. Delmonte threw himself into Brad’s chaos, making him impossible not to enjoy, even when the jokes got a bit, well, digestive. Sarah McNally brought a dry, efficient bite to Joan McGroan, the office worker who seemed to have long ago made peace with the fact that nobody around her was competent. She used AI, social media gimmicks, and whatever else was available to keep the machine moving. McNally gave her a practical kind of cynicism, making Joan one of the most quietly funny characters in the office. Sam Herbertson was surprising as Jock Lovegrove, the increasingly unhinged “No Junk Mail” bloke who was desperate to stop the flood of real estate advertising invading his life. His escalating attempts to get the agents to leave him alone were wonderfully bizarre, and the reveal that he was also a sexy radio personality added a ridiculous extra layer. Phoebe Maher made a kooky impression as Jane Bond. Her auction-style opening established the world quickly and gave the audience an immediate sense of participation. Damian Smith also had great fun as the self-inflated MC of the awards, capturing the smug, glossy atmosphere of industry events where everyone is clapping for themselves. The whole ensemble worked well together, leaning into the exaggerated tone and creating the atmosphere of a workplace where everyone seemed busy, but somehow nothing useful was happening. Under Mel Poole’s direction, assisted by Sebastien Skubala, the production kept moving with a brisk, playful pace. The production did not need elaborate design to make its point. The world was built through tone, costume, props, performance style and recognisable real estate vocabulary. Beneath the ridiculousness was a very real frustration with the housing system and the emotional toll it takes on people trying to secure something as basic as a home. You are expected to perform stability, success, and desirability, whether you are renting, buying or just trying to exist somewhere with walls and a roof. The twist ending gave the whole thing a satisfying final kick, pulling the show together with a cheeky sense of theatrical payoff. It was a strong ending for a work that clearly had plenty of affection for spy tropes, office farce and the shared national trauma of property listings. The Agent was silly, self-aware, and painfully familiar. For anyone who has ever rented, bought, inspected, applied, been outbid, received unsolicited junk mail, or been told a glorified cupboard has “potential,” this one hit close to home.

The Sapphires Queensland Theatre Company Bille Brown Theatre 28 April – 24 May 2026 Written by: Tony Briggs Directed by: Wesley Enoch Musical Director: Nathaniel Andrew Choreographer: Yolande Brown Set and Costume Designer: Richard Roberts Lighting Designer: Ben Hughes Video Designer: Craig Wilkinson Sound Designer: Isaac Ogilvie Photography: David Kelly “You can’t be from Australia, you’re not white” Written by Tony Briggs and directed by Wesley Enoch, The Sapphires follows four Yorta Yorta women whose girl-group harmonies take them from local talent quests all the way to Vietnam to entertain troops on the frontlines. Inspired by the real First Nations women behind The Sapphires, the work carries a legacy of family, music, survival, and hard-won joy. Many know The Sapphires from the 2012 film, but the stage version offers its own particular thrill, with live songs that will make you dance in your seat. This is a story full of joy, but it is never joy without context. Even as the story moves through racism, war, grief, and fear, it keeps its groove. The weight lands when it needs to, but so does the laughter, the flirting, the sisterly squabbling, and the daggy dancing. Before the show, a small black-and-white TV sits centre stage, flickering with images of history, pop culture, and war. It is a clever little time capsule to place us inside the broadcast world of the 1960s. This retro TV and Craig Wilkinson’s scrim projections create a space caught somewhere between a live gig and a television transmission. Richard Roberts’ set features a glossy black floor, raised performance space, four-piece band, and a glittering The Sapphires sign overhead. It is flexible enough to shift from family home to beachfront, army barracks, concert stage, and war zone. While Roberts' costumes bring the period to life with colour, sparkle, and those glorious white go-go boots. As the story shifts to Vietnam, the theatre pulls us into the environment: haze in the air, rain noise around us, the smell of cigarettes, helicopters approaching from behind, bombs splitting the music, gunfire cracking through. One moment we are clapping along like we are part of the crowd, and the next, we're hit with the reality of exactly where that concert is happening. Isaac Ogilvie’s sound design does superb work here, particularly in the climactic final moments of Act One. The four women form the heart of the production, and they complement each other beautifully. Taeg Twist brings warmth and strength to Gail McCrae, the group's self-appointed mother hen. Gail is talkative, loud, protective, stubborn and often found rolling her eyes at the world. Beneath that tough-as-nails facade is a woman who's made it her mission to hold everything together, whether anyone asked her to or not. Her singing voice is incredible, but it’s her acting that truly grounds the emotional stakes. When she belts out the heartfelt tune "People Make This World a Better Place," with images of the real Sapphires flashing on screen, it's a heart-stirring moment. Ruby Henaway is a riot as Cynthia McCrae, strutting into every conversation like she has already decided she is the star of the show. Cynthia is hilariously bold, unashamedly herself, and allergic to behaving. Henaway has epic