A fabulously funny, brand-new, all-Australian, all-woman, Vaudeville-styled musical comedy, DANGEROUS WHEN WET, splashes down in Sydney this October.
It celebrates the friendship and rivalry of swimmers Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie and the untold, true story of their fight to represent Australia and – ultimately – win Gold and Silver in the 100m women’s freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
Boasting an insanely talented all-female cast, this hilarious and touching show will have you laughing, crying, singing along to dangerously catchy tunes… and rejoicing in Sydney’s stellar swimming history.
Featured performers include burlesque legend Megan Walshe as Narrator Annette Kellerman, Hayes Theatre star Cypriana Singh as Fanny, recent NIDA graduate and rising star Grace Trainor as Mina, sweet-faced and powerful-voiced Addy Roberts as British swim champion Jennie Fletcher, drag-king extraordinaire Jacinta Gregory as journalist Cecil Healy (it’s not vaudeville if it ain’t got drag!), hilarious Annerose de Jong as sports entrepreneur Mrs Mack and opera diva Eliane Morel as misunderstood villain Rose Scott.
Developed over several years by award-winning creators Eliane Morel, Merran Hughes, Joanna Weinberg and Daryl Wallis (including a Randwick Town Hall ‘takeover’ creative development where it was described as ‘Better than Hamilton!’), this is a world-premiere you won’t want to miss.
DANGEROUS WHEN WET WHEN: 8 to 18 October, 2026 PREVIEWS: 2pm and 7pm, Thursday 8 October OPENING NIGHT: Friday 9 October WHERE: Randwick Town Hall TICKETS: $25-$100 BOOKINGS and INFORMATION: www.dangerouswhenwet.com.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DangerousWhen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DangerousWhenWetMusical
The Wagner Gala: A triumphant return of world-class opera to renewed Ian Potter State Theatre
Opera Australia will make a spectacular return to the newly refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre with a selection of Wagner’s most extraordinary pieces, including operatic arias and orchestral masterpieces, performed by some of the leading Wagnerian specialists of our time. The world-class cast will be led by acclaimed German Maestro Michael Güttler and will star British dramatic soprano Catherine Foster, known for her portrayal of Brünnhilde at the Bayreuth Festival, Russian tenor Sergei Skorokhodov, known for his powerful performances as Lohengrin and Tannhäuser and one of the Australia’s most versatile and in-demand baritones, James Clayton, who returns to sing with Opera Australia for the first time in over a decade.
16 October | Ian Potter State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $89
La Bohème: A brand new, shimmering production to premiere in Melbourne
A lavish, brand-new production of La Bohème, by visionary young director Constantine Costi, will have its world premiere in Melbourne this November. Set in a snow-kissed Paris, this must-see production will breathe vivid new life into the opera that has inspired countless bohemian love stories. Australian rising star conductor Finnegan Downie will lead a luminous cast of international and Australian talent, including a homecoming season for Melbourne-born Alexandra Flood who will sing Musetta, while Galina Cheplakova and Valeria Sepe will break hearts sharing the role of Mimì and tenors Kang Wang and Paride Cataldo both take on the soaring melodies of Rodolfo.
7 – 18 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $79
Opera Up Late: Opera’s naughtiest late-night party is back with more music, more glitz and more outrageous fun
The campest night at the opera is back: opera’s greatest late night party, Opera Up Late, hosted by the outrageous Reuben Kaye, returns to Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. A riotous celebration of all things opera, plus a few musical theatre classics and pop numbers for good measure, it’s both the perfect opportunity for newbies to pop their operatic cherries and aficionados to enjoy some of the most iconic arias as they’ve never seen, or heard, before. Award-winning director Shaun Rennie brings together a cast of fabulous singers for a night of big laughs and even bigger voices. Australia’s most highly awarded soprano, Emma Matthews, will be joined by Ruth Strutt, Daniel Macy and Anthony Mackey, all making a welcome return to the glittered Opera Up Late stage.
15 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne | Tickets from $79
The Trumpet of the Swan: For the first time in Australia, Jason Robert Brown’s charming introduction to musical storytelling
Symphony and storytelling bring E.B. White’s classic children’s novel The Trumpet of the Swan to life, with lively narration performed by a group of actors alongside a cinematic, lyrical score played live by Orchestra Victoria. Adapted for the stage by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman and Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown, this work, staged especially for families and children, is a charming testament to the power of music and a perfect introduction for young music lovers to live orchestral performance. A hit at its Kennedy Centre premiere, Opera Australia presents this delightful work on the Australian mainstage for the very first time.
