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Acoco Premiere Emma O’halloran’s Explosive, Grammy-nominated, Double-bill Mary Motorhead & Trade At The Malthouse

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It’s Double Vision! ACOCO brings Irish composer Emma O’Halloran’s Explosive New Operas to Melbourne. Australian Contemporary Opera Co. (ACOCO) will present the Australian premiere of Emma O’Halloran’s acclaimed chamber operas Mary Motorhead and Trade in the Beckett Theatre at The Malthouse in March 2026. Opening on Friday 6 March, this major double-bill unites two arresting human dramas, helmed by leading Australian artists Emily Edmonds (Mary Motorhead) and Christopher Hillier (Older Man in Trade). Tickets go on sale from 17 December 2025 through the Malthouse Box Office.

“Giving local audiences and artists direct access to brilliant contemporary opera being made in the world today, these Irish works tackle difficult, relatable human characters with raw honesty and thrilling musical invention.” Said Linda Thompson AM, Artistic Director & CEO, The Australian Contemporary Opera Company. “They speak to the same belief that has shaped ACOCO from the beginning – that opera can [still] hold a mirror to society, challenge us, and create profound empathy in a way no other art form can.”

In Mary Motorhead, audiences are thrust into the fierce interior world of a woman imprisoned for a violent act, her story unraveling through volatile, lyrical confessions. Trade explores a charged encounter in a motel room between a middle-aged man and an eighteen-year-old – both outwardly conventional; privately grappling with desire and identity.

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Together, the works form an electrifying pairing that has captivated audiences in New York, Los Angeles, and Ireland, with their psychological depth, rhythmic energy, and daring composition. Grammy-nominated Irish conductor Elaine Kelly will make her Australian debut, having conducted the works’ world premiere in New York and subsequent international seasons in Los Angeles and Ireland.

As the arts continue to navigate uncertainty, ACOCO reaffirms its place at the forefront of contemporary opera in this country – embracing bold new works that mirror the intensity and complexity of modern life. Based in Melbourne, ACOCO draws its artists from across Australia, and has built a reputation for producing fearless, boundary-pushing opera that gives voice to living composers and resonates deeply with both established and new opera audiences.

In presenting Emma O’Halloran’s fierce and vital opera-theatre, ACOCO invites audiences to confront the beauty, pain, and truth of the human condition. These two operas mark not only a landmark debut for ACOCO’s 2026 season, but a bold statement about the power of modern opera to speak to our times. Through Emma O’Halloran’s incisive and compelling opera-theatre, ACOCO invites audiences to reflect on the beauty, pain, and complexity of being human. ACOCO opening its 2026 season with a resonant statement on the immediacy and relevance of opera today.

Tickets on sale now. More information visit https://www.acoco.org.au/.

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New Performances On Sale For The Hit Broadway Musical Anastasia In Sydney

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Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday for new performances of the highly-anticipated major musical ANASTASIA, which will open at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre from 7 April 2026. The hit Broadway musical will have its Australian premiere at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne in December 2025 before touring to Perth and Sydney. Presented by John Frost for Crossroads Live and Opera Australia, tickets go on pre-sale for Sydney season new performances – from 24 June to 5 July 2026 – to those who have signed up to the waitlist today and to the general public on Friday 12 December.

Inspired by the mysterious tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov’s rumoured escape in the dawning days of the Russian Revolution, and the 20th Century Fox animated fairytale of the same name, ANASTASIA has been brought to life on the stage by the Tony Award-winning creative team of Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens.

ANASTASIA is a lavish musical for all ages, transporting audiences from the twilight years of the Imperial rule to the euphoria and exuberance of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman named Anya sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by an army officer determined to silence her, she enlists the aid of a dashing conman and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love, and family.

With its opulent settings, dazzling costumes, and a soaring score including musical highlights from the 1997 animated hit film, Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December, ANASTASIA is the spectacular Broadway musical about discovering who you are and defining who you’re meant to be.

