Theatre & Musicals in Perth

Journey with the characters in 8 short plays as they find the courage to confess their love, go where they aren’t welcome, become who they want to be and fight for justice in an unjust world. The Yirra Yaakin Vignette Series is a collection of some of the best short scripts written and developed as part of the Yirra Yaakin Metro Writers’ Group 2020 and 2021. Originally delivered as readings at Yirra Yaarnz and now compiled and put into production for your enjoyment. Acted and directed by some of Perth’s most exciting, up and coming First Nations artists that hold the future of theatre in their hands! This is a show you don’t want to miss!

STARDUST tells the story of bandleader and trumpet player, Col Brain. Before he died, Col placed his most prized life possessions into a cupboard and locked it up, never to be opened again. But what was inside? THE MISSION follows the journey of “Fighting Gunditjmara” man, Allan McDonald – one of the first Aboriginal soldiers from Victoria to enlist for war. He fought at Gallipoli and Beersheba, only to be denied a soldier’s settlement on his ultimate return to Australia and forced from his land at the Lake Condah Mission. This captivating and rollicking story, told by his great, great nephew, Gunditjmara man Tom Molyneux, tells the truth of Uncle Allan’s struggle; fighting for Country, for love, and for justice. ## TOURING 23 June 2022 - Kalamunda Performing Arts Centre 24 June 2022 - Don Russell Performing Arts Centre 25 June 2022 - Harvey Recreation and Cultural Centre 28 June 2022 - Ravensthorpe Town Hall 30 June 2022 - Williams Town Hall 2 July 2022 - Albany Entertainment Centre

'My Fair Lady' by Lerner and Loewe tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” Travel on this journey of transformation to find out who is really transformed with numbers such as Wouldn’t it be Luverly, The Rain in Spain, Get Me To The Church on Time, and the stunning Ascot Gavotte along with many others. Not seen in Perth for 10 years My Fair Lady is proudly brought to you by Alexandra Theatre. Directed by Natalee Graveson, assisted by Luke van der Beeke with Musical Direction by Taui Pinker and Madeleine Innes and stunning choreography by Chloe Palliser book your tickets now for an evening of sheer enjoyment.

Have you ever loved an animal? Have you ever wondered why they are so loyal? Be transported to an inventive and beautifully crafted cityscape as you follow the heartfelt journey of one dog who has touched the hearts of people everywhere. Based on a true story from Japan, Hachiko is a celebration of the unique joy and companionship that pets bring to our lives. Expect to leave the theatre feeling inspired and touched by the resilience and devotion of Hachiko the loyal dog.

With music and lyrics by Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins, Tarzan is based on the 1999 Disney film and staged by Laughing Horse Productions at the Koorliny Arts Centre. Tarzan is raised by gorillas in West Africa and falls in love with young English naturalist Jane – unaware the people with her are planning to capture the gorillas and exploit them back in the UK. Both the musical, which opened on Broadway in 2006 and ran for 486 performances, and film use the 1912 story Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs as their source material.

A play reading program developed from selected members of the Yirra Yaakin Writers’ Group, followed by a Q & A session, that will also be live-streamed into selected partner organisations, showcasing the importance of storytelling & playwriting as it relates to Aboriginal culture

Winner of the New York Drama Critic’s Circle award for Best American Play, The Glass Menagerie is the timeless family drama that thrust Tennessee Williams into the international spotlight. Amanda Wingfield only wants the best for her two children, Tom and Laura. With her socialite adolescence behind her, Amanda puts all her energies into pushing her children up the social and financial ladder from which she has fallen. Shadowed by the absence of a father, they struggle to break free from their mother’s imposing ways. Clare Watson (York, The Torrents) exquisitely directs Tennessee Williams’ most vulnerable and semi-autobiographical play. Fuelled by pity and duty, burdened by love and hate, the Wingfields are one of theatre’s most iconic and heartbreakingly real families. This tour de force performance by much loved Mandy McElhinney (Wakefield, Love Child, Paper Giants) is your grand night out at the theatre.

