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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Worlds Alive 2026: Five Short World Plays Never Before Seen In Australia

Feature-WORLDS ALIVE 2026

Elaine Hudson directs eight professional actors in five short contemporary world plays. These award-winning plays have never been seen in Australia. Carol Dance, the Artistic Director of Scene theatre Sydney, selected the plays for global thinkers, theatre lovers and curious Sydneysiders. All the plays are entertaining, progressive and relevant to our times. They are presented as dramatic readings, script-in-hand.

From South Africa: Kunene and the King by John Kani, OBE. The play premiered in 2019 at the Royal Shakespeare Company to great acclaim. In the story, an elderly English actor in South Africa is trying to remember the lines to King Lear. Kunene, his black carer, helps him and interprets Lear in a new way. They are an odd pair, and their comic spats finally lead to mutual respect. It is powerful entertaining theatre.

From Brazil: Miss Margarida’s Way by Roberto Athayde. This short comic monologue has been produced in more than thirty countries, including on Broadway.

From The Philippines: A Night at the Opera by Floy Quintos. This 2017 play portrays the power of the elite in The Philippines. A ‘wife vs husband’ tense tête-à-tête ends in humour that saves the relationship.

From Indonesia: The Struggle of the Naga Tribe by W. Rendra. The Naga villagers protect their copper-rich sacred mountain from the ogres (westerners) when a corporation bribes the tribe’s Queen. There are good people and bad people on both sides.

From Korea: The Sound of Rain Falling, by Sue Ja Joo. This short lyrical work captures how the smallest sounds — rain on a roof, silence between words — can stir longing, connection and unexpected insight. Poetic without being precious, the play presents a gentle respite from our complicated world.

The performers of WORLDS ALIVE 2026 are Seth Eren, Paul Williamson, Tiang Lim, Ruba el-Kaddoumi, Micah Doughty, Madison Chippendale, Christopher Brown and Alan Faulkner. The director is Elaine Hudson.

Artistic Director Carol Dance says: “All the world’s a stage” and we want to provide Sydney with great theatre from around the world. The good reviews of last year’s WORLDS ALIVE prompted us to bring another set of exciting world plays to Sydney audiences. Here are reviews of last year’s WORLDS ALIVE:

The performances were well received by an enthusiastic audience. The plays were performed with commitment and vibrancy. Sydney Arts Guide

Great acting and a good range of plays! Maggy Franklin, Theatre Time Sydney

The actors were all fantastic. I loved the variety. I loved all the plays. WORLDS ALIVE wonderfully invited us to think globally and act locally through the power of storytelling. Brett Martin, VP, United Nations Association of Australia (NSW)

Details of playwrights, plays and actors: https://www.scenetheatresydney.net.au/worlds-alive-26

When: March 13 and 14, 2026, 7PM
Duration: 2 hours
Where: Walsh Bay Arts Precinct of Sydney (opposite the entrance to Sydney Dance Company on Pier 4)
Tickets: $35 and $25 for students

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/worlds-alive-2026 ($35 and $25 students)

 

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Gasha – Cirquework’s Newest Contemporary Circus Work Fringeworld 2026

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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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