Title: The Addams Family: Young@Part Presented By: Second Star Youth Theatre Genre: Youth Musical / Musical Comedy Synopsis: America’s darkest and kookiest family comes to life in a musical about love, family, honesty, and growing up. Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with Lucas Beinecke, a sweet, smart young man from a respectable and decidedly “normal” family. There’s just one problem: her parents have never met him. Wednesday confides in her father and asks him to keep her relationship a secret from Morticia, forcing Gomez to do something he has never done before: lie to his beloved wife. Everything comes to a head when the Addams family hosts Lucas and his parents for dinner, bringing two very different families together for one unforgettable night. Audition Date: Sunday 13 September 2026 Audition Time: 1:00pm–5:00pm Audition Location and Address: Faith Works Norman Park, 177 Bennetts Road, Norman Park QLD Audition Self-Tape (if applicable): Video auditions are available for performers unable to attend the in-person audition workshop. Register as normal and indicate your unavailability on the registration form; instructions for submitting a video audition will then be provided. Audition Requirements: Auditions will be conducted as an iTheatrics-style group workshop. No prepared audition material is required. During the workshop, performers will learn material from the show and then have the opportunity to perform what they have learned for the creative team and their fellow auditionees. The workshop is designed to assess not only singing, dancing, and acting, but also how performers connect with others, respond to direction, and learn new material. All performers who audition are guaranteed a place in the cast. Auditions are used to determine individual casting rather than whether a performer will participate in the production. Audition Registration: Registrations are open now and places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no fee to register for the audition, although the participation fee must be paid in full before audition day. Audition Pack: All audition and production information is available on the production page: The Addams Family: Young@Part Audition Information Performance Dates: Saturday 3 October 2026 Performance Times: 3:00pm and 6:00pm Performance Location: Marjorie Godfrey Theatre, Cavendish Road State High School, Holland Park QLD Rehearsal Dates: Monday 28 September – Friday 2 October 2026 Rehearsal Times: 9:00am–4:00pm daily Performer Age: 10–18 years old, as of 3 October 2026. Creative Team: Director & Musical Director – Lauren McNamara Choreographer – Isabella Maric Production Website: Second Star Youth Theatre – The Addams Family Other information: Participation costs $450 per performer, including GST. The fee contributes towards rights and royalties, creative and technical professionals, venue hire, sets, props, costumes, marketing, and other production costs. Each participant receives a script, production T-shirt, dinner on performance day, an audition workshop, and the full week of tuition and rehearsals. The majority of costumes will be supplied by Second Star Youth Theatre, with costume hire included in the participation fee. Performers may be asked to provide basic items such as footwear, stage blacks, dress pants, or a white T-shirt. After casting, performers receiving lead and featured roles are expected to learn dialogue and lyrics before the intensive rehearsal week. Scripts, rehearsal tracks, and accompaniment tracks will be supplied. Performers of all genders may be considered for all roles, regardless of the character’s original gender representation. Character names and pronouns in the script will remain unchanged. Enquiries: lauren@secondstaryouththeatre.com.au Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Gomez Addams - A suave and passionate father of Spanish descent who adores his wife and children and takes enormous pride in being an Addams. Gomez finds himself caught between Wednesday and Morticia when Wednesday asks him to keep her secret. Requires strong comedic timing and dancing ability. A Spanish accent is a plus. Morticia Addams - The beautiful, mysterious, confident, and dryly witty head of the Addams family. Morticia values family tradition and becomes increasingly suspicious when she realises Gomez is hiding something from her. A strong mover; tango skills are a bonus. Wednesday Addams - The gothic eldest Addams child, balancing her loyalty to her wonderfully strange family with her love for a “normal” boy. Wednesday is compassionate, stubborn, determined, and strong-willed. Requires a strong belt. Pugsley Addams - The youngest Addams child, who has always enjoyed being tortured by his big sister. With Wednesday now focused on her new boyfriend, Pugsley struggles to understand his changing place within the family. Charming and funny, ideally with an unchanged singing voice. Uncle Fester - The lovable, childish, enthusiastic, and incorrigible narrator of the story. Requires excellent comedic timing and a tenor voice. Grandma - Fun, feisty, quirky, and wonderfully wacky, Grandma always has another trick up her sleeve. She is wise, eccentric, occasionally crass, and requires strong comedic timing and physicality. Lurch - The Addams family’s imposing butler and a man of very few words. Much of Lurch’s storytelling comes through grunts, moans, facial expressions, and slow, deliberate physicality. Requires excellent non-verbal acting ability and typically suits a rich bass voice. Lucas Beinecke - Wednesday’s sweet, optimistic, “boy-next-door” boyfriend who intends to marry her. Lucas struggles to navigate the enormous differences between his conventional family and the macabre Addams clan. Requires a strong singer and scene partner. Mal Beinecke - Lucas’s uptight and cynical father and Alice’s rather cold husband. Mal is immediately sceptical of the bizarre Addams family and horrified by the possibility that they may soon become his relatives. Alice Beinecke - Lucas’s mother and Mal’s wife. Alice initially presents herself as reserved, composed, and devoted to her family, even frequently speaking in rhyme. Dinner with the Addams family eventually unleashes a very different side of her personality. Requires a strong comedic actor with a strong belt. The Ancestors - The Addams ancestors from many different historical eras form the show’s ensemble and help tell the story after emerging from the family crypt. The Ancestors feature extensively throughout the production in both singing and dancing, with additional featured opportunities available for ensemble performers.

Do Not Go Gentle Presented by: QLD Theatre Company Venue: Bille Brown Theatre Date Attended: 21 August 2026 Playwright: Patricia Cornelius Director: Heather Fairbairn Assistant Director: Kate Wilson Set and Costume Designer: Simone Romaniuk Lighting Designer: David Walters Sound Designer: Julian Starr Composer: Alan John Photographer: Stephen Henry “The elements have aged us.” Five explorers traverse the merciless Antarctic wilderness, looking like overstuffed penguins and hoping history will remember them as more than popsicles with a purpose. It does, but not quite as they hoped. Written by acclaimed Australian playwright Patricia Cornelius, Do Not Go Gentle takes Robert Falcon Scott’s doomed 1911 expedition to the South Pole and gives it an entirely different traveling party: five aging residents whose memories, identities, and realities are slipping away. They envision themselves as Scott and his team, transforming the frightening, disorienting landscape of dementia into an Antarctic quest requiring just as much courage and endurance. First written in 2006, the play has earned significant accolades. Its title comes from Dylan Thomas’ poem Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, urging his dying father to fight against death rather than quietly surrender to it. That defiance runs right through Cornelius’ characters. I was honoured to be invited to experience this production. A stage populated so prominently by older performers is a rarity, and I can’t remember seeing anything quite like it. Simone Romaniuk’s stark design transports us somewhere cold and inhospitable. White walls and flooring enclose the stage, mirrored surfaces expand the space, and suspended sheets transform into snow, ice, tents, or whatever else this unstable landscape requires. But Antarctica fractures, identities shift, memories drift, and another reality emerges. The white wilderness merges with aged-care corridors, blurring the line between being lost on the ice and lost inside a fading memory. Even the stage management team (dressed in beige scrubs) blends into the action like carers. Initially, all the actors are buried beneath heavy expedition gear. Slowly, those layers come away, giving way to pajamas, canes, and shakier bodies. Time, it turns out, may be the harshest element of all. Cornelius offers no neat linear plot to cling to. Scott narrates from his expedition diary as those around him speak in fragments, arguments, memories, stories, and sometimes complete nonsense. Characters drift in and out of one another’s realities without necessarily understanding where they are, who they’re speaking to, or even who they themselves once were. At times, it’s genuinely difficult to follow. Identities overlap, realities change without warning, and the expedition can seem almost as directionless to us as it does to its travelers. As the aged-care setting comes into focus, though, that disorientation gains purpose. We’re constantly losing our bearings alongside people who are losing theirs. Cornelius also finds plenty of wit amongst the confusion. Residents bicker, contradict themselves, or even produce beautifully articulate thoughts. A rapid exchange about everyone’s various physical ailments is particularly funny (especially as they collectively insist