pipes, but when Cynthia sings through her hurt, you catch the ache hiding beneath all that confidence. Aurora Liddle-Christie is lovely as Kay McCrae, the sensible one of the sisters. She's got her own traumatic past, so she carries herself with a slightly different rhythm from the others. There is a quiet complexity in the way she presents herself to the world, and Liddle-Christie handles that tension with grace. She keeps the group grounded while still being a total goofball, managing to stand out without letting the louder personalities overshadow her, at least from my perspective. And finally, there is Tehya Makani as Julie McCrae, the baby sister with a voice that can stop a room. Julie starts as a frightened, grumpy, uncertain young woman, but she's sharp enough to spot a good chance when it comes along. Her performance of "Respect" is a proper arrival moment, showing off serious star power and the exact amount of attitude the song demands. Together, these four performers are wonderful. Their characters are all very different, yet they share the same family fire. You can see it in the way they look at each other onstage with genuine pride in their eyes, the kind that makes you believe these women have fought, laughed, judged, loved, and survived each other for years. Their a-cappella sisterly moment, "Ngarra Burra Ferra", is particularly beautiful. In a production full of big numbers, that quieter moment lands with emotional force. The romantic threads are surprisingly tender too. Each of the girls gets some version of longing, flirtation, disappointment, or hope, and none of it feels like filler between songs. Jack Bannister is wonderfully endearing as Dave Lovelace, the Aussie talent scout who is, frankly, a bit of a numpty. His attempts at dancing are truly white-man-in-public, but in the most affectionate way. Bannister gives Dave enough awkwardness to be funny and enough sincerity to be likeable, especially in his interactions with Gail. Garret Lyon is a charming nuisance as Jimmy, Cynthia’s ex-boyfriend and a man with very little chill. His interest in Cynthia is stalker-like to the extreme, yet Lyon somehow keeps him charmingly hopeless rather than alarming. His dancing is a highlight in itself, and every time he appears, the show gets a little extra boost. Chris Nguyen is delightful as Joe, a fourteen-year-old Vietnamese boy hustling to support himself and his family (often through pilfering). His dynamic with Julie is sweet, with both characters still teenagers trying to navigate adult circumstances. The parallel between Joe’s family and the Sapphires’ family, both with seven sisters and one brother, is a small and touching connection that helps humanise the Vietnamese experience within the broader wartime setting. While the war's effect on actual Vietnamese citizens isn't deeply explored, it's still present enough to make an impression. Cameron Leonard nails the comic awkwardness as an American soldier Robby, even making an entrance while dangling upside down in a parachute. It is silly, memorable, and exactly the kind of lighthearted character that this production knows how to use well. Nathaniel Andrew’s musical direction gives the 1960s soul classics real warmth and drive, and having the band live onstage keeps the energy immediate. The four-piece band, with Andrew also on guitar, supports the performers beautifully without overpowering them. Songs including "Heatwave", "The Shoop Shoop Song", and "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" are crowd-pleasers for a reason, and this cast knows how to sell them. I left with a bunch of those tunes stuck in my head, which usually means the jukebox-style musical hit the mark. Yolande Brown’s choreography sits beautifully in the world of the piece. It is stylish, character-driven, and full of groove without looking over-rehearsed to death. The girls move as a unit, but not like four identical backup dancers. Each performer brings her own rhythm, attitude, and little flashes of personality, which makes the group numbers feel true rather than pasted on top. Ben Hughes’ lighting shifts smoothly from stage glamour to intimacy and wartime tension. One moment, the girls are glowing under concert lights; the next, the world around them feels exposed and unstable. Wilkinson’s projections are equally effective, moving from starlit nights and vibrant colours for performances to combat footage and broadcast history. The “travel vlog” style sequence is a clever way to cover scene and costume changes while keeping the pace moving, and the production rarely lets its energy sag. By the time the megamix arrives, the show has fully earned its celebration. Using the aisles gives the finale an immersive lift, and the audience response was exactly what you would expect from a practically sold-out season of a feel-good Australian classic. What makes this production so effective is its tonal balance, and Wesley Enoch’s direction steers that balance with a sure hand. The Sapphires is set during the Vietnam War, with depictions of racism, violence, abortion, family conflict, and the frightening reality of young women surrounded by men with guns in a foreign country. On paper, that sounds heavy. Onstage, it is still serious, but it is also kept colourful, romantic, cheeky, and alive. Enoch allows the sparkle to sit beside the danger without letting one cancel out the other. Queensland Theatre Company’s The Sapphires is big-hearted, moving, and full of soul. It celebrates the women behind the story while giving a new generation of First Nations performers the chance to step into that legacy with pride. It sings as a concert, aches as a family story, and stays with you as a love letter to Blak women who knew their worth long before the world caught up.

