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Mi Todo Productions In Association With Qtopia Presents Casey And Diana

19/06/2026 Breaking News

October 1991. Inside Toronto’s Casey House hospice, Thomas has been asking himself questions like – why hasn’t his roommate seen Steel Magnolias? And how did that diner get these eggs to smell like cat food? But now… he’s asking himself the most important question of all: what is the perfect ice-breaking question to ask a Princess?

Casey and Diana, by award-winning playwright Nick Green, was inspired by Princess Diana’s real visit to Casey House on 25 October 1991, 35 years ago this year. Since its 2023 Stratford festival premiere Casey and Diana has continued on to sold-out seasons across Canada and the US.

This award-winning play (Best New Canadian Play, Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards (2024); Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding New Play (2024); Heritage Toronto Award (2024)) explores the extraordinary capacity of people to care – and how through compassion and forgiveness this capacity can grow. It’s an intimate and unexpectedly uplifting countdown to Princess Diana’s arrival – where empathy triumphed over stigma.

Darkly humorous and unflinchingly honest, the play honours caregivers and patients whose small, everyday acts of love built courage in the face of loss.

“Believe the hype, ‘Casey and Diana’ is stellar” Now Magazine
“A moving celebration of women who choose compassion over fear” Globe and Mail
“Breathtaking and poignant” Broadway World

Mi Todo Productions (Mary Jane, ★★★★.5 – John Shand, SMH, Es & Flo,★★★★ – Suzy Goes See) is proud to present the Australian premiere of this award-winning and moving play. Nancy Denis (Ma’p Boulé, ★★★★ – SMH) directs her first full-scale production with a stellar cast, featuring Chad Traupmann (Foam, ★★★★.5 – Sydney Arts Guide), Lucy Miller (Heaven, ★★★★ – Sydney Arts Guide), Gabriel Alvarado (Clyde’s, ★★★★ – SMH), Linda Nicholls-Gidley (Monster, ★★★★.5 – SMH), Isabel Burton (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bell Shakespeare) returning to Mi Todo Productions after her acclaimed performance in Mary Jane, and Lib Campbell (Cluedo, ★★★★.5 – Limelight) as Princess Diana in a show that transforms history into a living act of remembrance – a luminous story about dignity, care, and the sound of hope.

DATES: Wednesday 22nd July – Saturday 8th August
TIMES: Tuesday – Saturday at 7pm
LOCATION: Qtopia, The Loading Dock Theatre
BOOKINGS: https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Casey-and-Diana/

TICKETS: From $29

WRITER Nick Green
DIRECTOR Nancy Denis
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Chad Traupmann
PRODUCER Sasha Lian
STAGE MANAGER Alexis Worthing
PRODUCTION DESIGNER Maitê Inaê
COSTUME DESIGNER Laura Mazikana
MARKETING Maddy Withington
DIALECT COACH Linda Nicholls-Gidley
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Zakk Allen and Attu Ngor

CAST Gabriel Alvarado, Isabel Burton, Lib Campbell, Lucy Miller, Linda Nicholls-Gidley, Chad Traupmann

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A Queer Little Manslaughter?

18/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🆕

A Queer Little Murder Rating

★★★★★

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My favourite thing about Pride Fest so far is no two shows I’ve seen have been even remotely alike and Savannah Hankinson’s “A Queer Little Murder” was no exception to this. In fact, it was super different from anything I’ve seen recently. The concept is a whodunnit Agatha Christie type murder mystery but everyone is gay. No seriously, Hankinson plays six different, lesbian characters and the whole thing is VERY gay. I loved it.

New York resident, Hankinson, has also trained in London and Russia. As such, her accent and character work were impressive and if she ever messed up switching between all of these, she was able to correct herself in the voice of the narrator and protagonist named ‘Try-Hard’. She mentioned at the start that she had just finalised and printed a new script that day, and I guess that’s Fringe* baby! This was a very meta, intellectual exercise which was a little bit more like going to a script reading crossed with a one woman show. However, there were parts that came more naturally when Hankinson really got into the flow, and these were super fun.

There were some very funny lines and lots of queer references which made for an enjoyable Tuesday night outing. I usually go into shows without reading much into them, or the performers, so I’ve only just now looked into Hankinson’s bio. She has taken this show to a very impressive list of Fringe festivals including in Hollywood, San Diego and soon she is going to Edinburgh! I see that it has sometimes been a full length play and sometimes the plot has been different, I wonder how often it changes? It would be cool to see Hankinson go script free to really connect with the audience and utilise the space more. Maybe in future shows she will.

My main gripe, as a lawyer, is that the murder was more like manslaughter and the evidence is not assessed very carefully. The whole thing wraps up quite quickly, and I wanted more depth and less background…

The set and lighting were fairly simple, but effective for telling the story as was Hankinson’s costume as ‘Try-Hard’ a pandering softmasc lesbian. There was quite a small crowd on Tuesday night at Qtopia, but everyone was gripped and willing to participate. It was marked as audience participation, so I was mentally prepared for this but honestly there could have been more!

Overall, Hankinson was a wonderful performer and I really liked the concept. A must see for anyone who loves crime shows and/or is gay.