their minds remain perfectly healthy). Then there are the things the writing refuses to soften: the pain of aging, dementia, war trauma, losing independence, forgetting the people who love you, and facing death. The possibility of choosing one’s own ending (VAD) when suffering becomes unbearable enters the conversation... alongside the stubborn desire to continue:“I’m too invested in the journey to cut it short.” The ensemble comprises William Zappa, Jennifer Flowers, Steven Grives, Christen O’Leary, Andrew Buchanan, Marilyn Richardson, and, at the performance I attended, cover Bryan Probets, who stepped into the roles normally performed by Bruce Spence. William Zappa provides a steady presence as Scott, stubbornly persisting with the expedition and documenting the journey as his companions grow less stable. “I should’ve done more with my life,” one admits, while another reflects, “I never had a sense of the world beyond me.” Cue the debate club, as they squabble over what it means to achieve greatness, contribute to society, and what exactly makes a life well spent. Jennifer Flowers is an absolute delight as Wilson. She remains cheerfully resilient and her optimism has a deliciously offbeat quality, as though she’s wandered into an alternate universe to everybody else where everything is just peachy. Later, as Mary, Flowers brings tremendous comic instinct to the chaos of memory loss, all while keeping the real Mary shining through like a beacon in a foggy brain. Steven Grives brings a much tougher, rougher edge to Evans, enduring the expedition with the tenacity of a grumpy old bear. He complains about the conditions, grumbles about everything his body is being asked to withstand, and still keeps trudging onward. That makes Evans’ eventual decline particularly affecting. As the first of the expedition party to die, his loss alters the entire journey. Watching this seemingly indestructible man finally succumb makes mortality suddenly much harder to ignore, and Grives gives the scene genuine sadness. Christen O’Leary’s as Bowers is an intriguing character, like a fortress with unyielding and guarded walls. Once a journalist, Claudia now faces the world with a defensive stance, bewildered by a reality that seems foreign to her. It's especially sad to see her fervently recite directions as she grapples with her own disorientation. Plus, she’s frightened of her own family because she no longer recognises them. That landed hard for me. Memories might fade, but the grip of fear is much harder to shake. Bryan Probets has the considerable task of taking on Oates (performing with the script in hand), yet that practical necessity barely gets in the way. His character quivers at the howl of something following him and searches desperately for what initially seems to be his dog. Spoiler alert: the eventual revelation of what he’s actually lost is a punch in the gut! His story unfolds into father-son trauma and the psychological scars of war, giving earlier questions about heroism a much darker weight. “How is being killed or killing someone making a contribution?” Probets’ final scenes are deeply affecting, with his exposed distress making them some of the most emotional moments of the show. Andrew Buchanan occupies a fascinating position within the production because, unlike Scott and his intrepid squad of Antarctic adventurers, Andrew isn't out there freezing his toes off. Instead, he moves between several smaller but important characters orbiting their fractured memories and present-day lives. He appears as Claudia’s distraught husband, desperately trying to reach the woman who no longer recognises him, as the head of the aged-care centre, and as the shell-shocked soldier at the centre of Oates’ devastating memories of his son. And if that’s not enough, he even embodies the unseen creature haunting the Antarctic landscape, shifting into a more abstract presence. Then there’s Marilyn Richardson as Maria, who exists outside the expedition and brings a dreamlike quality to proceedings. At 90 years young, Richardson still has a striking classical voice, and she gets several opportunities to use it throughout the production. Her operatic singing drifts through the action alongside old vinyl records and classical music, evoking the familiar soundscape of a retirement home. Speaking with a Serbian accent, Maria repeatedly longs to go home, suggesting a woman displaced from her country and clinging to a place that still feels familiar. Heather Fairbairn’s direction allows reality to shift without warning. People wander into memories, conversations, and identities, and we’re expected to find our footing alongside them. It can be frustratingly elusive, but that confusion suits characters whose own memories offer no clear signposts. Fairbairn also gives this veteran ensemble room to remain fiercely individual, never reducing anyone to a symptom, diagnosis, or symbol of aging. And that’s where Do Not Go Gentle really finds its heart. These people are tired. Their bodies are changing. Yet they still love, flirt, grieve, argue, sing, laugh, resist, and search for meaning. By the final stretches of the journey, the heroic expedition has fallen away. What remains is far more ordinary, and perhaps more frightening: human beings facing the reality that every journey eventually ends. The audience around me grew noticeably emotional as the final pieces fell into place. Somewhere nearby, I could hear someone openly sobbing. That reaction says a lot. Queensland Theatre Company gives Cornelius’ work a visually arresting, deeply human production, led by a remarkable group of performers. Eventually, the snow disappears, the costumes come off, the expedition ends, and history moves on. But these characters still refuse to go gently.

Loving Ashes Presented by: Sun and Wine Arts Company Venue: PIP Theatre Date attended: 20 August 2026 Writer & Director: Hamish Chappell Stage Manager: Emma King Composer & Production Assistant: Laura Sinclair Puppet Maker: Myah Collins Sound Designer: Taigh Saville Cast: Aaron Whitney, Hamish Chappell, Josie Yar, Rose Swanepoel, and Tim Buckney “Don’t worry, we’ll take it from here.” There are some jobs most of us are very grateful somebody else is willing to do, while we’d rather not think too much about what they involve. The vets who have to euthanise our pets. The people who collect them afterwards. The souls who shave a final lock of fur, prepare the body, cremate it, gather the ashes, and return what remains to a grieving family. Important work, certainly. But not a career path many would circle on the guidance counsellor’s form. Hamish Chappell works in pet aftercare. Yes, that is his real job. And he has now written a play about it. Loving Ashes is a deeply personal verbatim piece, weaving together interviews and stories from pet owners, vets, and veterinary nurses. The staged reading examines the enormous space animals can occupy in our lives, and what happens when suddenly that space becomes empty. Aaron Whitney opens with the story of Logan, a dog whose loss drops us straight into the emotional deep end. Whitney was visibly weeping as he spoke, bringing a rawness to the testimony that was difficult to separate from genuine emotion. In verbatim theatre, performers are entrusted with somebody else’s memories, sometimes their most painful ones, and Whitney treated this first story with enormous tenderness. These aren’t fictional backstories written to generate tears on cue. Somebody actually loved Logan. Somebody actually submitted these words. From there, the stories arrive in fragments. Some begin with how an animal entered a person’s life. Others begin at the end. Pets pass from old age, illness, or accidents; others disappear or are taken by other animals. Together, the stories capture the strange and varied circumstances through which animals enter and eventually leave our lives. Between the scenes, recorded voices rattle off lists of pet names. Bella pops up often. As does Matilda... (apparently I gave my own cat the feline equivalent of naming a child Charlotte). The stories reveal all the different jobs our animals quietly take on: companion, emotional support, substitute child, and sometimes the creature that gets a person through a period they might not otherwise have survived. One person describes their animal with the words, “I’ve never felt as loved or needed before or since.” They call him “a once in a lifetime dog”, adding, “I wouldn’t have made it without him.” These pets aren’t interchangeable household accessories. Each relationship is specific, and so is each loss. Much like human death, there is very little fairness or order to losing an animal. There is also the added difficulty that our pets cannot tell us what is wrong, how much pain they’re in, or what they need. As one person puts it, “The waiting game is horrible.” The vets and veterinary nurses offer another side of the grief surrounding animal death. One explains that euthanasia never becomes easy, despite performing it regularly. But there is comfort in giving an animal a peaceful passing with its owner beside them. Their stories also reveal the emotional residue carried by those who deal with death as part of their profession. Like doctors, nurses, and first responders, they may do this work every day, but certain cases will stay on their hearts. Then there is Hamish Chappell himself. While the rest of the cast primarily read, he demonstrates parts of his work: receiving the bag containing the “pet”, shaving fur, preparing the body for cremation, and transferring the ashes into an urn. He handles each bag with remarkable delicacy. For a staged reading, there’s more physical activity than I expected. Chappell’s repeated aftercare tasks provide a visual thread through the testimonies: while one person talks about the animal they lost, he works through what happens after the goodbye. The intimacy of PIP