QPAC to Present Brisbane Season of Shrek the Musical These School Holidays

With Queensland’s COVID-19 restrictions significantly lifted and hopefully going to stay that way, now would be the ideal time to begin planning activities during the school holiday period. If you are deciding to remain in the state, in particular around South-East Queensland, and the idea of heading back into a performing arts venue… this announcement may be right up your alley.

After having to delay their trip to Brisbane from the swamp – Shrek, Fiona and Donkey are all headed to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) these school holidays for Shrek the Musical. The season is highlighted as the “first major musical to open to a 100% capacity audience in Australia […] since the onset of COVID-19”.

QPAC to Present Brisbane Season of Shrek the Musical These School Holidays 1

Shrek the Musical was due to be performed in Brisbane earlier this year as part of The Gordon Frost Organisation’s East Coast Tour, but had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. The season will commence in the QPAC Lyric Theatre from 9 January 2021, with tickets to go on-sale starting Thursday 3 December 2020. If you subscribe to their e-news or are on the Musicals Waitlist, check your inbox now to see if you received a pre-sale offer.

QPAC will be presenting this season in association with Gordon Frost Organisation, the first time in a while that the centre has been lead presenter in a musical theatre production. Given how long it has been since Shrek the Musical was performed in Sydney, a new cast is due to be announced in due course. Knowing the guy who was wearing the Shrek outfit for the announcement… I would vote for him!

QPAC to Present Brisbane Season of Shrek the Musical These School Holidays 2

There was lots of disappointment after its postponement earlier this year, so it’s great to be able to welcome Shrek The Musical. It is because of the great work of Queenslanders in responding to COVID-19 that we’ve been able to open up our borders and now Queensland is good to go.

This is an acclaimed blockbuster Broadway musical which will provide more jobs for artists, arts workers and venue workers while providing an economic boost to Queensland. “Shrek the Musical’s season at QPAC will deliver 38 performances, and an estimated 3000 shifts for artists and arts workers, it will also mean that audiences of around 50,000 can once again enjoy musical theatre in a full house.

“The arts sector has been severely impacted by the pandemic, so to be the first state in Australia to host the first major musical performance at 100% capacity, without a special exemption, is really rewarding. Since the start of COVID-19 the Palaszczuk Government has committed nearly $60 million worth of initiatives to support the arts and cultural sector, this includes the $22.5 million Arts and Cultural Recovery Package,

The Honourable Leeanne Enoch MP – Queensland Arts Minister

As soon as 100 percent audience capacity was announced, QPAC was determined to revisit the possibility of staging the much-anticipated Shrek the Musical, as our first large scale musical in 2021. The production was set to come to QPAC in May this year and we know how disappointed fans were when the season was cancelled, so we pulled out all stops to bring this much-loved story to our audiences.

Large touring musicals are normally planned years in advance, so to pull this off so quickly is testament to the desire of our partners, the artists and crews to get back on stage. “Musicals have such broad appeal and this Broadway production with its all-star cast is the type of international standard show that our audiences have come to expect from QPAC.

In consideration of the year that it has been, the season will include family-friendly pricing to make experiencing Shrek the Musical as accessible for as many families as possible. We do see it as a privilege to return to 100 percent capacity in our theatres as so many of our colleagues in other states and around the world are still working under restrictions. We thank our community and patrons for their support of our industry as they have returned to live performance The cast for the QPAC season of Shrek The Musical QPAC season is soon to be announced.

John Kotzas – Chief Executive of QPAC

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