Ian Lawson News

PLAYLAB THEATRE turns 50 this year and on this milestone they celebrate and reflect their rich history, whilst looking towards an exciting future! Founded in 1972 as the Queensland Playwrights Laboratory, then Playlab INC and now Playlab Theatre, they have spent 50 years championing new Australian works that interrogate Australian society through excellence in text-based theatre.

Six young aspiring First Nations playwrights will soon take an important step towards realising their writing dreams thanks to a development program run jointly by Playlab Theatre and Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC).

Outcry Youth Theatre's magical production of The Secret Garden runs 10 performances, January 17-26 at the Addison Theatre Centre's Studio Theatre. Several performances of this family friendly show are already sold out, so buy your tickets today!

Outcry Youth Theatre's epic telling of this brand-new adaptation of the Arthurian legend brings new life and meaning to the classic tale. The show ambitiously spans the entire life of Arthur, from a boy of eleven to an aging king, and features many unforgettable characters, from Guinevere and Lancelot to Morgan le Fay and Merlin. This incredible story has it all: action and adventure, love and romance, myth and magic. From the sword in the stone to the Knights of the Round Table, the treasured stories are there but presented with a modern twist that forgoes the pretense of olde English language or the confines of a sequentially delivered narrative. Outcry Theatre artistic director Becca Johnson-Spinos directs a cast of 39 youth actors at the Addison Theatre Centre's Studio Theatre.

The two teenage actors who play the Creature in Outcry Youth Theatre's Frankenstein are going to great lengths to embody the classic horror character. In this version of Mary Shelley's novel, adapted by Nick Dear, Frankenstein's Creature is the central character.

Outcry Youth Theatre is proud to present Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame from June 21-24 at the MCL Grand Theatre Black Box in Lewisville. With music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and book by Peter Parnell, the musical is based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney film, and it was originally developed by Disney Theatrical Productions.

In our contemporary society, there are a plethora of artistic and literary works that aim to explore aspects of the current political landscape and harness change amongst the masses. does just that. A co-production between La Boite and Playlab, actor and playwright Kathryn Marquet's The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek is set a small, isolated shack in the south-western Tasmania wilderness and follows the story of George Templeton, an environmental activist trying to prevent the mass extinction of the Tasmanian devil. Other characters include George's flatmate the ranger and chicken nugget fanatic Harris Robb, wildlife poacher Mickey O'Toole and heavily right-winged high schooler Destinee Lee.

Acclaimed actor-turned-playwright Kathryn Marquet (Pale Blue Dot) makes her highly anticipated return to La Boite next month with a biting new dark comedy, The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek. Co-produced with new-writing incubator Playlab, The Dead Devils of Cockle Creek is a wild and hilarious new Australian play tackling climate change and the dangers of extreme environmental activism.

Following a target-smashing Kickstarter campaign this October, Iris Theatre's Xmas Factor All Stars album drops this Friday, just in time for the festive season.

Outcry Theatre will present its first musical this October with Bat Boy: The Musical, story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, and music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe (Heathers).

The Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society's latest venture combines sparkling performances, modern references and excellent sound design in one of G&S's less well known comic operas.

A middle-aged brother and sister, Amy and Andy, are stuck living at home in regional Australia, caring for their chronically ill mother. To escape this mundane existence, Amy creates a fantasy world in her lounge room that revolves around her idol, Olivia Newton-John. In between working two jobs to pay for the medical bills, Andy indulges his sister's devotion. He knows that if it weren't for Olivia, they'd both be going mad. But Andy is starting to change. He's ready to move on. The problem is, Amy is perfectly happy in her fantasy world and wants things to stay the same.

A middle-aged brother and sister, Amy and Andy, are stuck living at home in regional Australia, caring for their chronically ill mother. To escape this mundane existence, Amy creates a fantasy world in her lounge room that revolves around her idol, Olivia Newton-John. In between working two jobs to pay for the medical bills, Andy indulges his sister's devotion. He knows that if it weren't for Olivia, they'd both be going mad. But Andy is starting to change. He's ready to move on. The problem is, Amy is perfectly happy in her fantasy world and wants things to stay the same.

2009's DRAMA AT THE GASFIELDS attracted more than 2,500 people to the grounds of Windibri Homestead near Chinchilla, and this year's event on Saturday 13 March promises to be bigger and better than ever. As part of this year's event, La Boite will premiere new work THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND, written by former Artistic Director Sean Mee (Oodgeroo: Bloodline to Country).

2009's DRAMA AT THE GASFIELDS attracted more than 2,500 people to the grounds of Windibri Homestead near Chinchilla, and this year's event on Saturday 13 March promises to be bigger and better than ever. As part of this year's event, La Boite will premiere new work THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND, written by former Artistic Director Sean Mee (Oodgeroo: Bloodline to Country).

THE PINEAPPLE QUEEN is raw and confronting theatre. A dark fable and a dance macabre. All she ever wanted was to be crowned the Glasshouse District Pineapple Queen, wear wonderful dresses, watch romantic movies, and catch the eye of a handsome young man. But when her dancing courtship with William Holden intensifies she is forced to confront the reality of her existence.

THE PINEAPPLE QUEEN is raw and confronting theatre. A dark fable and a dance macabre. All she ever wanted was to be crowned the Glasshouse District Pineapple Queen, wear wonderful dresses, watch romantic movies, and catch the eye of a handsome young man. But when her dancing courtship with William Holden intensifies she is forced to confront the reality of her existence.

THE PINEAPPLE QUEEN is raw and confronting theatre. A dark fable and a dance macabre. All she ever wanted was to be crowned the Glasshouse District Pineapple Queen, wear wonderful dresses, watch romantic movies, and catch the eye of a handsome young man. But when her dancing courtship with William Holden intensifies she is forced to confront the reality of her existence.