20 – 22 November | Regent Theatre Melbourne, Tickets from $59
Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan: A searing Australian opera tells of real-life tragedy and triumph
Ravishing operatic work Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan will premiere in Melbourne at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse Theatre. Directed by Australian theatre and opera legend, Neil Armfield, this production is as deeply felt as it is thrillingly physical. Half a century since the infamous drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan, which ultimately led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in South Australia, Watershed turns the illicit into the sacred, through powerful choral music, solo voices and dance. Through a searing, no-punches-pulled libretto by Helpmann Award-winning playwright Alana Valentine and author Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap) and a luscious, ultimately transcendent score by Brisbane composer Joe Twist, this 5-star, “if I could give it 6 stars, I would” (Limelight), critically acclaimed production captures a significant turning point in Australian history.
21 – 28 November | Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne, Tickets from $59
Booking Information Group and concession prices available for most performances. Opera Australia Box Office | (03) 9685 3700 | opera.org.au Explore the season online https://opera.org.au/whats-on/melbourne
Omega Ensemble is thrilled to present New Now 2026 at Sydney’s Walsh Bay Art’s Precinct on Friday 14th August. A showcase of boundless creativity and bold new directions, New Now celebrates the next wave of Australian musical voices.
Born out of Omega Ensemble’s CoLAB program, New Now 2026 features a program of four world premiere works by some of Australia’s most exciting new musical voices, Jessie Leov (NSW/NZ), Robert McIntyre (VIC), Thomas Misson (TAS) and Beth Roche (NSW), four composers whose distinctive voices reflect the diversity, curiosity and ambition shaping the future of Australian music.
Jessie Leov’s ‘A Map to Nowhere’ focuses on the environmental challenges facing us all, creating a world which navigates the sensory experience of a forest through the eyes of a child. This new piece marks Jessie’s first time writing for a combination of clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano.
Robert McIntyre’s work ‘Solastalgia’ also focuses on the environment and climate change, exploring how nostalgia for the natural world transforms into solastalgia: a feeling of homesickness experienced while still at home. Robert’s previous song-cycle ‘Our Duty to Care’ also covered the topic of climate justice and earnt him the Dorian Le Gallienne Composition Award in 2023.
Thomas Misson will take audiences on a unique, sensory journey in ‘Cicerone Suite’, a musical pairing for four types of beer, creating a playful exploration on the shared “bitterness” of contemporary music and brewing, and the self-discovery inherit in trusting your senses.
In Beth Roche’s ‘The Lambton Worm’, she reimagines a 14th century legend from North-East England, detailing the battle between John Lambton and a giant worm, capturing the duality between the naivety of young Lambton and the sinister, deceptive nature of the worm.
Omega Ensemble’s Artistic Director David Rowden said, “New Now is easily one of my highlights of the year. The program is always fresh and exciting, and this year is no different with one piece influenced by craft beer and another by far off lands. Each composer we’re working with this year is bringing their own distinctive, adventurous voice, reflecting the depth, diversity and ambition of the next generation of Australian music.”
Launched in 2021, CoLAB has rapidly become one of Australia’s leading professional development programs for fresh compositional talent, offering direct collaboration with world-class musicians and composer mentors. The 2026 edition continues the series’ commitment to championing bold musical thinking and new chamber music compositions.
Celebrated composer and CoLAB mentor, Holly Harrison, describes the initiative as “one of the greatest gifts any performing organisation has devised. CoLAB was driven by an unwavering commitment by the Omega Ensemble to advance the future of Australian musical creativity.”
Now in its sixth year, and with previous showcases selling out, New Now has quickly become an annual meeting ground where artists, industry and audiences alike come together to experience and celebrate the music and voices shaping tomorrow.
New Now plays for one show only this August – 90 minutes, no interval with tickets priced at only $49.00 – this is the perfect night out on the Harbour.
The 73rd Sydney Film Festival (SFF) will take place from Wednesday 3 June to Sunday 14 June 2026. Following a record box-office year in 2025, SFF is bringing another 12 days and nights of premieres featuring the best in global cinema on Sydney’s silver screens. The Festival will bring together world premieres, Australian exclusives and headline red carpet events across Sydney, placing filmmakers and audiences together in the ultimate celebration of cinema.
“As we prepare for the 73rd Sydney Film Festival, we remain committed to championing filmmakers with a distinct voice and a strong point of view,” said Sydney Film Festival’s Festival Director, Nashen Moodley. “Each year we look for work that reflects the urgency and complexity of the times, and that reminds us why cinema matters on the big screen. We look forward to bringing together audiences and filmmakers for Sydney’s largest celebration of film.”
Beyond the screenings, audiences will take part in filmmaker Q&As, industry talks, public programs, themed parties and special events that turn the city into a hub for cinema over the course of the Festival. The first titles for the 73rd Sydney Film Festival will be announced in April 2026, with the full program set to be unveiled on 6 May 2026.
The Festival will be held across Greater Sydney at iconic venues including the State Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Event Cinemas George Street, State Library of NSW, Dendy Cinemas Newtown, The Ritz Randwick, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne, Palace Cinemas Central and Norton Street, the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Town Hall, and more, including SFFTV in Martin Place.
Spread the word on your favourite platform!
Subscribe to What's The Show
Reviews, show news and what is on, straight to your inbox.