There have been two films telling the captivating story of Anastasia including the 1956 film with Ingrid Bergman, Helen Hayes, and Yul Brynner and the 1997 20th Century Fox animated film, which featured a score by the musical’s creators, Ahrens and Flaherty.

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Directed by Tony Award winning director Darko Tresnjak, ANASTASIA premiered on Broadway in March 2017 and played to sold out audiences for three years before productions in Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico and Japan as well as two North American tours. It also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Costume Design in a Musical and won more than 15 major international awards including Best Musical awards in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

The book for ANASTASIA was written by the late five time Tony Award winning writer Terrence McNally, whose credits include Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Ragtime.

Music and lyrics for ANASTASIA were written by the renowned writing team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens who have been referred to as “one of the greatest songwriting teams in Broadway history” (Chicago Tribune).

They have received theatre, film and music’s highest honours including the Tony Award, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Olivier Awards for Ragtime, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and four Grammys. In 2014 they received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 2015 they were inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.

“Fantastical, intelligent, well-crafted, and exhilarating, ANASTASIA deserves a coronation!” – The Wall Street Journal

“Captivating, beautifully staged and emotionally vital. ANASTASIA hits the sweet spot!” – The Hollywood Reporter

“One of the most gorgeous shows in years! Luscious, lavish, and a joy that leaves you cheering. This is a grandiloquent feast for the senses you won’t soon forget.” – The New York Observer

ANASTASIA – THE BROADWAY MUSICAL Produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live and Opera Australia in special collaboration with Stage Entertainment Productions, Tom Kirdahy, Hunter Arnold and Dan Hinde

SYDNEY SEASON DETAILS

Venue Sydney Lyric Theatre
Season From 7 April 2026
Performance Times Tue-Thurs at 7pm, Fr-Sat 7:30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm (performance times vary each week)
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: anastasiathemusical.com.au or 136 100
Groups 8+ email groups@ticketmaster.com.au

Tickets for new performances go on pre-sale for the Sydney season to those who have signed up to the waitlist on Tuesday 9 December and to the general public on Friday 12 December

Regent Theatre, Melbourne from December 2025
Crown Theatre Perth from March 2026
Festival Theatre, Adelaide from August 2026

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Coming To Regional Victoria In 2025-2026 – Ozact’s The Tempest

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Ozact has been bringing the Bard’s works to life in Victoria’s most stunning outdoor venues for over three decades. This production promises to transport audiences to an enchanted world of sorcerers, spells and shipwrecks.

Since its founding by Professor Bruce Widdop in 1995, Ozact Theatre Company (Ozact) has built a legacy of loyal audiences by merging the natural environment with timeless theatre. This year’s production will be no exception.

Banished to a remote island, a powerful sorcerer and Milanesian nobleman, his daughter and a few magical spirits exact revenge on those who have wronged him. But the strings of certain hearts are plucked by romance causing chaos along the way. The Tempest has been heralded as Ozact’s flagship show having performed this play to thousands of people up and down the Shipwreck Coast in Victoria and South Australia.

This year, The Tempest will be staged in numerous locations across Greater Melbourne and Victoria where the lush beauty of nature will be showcased in Shakespeare’s most beloved tragicomedy. We will perform at Kirks Reservoir in Ballarat, Williamstown Botanic Gardens, Cloudehill Gardens in Olinda, Leura Park Estate on the Bellarine Peninsula, Mont De Lancey in Yarra Valley, Coolart Homestead in Somers, Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Heatherlie Quarry in Grampians.

Leura Park Estate is a new location, added due to popular demand. Also, due to the complete sell out of shows at Cloudehill Gardens in Olinda last year, we will perform on back-to-back weekends in January 2026.

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Andy Delves, who has been with Ozact for 25 years, helms the production as director and in the role of Prospero. ‘We have performed The Tempest countless times and we are known for performing it at stunning places like Loch Ard Gorge. With the indefinite closure of Loch Ard Gorge, we had to rethink how we approach this work. To that end, I saw this as an opportunity for us to change how we express this story. I wanted to inject some new energy and new voices into the production. I hope audiences enjoy this new perspective that would not be possible without the incredible cast and crew we are lucky to work with.’

