11 shows to put in your diary now that theatre is back on the menu
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Is your calendar beginning to look very dry now that Enlighten Festival is drawing to a close?
Got a friend coming up for the weekend and need to think of a different activity to drinking copious amounts of coffee? Well folks, theatre is back in Canberra—and back with a vengeance.
Put on your best kit and get your mitts on some of Canberra’s best entertainment. Bring your coffee with you, we won’t judge. Sounds good? Good.
Whitefella Yella Tree (Canberra Theatre Centre)
Image via facebook.com/canberratheatrecentre
Has your life been missing a bit of romance lately? Why not live vicariously through White Fella Yella Tree. Set in 19th century Australia, this heart-warming and original play by Canberra-based playwright and Palawa man Dylan Van Den Berg explores teenage love in a drastically changing country.
A beautiful and much-needed story of historical black queerness that will make you feel just a tad bit better about your last breakup, but no promises.
Canberra Theatre Centre | 28 September-1 October | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/whitefella-yellow-tree
The Boys (ACT Hub)
Credit: Mark Actually.
At a time when gender politics has become an overriding social, political and personal issue in Australia, Canberra performer Amy Kowalczuk believes that using theatre to spark and guide public discourse can help make a difference.
Amy is using Gordon Graham’s confronting work The Boys as the perfect tool to explore theatre’s capacity to deepen the discussion on gendered violence. The Boys focuses on the effect of damaging gender narratives, the transition from boyhood to manhood (particularly in low socioeconomic environments) and the internalised misogyny that appears to be attributed to gendered violence.
Read the full story here.
ACT Hub, Causeway Hall, Kingston | 13—16 April | thelittleboxoffice.com/acthub/book/event/150924
SIX (Canberra Theatre Centre)
International smash-hit pop musical SIX is coming to Canberra in April—bringing with it a modern take on the tale of the six wives of Henry VIII and an electrifying, high-octane journey as these Tudor Queens turned Pop Princesses take to the mic to reclaim their story.
The six Queens are set against the theatrical backdrop of a pop concert, and battle it out to be the lead singer in their band. Each having their moment in the stoplight, it’s a catchy way to brush up on history while also keeping “girl power” at the fore—where it should be.
Canberra Theatre Centre | 23 April – 15 May | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
The Sound of Music Encore (The Q)
That’s right; the hills are alive in Canberra! We all know this classic from the film, but why not experience it in person?
You might be inspired to burst into song next time you walk up Mount Ainslie. If that image has tickled your fancy, why not pop it into your calendar?
The Q—The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | 24 June – 3 July 2022 | theq.net.au/whats-on/productions/the-sound-of-music-encore
Canberra Comedy Festival (Canberra Theatre Centre)
Image via canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Admit we have all had weeks where life can feel like such a flippin’ ordeal. Awkward small talk with your co-worker is destroying your soul, and you would rather eat a handful of wasps than hang out the washing.
If this is the case, you are probably well overdue for a good old-fashioned laugh. And lucky for you, Canberra Theatre Centre has an explosive line-up over the next few weeks to make life feel a little less demanding.
Feeling overwhelmed by the jam-packed line-up? Don’t be; here are some names to keep an eye out for.
Lizzy Hoo
Lizzy from Brissy is a rising star you don’t want to miss. Despite the pandemic, she managed to perform at the Sydney Opera House three times in 2020.
Her latest show will discuss family, life and the very important question of what happens to our shoes when we die?
Thursday 24 March at 8.45 pm | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/lizzy-hoo
Georgie Carroll
This gutsy, outspoken nurse will slam you with an hour of 100% unfiltered hospital banter. Come on? How can you resist?
Thursday 24 March at 6.45 pm | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/georgie-carroll
This Changes Everything (The Q)
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The state of the world got you questioning how we can improve it? Before you slip into an existential crisis, This Changes Everything might have some answers. It’s asking some big questions from the perspective of young people.
Deserted on a platform out at sea, this group are trying to create a better society. They are doing the hard work for us while we sit back and enjoy a bag of Maltesers.
The Q—The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | 22 – 30 July | theq.net.au/whats-on/subscriptions/this-changes-everything
Chalk Face (Canberra Theatre Centre)
Image via facebook.com/canberratheatrecentre
I don’t know about you, but when I was a child, the school staff room was one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Chalk Face seems to think so too, allowing audiences to step inside the alluring world of teachers and what happens behind closed doors.
It’s a rousing comedy that will appeal to you and your inner child.
Canberra Theatre Centre | 9-12 of November | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/chalkface
King of Pigs (The Q)
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King of Pigs takes one woman across different eras and spaces with four men.
At 22, on a date on the Gold Coast. At 31, moving into an apartment in Albert Park. At 40, happily married with a nine-year-old son living in Campsie.
A thrilling and brutally honest look at modern gendered violence, this is one not to miss.
The Q—The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | 24–26 March | theq.net.au/whats-on/subscriptions/king-of-pigs
Priscilla Queen of the Desert (The Q)
Yes, really. The Q Theatre is bringing to life this iconic film, and you really don’t want to miss it.
Priscilla, is a love note to the queer community, exposing the homophobia that still exists within rural Australian towns. These dark themes intertwine with dazzling costumes and a fabulously heart-warming musical that will even have Gran tapping her foot.
What are you waiting for, queen? Get a ticket
The Q—The Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre | 26 April – 22 May | theq.net.au/whats-on/productions/priscilla-queen-of-the-desert
The Initiation (Canberra Theatre Centre)
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We all played double dare on those uncomfortable bus trips as a teenager. But Canberra-based playwright Cathy Petocz’s The Initiation takes that tense environment one step further.
Set in the bush of Canberra’s Black Mountain, these teenagers’ double dares will leave them lost and fighting for their lives. An exploration of the awkward dance that is being a teenager—because we’ve all been that sweaty hand, clumsy teen who is trying to work out how to move to the beat.
Canberra Theatre Centre | 15-19 June | canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/the-initiation