Title: Jane and Kel Go To Hell Presented By: Javeenbah Theatre Company Genre: Comedy / Dark Comedy / One-Act Play Reading Synopsis: Jane and Kel are housemates and best friends with bad jobs and questionable judgement. When Jane loses her job, she needs a new housemate to help cover rent. After interviewing several candidates, Roy seems like the perfect fit—except he is secretly a demon. Roy drags Jane into Hell, forcing both characters into a surreal and comedic journey through chaos, consequence, and friendship tested beyond the mortal world. Audition Self-Tape Due: Video Submissions due May 23rd, 2026 Audition Requirements: Please submit a recording of you reading a monologue of your choice. This show is a dark comedy, so please choose something that might fit this theme. Monologue must be no longer than a minute. Please submit via email to mikmurph@gmail.com Audition Registration: Submission via email Audition Pack: Jane and Kel Go To Hell Audition Pack Performance Dates: June 20th - 21st, 2026 Performance Times: Saturday - 7PM Sunday - 2PM Performance Location: Javeenbah Theatre, Stevens St, Nerang QLD 4211 Rehearsal Dates: Decided amongst cast availability. Rehearsal Location: Javeenbah Theatre, Stevens St, Nerang QLD 4211 Warnings: Themes of Hell / afterlife Mature humour and language Dark comedic content Performer Age: 18+ Creative Team: Directed by Mikaela Murphy Production Website: Javeenbah Theatre Company Other Information: This is a rehearsed play reading, not a full staged production The script focuses on character-driven comedy in a surreal, supernatural setting Available Roles/Character Breakdown: JANE (Lead) (Female, playing age between 20-35) A burnt-out journalist struggling with depression, purpose, and modern adulthood. Intelligent and deeply cynical, Jane feels trapped between wanting meaningful work and surviving in a shallow, contentdriven world. KEL (Lead) (Female, playing age between 20-35) Jane’s chaotic, loud, fiercely loyal best friend. Kel masks her own fears about failure and adulthood with humour, recklessness, and pop culture obsession, but deeply cares about protecting Jane. KIM (Supporting) (Female, any age 18+) Kel’s quiet, intelligent university classmate. Awkward but kind-hearted, Kim becomes an unexpected source of stability and practical thinking as the supernatural events escalate. Kim also doubles as the characters SKYE, TINA, and LYLE*. ROY (Supporting) (Male, any age 18+) The seemingly perfect new housemate; polite, thoughtful, and unsettlingly nice. As the play progresses, Roy’s behaviour becomes increasingly uncanny, revealing something far darker beneath his calm exterior. Roy also doubles as the characters WAITER, TILLY, and LYLE*. TROY (Supporting) (Male, any age 18+) Kel’s immature but oddly sincere ex-boyfriend. A wannabe rapper with zero self-awareness, Troy provides much of the play’s comic relief while occasionally stumbling into genuine emotional insight. Troy also doubles as the characters DEVIN, TRAIN GUY, and LYLE* . *LYLE is the karaoke host at Fat Louie’s. Lyle acts as a recurring comic presence throughout the play. Different actors play “Lyle” throughout the show.