*/Fringe adjacent festivals like Pride Fest

To book tickets to A Queer Little Murder, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/A-Queer-Little-Murder.

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Possession

16/06/2026 Kirsty Dale🆕

Possession Rating

★★★★★

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This was a wonderfully modern and powerful celebration of opera. The concept of the show grabbed me from the outset and I was excited to see the stories of such powerful women, who are often left out of the history books, be showcased. From the moment you stepped down into the Substation, the room was captivating with very effective lighting and projections.

Ruth Strutt was extraordinary. What a voice! And she had a very strong stage presence. I’m sure that even people who don’t like opera would have enjoyed this display of talent, charisma and professionalism. A show like this is also perfect for people who have never been to the opera before, as the storytelling and art were very accessible in ways that traditional opera may not be. The set was simple but very effectively used with the whole space being considered and maximised. The music, played on piano by Michael Curtain, was flawless.

The show was divided into three acts, one for each Joan of Arc (who needs no introduction), Sappho (who is a Greek poet and often quoted as the first woman to express desire for other women) and Ethel Smyth (who was a composer and key figure in the United Kingdom’s women’s suffragette movement). The factor linking all these women together was their being possessed by something. For Joan of Arc it was the voices in her head (which she believed to be God), for Sappho it was this ‘unnatural’ desire for other women, and for Ethel Smyth it was her music, which was never accepted as mainstream because she was a woman.

Each act started with a key speech from the time or movement that the woman was a part of. There was then an operatic number which told a story about the woman, all the while the translations were shown on the projector behind. I really liked the projections for the Sappho act, they were twisted into a cleverly modern interpretation. My only exposure to opera has been the very long and hard to follow Turandot, and the more accessible La Bohème so it was brilliant to hear opera in English during the Ethel Smyth part of the performance.

The audience were enthralled for the entirety of the performance, with the only down moment being during an instrumental piano piece, Nocturn, from 2 Canons by Ethel Smyth where Strutt left the stage. The room was full as well, which was really lovely to see on a rainy Sunday evening. I only wish that the three distinct stories had been tied together at the end. Perhaps, rather than such a long introduction having a little final word to link the three would have been good as the performance ended rather suddenly.

Overall, this show is a really fantastic first foray for anyone wanting to experience the beauty that is opera in a modern take with an important message.

To book tickets to Possession, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Possession.

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Examining Beautiful Lies at The Substation

12/06/2026 Linda Lokhee🏆🥇🦉

Beautiful Lies Rating

★★★★★

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Matt Hawke’s comedy musical Beautiful Lies at The Substation in Darlinghurst is a cabaret packed full of colourful storytelling, with the theme of lies running through a myriad of original songs. Part of Sydney’s 2026 Qtopia Pride Fest, Hawke is clearly a deep thinker who knows how to involve the audience, by asking questions and getting them to self-reflect. His stories range from general family anecdotes, musings about mental health, sexual self-acceptance, genuine heartfelt personal stories, and the current worrisome state of the world.

He begins with examples of lies that parents tell their kids such as “carrots make your eyesight better” and expanding into those VIP characters that peppered our childhood like Santa Claus and The Tooth Fairy. Hawke delivers these stories melodiously singing and at times, talking to the audience during song, accompanied by his guitar or the keyboard. One of his first songs dedicated to one of his childhood heroes and crushes John Cena reminded me of the style of an early Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi song! This song was dedicated to John Cena after his younger self discovered that wrestling was not real and carried the anger of being lied to.

Alongside this song and the feeling of being duped by John Cena, some of Hawke’s songs were tender. Some were reflective and yet other songs had the upbeat feel of hilarity. Composing and performing such a wide range of songs indicated signs of an accomplished songwriter who understands his audience.

During his set, Hawke recalled stories from when he was dating people named Brad, Emma and Rosanna. He had the audience in stitches from these experiences which touched on a mix of topics that made some of us squirm! There was a moral to these songs, that sometimes for the sake of relationships, lies may be necessary – it can be a kinder choice to make.

The lighting by technician Katie deserves a shout out. In the small intimate space of The Substation, Katie created atmosphere with cleverly chosen lighting colours and focus.

Hawke had a way of smoothly switching from comedy into more serious topics and taking us with him, notably with one song that outlined the way humans tend to automatically default to telling lies. He’d answer “I’m fine” to his mum when she had asked how he was. However, his lyrics following those words outlined how not fine he was feeling. In this one song, it was the lyrics and how Hawke delivered them that stood out for a tremendously powerful ending.

Beautiful Lies was a well-rounded show which felt much more than just a stand-up comedy musical cabaret. Hawke examines the lies that others tell, lies we tell ourselves, and how lies impact our circles of family and friends.

Cheeky and honest, with a teeny-eeny sprinkling of Beautiful Lies, Matt Hawke’s signature musical comedy style is heading skyward. Be sure to catch his cabaret shows in the future!

The Substation, 136 Oxford Street Darlinghurst. Thursday 11 June 2026
Duration: 1 hour

To book tickets to Beautiful Lies, please visit https://tickets.qtopiasydney.com.au/Events/Matt-Hawke-Beautiful-Lies.

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