Last week at an evening launch event, The Arts Centre Gold Coast announced the 23 varied productions which will be on offer as part of their 2016 season. From January all the way to December, it is clear these shows are set to offer not only something the whole family can enjoy, but a range of performances that will cater to different personal tastes. The full 2016 season listing can be found HERE.
Tickets for the shows are now available for purchase, however can only be purchased as season packages of at least five shows. Although this does involve purchasing tickets more upfront than usual and in a greater number at once, in return you get a reasonable discount and first dibs on seating. Single tickets will go on sale at 9AM on January 4th 2016.
Rather than simply guide you through a list of all the shows, which you can easily find HERE, I am going to take you through what I am considering to be my ideal “The Arts Centre Gold Coast 2016 Season Package”.
Choice #1: Mary Poppins
Following an already impressive production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2014, The Arts Centre Gold Coast presented an incredibly satisfying run of Miss Saigon earlier this year. Miss Saigon has been one of the highlights of my journey through stage musicals in 2015, and going by review score, it is currently tied first place with both The Pirates of Penzance (Harvest Rain) and Strictly Ballroom the Musical. With the standard they have set for themselves, I am expecting something even more spectacular when they present Mary Poppins in June 2016.
Even though this might not be a major Australia-wide production of Mary Poppins, this does not seem to be stopping The Arts Centre Gold Coast from providing an experience to remember.
In a speech presented by Performing Arts Manager Brad Rush, he commented
“Completely produced and presented by The Arts Centre Gold Coast, Mary Poppins will be practically perfect in every way. Following our recent productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and [..] Miss Saigon, The Arts Centre will continue to deliver our audiences highly professional and well produced large-scale musicals. AND YES! Mary will fly, Bert will tap dance around the proscenium arch, and we will sing along to ridiculously long made up words.”
For more information on Mary Poppins, click HERE.
Choice #2: Il Ritorno by Circa
Il Ritorno by Circa seems to be one of the more major offerings in the 2016 season, with it featuring on the season’s cover guide. Providing a various array of acrobatic performances over the years, I genuinely look forward to seeing what Circa’s latest work has to offer theatre goers in 2016.
The following is a short snippet of the show’s synopsis:
The stage is awash with bodies tumbling, lifting and clutching. Then, out of the darkness and gnawed by nostalgia, the Greek hero Ulysses appears after twenty long years of war and wanderings. Will he reach his faithful wife Penelope before she succumbs to her suitors?
Il Ritorno retells Claudio Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno D’Ulisse in Patria, intermingling it with folk song and new compositions. It is set to be performed August 26-27, with a 7:30PM session being offered each day.
More information on Il Ritorno can be found HERE.
Choice #3: Viral
While a considerable number of the 2016 season shows take place in the main Arts Theatre, some of the more unique experiences might be found in the smaller and more intimate ‘The Space’ venue. Shock Therapy Productions is not unfamiliar to The Arts Centre Gold Coast, and in September 2016 will be performing a new show they have written and devised titled ‘Viral’. Viral explores the role of social media and technology and how it impacts the way we record, communicate and think about issues facing society today. Judging from previous experience, it will be another thought-provoking show.
I have had to opportunity to attend several shows in The Space during 2015, and genuinely look forward to seeing whats on offer in 2016. Other shows in The Space in 2016 include Sugarland and Waiting For Godot.
More information on Viral can be found HERE.
Choice #4: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show
Granted I am not adding this to my purchase list as I would hate to take a seat away from a family who would benefit from the experience more, it is hard not to be enticed by a stage production featuring the characters and stories from Eric Carle which I grew up reading (After all, age shouldn’t bar someone from appreciating the magic of theatre!).
Coming in at approximately 50 minutes in length, this production features a very familiar caterpillar and the characters from three of Eric Carle’s other notable works: ‘The Artist Who Pained a Blue Horse’, ‘Mr. Seahorse’ and ‘The Very Lonely Firefly’. From what I have seen so far, this might be a perfect production to introduce your children to theatre with.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show has been created by Jonathan Worsley, directed by Naomi Edwards and features 75 puppets created by New York’s Puppet Kitchen. The show will be held May 20th-21st, with a total of five sessions on offer.
More information on The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show can be found HERE.
Choice #5: Othello
Having studied various works of William Shakespeare, both during education and my own personal leisure, I will admit having a mixed reception to his work. For example, while I really enjoyed Romeo & Juliet, I didn’t feel the hype other people had about Macbeth. Although in the case of the latter, I was in Grade 12 when I studied it and spent most of the school year exhausted anyway.
I find Othello to be one of the more interesting Shakespeare works, and personally look forward to seeing how this production fares under the direction of Bell Shakespeare’s Artistic Director Peter Evans.
More information on Othello can be found HERE.