Title: The Play Forge 2026 Presented By: Phoenix Arts Academy Genre: One-Act Play / Youth Theatre Intensive / Drama Workshop Performance Synopsis: The Play Forge is a 5-day intensive theatre program for high school students, culminating in a performance of a one-act play. Participants experience the full play-building process from rehearsal to performance, developing skills in acting, stagecraft, character development, movement, voice, and production roles. The program also includes opportunities for students to work in technical and backstage areas, supporting a final staged performance at the end of the week. Audition Date: Monday June 29th, 2026 (auditions held on Day 1 of the program for succesful applicants) Audition Time: From 9:00AM (within workshop schedule) Audition Location and Address: Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh Show Grounds, James St, Beenleigh QLD 4207 Audition Requirements: Auditions conducted in-person on the first day of the program Students will be given scripts and role details the week prior Participants may be cast in acting or technical/production roles Expression of interest required prior to acceptance Audition Registration: Expressions of interest open - May 15th, 2026 Close - June 12th, 2026 Formal registration and payment deadline - June 21st, 2026 Audition Pack: The Play Forge Audition Pack Performance Dates: Friday July 3rd, 2026 Performance Times: 7PM Performance Location: Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh Show Grounds, James St, Beenleigh QLD 4207 Rehearsal Dates: June 29th - July 3rd, 2026 (5-day intensive program) Rehearsal Times: 9AM - 3PM daily (final day includes technical rehearsal and evening performance) Rehearsal Location: Phoenix Ensemble, Beenleigh Show Grounds, James St, Beenleigh QLD 4207 Warnings: Intensive schedule over 5 consecutive days Final day includes full technical rehearsal and live performance Participation fee required ($200) Students must bring their own food each day Performer Age: Years 7–12 (high school students only; older students may be given preference) Creative Team: Director - Julianne Clinch Producer - Kym Brown Production Website: Phoenix Ensemble Other Information: Participants may take on both on-stage and technical roles Includes training in stagecraft, movement, voice, script work, and production skills Includes project t-shirt, scripts, and some costume/prop items Each participant receives one complimentary ticket to the final performance Limited places available; selection based on expression of interest Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Not specified in advance — roles are assigned during the first day of the program after auditions.

Title: The Pink Hammer Presented By: Ipswich Little Theatre Genre: Comedy / Drama Synopsis: Four very different women answer a flyer for “The Pink Hammer Workshop” — a ladies-only woodwork class. Expecting empowerment and sisterhood from tutor Maggie Taylor, they instead find Maggie missing in action. Maggie’s husband Woody is less than thrilled about a group of women invading his workshop, but he has little choice. As personalities clash and secrets emerge, the workshop becomes a journey of humour, healing, and unexpected connection. Audition Date: Monday June 8th, 2026 Audition Time: 7:30PM Audition Location and Address: Jean Pratt Building, Ipswich Little Theatre, 15 Burley Griffin Dr, Ipswich QLD 4305 Audition Requirements: Complete audition registration form Scripts and audition sides available from the director Applicants may outline previous acting experience Rehearsal availability required as part of registration Audition Registration: The Pink Hammer Audition Form Audition Pack: Scripts and/or audition sides available by contacting: Jim Orr Email: jimmyorr2654@gmail.com Mobile: 0402 377 258 Performance Dates: September 18th - October 3rd, 2026 Performance Location: Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator Theatre, 10A Milford Street, Ipswich QLD 4305 Rehearsal Times: Generally evenings during the week, with possible weekend rehearsals depending on cast availability. Rehearsal Location: Ipswich Little Theatre, 15 Burley Griffin Dr, Ipswich QLD 4305 Warnings: Themes of emotional trauma, separation, feminism, mortality, and adult relationships. Performer Age: Adult performers. Character age ranges approximately 30s–60s. Creative Team: Director - Jim Orr Assistant Director - Chris Austin-Greenhill Playwright - Michele Amas Production Website: Ipswich Little Theatre Other Information: Applicants do not need to be current financial members of ILT at the time of registration. Opportunities available to assist backstage or front of house if not cast. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Annabel – Late 40s–50s. Counsellor in private practice and former feminist activist. Runs a Dickens book club. Wants to build a Victorian-style display cabinet for her Dickens collection. Louise – 50s. Nurse caring for her parents. Carries emotional trauma and is easily startled. Wants to build a small house someday. Helen – Late 50s–60s. Horse lover with two adult sons from different relationships. Independent and practical. Wants to build a coffin. Siobhan – 30s. Irish veterinary clinic worker secretly in love with a married vet. Wants to build a luxury dog kennel. Woody – 30s. Recently redundant carpenter separated from his wife Maggie. Gruff, practical, and out of his depth with the workshop participants. Wants to build a way to get the women out of his workshop.