Theatre suits this format particularly well, placing us close to both the storytellers and Chappell’s careful handling of each “animal”. There is also, thankfully, plenty to laugh at! Pet ownership would be badly represented by 75 straight minutes of solemn remembrance. Pets steal your food, destroy things, develop bizarre habits, and survive situations they absolutely shouldn’t. Then came a story I recognised very quickly... Mine! Before attending Loving Ashes, I had submitted the story of my cat Ginger, never knowing whether it would make the final piece. Ginger was my apparently invincible ginger cat, determined to test the nine-lives theory as thoroughly as possible before eventually making it to 18. Hearing Rose Swanepoel tell his story back to me was surreal and gave me the unusual experience of verbatim theatre from the other side. I knew what I found funny, where the emotion sat, and, of course, what Ginger meant to me. And Swanepoel understood all of that perfectly. She didn’t smother the funny parts beneath sadness or turn the sad parts too syrupy. Her shifts in tone matched the way I remember speaking about him. It was affection, amusement, disbelief, and grief all tangled together. Chappell had shaped my words into something theatrical without making the story feel as though it belonged to somebody else. That experience also gave me a greater appreciation for the responsibility carried by the whole cast. Aaron Whitney, Josie Yar, Rose Swanepoel, and Tim Buckney aren’t creating fictional characters with conveniently constructed emotional arcs. They are temporarily carrying other people’s grief, humour, memories, and love. All four stepped into the production late, yet each is an animated, engaged storyteller, shifting naturally between humour and grief across dozens of memories. Yar, in particular, had committed an impressive amount of material to memory, giving her sections a freedom beyond the script in hand. Dogs dominate the collection of stories, with one bird and a couple of cats breaking up the canine majority. As a cat person, I maintain this constitutes a statistical injustice! Although I will concede that the dogs had some very beautiful stories. Even Myah Collins’ gorgeous dog puppet had me involuntarily going “awww!" If Loving Ashes develops into a fuller production, I would love to see projected photographs of the animals whose stories are being told on the white cloth of the cremator set piece. The descriptions are already vivid, but revealing the real face attached to a name after hearing their story could add another connection between testimony and subject. A more developed lighting design could also help mark transitions between memories and create more visual variation. The play eventually returns to Chappell. People often tell him, “I couldn’t do what you do.” And he understands why. He admits, “I feel bad that I make a living off the worst day in someone’s life. But someone has to do it.” It would be easy for a play centred around pet cremation to become relentlessly bleak, but Loving Ashes instead becomes an argument for care. The people who perform these jobs step into a moment when somebody else cannot continue. They take responsibility for something precious at the exact point its owner has to let go. The ashes may be neutral. The life before them certainly wasn’t. Loving Ashes is tender, amusing, confronting, and deeply affectionate towards both the animals we love and the people trusted with them at the end. After spending years feeding them, cleaning up after them, worrying about them, laughing at them, talking to them, and loving them beyond all proportion, the final kindness is entrusting them to somebody else’s care and hearing: “Don’t worry, we’ll take it from here.”

1985: Memory Production Company: Ayoub Studios Director and Producer: Gabriella Ayoub Writers: Gabriella Ayoub, Kai Boyce, Tyler Mackay, and George Ayoub Executive Producer: Tyler Mackay Cinematographer: Kai Boyce Editors: Gabriella Ayoub, Kai Boyce, and Tyler Mackay Music Composer: Matt Bryen Hair and Makeup Head: Lucinda McDonald Special Effects: Charlotte Westaway Animatronic Design: Kova Makes Photography: Nick O'Sullivan Date Attended: 22 August 2026 "Which is stronger, the feeling or the memory?" I've attended plenty of exciting opening nights, but the audience at the premiere of 1985: Memory was something else! We were dressed in our finest, with a menacing animatronic posing for pics in the lobby, and an auditorium full of people ready to cheer, scream, and generally go wild. It was an unusually lively night at Five Star Cinemas, and for good reason! Brisbane's own Ayoub Studios had made a horror film, and many of the people responsible were sitting among us. Directed and produced by Gabby Ayoub, 1985: Memory is the sequel to the studio's 2024 fan film 1985, inspired by the enormously popular Five Nights at Freddy's video game franchise. The original film follows a group of teenagers investigating the mysterious disappearance of their friend Gabriel, whose last known whereabouts lead them to Henry's, a local car workshop connected to the soon-to-open Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. Jeremy (Tyler Mackay) becomes suspicious after learning that Gabriel had a disagreement with an employee named William Afton and convinces his friends to sneak into the workshop after dark. Their investigation quickly turns into a fight for survival. What follows is a gruesome slasher, with the group's disappearance setting up the mystery that continues to unravel in the sequel. Created by a group of Brisbane teens with no budget, three cameras, and limited equipment, the first film is an ambitious early filmmaking experiment, packed with banter and bloodshed. Two years later, this creative team returns with a more complicated narrative and a noticeably different approach. At 55 minutes compared with the original's 35, Memory is considerably longer, with bigger ideas and a much wider collection of characters to accommodate. For those unfamiliar with Five Nights at Freddy's, the video games centre on a family entertainment restaurant where animatronic mascots (including Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy) become terrifyingly active after dark. Behind the pizza and children's birthday parties lies a gruesome history. William Afton, one of the restaurant's founders, kills several children whose spirits subsequently inhabit the animatronics. Ayoub Studios has reimagined this backstory, ageing the missing children into teenagers and relocating their murders to Henry's workshop before the restaurant opens. The films draw heavily on the franchise's characters and lore while developing their own version of events. Set across 1985 and approximately twenty years later, 1985: Memory revisits the murders through Jeremy (Tyler Mackay), one of William's victims. His closest friend, Gabriel (Scott Tamblyn), was the first to disappear, prompting the ill-fated investigation that led to the deaths of their friends. Although Jeremy dies in the original film, here he repeatedly experiences memories of his final days. Meanwhile, in the later timeline, William's children, Elizabeth (Gabriella Ayoub) and Michael (Aidan Calleja), investigate their father's connection to the missing teenagers and the suspicious activities of Afton Robotics. Their mother, Clara (Chelsea Guard), also confronts William over the damage his obsession has done to their family. William has been experimenting with the relationship between memory, emotional trauma, and consciousness. His research into what he calls scientific resurrection is driven by his desire to bring back his deceased son, Evan. The film gradually connects Jeremy's fragmented experiences with these experiments, although the full explanation remains unfinished... for now! Where the first film concentrates on the teenagers being pursued by William, the serial killer of 1985, its sequel investigates the circumstances of their deaths and what followed. The bloodshed is dialed back in favor of family secrets, scientific experiments, and traumatic memories. Much of the horror comes from 20 years later discovering what William has done, what his victims have become, and what he intends to do next. The shifting timelines took a moment for me to grasp, particularly with different actors portraying the younger and older William Afton. However, the costumes, music, and visual style effectively help differentiate the decades. The Halloween party sequence is among my favourite examples of the film's cinematography. Saturated colours, dramatic lighting, and movement bring energy to the screen, contrasting with Jeremy's growing unease as everyone else enjoys themselves. Cinematographer Kai Boyce also creates some striking nightmare sequences, with blood-red lighting, disturbing apparitions, and flashes of violence that blur the line between memories and premonitions. Tyler Mackay returns as Jeremy, whose greatest threat this time is psychological. His distress grows as familiar faces, places, and conversations take on sinister significance. Scott Tamblyn brings a boisterous, easygoing quality to Gabriel, with his drunken banter and interactions with Jeremy providing some welcome teenage normality amid the supernatural events. Reagan Warner, as the older William Afton, stands out significantly. William has evolved from the temperamental young mechanic of the original film to a disturbing scientist consumed by his experiments. Warner delivers his theories on death, emotional trauma, and preserving consciousness with measured speech, subtle nuance, and unsettling composure. The man could make a neuroscience lecture sound like a threat. This film's investigative direction provides more opportunities to understand the characters and the mythology behind the franchise, although the expanding narrative occasionally becomes crowded. A number of shorter scenes