Media Release

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!”

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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

 

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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.

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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/

 

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Play Date: Elementary Brings Bold New Short Works To The Stage

Feature-Play Date: Elementary

Knock And Run Theatre is proud to announce Play Date: Elementary, the latest iteration of its short play festival celebrating new writing, emerging artists, and experimental performance.

Returning on February 21st at The Laneway Theatre (also known as Newcastle Theatre Company), Play Date: Elementary will present a curated program of short plays responding to the theme “Elementary” – interpreted by artists in playful, abstract, and unexpected ways. The festival showcases a diverse lineup of writers and directors, each bringing a distinct voice and theatrical approach to the stage.

Following an open call that attracted a high volume of submissions, a script assessor (nationally acclaimed playwright Vanessa Bates) chose 9 short plays to be developed and presented as part of the festival. The final program reflects a wide range of styles and perspectives, united by a spirit of curiosity, invention, and bold storytelling.

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“Play Date is about creating space for artists to take risks,” says James Chapman, Play Date festival director. “Elementary gave writers permission to strip things back, flip expectations, and approach theatre with a sense of play. The selected works are surprising, smart, and full of energy.”

Play Date has become a key platform for emerging and independent theatre-makers in the region, offering opportunities for writers, directors, and performers to collaborate on new work within a supportive and creatively ambitious framework. The festival prioritises accessibility, simplicity of production, and strong artistic voice.

This year’s festival includes short plays such as “Fridge” by Joshua Maxwell, “Her Element” by Nat Newman, “Cow Juice: An Origin Story” by Dez Robertson and “The Escape” by Alison Lancey. This year’s Play Date is the third iteration of the festival following Play Date: Time & Space (2021) and Play Date: Four Seasons (2025) and will feature multiple short works presented across a mixed bill, with performances at 2pm and 7:30pm on Saturday 21st Feb. Tickets are on sale now and are available via https://events.humanitix.com/play-date-elementary, with full program and artist announcements to follow.

EVENT DETAILS
What: Play Date: Elementary
Presented by: Knock And Run Theatre
When: 2pm & 7:30pm Saturday 21st, Feb
Where: The Laneway Theatre, Lambton
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/play-date-elementary

 

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Picnics, Pop And Pride: Fair Day Returns For 2026

Feature-Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day returns to Victoria Park on Sunday 15 February 2026, bringing together music, performance, community and pure daytime euphoria as the Festival’s largest free, all-ages event under the 2026 theme ECSTATICA.

Music Line-up
Leading the celebrations is international house music icon Janice Robinson of Livin’ Joy (Miami, USA), making her Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras debut with an exclusive Fair Day performance. A defining voice of 90s house, Robinson will deliver sun-soaked dancefloor energy with iconic anthems including Dreamer, Don’t Stop Moving and There Must Be Love featuring David Morales, tracks woven deep into queer dance culture and collective joy.

“I am super excited to be coming to Australia to perform for Mardi Gras,” said Robinson. “I am a dreamer who continues to live her dreams, and Australia is a country I love deeply. This moment means more to me than words can express.”

Joining Robinson is Blusher (VIC), one of Australia’s most exciting pop acts to watch, arriving fresh from supporting Rebecca Black and performing at Laneway Festival the week prior. They are joined by genre-blurring pop artist Go-Jo, bringing bold, feel-good energy, and drag icon Courtney Act delivering unmistakable star power and Mardi Gras flair.

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Also appearing across the day are dance music icon Zoe Badwi (VIC) serving up classic house vocals, DJ James Alexandr taking the stage with Nada Leigh for a club-ready set, Kath Ebbs bringing queer country tunes for a boot-stomping round of line dancing, and IVANA (VIC) in her Mardi Gras debut live show, will electrify the Main Stage with her euro-dance hits including ‘Liar Liar’, ‘Need Your Love’ and ‘Burning’.

Beyond the Main Stage, international acts Mila Jam (Los Angeles, USA) and Arisce (New York City, USA) join local stars Felicia Foxx, Aunty Tamara, Atomic Kiss, Jackel Doll, Tiddalicious, DJ Nate and more across Fair Day stages and activations, rounding up a full day of pop, dance, drag and party from first light through to golden hour.

Across the Park
Fair Day transforms Victoria Park into a vibrant playground of culture, creativity and connection. The day begins at the First Nations Circle with a Smoking Ceremony and performances by the Buuja Buuja Butterfly Dancers, honouring Country and grounding the celebrations.

Beloved Fair Day favourites return, including Doggywood, the country’s most adored canine pageant, Trans Camp, back for its second year as a proudly trans-run community zone, Karaoke Cave: Disco and Divas hosted by Vybe, serving unapologetic sing-along chaos and the Drag King Games with their signature mix of muscle, mischief and mayhem.

Also strutting back on stage is the Queer Fashion Runway, showcasing works from 10 local designers in a fast, fabulous 50-minute show. EOIs are open until Friday, 30 January 2026 via fairday@mardigrasarts.org.au

More than 200 community stalls, food trucks, pop-up bars and picnic spots fill the park, creating a relaxed, joy-fuelled day of wandering, grazing and gathering with friends, family and chosen family.

Festival-goers are encouraged to download the Mardi Gras App for maps, set times and on-the-day updates.

Event Details
Sunday 15 February
Victoria Park, Parramatta Rd, Broadway
Free, all-ages event
Mardi Gras App is Free to download via App Store and Google Play
More info: mardigras.org.au/event/fair-day

 

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