Title: The Sweet Delilah Swim Club Presented By: Mates Theatre Genesis Genre: Comedy / Drama Synopsis: Five Southern women whose friendship began 20+ years ago on their college swim team set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from husbands, kids and jobs, they meet at the same beach cottage, the “Sweet Delilah” on North Carolina’s Outer Banks to catch up, laugh, and meddle in each other’s lives. Audition Date: Sunday June 14th, 2026 Audition Time:10AM - 2PM Audition Location and Address: Birkdale School of Arts Hall, 101 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale QLD 4159 Audition Requirements: Audition will be via cold read of the script. No learning of lines required. Please note an attempt of the Southern American accent would be preferred. Audition Registration: Complete the audition form in the audition pack and email with recent headshot to info@matestg.org.au Audition Pack: Download the audition pack HERE Performance Dates: September 18th - 27th, 2026 Performance Times: September 18th, 19th, & 26th - 7:30PM September 27th - 2PM Performance Location: Birkdale School of Arts Hall, 101 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale QLD 4159 Rehearsal Dates: From June 21st, 2026 Tuesday & Thursday evenings Sunday daytime Rehearsal Times: Tuesdays & Thursdays - 7 - 9:30PM Sundays - 10AM - 4PM Rehearsal Location: Birkdale School of Arts Hall, 101 Birkdale Rd, Birkdale QLD 4159 Performer Age: 18+ Creative Team: Director - Jacqueline Kerr Playwrights - Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten Production Website: Mates Theatre Genesis Other Information: STAGEWORX Script Reading Sessions (optional and not a prerequisite for auditioning) Wednesday June 10th, 2026 - 1:30PM - 4PM Saturday June 13th, 2026 - 9AM - 11:30AM Location - Cleveland Library, Meeting Room 2 Free to attend and all welcome. Successful cast and crew members must be financial members of MATES. Membership fees are $20 per year, expiring on 30 September each year. Membership Fees for Members joining after 30 June, will be valid for the following year. Membership fees must be paid by the first rehearsal date. Our Membership team will be in contact with the successful performers/crew to arrange membership details & payment. Members enjoy opportunities to participate in productions, discounted entry to workshops and selected events, networking opportunities, news updates. All participants are covered by Voluntary Workers Personal Accident Insurance and are expected to comply with MATES' policies and Code of Conduct, available at our website: https://matestg.org.au/members/ Cast members and volunteers help source costume items/props (some can be borrowed by MATES) shoes and personal items such as makeup supplied by cast. This is an amateur theatre production. All cast & crew positions are unpaid roles. By accepting a place in this production, cast and crew members are committing to attend rehearsals, as well as publicity appearances, photo shoots or media calls as required. Casting decisions are made by the Director and MATES. Audition registrations are taken until our audition schedule is full. If you are successful in receiving an offer for this production, you will be expected to be available for rehearsals and performances on the schedule. Please list any conflicts with these dates on your audition form. Detailed rehearsal schedules are released periodically throughout the rehearsal process. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Sheree Hollinger - The perennial team captain. Practical, supportive and a fount of boundless energy. Never without her to-do lists or pocket scheduler, her tendency to be hyper-organised occasionally drive her friends a bit crazy. She’s the eternal tomboy, a health nut and an all-American mom who lives in Raleigh, NC with her family. Dinah Grayson - The wise-cracking cynic of the group; she has fought her way to the top and relishes the view. A lawyer in the biggest and most prestigious law firm in Atlanta, Dinah excels at everything… except romance. Armed with a dry martini and an even drier sense of humour, Dinah seldom reveals her softer side as she tackles life head-on. Lexie Richards - From Chapel Hill, NC, she is the delightfully vain, youth-obsessed even planner from a chain of four-star hotels. She has never shied away from the occasional nip or tuck and keeps her cosmetic surgeon on speed dial. Always one to revel in her status as a man-magnet, Lexie can be counted on to share wild and hilarious tales of her romantic exploits. Jeri Neal Mcfeeley - The ditzy ray of sunshine of the group, she’s perky and naïve and always sees the positive side of everything. Having been a nun for many years, Jeri Neal has been protected from life’s seamier side. Even though she appears to be predictable on the surface, Jeri Neal, recently relocated to Roanoke, VA, continually makes life choices that surprise and amaze her friends. Vernadette Simms - She is a hard luck case if there ever was one. Marriage and motherhood came shortly after college, and a dark cloud has hovered above her ever since. A public-school teacher with limited finances and a problematic home life in Spivey’s Corner, NC, Vernadette is self-deprecating by necessity. She faces her tribulations with gallows humour and the unwavering support of these lifelong friends.