This unforgettable immersive show sees audiences become paying guests at the Faulty Towers hotel. Expect 2 hours of comedy, improv, audience participation, & an original theatrical script to create a night perfect for anyone ready to laugh! Tickets include show, 3 course meal & alcoholic beverage package.

Continuing PICA and The Last Great Hunt’s partnership that has resulted in hits such as NEW OWNER (2016), THE IRRESISTIBLE (2017) and LÉ NØR [the rain] (2019), Telephone is a roller coaster ride through New Year’s Eve 1999. It’s Y2K, the biggest party of the year and the end of the millennium. A radio host on the verge of a breakdown counts us down to midnight; teenagers try to sneak out to a party; a survivalist is prepping for 12:01 and the impending collapse of society, government takeover and martial law. Integrating analogue technologies, lo-fi light refraction and 90’s trance music, Telephone explores connection and disconnection across an iconic moment in the history of humankind at the dawn of a new millennium.

See what's cooking in the next generation of performance makers at WAAPA in this evening of new works from the creative minds of our 2nd Year Performance Making students. There will be drama, politics and heart in this program of courageous and original devised performance. Devised and performed by: 2nd Year Performance Making students

Get ready to be inspired, provoked and entertained as WAAPA's graduating performance makers hit the Blue Room Theatre stage at full tilt, showcasing their creative talents over two weeks in September. This is theatre at its most eclectic, with powerful performances and inventive stagecraft underpinning highly original works that explore the very edges of theatre making. Devised and performed by: 3rd Year Performance Making students *Contains: Adult themes.

There are three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. Crown Heights, Brooklyn in the summer of 1991 is a community of roiling racial tensions. When a young Jewish driver accidentally kills a black child, riots erupt. As violence explodes on the streets, a 29-year-old Orthodox Jewish scholar from Australia is fatally stabbed by a gang of black youths. Fires in the Mirror, created from interviews with over 50 members of the Jewish and black communities, translates their voices verbatim into a Drama Desk award-winning play that revolutionised the genre of documentary theatre. Written by: Anna Deavere Smith Directed by: Charles Allen Performed by: 3rd Year Acting students “Fires in the Mirror is quite simply, the most compelling and sophisticated view of racial and class conflict that one could hope to encounter.” – The New York Times Contains: Adult themes and coarse language; ages 16+

Modern echoes of an Ancient Greek war without end. Playwright Charles Mee’s 1991 edgy remake of Euripides’ Greek tragedy is reset in a modern world in which history keeps repeating itself. This fever-dream of a play weaves snippets from contemporary texts into the story of Orestes and Electra, who murdered their mother to avenge her murder of their father. Written by: Charles L. Mee Based on the play by: Euripides Directed by: Matt Edgerton Performed by: 2nd Year Acting students Contains: Adult themes, violence and sexual references; ages 16+

This toe-tapping, comedic love story is set in the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory, where conditions are anything but peaceful. There’s trouble between superintendent Sid Sorokin and Babe Williams, leader of the union grievance committee, over a workers’ strike. But is that love brewing too? The Pajama Game is packed with golden musical gems, including Hey There, Hernando’s Hideaway and the sizzling Steam Heat. Book by: George Abbott and Richard Bissell Music and Lyrics by: Jerry Ross and Richard Adler Director and Choreographer: Cameron Mitchell Music Director: Craig Dalton Performed by: 3rd Year Music Theatre and Music students “It is a bright, brassy and jubilantly sassy show.” – New York Herald Tribune

Exploring the impact of the 1854 massacre of the Naagula people at Pelican Springs/Boolangul (colonially known as Bootenal Springs). As an outdoors, community developed work it is of a large scale and incorporates music, traditional dance and text – all in rhyming prose. This show is about engaging with and empowering the Yamatji community to tell their stories and explore ways that everyone in the City of Greater Geraldton can heal as a community. It is a beautiful, lyrical, cultural work written by award winning Musician, Naaguja/ Wardandi/ Bubbulman woman Theona Councillor in cooperation with her cousins and elders.