introduce people, circumstances, or plot threads that aren't immediately developed, and I found myself forgetting some of them before their significance became apparent. The frequent changes in time and perspective demand concentration, and even those familiar with Five Nights at Freddy's may find themselves piecing together the chronology during the first watch. The sequel's technical ambitions have also expanded. The production incorporates more varied locations, elaborate lighting, colour grading, visual effects, and prop design. Sound remains an area with room for refinement. Despite the addition of more professional recording equipment, some dialogue is still difficult to distinguish, particularly when competing with environmental noise or music. I actually revisited the film on YouTube with subtitles afterwards, which helped me catch several details I had missed during the cinema screening. Of course, we can't discuss Five Nights at Freddy's without addressing the animatronics. Withered Chica, designed by Kova Makes, brings one of the franchise's nightmarish mechanical creatures into the real world. The detailed construction and imposing appearance are impressive achievements for an independent production. Despite Chica's presence in the promotional material, the creature has relatively limited screen time in the finished film, leaving me eager to see more! Indeed, Memory is very much a middle chapter. The film dedicates much of its duration to revisiting the past and arranging the pieces for events yet to come. The final sequences explicitly hint at a third instalment, 1985: Parts and Services, promising further progression in a story that has grown significantly beyond the original short film's premise. Aside from the film itself, the premiere served as an entertaining reminder of the tight-knit nature of Brisbane's creative community. Familiar faces from local theatre appeared throughout the cast and crew, drawing enormous cheers from the audience. Much of that excitement was also for a young filmmaker and her collaborators, all volunteers who'd contributed their time and skills to bring this project to life. It's fascinating to compare the two films and see how the group's ambitions have developed. The original was a compact slasher made with whatever resources its teenage creators could gather, while Memory tackles a more involved story, a larger cast, numerous locations, and more demanding technical work. There's still room for refinement as the filmmakers gain experience, but there's plenty here to encourage them to continue experimenting and developing their craft. From three cameras and no budget to a sold-out cinema full of screaming supporters, Ayoub Studios has come a long way. This young Brisbane team has carved out its own corner of the Five Nights at Freddy's universe, bringing local performers and filmmakers together through a shared passion for storytelling. For a volunteer-driven production, 1985: Memory is an impressive achievement, and the growth of its creators is exciting to witness. With 1985: Parts and Services already on the horizon, Ayoub Studios has more horrors planned. In the meantime, I'd suggest avoiding abandoned pizza restaurants and any job advertisements offering overnight security shifts. And if a giant animatronic chicken invites you inside, perhaps politely decline... Watch 1985: Memory on YouTube

Title: Camelot Presented By: Brisbane Musical Theatre Genre: Musical / Romantic Fantasy Synopsis: King Arthur dreams of creating a kingdom founded on justice, honour, and chivalry through the Knights of the Round Table. His ideals are tested when the celebrated French knight Lancelot arrives at Camelot and falls in love with Arthur’s wife, Queen Guenevere. As their forbidden feelings grow, Arthur struggles to reconcile his love for them both with his responsibilities as king. Meanwhile, his illegitimate son Mordred plots to destroy Camelot from within, threatening the Round Table and everything Arthur has worked to build. Filled with romance, humour, magic, betrayal, and legend, Camelot explores the rise and fall of Arthur’s extraordinary vision. Audition Date: Saturday 19 September 2026 Audition Time: 9:00am–10:00am – Specialist Dance Auditions 10:00am–4:00pm – General Auditions Auditions are conducted in groups of up to 15, with each audition slot running for approximately one hour. Audition Location and Address: Upstairs Studio, Emerge Church, 1 Coorparoo Road, Warner QLD Audition Requirements: General auditions consist of three components: dance, singing, and acting. Acting: Principal and featured-role auditionees should prepare the character-specific monologue supplied in the audition pack. Those interested in ensemble should select whichever provided monologue they feel they can perform best. Memorisation is helpful but not essential. Singing: All performers will sing the supplied section of “Camelot”. The song should be approached with clear storytelling and expression. Accompaniment will be provided live on piano, so no backing track is required. Dance: Auditionees will be taught a short choreography sequence during their audition slot and perform it in small groups. Specialist Dancers: Skilled dancers are specifically being sought for the production. Specialist dancers should book the dedicated 9:00am–10:00am audition and will also perform the audition song. Please bring a printed audition form with a headshot, wear sensible shoes, and bring water. Audition Registration: Book an audition time by contacting Production Manager Sara Reynolds. Email: sara_reynolds@mac.com Phone/Text: 0404 891 400 When booking, provide your name, mobile number, email address, age, and the role you are auditioning for. Audition Pack: Google Drive Audition Pack Performance Dates: 13–16 January 2027 Performance Times: Wednesday 13 January – 7:00pm Preview Thursday 14 January – 7:00pm Friday 15 January – 7:00pm Saturday 16 January – 1:00pm Saturday 16 January – 7:00pm Performance Location: Auditorium, Emerge Church, 1 Coorparoo Road, Warner QLD Rehearsal Dates: Rehearsals commence Sunday 4 October 2026 and generally continue Sundays and Mondays through December, followed by additional rehearsals in January before opening. Key dates include: Sunday 4 October – Readthrough/Vocal Rehearsal Sunday 29 November – Sitzprobe Monday 14 December – Sitzprobe Sunday 20 December – Costumes/Props Run Sunday 3 January – Cast/Orchestra Rehearsal Monday 4 January – Cast/Orchestra Rehearsal Thursday 7 January – Cast/Orchestra Rehearsal Sunday 10 January – Curtain Performance Monday 11 January – Final Cast Run/Bump-In Tuesday 12 January – Crew Technical Fixes Wednesday 13 January – Preview Rehearsal Times: Sundays – 12:30pm–3:30pm and Mondays – 6:30pm–9:00pm Warnings: The story contains infidelity, betrayal, violence, references to execution/burning at the stake, and death. Creative Team: Director – Jack Bradford Choreographer – Ruth Gabriel Music Director – Mark Beilby Assistant Director – Sienna Santos Production – Sara Reynolds Production Website: Brisbane Musical Theatre Other information: An Audition Information Session will be held on Sunday 6 September from 3:00pm–4:00pm in the Upstairs Studio at Emerge Church. Callbacks will be held on Monday 21 September from 6:00pm–9:00pm. Callback performers will prepare cold reads and designated songs. Casting is expected to be announced on Sunday 27 September. The production fee is $80, covering annual membership, refreshments, and insurance. This includes a refundable $20 deposit upon return of the script/score. Performers should disclose known rehearsal conflicts on their audition form. Missing three or more rehearsals without communication or reason may result in a role being withdrawn. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Arthur Male, 25–40 Vocal Range: A2–Eb4 An idealistic, compassionate, and generous young king. Though sometimes unsure of himself, Arthur inspires those around him and strives to create a kingdom governed by honour, equality, and chivalry. Guenevere Female, 20–35 Vocal Range: B3–A5 A spirited young woman who becomes Arthur’s queen. She loves Arthur and believes in his ideals, but her world is complicated by the arrival of Lancelot and the unexpected feelings that develop between them. Lancelot Male, 20–35 Vocal Range: A2–B4 A highly accomplished and rather self-involved French knight who is accustomed to excelling at everything. Fiercely devoted to Arthur and the ideals of Camelot, his confidence is challenged by his feelings for Guenevere. Pellinore Male, 50–70 An eccentric older knight devoted to Arthur. Warm, muddled, humorous, and well-meaning. Mordred Male, 20–30 Vocal Range: C3–D4 Arthur’s illegitimate son, who arrives in Camelot determined to undermine his father and destroy the kingdom he has built. Tom of Warwick Male, 14–20 An earnest young stowaway who dreams of becoming a Knight of the Round Table. His belief in Camelot ultimately reminds Arthur that his ideals can survive beyond the kingdom itself. Nimue Female, 20–40 Vocal Range: Eb4–Eb5 A mysterious mythical spirit who lures Merlyn away and steals his magical powers. Merlyn Male, 20–50 Arthur’s longtime mentor and a wizard who ages backwards. He guides the young king before being drawn away from Camelot by Nimue. Morgan Le Fay Female, 40–50 Mordred’s magical aunt and a sorceress who casts a spell on Arthur. Mischievous, indulgent, eccentric, and more interested in enjoying herself than fitting the traditional image of a wicked sorceress. Knights – Dinadan, Lionel & Sagramore Knights of the Round Table who feature in the story’s court and jousting sequences, with opportunities for energetic comedy and character work. Ensemble / Featured Ensemble / Vocal Ensemble Includes Knights of the Round Table, lords and ladies of the court, townspeople, and other inhabitants of Camelot. Strong singers, actors, movers, and specialist dancers are being sought.