Title: Even Numbers Presented By: Footlights Theatrical Genre: One Act Play / Drama Synopsis: Mary-Ann has poisoned and killed five people and Doctor Vincent must make an assessment of her mental state for the court. In trying to establish whether she is insane or simply evil, a shocking truth is uncovered. Audition Date: May 30th, 2026 Audition Times: 10AM - 11AM 11:30AM - 12:30PM 1PM - 2PM Audition Location and Address: Footlights Studio, Wynnum Audition Requirements: Prepare a 1–2 minute monologue Cold read required at audition Audition Registration: Audition Registration Form Audition Pack: Even Numbers Audition Pack Performance Dates: Beenleigh Festival - July 31st – August 2nd, 2026 Ipswich Festival - August 7th - 9th, 2026 Toowoomba Festival - August 22nd - 23rd, 2026 KSP Festival - August 28th - 30th, 2026 Mousetrap Festival - September 18th - 20th, 2026 Performance Times: Festival schedules and call times to be advised by each festival in advance. Performance Location: Beenleigh, Queensland Ipswich, Queensland Toowoomba, Queensland KSP Festival, Queensland Mousetrap Festival, Queensland Rehearsal Location: Between Burpengary East and Wynnum West, Queensland. Warnings: Themes of murder, poisoning, psychological assessment, criminal behaviour, and mental health. Performer Age: 18+ recommended. Creative Team: Director - Sarah Ashby Other Information: Performers will only be required for the festival dates in which the play is scheduled to perform, not the entire festival weekends. Exact schedules and notices will be distributed by each festival closer to performance dates. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Mary-Ann Twomey – Serial killer. Playing age 25+. Female-presenting. Dr Vincent – Psychiatrist assessing Mary-Ann’s mental state for court proceedings. Playing age 30+. Male-presenting. Ella Conway – Barrister involved in the case. Playing age 25+. Female-presenting.

Title: Community Choir: The Musical Presented By: Cheep Trills Genre: Community Musical Theatre / Comedy / Drama Synopsis: Community Choir: The Musical is a heartwarming and hilarious original musical set in Brisbane, following a quirky community choir accidentally invited to compete in Sydney’s prestigious National Choral Competition. As the choir navigates rivalries, personal struggles, hidden secrets, and song choices, the mysterious “Spirit of the Song” arrives to reveal their deepest truths and fears. Featuring humour, drama, and original music, the show explores themes of unity, love, healing, and self-discovery. Inspired by real stories from the Cheep Trill choir community, the production is proudly performed by local community members, with many performers appearing on stage for the very first time. Audition Dates: Lead Roles - Saturday May 30th, 2026 Mic’d Choir - Sunday May 31st, 2026 Dance Ensemble Workshops - Saturday May 30th, 2026 Sunday May 31st, 2026 Audition Times: Lead Roles - 9AM - 3PM Mic’d Choir - 9AM - 12:30PM Dance Ensemble: 30 May - 3PM - 4PM 31 May - 1PM - 2PM Audition Location and Address: Lead Roles & Dance Ensemble (May 30th): Enoggera, Brisbane Mic’d Choir & Dance Ensemble (May 31st): Camp Hill, Brisbane Audition Requirements: Lead role auditions for: Pete (Southside cast), Harriet (Northside cast), Judith (Northside cast) Mic’d Choir auditions available for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass performers Dance Ensemble audition consists of a workshop/class; no preparation required Community Choir roles are non-auditioned Flash Mob roles are non-auditioned/self-learning Must meet rehearsal and production availability requirements Audition Registration: Register to audition HERE Audition Pack: Community Choir: The Musical Audition Pack Performance Dates: Northside Cast - September 23rd & 25th, 2026 Southside Cast - September 24th & 26th, 2026 Performance Location: La Boite Theatre, 6 Musk Ave, Kelvin Grove QLD 4059 Rehearsal Dates: June–September 2026 (varies by cast and role type). Rehearsal Times: Weekly Choir Rehearsals: 6:30PM–8:30PM Additional weekend rehearsals and full-day mandatory rehearsals apply Production week rehearsals held during 22–26 September 2026 Rehearsal Location: Camp Hill, Brisbane Wavell Heights, Brisbane Nundah, Brisbane Morningside, Brisbane La Boite Theatre Warnings: Community theatre production; performers are unpaid Mandatory rehearsal attendance required Some rehearsal locations vary No plus-ones, children, or animals permitted unless approved support arrangements are made Long rehearsal and production days required during show week Performer Age:18+ unless accompanied in the same cast by a parent/guardian, in which case performers must be 14+. Creative Team: Direction & Choreography - Belinda Raisin Assistant Choreographer - Laura Purcell Northside Choir Director/Vocal Coach - Emma Dean Southside Choir Director/Music Director - Tony Dean Production Website: Cheep Trills - Community Choir: The Musical Other Information: 