Variety Hour: Queensland’s Brightest Young Performers Take Centre Stage

Feature-Variety Hour: A New Era of Family Entertainment

Magic, music, acrobatics and a juggling finale; Variety Hour packs plenty into its 60 minutes. Bringing emerging Queensland talent together with experienced entertainers, this family-friendly production celebrates the many forms live performance can take. Performer and producer William Piper shares what audiences can expect and the moment he most looks forward to on stage.

About The Show – Variety Hour: A New Era of Family Entertainment

What is this show about?

Variety Hour is a fast-paced, family-friendly live variety production designed to bring together an exciting mix of entertainment styles, performers and personalities for one unforgettable hour.

How would you describe this show to someone who has never seen anything like it before?

I’d describe Variety Hour as an exciting, fast-paced celebration of live entertainment that brings together some of Queensland’s brightest emerging young performers. The idea is to give every performer their own moment in the spotlight, showcasing their individual talents while creating something bigger as an ensemble. Combining magic, juggling, comedy, music, acrobatics, vocals and dance, the show offers something for everyone, whether you’re a lifelong theatre lover or experiencing live variety entertainment for the first time. At its heart, *Variety Hour* is about celebrating the next generation of talent and giving young artists the opportunity to shine in a professional theatre environment alongside experienced entertainers.

William Piper

What is the moment in the show you most look forward to performing?

For me, it’s the juggling finale. As both a performer and the producer of the show, it’s a really special moment because it brings everything together after months of planning, rehearsals and hard work

What is the element of the show that is hardest to explain but unmissable in person?

I think it’s the energy and unpredictability of having so many different art forms come together in one show. One moment you’re watching a magic trick, the next you’re seeing an incredible acrobatic routine or a young vocalist taking centre stage. There’s a real sense of excitement in not knowing what’s coming next, and the audience gets to experience each performer’s personality and passion up close

Who is this show for? Who is going to have the time of their life?

Variety Hour is for the whole family, from young children experiencing the magic of live theatre for the first time to parents, grandparents and anyone who loves being entertained. If you enjoy incredible talent, laugh-out-loud moments, jaw-dropping tricks and the excitement of not knowing what’s coming next, there’s something here for you.

Our thanks to William for giving us a glimpse behind the curtain. With its changing pace and mix of personalities, Variety Hour invites families to discover a new favourite act and enjoy the surprises along the way. For William, that finale also marks the culmination of months of work; a moment to celebrate everyone who helped bring the show to life.

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Summer Spectacular Hook’s Neverland Sails Into The Concert Hall

Feature-Hook's Neverland

A thrilling new adventure from the minds behind GATSBY at The Green Light

The swashbuckling spectacular Hook’s Neverland sails into the Concert Hall this summer for its world premiere, with the irrepressible Captain James Hook at its helm. Forget the boy who wouldn’t grow up: this tale is all Hook’s as he flips that well-trod legend of villainy and introduces a world filled with reverie and wonderment. With his right-hand man Smee, and a maverick Tinkerbell causing trouble along the way, Hook guides audiences through an unforgettable journey filled with circus, illusions, humour and tomfoolery. A raucous carnival of extraordinary performers will astonish and delight in this voyage across the realms of Neverland, from the waters of Mermaid Lagoon to the decks of the Jolly Roger.

Captain Hook and his motley crew cast off into the high seas, juggling and teetering towards a luminous Fairyland, where soaring aerials ignite mischief and whimsy. Tripping into the Lost Boys Hideout, they find themselves in a riotous underground world, with high-energy acrobatics echoing the thrumming chaos of childhood, before diving into an underwater paradise filled with sirens and suspense. In Skull Rock, Hook weaves his way across a knife-edge of danger as he tries to evade the relentless crocodile.

Shaped by the imaginations of Craig Ilott, Stuart Couzens (GATSBY at The Green Light and L’Hotel) with Neil Dorward – known for directing theatrical extravaganzas (Circus1903, The Illusionists and Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple) – this bold and enchanting production will thrill the young and the young at heart. The show will be brought to life by an exhilarating, cinematic score from Evan Duffy, composer for Cirque Du Soleil’s Auana as well as film franchises such as Now You See Me.

Director Neil Dorward says: “What excites me about Hook’s Neverland is taking a world we all think we know and completely turning it on its head. We’re bringing together an outstanding international cast of entertainers in circus, magic, comedy and variety, alongside dazzling visual effects, to create a Neverland full of danger, mischief, adventure and possibility. I’m incredibly excited to return to the Sydney Opera House with a brand-new production, and I can’t wait for audiences to step into our Neverland for the first time.”

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance Harry Prouse says: “Every year, we look for remarkable, large-scale work that matches the daring of the Opera House itself, and Hook’s Neverland is exactly that. This circus of the imagination – led by a cunning, scene-stealing Hook – brings together a first-rate line-up of acrobats, high-flyers and illusionists to transform our Concert Hall into Neverland itself. From the creative minds behind some of the world’s most breathtaking theatrical productions, it’s the perfect addition to our summer program, and a chance for audiences of every age to experience childlike wonder under our Sails.”

KEY INFORMATION
WHAT: Hook’s Neverland
WHEN: 9 January – 17 January 2027
WHERE: Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
FOR: Ages 8+
PRICES: From $74.90 plus $8.95 booking fee
PRE SALE: 9am, Tuesday 1 September
WHAT’S ON: 9am, Wednesday 2 September
GENERAL PUBLIC: 9am, Friday 4 September

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Gasha – Cirquework’s Newest Contemporary Circus Work Fringeworld 2026

Feature-GASHA

GASHA is Cirquework’s newest contemporary circus work — a vivid, sensual, and chaotic vision of near-future Japan where bodies, cultures, and aesthetics collide.

The production imagines a world reminiscent of a futuristic pleasure district: a labyrinth of neon haze, fragmented memories, and digital noise. Performers of diverse backgrounds enter this strange landscape, their bodies marked by different histories and physical vocabularies. As they gather, clash, and intertwine, the stage becomes a living organism — shifting between seduction and volatility.

Japanese aesthetics appear only as flickering traces: the shadow of a traditional silhouette, the rhythm of a ritual gesture, the sharp geometry of ink-black light. These fragments merge with digital projections and pulsing electronic sound to create a world where tradition is not preserved, but fractured and reassembled.

Aerials slice through beams of cold light. Acrobatics unfold with both tenderness and danger. Bodies spiral through fog and color, moving like circuitry brought to life.

The cast brings an array of kinetic languages: aerial technique, acrobatics, contemporary dance, and object manipulation — refracted through a distinctly Japanese filter that makes the movement feel both ancient and futuristic.

Lighting sculpts shadows into sharp silhouettes. Video projections shimmer like unstable memories. Digital sound pulses with a seductive urgency.

GASHA is not a narrative. It is a state — a fever dream of identity, intimacy, and transformation. A place where beauty emerges from friction, and chaos becomes its own form of poetry.

This is the beginning of a new style of Japanese circus: bold, borderless, and irresistibly alive. Perth’s Fringeworld:- https://fringeworld.com.au/

 

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