Cast Announced For Australian Premiere Of The Prom

Feature-THE PROM

They’re invited! The cast of the upcoming Tony-nominated Broadway smash-hit production, THE PROM has today been announced. This Drama Desk Award Winner for Best Musical is arriving in Sydney for its Australian Premiere at the newly revitalised Teatro at the Italian Forum from March 2026. Tickets to this musical comedy are on sale now at www.teatroitalianforum.com.au

Broadway and West End star Caroline O’Connor leads this stellar cast as Tony Award Winner Dee Dee Allen. Currently performing in Putting it Together at The Foundry, Caroline has played lead roles on Broadway, the West End, France and across Australia, including Chicago, Anything Goes, 9to5 The Musical, West Side Story and Anastasia, among many others.

At the heart of this joyful musical are its young stars- Sophie Montague (Sister Act) plays Emma, High School Student Banned from The Prom and Paige Fallu (Hairspray) plays Alyssa Greene, Head of Student Council with a Secret. The role of Broadway Chorine, Angie is played by Renae Corser née Berry (Saturday Night Fever) while Brendan Monger (Urinetown) plays Drama Desk Award Winner Barry Glickman. Brad Green (Bootmen) plays Sheldon Saperstein, Broadway Press Agent with a Plan while Thern Reynolds (Evita) plays Esteemed Julliard Graduate/Cater Waiter, Trent. Mrs. Greene, President of the PTA, is played by Erin Bruce (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert – The Musical) with the role of Mr Hawkins, High School Principal (and Theatre Fan) played by Scott Irwin (West Side Story).

Joining this incredible line up are Murray Cunynghame as Nick, Ewan Herdman as Kevin, Abbey McPherson as Shelby and Nina Hurley as Kayley. The ensemble comprises of Isabella Colusso, Rafael Gill, Sophie Gulloch, Kye Hall, Clementine Jenkins, Bella McSporran, Brock Rankmore, Jack Ryan, Sophie Sutton, Jasper Wind with Siena Bucknall and Justin Sacco as swings.

With direction by Teatro Co-Founder Andrew Bevis and co-direction and choreography by Teatro Co-Founder Nathan M. Wright and musical direction by Bev Kennedy, THE PROM features a book by Tony Award winner Bob Martin (Elf, The Drowsy Chaperone) and Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), music by Tony Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf the Musical) and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.

Co-founders and co-drectors Nathan M Wright and Andrew Bevis said “Choosing The Prom as Teatro’s third musical felt both deliberate and deeply personal. From the outset, Teatro was created to champion work that is joyful, relevant, and unapologetically human, and The Prom embodies all of that. Its infectious energy and its message of love, acceptance, and belonging speak directly to the kind of theatre we believe in and the community we are building. This cast is truly exceptional. What excites us most is the combination of leading artists with emerging voices, performers who are fearless, collaborative, and deeply connected to the story they are telling. It’s a company that reflects the spirit of The Prom itself: bold, inclusive, and full of joy.”

“A smart, big-hearted musical!” New York Magazine

“It’s so full of happiness that you think your heart is about to burst.” Variety

Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So, when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow-but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Everyone deserves a chance to celebrate!

THE PROM made its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in August 2016 before it moved to Broadway and enjoyed a successful and critically acclaimed run. The musical was nominated for seven Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Original Score. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and received multiple Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations as well.

In addition to its Broadway success, a Netflix film adaptation of THE PROM, directed and produced by Ryan Murphy and starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Jo Ellen Pellman, and Ariana DeBose, was released in December 2020.

So, grab your tickets and your friends and join the most joyful night of the year at THE PROM.

THE PROM
Season: From 24 March
Venue: Teatro at the Italian Forum, Norton Street, Leichhardt
Performance Times: Wed-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm
Prices: $75 for previews Tue 24 – Thu 26 March (a handling fee of $6.95 per transaction applies). From $85 for remaining dates (a handling fee of $6.95 per transaction applies)
Bookings: www.teatroitalianforum.com.au

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Last Two Weeks At The Foundry Theatre For Putting It Together

Feature-Putting It Together

The dazzling celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest work, Putting It Together, has only two more weeks to play at Sydney’s Foundry Theatre. This wonderful show, which garnered four and five stars from critics and huge acclaim from audiences, must close on 15 February. Set at a glamorous cocktail party, the show blends wit, charm and razor-sharp insight as the cast navigate the complexities of love, ambition and desire.

Featuring a seamless revue of Sondheim’s most iconic songs, audiences are taken on a journey through the genius of one of musical theatre’s most influential composers and lyricists, all wrapped within a clever and intimate story set at an all-night, black tie party.