Hot Tub Presented By: Ad Astra Theatre Venue: Pluto, Ad Astra, Petrie Terrace Date Attended: 13 August 2026 Written By: Lewis Treston Director: Daniel Lammin Assistant Director: Ebony Webb Assistant Director & Sound Designer: Eloise Collins Stage Manager: Zalee Jensen Set Designer: Ashleigh Winter Costume Designer: Lottie Babic Lighting Designer: Teegan Kranenburg Photography: Sierra Sunset Co. | Saën Sunderland “Ick! This is gonna trigger my childhood trauma.” I have now spent several days trying to explain Hot Tub to people, and I’m not entirely convinced I can. It's White Lotus meets The Real Housewives... but make it bogan Gold Coast. Set during Schoolies, awkward Townsville teenager Dido Hunter (Grace Lofting) has travelled to the GC to visit her absent father, Murray (Sandro Colarelli). She's got one tiny favour to ask him - just a casual $32K for some surgery in Brazil. She's pulled into his bizarre new family, where nobody seems capable of behaving like a normal human being. Leading the household and property (The Great White) is Eunice White (Sarah Speller), whose fortune is vanishing thanks to some questionable investments. Murray is hitched to Eunice’s daughter Jade (Natasha McDonald), who spends most of Act One temporarily blind after eye surgery in Bangkok. Her son Reese (Lachlan Brayshaw) is Dido’s pampered new stepbrother and an OnlyFans creator who quickly concocts another money-making scheme. Toss in a loony cop, a friendly tradie, a juiced-up conman, and a criminal investigation... Daniel Lammin’s direction doesn’t try to tame any of it. Scenes are abrupt, heightened, and occasionally bonkers. The family gathering just gets stranger every time somebody new wanders in. Just when I was wrapping my head around one jaw-dropping moment (that stairwell scene, anyone?), another one would pop up. Eventually, I gave up on predicting the madness and just rode the rollercoaster in joy. When I entered Ad Astra’s intimate black-box theatre, Pluto, the cast was already lounging in beach chairs around the space. With no traditional wings, the performers remain visible around the perimeter when they’re “offstage”. It suits the GC resort vibe rather nicely (and means we never really escape this family). Ashleigh Winter’s sparse set leaves plenty for the performers and our imagination to do. The long-awaited arrival of the titular hot tub is particularly funny, with the ensemble committing wholeheartedly to the mime. Eloise Collins’ sound design transports us straight to Surfers Paradise. We’re serenaded by the sounds of Schoolies, the beach, and the bubbling spa. The local references hit home for a QLD crowd. This isn’t some generic satire. Many of us have probably wandered down Cavill Ave late at night and made poor decisions of our own... Grace Lofting brings an awkward vulnerability to Dido. She's clearly fishing for more than just cash from Murray, even if both of them are clueless about how to express it. As Dido gets sucked into the whirlwind of the Hunter-White circle (since Dad is too preoccupied to take her to Movie World like he promised), Lofting lets her character evolve with it. By later scenes, she’s in sparkly togs with styled hair, plumped lips, and heavier makeup. She even ends up "performing" for Reese's online fans to rake in some cash. There's an undercurrent in Dido's storyline about changing yourself to fit the life you think you want. Lofting holds onto that vulnerability without letting it disappear beneath all the jokes throughout. “Do you like yourself?” Sandro Colarelli plays the denim-clad hipster-wannabe-bogan dad Murray. He's got the aura of a man who's undoubtedly made several financial choices that shouldn't be investigated too closely. His interactions with Dido swing between awkward, touching, or tragic as you gradually realise how poorly they really know each other. And then there’s Jade... Somehow, Murray and Jade make perfect sense together. Natasha McDonald is a riot as his fabulously flashy trophy wife, who spends most of Act One stumbling around and screeching. She’s childlike, melodramatic, and completely on her own wavelength. She needs to bathe her crystals in the ocean and occasionally slips into prophetic episodes. That pretty much says it all. She has strong Alexis Rose/Moira Rose (Schitt's Creek) vibes, particularly once The NeverEnding Story karaoke kicks in. McDonald's comedic timing is so loose and unpredictable that I started to wonder if she was making it up as she went along. Her pauses, whines, and odd reactions seem to hit Jade about half a second before they tumble out of her mouth. Lachlan Brayshaw’s Reese is the ultimate brat queen who has grown up with money and a serious disconnect from the real world. He somehow exudes a spectacular sense of self-importance yet remains entirely indifferent to everything. Brayshaw portrays him with a dry humour, never glossing over his casual cruelty. Beneath all that luxury and privilege lies an emotional void, which makes some interactions with Dido surprisingly impactful. “You’re gonna make a lucky man very unhappy one day.” Sarah Speller brings formidable authority to Eunice White, the haughty head of this unstable household. Eunice is British, affluent, and stern, with a keen interest in horse racing and an apparent comfort with brandishing a firearm. Meanwhile, she continues dispensing proclamations and attempts to keep the family's finances afloat (but not in the hot tub). “You’re not entitled to the good things in life, you have to earn them.” Then we have Officer Sheryl. Ruby Gudenswager might have created the character who stayed in my head the longest afterwards. Sheryl has these huge, intensely focused eyes; it's like she's trying to hypnotise you into confessing your deepest secrets. I’m fairly sure she never blinked. She truly is the most intriguing character to unpack - just mention the old Gold Coast Bungee Rocket. By the closing moments, Sheryl is softly singing the lyrics of Savage Garden’s Affirmation to soothe herself. I’ve been listening to Affirmation non-stop ever since. Those lyrics really are like a warm hug for the soul. Daniel Johnson pulls double duty as Macka and Stinger. Macka is your laid-back Gold Coast tradie (who also happens to be an undercover cop). In Act Two, he reappears as Stinger, a bikie conman with an overconfident swagger. “Enjoy hell, I’m sure you’ll fit right in!” The ensemble work is one of the biggest reasons all of this holds together. The actors are all equally brilliant at portraying Treston’s over-the-top characters. You simply couldn’t play this material halfway. That commitment also helps Lammin keep the plot rolling when it starts tying itself in knots. Amidst the chaos, there's plenty to keep us entertained. This family is always on the hunt for the next quick fix. And if all else fails... there's always karaoke. It all sits perfectly inside this very Gold Coast collision between luxury and tackiness. For all the satire, though, the Hunter-Whites are oddly charming in their own disastrous way. The audience around me seemed equally bewildered and entertained. At times I was watching the faces across the theatre almost as much as the stage. There were plenty of visible WTF reactions and a tidal wave of laughs throughout. Hot Tub is coarse, camp, deliberately tacky, and gloriously chaotic. There are references to body image, drugs, sex work, gambling, and violence (plus firearms, loud noises, and flashing lights). It won’t be for somebody looking for tidy realism or a plot that politely explains itself. I walked out trying to work out exactly what I had just witnessed. I also walked out wanting to tell everybody about it.

