Canberra Theatre Centre adds new blockbuster shows to the 2021 lineup
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As a theatre-lover, I look forward to the Canberra Theatre Centre’s program reveal at the end of each year.
That’s when the media and Canberra Theatre Centre’s (CTC) loyal subscribers gather en masse to get a sneak preview of what performances will take to CTC’s stages across the next 12 months.
In December 2019 I sat in the darkened audience and watched the promo packed with productions from the cream of Australia’s theatre and musical talent. 2020 was set to be another stellar jewel in Canberra’s arts crown…until it wasn’t.
A few months into 2020 the CTC team made the difficult decision to pull the plug on it’s carefully programmed year as the arts world as we knew it shifted globally.
Luckily, Canberra’s vigilance with COVID safety means that CTC is now able to unveil an even bigger program for 2021, packed with drama, music, comedy, opera and more—and it all starts tonight.
First off the block is the new musical FANGIRLS (24-28 March).
Written by talented young playwright Yve Blake, FANGIRLS tells the story of 14-year-old Edna who wants nothing more than to meet her crush—the dream Harry from boyband supergroup True Connection. Opening tonight for a short but almost sold-out run, FANGIRLS sets the tone for a fresh and electric year of theatre.
FANGIRLS
Want something a little more serious? Get ready to see not one, not two, but three plays direct from Sydney Theatre Company.
The 7 Stages of Grieving (23-26 June), written by Deborah Mailman and Wesley Enoch, is a powerful and emotional tribute to the disenfranchisement of Australia’s First Nations peoples. Directed by Shari Sebbens and starring Elaine Crombie, this is—in my humble opinion—unmissable.
Set across the sea in Singapore, White Pearl (15-18 September) perfectly captures the zeitgeist of Millennial culture with this whip-smart satire from Anchuli Felicia King.
Set in a skyrocketing skincare startup with a huge PR problem, White Pearl dives headfirst into modern Pan-Asian relations, social media cancel culture and modern standards of beauty to answer the question: is all publicity good publicity?
White Pearl.
Capping off this power-trio is The Dismissal (9-24 October). This hilarious new musical—which we’re sure you can guess the plot to—has been described as ‘Keating on steroids’. You’ve never seen the 11th of November 1975 like this before.
For younger theatre-goers and Roald Dahl fans, don’t miss shake & stir theatre co’s The Fantastic Mr Fox (8-11 July), and for an uplifting—and hilarious—trip to the theatre, no one can afford to miss the phenomenal new play The Appleton Ladies Potato Race (3-5 June) which is based on real events and written by brilliant playwright Melanie Tait.
Music fans, get ready to swoon as everyone’s favourite operatic superstar Teddy Tahu Rhodes takes to the stage on 29 May with pianist Guy Noble for a rendition of popular classics from The Barber of Seville, South Pacific and more and dance enthusiasts who missed Bangarra Dance Theatre’s iconic performances in 2020 can get their fill in July as they present Sandsong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert (15-17 July).
Valerie Bader (Bev) and Merridy Eastman (Barb) in The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race. Photo by Phil Erbacher.
And, if you’d like your theatre with an edge, you’re in for a treat.
After just missing out on its 2020 season, American Psycho: The Musical is back from 30 June–3 July to prove that anything can be made into a musical, while shake & stir’s adaption of Animal Farm (6-8 May) is sure to thrill Orwellian fans.
One silver lining of the 2020 lockdown has been a renewed bond between the CTC and Canberra Youth Theatre, with the 2021 program featuring two of their new works—Little Girls Alone in the Woods (19-22 May) and Two Twentysomethings Decide Never to Get Stressed About Anything Ever Again. Ever. (20-23 October)—both of which promise to be cracking watches. I mean come on, how can you not love both of those titles?
And if all of the above isn’t enough, you’ll be pleased to know we haven’t even scratched the surface. Find the full 2021 season line-up at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