★★★★ “For charm and sophistication this superb show can’t be beaten” – Sydney Morning Herald
★★★★ “Superbly staged and performed” – Limelight
★★★★★ “musically spectacular” – Stagenoise
“Do not miss this!” Broadway World
“A once-in-a-lifetime ensemble, and the performances are genuinely extraordinary” – Sydney Travel Guide

This once-in-a-lifetime event brings together some of Australia’s finest performers – Caroline O’Connor (Chicago, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd), Michael Cormick (The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty & the Beast), Bert LaBonté (Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Book of Mormon), Nigel Huckle (Miss Saigon, West Side Story) and Stefanie Caccamo (Into The Woods, The Lord of the Rings) – alongside Australia’s finest creative team.

Putting It Together was first performed in Oxford, UK in 1992, directed by Julia McKenzie and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, with a cast led by Diana Rigg and Clive Carter. The original US production in 1993 by the Manhattan Theatre Club featured Christopher Durang, Rachel York and Dame Julie Andrews, making her return to the New York City stage after an absence of more than 30 years. The Broadway production in 1999 starred Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Ruthie Henshall, John Barrowman and Bronson Pinchot. Hearn was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. The revue received its West End premiere in 2014 featuring Janie Dee, David Bedella, Damian Humbley, Caroline Sheen and Daniel Crossley.

Don’t miss this extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime musical event.

www.foundrytheatre.com.au/putting-it-together

PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Words and Music by Stephen Sondheim
Devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie
Starring Caroline O’Connor, Michael Cormick, Bert LaBonté, Nigel Huckle, Stefanie Caccamo

SEASON DETAILS
Venue: Foundry Theatre, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont
Season: To 15 February
Performance Times: Tue-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7:30pm, Matinees Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $69.00 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

New Performances Added To The Next Step: Legacy World Tour

Feature-The Next Step: Legacy World Tour

Due to popular demand, new performances have been added to the Australian leg of global dance phenomenon The Next Step: Legacy World Tour. Additional performances have been added to Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Sutherland and Sydney. Featuring many of the beloved cast members from the iconic TV show, The Next Step: Legacy World Tour arrives in Australia from 8 April turning up the heat in 10 electrifying venues around the country. Tickets available now from https://thenextstep.admitone.com/

The tour features a star-studded cast featuring fan-favourites from the series’ historic 10-Season Run of the beloved TV series The Next Step including Victoria Baldesarra (Michelle), Trevor Tordjman (James), Briar Nolet (Richelle), Jordan Clark (Giselle), Noah Zulfikar (Kingston), Emmerly Tinglin (Kenzie) Carter Musselman (Heath), Alex Chaves (Piper), Benjamin Williams (Pete), and Shane Mahabir (Ethan).

This latest tour is a must-see event for fans of the series, with fan-favourite cast members uniting on one stage to perform showstopping choreography, tell new stories, and revisit the iconic moments that made the series a global hit. The live action teen drama is broadcast in over 120 countries and has aired more than 250 episodes over its 10-season run. Season 10 is currently available on the ABC.

Cast member Trevor Trojman said, “I am so excited to be coming back to Australia with The Next Step Legacy Tour. I have so many incredible memories from touring Australia in the past and feel super lucky to get the chance to come back! Shoutout to all the Aussie TNS fans! Love y’all!”

Fellow cast member Jordan Clark reiterated the sentiment saying “Hey mates! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to come back to Australia. It’s been 10 long years since I’ve had the pleasure of performing there. I’m so pumped to meet and see all the fans! See you soon!”

The Next Step: Legacy World Tour is a collaboration between Boat Rocker Studios and MRG Live. The tour is choreographed by Amy Wright, Trevor Tordjman and Jordan Clark, with Tordjman and Clark also serving as show creatives. From the screen to the stage- feel the passion, power and pulse of The Next Step LIVE.

Tickets @ https://thenextstep.admitone.com/

THE NEXT STEP: LEGACY WORLD TOUR 2026

MELBOURNE
Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
Date: 8 April
Performance Times: 2.30pm NEW MATINEE PERFORMANCE, 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $65.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au

GEELONG
Venue: Geelong Arts Centre, The Playhouse
Date: 9 April
Performance Times: 2.30pm NEW MATINEE PERFORMANCE, 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: geelongartscentre.org.au

ADELAIDE
Venue: Thebarton Theatre
Date: 10 April
Performance Time: 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $75.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au

GOLD COAST
Venue: HOTA
Date: 12 April
Performance Time: 7.00 pm
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: hota.com.au

SUNSHINE COAST
Venue: The Events Centre, Caloundra
Date: 12 April
Performance Time: 7.30 pm
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: theeventscentre.com.au