The True Midnight Cry Presented by: Minola Theatre Venue: PIP Theatre Date Attended: 14 August 2026 Written by: Bianca Butler Reynolds Directed by: Kat Dekker Set Designer: Regan Ainslie Lighting Designer: Teegan Kranenburg Sound Designer: Roosje Harder Stage Manager: Ursula Heesh Intimacy Consultant: NJ Price Production Photography: Kris Anderson (Images by Anderson) “Eternity is a reality with which I must contend." Brisbane’s theatre calendar has coincidentally produced a compelling double bill this August. While The Book of Mormon causes religious mischief at QPAC, just across the bridge at PIP Theatre, Bianca Butler Reynolds is taking the apocalypse considerably more seriously. So, a light evening at the theatre, then. Presented by Minola Theatre, The True Midnight Cry is an ambitious new two-hander written by Reynolds and directed by Kat Dekker. Think of it as two plays in one, with a 200-year gap. In 1840s New England, Inez (Bianca Butler Reynolds) and her husband Thaddeus (Colin W Smith) are raising three children with another on the way. They live off the land in a world where mortality comes much earlier. Their marriage is supportive and loving, until Thaddeus becomes increasingly wrapped up in the teachings of a preacher who claims to know when Christ will return. The title has real historical roots, by the way. Back in 1844, preacher Samuel S. Snow published The True Midnight Cry, foreseeing the Second Coming. The predicted day came and went (spoiler alert, no apocalypse!), leaving the Millerite movement with what became known as the Great Disappointment. Fast forward two centuries and we find ourselves in a futuristic Australian society that has been shaped by the ominously named "dark '30s". Mila (Reynolds) works within Arcadia, a government monitoring program that uses personal and behavioural data to identify people vulnerable to radicalisation or violence. Meanwhile, Conrad (Smith) is the ever-inquisitive and talkative security guard stationed to protect her. The link between these worlds takes time to reveal itself, and I liked being left to piece it together as the story unfolded. I loved discovering the characters in real time, including the lives and histories of people who never physically appear onstage but gradually become important to our understanding of the four who do. And despite how many ideas Reynolds is juggling, the story itself is easy to follow. Her writing gives us enough information to understand each world without drowning the characters in philosophy. Regan Ainslie’s set begins as a wooden cube structure, framing a modest nineteenth-century home that immediately suggests the hard work of daily survival. Inez and Thaddeus initially seem comfortably matched, with mutual affection and passion. However, Thaddeus’ growing fixation on the prophecy soon creates a religious divide in their marriage. For him, the promise of the Second Coming offers something incredibly tempting: certainty amid life’s difficulties and fears. “We need not face death!” Smith adeptly handles Thaddeus’ downward spiral. His excitement mutates into an obsession, responsibilities start slipping, and the practical needs of his family take a backseat to his preparations for an eternity he believes is imminent. Meanwhile, poor Inez might as well be talking to a brick wall... There’s an infuriating contradiction in hearing Thaddeus describe women as “the wiser sex” while repeatedly disregarding the woman in front of him. Reynolds portrays Inez with such a grounded sense of practicality. She does not mock his faith, nor is she without faith herself, but she can recognise how their beliefs are progressively diverging as their disagreements get uglier. “I've made you unhappy without knowing how.” Reynolds developed the play specifically as a two-hander for herself and Smith, and you can feel that in the chemistry between them and in how comfortably the characters sit with each performer. She grants both characters dignity to ensure the play doesn't devolve into a simplistic argument of religious-person-bad versus sceptical-person-good. Knowing the work draws heavily from her own Adventist upbringing adds another layer because that nuance is clearly there onstage. She’s exploring the harm caused, what she still believes, and the complexity of separating the two (especially when those ideas are ingrained in childhood before we’re old enough to think critically). And during interval, the whole world changes... The timber structure becomes metallic, fluorescent, and institutional. Cold light replaces the warmth of the nineteenth century, computer screens appear, Reynolds returns in a sharp black suit, glasses, and sleek blonde bob as Mila, and Smith swaps Thaddeus’ period clothing for Conrad’s practical uniform and tactical vest. Almost everything changes. Except the mirror. The same ornate mirror sits in both worlds, quietly linking the past and the future. “I don't believe in things where there is no data.” For Act Two, Reynolds portrays Mila, a character distinct from Inez yet similar in nature. She is controlled, intelligent, headstrong, and loyal to measurable information. Initially, her worldview contrasts sharply with that of Thaddeus, but the longer we spend with her, the more those two worldviews start to echo each other. Both characters are uncomfortable with uncertainty and place great faith in systems that promise to reduce it. Arcadia inevitably invites comparisons to Minority Report, as Mila focuses on how our behavioural data could be used to determine who might become dangerous, who might be vulnerable, and who needs monitoring. Reynolds envisions a future two decades from now that's recognisable enough to be unsettling: cancer still exists, trauma still occurs, and people still seek human connection. They carry implanted technology embedded in their arms with periodic "data sync" announcements. After years of instability and violence (after a vaguely stated North Korea situation...), society has apparently accepted increasingly invasive surveillance in exchange for the promise of safety. But human beings, of course, are more complicated. Smith has an enormous amount of dialogue in this half, but it doesn't feel like pages of exposition. Conrad speaks with the easy rhythm of a friendly debate that occasionally turns into an accidental therapy session. There’s always real thought happening behind his words. Plus, he repeatedly drums his hand against his leg, a small physical tic that hints at the stress underneath all that chatter. And the longer he stays inside this controlled environment, the more the confinement wears on him. The space starts to feel like an office, high-tech bunker, prison, and psychiatric ward all at once. Regan Ainslie’s set plays right into that feeling, sitting at the centre of the roundhouse seating so the audience surrounds this contained little world from every side. It offers protection from the outside world while still keeping the characters confined and strangely assailable. Teegan Kranenburg’s lighting clearly separates the two periods: the nineteenth century glows with amber and warm earth tones, while the future is under colder blues and harsh fluorescent whites. Roosje Harder’s sound design shifts with it. Birds and natural sounds give way to mechanical rumbles, computerised cues, synthetic tones, and those ambient sounds that remind me of meditation apps trying to convince you everything is absolutely fine. Between scenes, Doretta Balkizas’ violin interludes give us a little musical breathing room. By the final stretch, things have become much more personal. I won't spoil the discoveries because the gradual exposure of these characters' histories is central to the experience. There is also no pretending that The True Midnight Cry is brief. The program lists a running time of approximately three hours including interval (and apparently this is already the cut-down version). So, get your buttocks comfy in that seat! There are a lot of ideas flying around here: theology, ideology, psychology, technology, trauma, ethics... sometimes all at once. But I never stopped wanting to know more about the people involved, and that’s what keeps it working. Reynolds builds enough emotional life around the ideas that the play remains about human beings rather than concepts wearing costumes talking at each other. Plus, there are so many brilliant lines scattered through the script that I felt compelled to keep jotting them down. Perhaps the most revealing is Thaddeus' observation: “The world ended in a whole other way.” Because an apocalypse may not necessarily arrive with fire, judgement, and graves opening beneath our feet. A world can end when a marriage changes forever, when the belief system you were raised inside collapses, when somebody violates your trust, or when society loses its sense of civility. Reynolds’ play isn’t really asking whether religion or science has the correct answer. It’s more interested in what people do when they can’t tolerate the possibility that there may be no answer at all. Thaddeus relies on prophecy, Mila turns to data, Conrad searches for closure, and Inez embraces nature. This is a big, deeply personal piece of writing, and exactly the kind of original Australian work that I love to see independent companies taking risks on. It asks a lot of its performers and its audience, but it also gives plenty back: two terrific performances, an inventive production design, fascinating speculative world-building, and enough moral and philosophical knots to keep untangling on the way home. Content warnings include coarse language, self-harm, references to sexual assault, miscarriage, and terrorism, with haze and strobing lighting also used. If you’re happy to settle in for a substantial night of theatre, this is one call that's well worth answering.