11 original songs including a brand-new number Approximate runtime: 80–90 minutes with no interval Production features: 9 lead roles 8-person Mic’d Choir Dance Ensemble 100+ member choir Flash mobs Two casts: Southside and Northside Brisbane Participation fees apply: Choir - $387 Mic’d Choir - $417 Lead Roles - $470 Flash Mob - $110–$160 Financial assistance available through the “Pay It Forward” initiative Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Lead Roles Available: Judith (Northside Cast) – Female-presenting/Femme, middle-aged. Conservative outwardly but deeply passionate underneath. Crushing on fellow choir member Johnno. Strong comedic and emotional role with lead vocals in two songs. Harriet (Northside Cast) – Female-presenting/Femme. Recently divorced, confident but emotionally rebuilding. Features lead vocals in one song plus solo and harmony work. Pete (Southside Cast) – Male-presenting/Masc. Quiet, grieving father reconnecting with music after the loss of his son. Emotional dramatic role with lead vocals in one song. Additional Casting Opportunities: Mic’d Choir (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) Featured “Fake Bernard” solo moment Dance Ensemble Non-auditioned Community Choir Flash Mob Performers

Six Characters in Search of an Author Ad Astra Theatre Company Playwright: Luigi Pirandello Director: Heidi Gledhill Assistant Director: Colin W. Smith Dramaturg: Desley Martin Costume Design: Helena Trupp Makeup: Cherie McCaffery Sound Design & Composer: Tommi Civilli Lighting Design: Noah Milne Choreographer: Cherie McCaffery Composer: Lucinda Shaw “See us live out our drama.” That line sums up the strange, unsettling bargain Luigi Pirandello asks of his audience. Six abandoned 'Characters' appear at a theatre with an unfinished story, insisting it be told. They do not ask politely. They interrupt a rehearsal, unsettle the room, and drag everyone around them into their family drama. Written way back in 1921, Six Characters in Search of an Author is considered one of the great meta-theatrical works. It is philosophical, existential, intentionally unstable, and extremely wordy. This is not a play that holds your hand and guides you. In fact, it seems to snatch your hand away, stare into the distance, and then launch into another monologue about the nature of truth... The production begins with the stage arranged as a deliberately practical rehearsal area. A white curtain hangs at the back, with a ladder, upright piano, some furniture, and crew members bustling. Before the show even officially begins, we get a peek into the backstage shenanigans with the cast shaking their collective thang to No Scrubs, which makes the later arrival of the grief-stricken Characters seem even more surreal. Dressed in vintage black clothing, with ghostly makeup and a sombre stillness, they look as though they have wandered in from a family crypt in another century. The Director, played by Jonty Hansen, reacts with the exact kind of “what on earth is happening here?” energy I imagine most directors would have if six randoms waltzed into a closed rehearsal and demanded stage time. Hansen brings a wonderfully sassy impatience to the role, giving the Director both comic bite and mounting frustration. That practical exasperation gives the audience something to hold onto. As the Director tries to make sense of the Characters’ demands, Hansen becomes a necessary anchor, balancing disbelief, ego, curiosity, and irritation. His line, “This is all just talk,” landed particularly well, partly because by that point, yes, it very much was. As the Father, Gregory J Wilken has the densest and most verbose material in the play. His character spends much of the show explaining, defending, and reframing himself, as though he might be able to talk his way into redemption if given enough time. Wilken gives weight to that moral discomfort. There is always something uneasy sitting underneath the performance, leaving us unsure whether we are watching a guilty man, a grieving man, or someone who simply needs his version of events to be believed. His performance is impressive, even when the language itself becomes hard to follow. Davis Dingle as the Son brings restraint and tension to a role that could easily disappear beside the louder grief and outrage around him. His presence is notable because he resists the family drama rather than feeding it. That resistance gives the production some of its strongest dramatic friction. Alongside Hansen and Wilken, Dingle helps form a compelling trio of male performances, each representing a different kind of control slowly slipping away. In the role of the Step-Daughter, Emma Kidd brings a burst of volume, vibrancy, and complete chaos to the stage. She refuses to sit neatly within the story, constantly thrusting herself into the spotlight, disrupting, provoking, and demanding that her version of events be heard. Kidd captures the Step-Daughter’s