Sorcha Breen who has been with Ozact for nearly a decade plays Gonzala, a fresh take on the beloved character Gonzalo. ‘It’s not just the time on stage that I look forward to every year, it’s the thousands of repeat and new faces that I get to greet, it’s the stunning locations that I get to travel to, it’s the team of creatives that I get to work with but most of all it’s the living history that I get to share with our fans. Ozact is known for its lineage of loyal fans who continue to choose to buy tickets to see us in a cost-of-living crisis.’

Prepare for a day enchantment, as Ozact Theatre Company brings The Tempest to its 2025/2026 season.

Kirks Reservoir, BALLARAT – December 26 & 27
WILLIAMSTOWN Botanic Gardens – January 3 & 4
Cloudehill Gardens, OLINDA – January 10, 11, 17 & 18
Leura Park Estate, BELLARINE PENINSULA – February 13 & 14
Mont De Lancey, YARRA VALLEY – March 7 & 8
Coolart Homestead, SOMERS – March 14 & 15
HEPBURN Mineral Springs Reserve – March 21 & 22
CAMPERDOWN Botanic Gardens – March 28 & 29
Heatherlie Quarry, GRAMPIANS – April 4 & 5

Bookings @ www.ozact.com

 

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The Wizard Of Oz At The Regal Theatre This Xmas Dec 12th – 24th

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Zealous Productions proudly returns for its fifth consecutive year of delivering festive theatre magic to Perth families. This year, the company unveils a brand new Christmas pantomime, The Wizard of Oz, opening 12 December and running until 24 December at the Regal Theatre. Over the last five years, Zealous Productions has created a cherished Christmas tradition for audiences, presenting a fresh and uplifting production each season. Since launching its annual pantomime series, Zealous Productions has welcomed tens of thousands of families through the doors of the Regal Theatre, offering joyful, memorable theatrical experiences that signal the beginning of the festive season for many. The Wizard of Oz continues this tradition with vibrant performances, playful comedy, engaging storytelling and music that fills the theatre with Christmas spirit.

At the helm of the creative team is director Brendan Hanson, who captains a group of leading Western Australian artists and designers. Brendan brings heartfelt storytelling, warmth and a strong focus on character to the production, shaping the overall tone and guiding the entire creative vision. Working alongside him is musical director Joshua James Webb, creating a rich and uplifting musical landscape, and choreographer Allen Blachford, whose energetic, character driven movement fills the stage with charm, personality and visual impact.

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Brendan leads a wider creative team that includes costume designer Katie Williams, whose detailed and expressive costumes bring the world of Oz and its characters to life, sound designer Dave Keys, shaping the audio experience for both music and effects, and lighting designer Ciaran Russel, crafting atmosphere, colour and focus throughout the production. Together, this team ensures that every element supports the story, the humour and the heart of the pantomime.

At the heart of Zealous Productions is a culture grounded in respect, love and genuine care for every member of the company. Producer Dixie Farinosi places strong emphasis on nurturing an environment where artists, technicians and creatives feel valued, supported and heard. This sense of connection and kindness underpins the way Zealous works and is reflected in the warmth and generosity audiences experience on stage.

“Creating a place for families to return to year after year has become one of the most rewarding parts of our work,” Farinosi said. “We love seeing children come back with their families, building memories around our pantomimes. The Wizard of Oz is filled with heart, humour and wonderful moments that keep this tradition thriving, and our company culture is the foundation that allows us to create with confidence and joy.”

Audiences will travel with Dorothy as she journeys through the magical world of Oz, meeting colourful characters, clever twists and lively musical moments along the way. With local humour, warm storytelling and strong ensemble work, this production promises an unforgettable festive outing for the whole family.

SHOW DETAILS. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=OZXMAS25 Venue Regal Theatre, Subiaco Dates 12 December to 24 December 2025

 

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