BRISBANE
Venue: QPAC, Concert Hall
Date: 14 April
Performance Times: 2.30pm NEW MATINEE PERFORMANCE, 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $69.00 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: qpac.com.au

NEWCASTLE
Venue: Civic Theatre
Date: 15 April
Performance Times: 7.30 pm
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: civictheatrenewcastle.com.au

SUTHERLAND
Venue: The Pavillion Performing Arts Centre
Date: 16 April
Performance Times: 2.30pm NEW MATINEE PERFORMANCE, 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $69.00 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: tickets.thepavilionarts.au

SYDNEY
Venue: State Theatre
Date: 17 April
Performance Times: 2.30pm NEW PERFORMANCE, 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: ticketmaster.com.au

CANBERRA
Venue: Canberra Theatre Centre
Date: 19 April
Performance Times: 7.30 pm LIMITED TICKETS
Prices: From $75.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: canberratheatrecentre.com.au

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Africa Film Fest Australia Expands To Melbourne

Feature-Africa Film Fest Australia (AFFA) Melbourne

Africa Film Fest Australia (AFFA), curated by Mumbi Hinga and Safia Amadou and presented in partnership with Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE), today announces its national expansion in 2026, arriving in Melbourne Friday 27 to Sunday 29 March at Cinema Nova, following two successful years of festivals in Sydney.

Festival Co-Director Safia Amadou said, “After multiple sold-out screenings in Sydney in 2025, AFFA is bringing bold, joyful and thought-provoking African films to Melbourne audiences. Featuring award-winning work from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria and Guinea-Bissau, the program reflects a growing appetite for African cinema, placing African voices at the centre of Australian screens.”

The Festival opens with The Fisherman, the first Ghanaian film officially selected for the Venice International Film Festival, where it was awarded UNESCO’s Fellini Medal (Enrico Fulchignoni Prize) in recognition of its message of peace, tolerance and intercultural dialogue.

The Melbourne program includes:
Opening Night Film – The Fisherman (Ghana | Melbourne Premiere) – A whimsical, politically astute film that follows a retired coastal fisherman whose quiet life is disrupted when he forms an unlikely friendship with a talking fish, resonating with audiences across the globe.

Nawi (Kenya | Melbourne Premiere) – Winner of Best International Feature and Best Debut Performance at the 2025 Raindance Film Festival in London. A young girl sold for livestock escapes an arranged child marriage to pursue an education. An urgent, hopeful story of resistance in rural Kenya. Nawi will be co-presented with Kenya Community Victoria.

Fanon (France/Algeria | Melbourne Premiere) – A political drama following psychiatrist and philosopher Frantz Fanon in colonial Algeria, as his radical approach to mental health care intersects with the country’s growing independence movement. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s director, Jean-Claude Flamand-Barny.

Nteregu (Guinea-Bissau | Melbourne Premiere) – Winner of Best Documentary (Audience Award) at FestIN 2025 (Festival de Cinema Itinerante da Língua Portuguesa). A lyrical documentary tracing the origins and global influence of Guinean music, centring women’s voices and ancestral instruments in the formation of national identity. Nteregu will be co-presented with African Music and Cultural Festival.

My Father’s Shadow (Nigeria | Melbourne Premiere) – Received a prestigious Caméra d’Or Special Mention at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and winner of the 2025 British Independent Film Award for Best Director. Set over a single day in Lagos, a father takes his two sons across the city during a period of political unrest, revealing the quiet tensions, tenderness and responsibilities of parenthood against a backdrop of social upheaval.

This Jungo Life (Sudan | Melbourne Premiere) – Winner of Best Documentary at the 2025 Bantu Film Festival (Botswana, 2025) and Best International Documentary at Festiwal Filmowy NNW 2025. An unflinching documentary portrait of young Sudanese men living on the margins, capturing daily survival, friendship and resilience amid displacement, poverty and ongoing conflict. This Jungo Life is co-presented with SmartFone Flick Fest Pty Ltd (SF3) and the screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Melbourne-based film Director David Fedele.

Festival Co-Director Mumbi Hinga said, “Bringing the Festival to the Cinema Nova allows us to share these powerful stories with new communities and continue building space for African voices on Australian screens. It cements our role as a national platform for African cinema, cultural exchange and diverse storytelling.”

AFFA Melbourne is presented by Arts & Cultural Exchange (ACE) and Cinema Nova, with support from Weir Anderson Foundation, Ubuntu Project, Kenya Community Victoria, SF3, and the African Music and Cultural Festival.

FESTIVAL DETAILS
Cinema Nova, Melbourne
Friday 27 – Sunday 29 March 2026
Full program and ticket details are available at: https://aceinc.org.au/whats-on/affa-melbourne/

 

Spread the word on your favourite platform!