fierce insistence that her truth will not be softened, rewritten, or filtered. This unpredictability sharply contrasts the more subdued nature of the other Characters. There is anger in her performance, but also pain, humour, and a need to take back control of a story that has clearly been told around her, rather than by her. Anna Loren gives the Mother a mournful, haunted quality, existing largely in grief and shame. The two silent children, played by Auden Ryan / Hank Steele and Ammi Johnson / Tia Godbold, add to the uneasy atmosphere simply by being there. Their silence makes them feel more like symbols than children, which suits the strange purgatorial quality of the piece. And then there is Lucinda Shaw as Madame Pace, who arrives like a gypsy diva from another planet. Her costume is fabulous, her presence is deliciously heightened, and her appearance injects a jolt of colour and theatrical excess into the otherwise shadowy world of the Characters. The wider acting troupe, including Jules Berry, Nathan Turner, Frankie Kershaw, Yianni Sines, Carmen O’Connell, Stella Peterson, Alex Flew, Cherie McCaffery, Brock O’Rourke, Grace Swadling, and Liam Olsen, create the necessary contrast between theatrical artifice and lived drama. Their disbelief, ridicule, and gradual absorption into the story help frame the central conflict of the play. The actors within the play watch, judge, imitate, and attempt to reproduce what the Characters insist can never truly be reproduced. I know this is the whole point of the show, but truly, what an actor’s worst nightmare! Imagine trying to rehearse while the character you are playing suddenly comes alive, walks into the room, and starts critiquing your interpretation. Actors already have directors, dramaturgs, reviewers, and their own inner critic to contend with. Director Heidi Gledhill embraces this absurdist side of the work. She places the audience right in the middle of this family squabble that is part rehearsal, part ghost story, and part existential fever dream. The use of silhouette behind the white curtain is one of the production’s stronger visual choices, giving the Characters an otherworldly quality during their attempts to be made real. Technically, the production is intentionally bare. The lighting design by Noah Milne offers some colour work during the staged “scenes”, but for much of the production, the stage remains plainly lit. I can see the logic in preserving the rehearsal-room reality. But for a play so concerned with blurred realities, I did find myself wanting more visual shaping as the world of the Characters began to intrude. Tommi Civilli’s sound design supports the production’s eerie atmosphere well. The sombre underscoring on the piano adds to the atmosphere, with morbid music often accompanying the Characters as they dramatically contemplate their existence. Still, the production’s greatest challenge remains the script itself. Pirandello’s language, translated from Italian, is dense, cerebral, and often repetitive by modern standards. The play somehow manages to feel both fast and slow: fast in the amount of information being thrown at us, and slow in the time it takes to comprehend it. For me, this was a production full of skilled actors in a play I admired more than I enjoyed. That distinction is important. I can definitely appreciate the craft, the performances, the ideas, and the ambition, while also recognising that the script sat outside my personal theatrical taste. The Characters argue that their truth is urgent and undeniable, but I did not always feel absorbed by that truth. At times, the Actors on stage seemed far more drawn into the story than I was as an audience member. I could understand the stakes on an intellectual level, but emotionally, the play often left me feeling a bit detached and distanced. Still, this is a worthy and challenging undertaking by Ad Astra. Six Characters in Search of an Author is not light entertainment, nor is it trying to be. It is a strange, self-aware puzzle about performance, memory, authorship, and the human need to be seen. It asks big questions about whether fiction can be more permanent than reality, whether actors can ever fully embody another person’s pain, and whether being witnessed is the closest thing to resolution some stories ever receive. This production is best suited to drama lovers, passionate playwrights, frustrated directors, theatre theorists, and anyone who enjoys leaving a show with more questions than answers. It may not be for audiences seeking emotional ease or narrative simplicity, but for those who enjoy philosophical theatre with an absurdist edge, there is plenty here to chew on. It went over my head in places. But it was performed with conviction, staged with clear respect for the material, and led by a cast who understood the strange machinery of these Characters: trapped in the theatre, trapped in their story, and desperate for someone to listen.