Damien Cooper News

Antoinette Halloran and Alexander Lewis captivate the audience.

Peak Performances continues its 2018-19 season of genre-and-convention-defying performances with the U.S. premiere of Cut the Sky, from Marrugeku, Australia's preeminent dance theater ensemble of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists. A rock concert, a work of modern dance, and a plea for environmental action and the rights of Indigenous peoples, Cut the Sky addresses humanity's frailty in the face of its own actions. The "multi-faceted, fast moving, and dark" (The Guardian) performance follows a group of climate refugees living in a landscape scorched by climate change, facing yet another extreme weather event. The piece, collaboratively conceived by Marrugeku co-artistic directors Dalisa Pigram, Rachael Swain (concept) and Edwin Lee Mulligan (poems); directed by Rachael Swain;and choreographed by Dalisa Pigram and Serge Aime Coulibali, comes to the Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University (1 Normal Ave., Montclair, NJ) November 15-18.

***Winners To Be Updated 15 July and 16 July*** 2018 Helpmann Awards Nominees ***Winners To Be Updated, Please refresh your Browser after 6pm 15 July *** ACT1 updated

This is indeed a performance of international significance.

Alana Valentine's new play THE SUGAR HOUSE delves into Sydney's forgotten past with a powerful story of the pain and perseverance of three generations whose history is grounded in Pyrmont's history.

West End hit Thriller Live, a spectacular concert- style show that celebrates Michael Jackson's enduring musical legacy and ground-breaking dance moves, today announces it has opened a new booking period to Sunday 7 April, 2019!

In an era when female power and rights are being asserted and America was on the verge of its first female president, Imara Savage opens Sydney Theatre Company's 2018 season with Caryl Churchill's TOP GIRLS. 

Thriller Live, the concert spectacular at London's Lyric Theatre, which showcases his unforgettable music and dazzling choreography will see its record-breaking West End run enter its 10th year. And on February 15, the show will smash yet another West End record by becoming the 14th Longest Running Musical in History. Thriller Live also holds the record as the eighth longest running show currently playing in the West End. Yet more celebrations are planned for the 4,000th West End performance later in the year.

Sydney Theatre Company opens its 2018 season with the Caryl Churchill classic Top Girls, directed by STC Resident Director Imara Savage with an extraordinary all-female ensemble including Helen Thomson, Kate Box, Michelle Lim Davidson, Paula Arundell and Heather Mitchell.

The Australian Ballet opens its 2018 season with Murphy, a tribute to the country's greatest choreographer Graeme Murphy who celebrates his milestone 50-year career in ballet. Murphy began his dance career in The Australian Ballet's corps de ballet, made his first work for the company's Choreographic Workshop in 1971, and went on to become artistic director of Sydney Dance Company for 31 years. Murphy brings together a diverse selection of works by the master storyteller, showcasing the bold originality, wit and poetic movement that have earned him a peerless place in Australian dance history. His exquisite retelling of the Firebird story will be paired with highlights from his incandescent career. The Murphy program will light up the stage in Melbourne at Arts Centre Melbourne from 16 to 26 March 2018, and in Sydney at Sydney Opera House from 6 to 23 April 2018.

In a world premiere, acclaimed playwright Lally Katz takes the audience on her entertaining, and at times bizarre, journey of self-discovery in her autobiographical five hander ATLANTIS.

Blame It On The Boogie...the dancing is not going to stop any time soon on Shaftesbury Avenue with the West End spectacular Thriller Live announcing a new booking period to 30 September, 2018, with 180,000 extra seats now on sale!

Sydney Theatre Company presents acclaimed British playwright Moira Buffini's Dinner for the first time this September at the Sydney Opera House. This award-winning play has won critical acclaim around the globe and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy following its premiere in London.

In Garry Stewart's Be Your Self Redux the Australian Dance Theatre dancers are transformed into erupting, powerful entities.

They're changing the cast at Thriller Live with eight new dancers joining the 15th Longest Running Musical in West End history - all making their West End stage debuts. The youngsters joining the cast this week are on 12-month contracts that will see them in the show when it starts its 10th anniversary West End celebrations at the Lyric Theatre in January 2018. Scroll down to meet the new stars!

This August, Carriageworks presents Sydney Chamber Opera's (SCO) new co-production with Victorian Opera, Benjamin Britten's opera in two acts, The Rape of Lucretia. Directed by Helpmann Award Winner, Kip Williams, the production stars Mezzo Soprano Anna Dowsley (Le Nozze di Figaro for Opera Australia; SCO's Ich habe genug) in a career-defining title role. Conducted by SCO's Artistic Director, Jack Symonds, Costume Design and Associate Direction is by Elizabeth Gadsby; Set Design is by David Fleischer; and Lighting Design is by Damien Cooper. Six performances of this world premiere season will be presented at Carriageworks from 19 - 26 August 2017.

The West End spectacular Thriller Live that celebrates his musical legacy and groundbreaking dance moves, and which recently became the 15th Longest Running Musical in West End history, is taking that message to heart!

Thriller Live has smashed yet another West End record to become London's 16th Longest Running Musical of all time.

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2016, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday 23 January 2017 at 6pm at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre, a much larger venue than previous years due to the burgeoning popularity of the ceremony.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents an all-new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute just in time for the holidays, December 10, 2016 - January 27, 2017.