Finding Nemo is coming to the stage in the state that inspired it. The Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and CDP Theatre Producers will present the Australian premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo: A 60-Minute Family Musical in 2027, with Brisbane audiences the first in the country to see it.
The production opens at QPAC’s Playhouse on 23 June 2027 and runs until 11 July, before heading to Cairns Performing Arts Centre from 15 to 17 July 2027. It is the flagship production of QPAC’s children’s festival Out of the Box, which returns from 22 to 27 June 2027, and the season is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland. Tickets go on sale to the public at 9am AEST on Monday 9 November 2026 via QPAC’s website.
Based on the Academy Award-winning 2003 film, the musical follows a young clownfish, his overprotective father Marlin and their friend Dory. Directed by Liesel Badorrek, the production uses handcrafted puppetry to bring Nemo and the other ocean characters to life, with designs by Isla Shaw and puppets made by Australian puppetry company Things of Foam and Wood. Michael Tyack is musical director, and the book, music and lyrics are by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the team behind Frozen.
QPAC Chief Executive Rachel Healy said Finding Nemo has a particular connection to the region, and thanked the production’s partners.
We are delighted to host the Australian premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo: A 60-Minute Family Musical as part of QPAC’s children’s festival, Out of the Box, and to welcome audiences from across Queensland and beyond to experience this remarkable show.
Few stories are as closely connected to Australia’s natural wonders as Finding Nemo. Bringing this much-loved movie to life on stage in Queensland creates a wonderful connection between story and place.
We’re proud to be partnering with Cairns Performing Arts Centre to have an exclusive Queensland premiere in both Brisbane and Cairns, and are grateful to the Queensland Government for enabling this season through Tourism and Events Queensland funding support.
CDP Producer Yolande White described the work involved in bringing the production together and why premiering it in Queensland matters to the team:
Bringing Nemo, Dory, Bruce and the colourful characters of the ocean to the stage has been an extraordinary creative journey for our team.
There are many creative development stages involved in bringing this production to life, from early illustrations and design concepts through to the careful hand-crafted creation of the puppets and the theatrical production itself.
Premiering this production in Queensland, where the story’s inspiration started, makes this premiere season particularly special.
The production is based on the book adapted by Lindsay Anderson, with music and orchestrations adapted and arranged by Myrna Conn. It is based on the 2003 Disney and Pixar film written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds, and directed by Andrew Stanton, and is licensed exclusively by Musical Theatre International (Australasia).