Title: Chicago: Teen Edition Presented By: Brisbane Junior Theatre Genre: Youth Musical Synopsis: Set amid the glamour and grit of 1920s Chicago, Chicago: Teen Edition follows aspiring performer Roxie Hart after she murders a faithless lover and finds herself imprisoned alongside vaudeville star Velma Kelly. Both women quickly discover that in a city obsessed with scandal, crime can be transformed into celebrity with the right headlines, the right lawyer, and enough razzle dazzle. As Roxie and Velma compete for public attention and the services of slick defence attorney Billy Flynn, the musical takes a sharp, funny look at fame, justice, ambition, and the media circus surrounding sensational crime. This Teen Edition retains the iconic score and story while adapting some language and adult material for younger performers and audiences. Audition Date: Saturday 12 September 2026 Audition Time: 1:00pm–4:00pm Audition Location and Address: Emerge Church, 1 Coorparoo Road, Warner QLD 4500 Audition Requirements: Auditions are required for performers seeking a lead or minor role, featured dancer position, or solo. Everyone who auditions is guaranteed a place in the cast. Auditionees are required to: Memorise the assigned monologue with appropriate characterisation and accents. Prepare the song listed on the relevant monologue sheet. Participate in a dance audition, with choreography taught on the day. Audition Registration: Book an audition time by texting Debbie on 0438 896 436. A Production Registration Form must also be completed and emailed to brisbanejuniortheatre@gmail.com. Audition Pack: View the BJT audition and monologue packs on Google Drive Brisbane Junior Theatre – Chicago: Teen Edition Performance Dates: Friday 25 September and Saturday 26 September 2026 Performance Times: Friday 25 September: 6:00pm & 8:00pm Saturday 26 September: 12:00pm & 2:00pm Performance Location: Emerge Church1 Coorparoo Road, Warner QLD 4500 Rehearsal Dates: Monday 21 September – Friday 25 September 2026 Rehearsal Times: 8:30am–5:00pm daily Warnings:Chicago centres on murder, imprisonment, capital punishment, infidelity, corruption, manipulation, and sensationalised crime. The Teen Edition has been specifically adapted to remove overtly sexual references and adult language from the original version. Production Website: Brisbane Junior Theatre – Chicago: Teen Edition Other information: An optional Audition Intensive will be held on Saturday 5 September from 12:00pm–3:00pm at the Emerge Church Upstairs Studio. The intensive costs $50 and covers monologue delivery, characterisation, physicality, projection, accents, audition-song presentation, acting through song, storytelling, and vocal technique. Individual feedback will be provided. Musical Participation fee: $425 including GST. The fee covers costumes, rights and royalties, scripts, insurance, technical and creative staff, sets and props, venue hire, and pizza dinner with a drink on the Friday performance day. Performers cannot audition without registering and paying. BJT guarantees every auditionee a place in the cast. BJT generally double casts its productions to provide performers with additional performance opportunities. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Roxie Hart Female-presenting An ambitious, impulsive aspiring performer who dreams of fame and suddenly finds herself at the centre of Chicago’s biggest murder story. Roxie is charming, manipulative, funny, vulnerable, and determined to turn notoriety into stardom. Requires a strong singer, actor, and mover with excellent comic timing. Velma Kelly Female-presenting A confident vaudeville performer already accustomed to the spotlight when she lands on Murderess’ Row. Stylish, sharp, competitive, and highly theatrical, Velma becomes Roxie’s principal rival for headlines and public sympathy. Requires particularly strong dance ability alongside confident vocals and acting. Billy Flynn Male-presenting A charismatic celebrity lawyer who knows exactly how to manipulate journalists, juries, and public opinion. Smooth, theatrical, charming, and completely in control of his own image. Requires excellent stage presence and a strong singer/actor. Amos Hart Male-presenting Roxie’s loyal but frequently overlooked husband. Sweet, sincere, and somewhat naïve, Amos remains devoted to Roxie despite repeatedly being taken for granted. A strong character role requiring warmth and understated comedy. Matron “Mama” Morton Female-presenting The formidable matron of the Cook County Jail. Mama understands how the prison system works and happily exchanges favours for favours. Bold, confident, commanding, and humorous, with a strong vocal presence. Mary Sunshine Female-presenting A relentlessly optimistic newspaper journalist who believes everyone has some good in them. A highly theatrical character role requiring strong comic commitment and a high vocal register. Fred Casely Roxie’s lover, whose death sets the plot in motion. A featured acting role. Sergeant Fogarty A police officer involved in investigating Fred Casely’s death. The Merry Murderesses of Murderess’ Row Featured prisoners including Liz, Annie, June, Hunyak, and Mona, each with her own story explaining how she ended up in jail. These are strongly characterised singing, acting, and movement roles featured in “Cell Block Tango.” Kitty A sensational new murder defendant whose arrival temporarily steals the press spotlight from Roxie. Ensemble The ensemble may portray prisoners, reporters, jurors, court officials, dancers, club performers, police, and other citizens of Jazz Age Chicago. Chicago is particularly dance-driven, so ensemble performers have substantial opportunities for stylised movement, vocals, and featured character work.

Title: Disney’s Moana Jr. Presented By: Valmy Academy Genre: Youth Musical Theatre Synopsis: Moana Jr. is a stage adaptation of Disney’s animated adventure, following adventurous teenager Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her people and discover the truth about her heritage. Along the way, she encounters the legendary demigod Maui and a host of colourful characters in a story about courage, identity, community, and finding your own path. Audition Date: Sunday 30 August 2026 Audition Time: 1:00pm–4:00pm Audition Location and Address: Valmy Academy, 127 Sandgate Road, Albion, Brisbane Audition Requirements: Every registered child will be part of the production. The auditions are used to determine where each performer fits best rather than to decide who is included. Audition Registration: Registration is through Valmy Academy. Families who register will receive the full audition pack. Valmy Academy Performance Dates: 26 September 2026 Performance Times: 11:30am and 2:30pm Performance Location: Hope Centre, 35 Thompson Street, Bowen Hills Rehearsal Dates: Holiday Workshop Week: 21–26 September 2026 Rehearsal Times: 9:00am–4:00pm daily Performer Age: 5–17 Production Website: Valmy Academy Other information: Audition Preparation Workshop: Saturday 22 August, 3:00pm–5:00pm Participants can learn the audition choreography ahead of time, ask questions, and receive audition tips before audition day. Audition Day & Parent Information Session: Sunday 30 August, 1:00pm–4:00pm Holiday Workshop Week: Monday 21–Saturday 26 September, 9:00am–4:00pm daily Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Moana Female | Vocal Range: G3–D5 The adventurous, determined daughter of Motunui’s chief. Moana is energetic, compassionate, funny, and increasingly confident as she struggles between the future expected of her and her desire to explore beyond the reef. This is a major singing and acting role requiring maturity, strong storytelling, and confidence with songs such as “How Far I’ll Go.” Maui Male | Vocal Range: G2–B3 A charismatic demigod, master wayfinder, shapeshifter, and legendary trickster. Maui is larger-than-life, funny, confident, and physically expressive, but gradually reveals a more vulnerable side as his friendship with Moana develops. Strong comic timing, energy, and stage presence are important. Gramma Tala Female | Vocal Range: G3–B4 Moana’s wise, eccentric, and playful grandmother. Tala is the village storyteller and encourages Moana to understand both her identity and her connection to the ocean. Requires warmth, humour, and the ability to handle both comic and heartfelt material. Chief Tui Male | Vocal Range: E2–A#2 Moana’s father and the respected chief of Motunui. Protective and responsible, he prioritises the safety of his family and village and strongly discourages Moana from travelling beyond the reef. A mature, grounded actor with good singing ability is required. Sina Female | Vocal Range: C#4–C#5 Moana’s compassionate and perceptive mother. Sina understands her daughter more deeply than most and ultimately trusts Moana to make her own decisions. A confident singer and actor with a warm, mature presence. Chief Ancestors 1–3 Any gender | Vocal Range: G3–A4 Three ancient leaders of Motunui who help guide Moana and narrate parts of her journey. These roles suit expressive storytellers with strong diction, characterisation, and singing ability. Pua Any gender | Vocal Range: B3–C#5 Moana’s loyal and supportive friend. Pua may be nervous about adventure but remains devoted to Moana. A confident singer with strong character energy can make this featured role stand out. Hei Hei Any gender | Vocal Range: B3–C#5 Moana’s hilariously clueless companion. Hei Hei is innocent, naïve, and well-meaning, offering plenty of opportunity for physical comedy and bold character choices. Tamatoa Any gender | Vocal Range: B3–B4 A giant, egotistical crab living in Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters. Obsessed with collecting shiny treasures, Tamatoa is theatrical, outrageous, and completely convinced of their own fabulousness. This role requires big personality, comedy, and confident showmanship. Te Kā / Te Fiti Any gender Two connected manifestations central to Moana’s quest. Te Kā is a fierce volcanic force guarding the path forward, while Te Fiti represents restoration and creation. These roles are generally movement and storytelling-focused within the ensemble. Ensemble Roles

Title: Nunsense Presented By: St Luke’s Theatre Society Genre: Musical Comedy Synopsis: Nunsense is a hit musical comedy about five surviving nuns from the Little Sisters of Hoboken. After their cook accidentally poisons 52 sisters with tainted soup, the remaining nuns discover they have run out of money before they can bury the final four bodies (currently being kept in the freezer!) because Mother Superior spent part of the funds on a new television. Their solution? Stage a chaotic variety show to raise the rest of the cash. Audition Date: Saturday 29 August 2026 Audition Time: 9:00am–12:00pm Audition Location and Address: St Luke’s, 193 Ekibin Road East, Tarragindi Audition Requirements: Dance: Auditionees will learn a group dance routine to demonstrate their movement skills. Singing: Bring a backing track for a song that showcases your vocal range and strength. Consider the vocal requirements of the role(s) you are auditioning for when selecting your song. Acting: Auditionees will be asked to read a section of the script to demonstrate characterisation. A soft, indistinguishable American accent is preferred for the principal roles. Performance Dates: 20, 21, 27 & 28 November and 4 & 5 December 2026 Performance Times: Evening performances: 7:30pm Saturday matinees (21 & 28 November and 5 December): 2:00pm Performance Location: St Luke’s, 193 Ekibin Road East, Tarragindi Rehearsal Dates: Commencing Sunday 13 September 2026 Rehearsal Times: Mondays & Wednesdays: 7:00pm–9:00pm Sundays: 3:00pm–6:00pm Creative Team: Director: Eddie Bruce Production Website: https://stlukestheatre.asn.au/ Other information: Callbacks will be held on Monday 31 August and Wednesday 2 September from 7:00pm. Questions can be directed to Director Eddie Bruce at eddieb4@bigpond.com. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Nunsense is traditionally performed with five actresses portraying the principal nuns. For this production, St Luke’s Theatre Society plans to add a small chorus of nuns to provide additional energy to the main musical numbers. Performers of all experience levels and backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Sister Mary Regina, Mother Superior Voice Type: Mezzo-Soprano / Alto Range: B3–F5 Style: Bold, brassy, with a comedic belt A feisty Sophie Tucker type who can’t resist the spotlight. To the outside world, she is a model Mother Superior, but to those who know her, she can be an outrageous, quick-witted soul who knows how to get a laugh. Sister Mary Hubert, Mistress of Novices Voice Type: Soprano / Mezzo-Soprano Range: G3–F5 Style: Soulful, powerful, and expressive Second in command and always competing with Mother Superior. She tries to be understanding and diplomatic and teaches the novices the ground rules. She is supposed to be dignified, but with a little encouragement, she’ll happily kick up her heels. Sister Robert Anne Voice Type: Mezzo-Soprano Range: G3–D5 Style: Gritty, energetic, with a Broadway belt A streetwise, tough character from Brooklyn who is a constant source of aggravation for Mother Superior. She has a heart of gold, and the kids adore her because she is fun, speaks their language, and can hit a baseball “out of the park.” Sister Mary Amnesia Voice Type: Soprano Range: Db4–C6 Style: High mix/belt, light operatic, or versatile country style A sweet and innocent nun who lost her memory after a crucifix fell on her head. Unable to remember her past, she approaches each new day with childlike joy. Sister Mary Leo Voice Type: Soprano / Mezzo-Soprano Range: G#3–G5 Style: Sweet, youthful mix Dance: Must be a very good ballet dancer A novice who entered the convent with the firm desire to become the first nun ballerina. She was a dancer before entering the convent and is always eager to display her talent. Young and impressionable, she can also be easily led astray. Supporting Nuns / Chorus A small chorus of additional nuns to support the principal cast and provide additional energy to the main musical numbers. Supporting performers will still participate in the dance and singing components of the audition.

Title: York Street Presented By: Mercury Theatre Wynnum Inc. Genre: Australian Historical Drama Synopsis: Set in York Street, Coorparoo, between 1939 and 1942, York Street centres on the Murran family as the outbreak of World War II begins to reshape everyday life in suburban Brisbane. Written by local playwright Jim Loftus, the play unfolds through a series of vignettes inspired by real members of his family, particularly his mother, Sonya. As Sonya grows into a young woman, she begins to question the world around her and recognise her own capacity to challenge injustice and create change, foreshadowing her later career as an Australian trade unionist. Against a backdrop of war, family life, humour, hardship, love, and social change, York Street tells a distinctly local story about ordinary people living through an extraordinary period of Australian history. The production will make its world premiere in Manly, Queensland. Audition Date: Sunday 23 August 2026 Audition Time: 1:00pm Audition Location and Address: Manly-Lota RSL Memorial Hall, 184 Melville Terrace, Manly QLD Audition Requirements: Please download and read the audition pack before attending. Audition Registration: Express your interest Performance Dates: 14 - 29 November 2026 Performance Location: Manly-Lota RSL Memorial Hall, 184 Melville Terrace, Manly Creative Team: Writer: Jim Loftus Director: Sherryl-lee Secomb Production Website: Mercury Theatre Wynnum – York Street Available Roles/Character Breakdown: The casting call advises that the production requires: 11 main/full roles 2 smaller female roles 2 actors to cover four smaller male roles 1 offstage voice Performers across various ages Detailed individual character descriptions and audition material are contained in the production's audition pack.

Title: Once Upon a Time Presented By: Fame Performing Arts Genre: Musical Theatre / Youth Workshop Synopsis: Once Upon a Time is a Fame original adaptation featuring some of the performers' favourite storybook moments, songs and characters. The workshop invites young performers to explore the world of musical theatre while developing their singing, acting and dancing skills. Audition Date: Saturday September 5th, 2026 Audition Time: 1:30PM – 3:30PM Audition Location and Address: 6/43 Lang Parade, Milton QLD Audition Requirements: Audition details are not specified. The workshop is designed to develop singing, acting and dancing skills. Audition Registration: Book Once Upon a Time Performance Dates: Friday September 25th, 2026 Performance Times: 5PM and 6:30PM Performance Location: Hamilton Hall, 36-42 Racecourse Road (at the corner of Rossiter Parade), Hamilton QLD 4007 Rehearsal Dates: Monday September 21st – Thursday September 24th, 2026 Rehearsal Times: 9AM – 3PM The full show day on Friday 25 September runs from 9AM – 7PM Rehearsal Location: 6/43 Lang Parade, Milton QLD Performer Age: 6–15 years Creative Team: Fame Performing Arts creative team Production Website: Fame Performing Arts - Once Upon A Time Other information: The workshop is open to both current Fame students and new students wanting to experience musical theatre. Participants will spend four workshop days developing their performance skills, followed by a full show day. The workshop fee is $495 including GST. The fee includes the audition day, costumes and a pizza party. Additional supervision from 3PM – 5PM is available with Fame staff for $16.50 per day including GST. Show tickets will be available soon. Available Roles/Character Breakdown: Specific character breakdowns have not been provided. The production will feature storybook characters and moments as part of Fame's original adaptation.