A professional learning experience with a difference…

The National Quality Framework – The Musical! is about the experience of early childhood educators in everyday practice. The two characters - Red (Educational Leader) and Lou (Coordinator) take the audience through the professional and emotional experience of daily life in an early childhood setting. 

 

The key events that occur in four acts during the musical are: 

 

- Notice of Assessment 

- Reflective Practice 

- Assessment and Rating 

- Social Justice and The Arts 

 

Through these four acts, Red and Lou express thoughts, feelings and practices that educators have reported on anecdotally, through first hand experience, and in research projects pertaining to educators’ experiences of the National Quality Framework and the regulatory landscape more broadly. 

 

Through witty dialogue, music and dance, these experiences are enacted in order to acknowledge the complexity of the profession as well as reassure educators that they can engage confidently in their everyday practices. 

 

The central themes draw from the Principles and Practices in the EYLF and the 7 Quality areas in the NQS.

We welcome Latrobe Theatre Company to GPAC for the first time with this flamboyant, funny, disco-fuelled musical.

Based on the 1994 popular movie of the same name, Priscilla Queen of the Desert follows the journey of two drag queens, Tick and Adam, and a transgender woman, Bernadette, as they travel across Australia in their bus, named Priscilla.

Tick has been asked to perform at a hotel in Alice Springs by his estranged wife, Marion.

Taking Adam and Bernadette along with him, the trio drive from Sydney to the remote resort town in the middle of the desert. Tick tells his companions that the trip is a favour to his wife, from whom he is separated, but does not reveal that he also has an 8-year-old son he does not know, but who now wants to meet his father.

As they head west, Tick, Adam, and Bernadette learn to accept and support each other, whilst encountering a number of strange and colourful characters.

After experiencing violent homophobic threats, Adam is forced to realize that not everyone is accepting of his flamboyant lifestyle, whilst Bernadette opens up to the possibility of love again following the death of her husband.

Upon reaching Alice Springs, Tick finally meets his son, Benjamin, who accepts his father’s homosexual-ity and drag queen persona.

The trio perform at the resort and realize that they have forged a bond that will last forever.

Full of well-known pop songs and supported by three divas flying high above the stage, Priscilla Queen of the Desert is a flamboyant, funny, disco-fuelled musical that will get you on your feet.

First show sold out, second show added due to popular demand!

Friday 4 November | 7.30PM | GPAC Theatre

Saturday 5 November | 7.30PM | GPAC Theatre

Australia’s world-renowned entertainer and International Magician of the Year, Cosentino, is returning to perform his brand new, 90 minute live show Deception.

Join Cosentino as he performs death-defying escapes that will thrill your senses, mind-boggling stage illusions and cutting-edge street magic that twists your view of reality. 

His trademark blend of dance and magic with a touch of hilarious audience participation will take you on a journey that will captivate fans, new and old, until the very last mind-bending moment. Now recognised as Australia’s most successful magician, Cosentino has spent the last three years touring to packed houses and rave reviews around the world, while his prime-time TV specials have now been seen by over 100 million people across the globe.

In a city at war, five young people count down the days before a boat sets sail for a safer place. Who will leave, who will stay, and what will their choices cost them?

Wednesday 7 September | 7.30PM | GPAC Theatre

 

“Perhaps the most important piece of theatre you will see this year.” 5 STARS, The Music



From multiple-award winning playwright Samah Sabawi comes THEM — a compelling tale of survival, friendship, and the things we are willing to do to protect the ones we love.

THEM tells the story of one young family as they face the decision whether to flee their war-torn city. Omar, Leila and their young child are counting down the days. Their friends enjoy fantasies of escape and the arrival of Omar’s sister brings a real chance to get out – but at what cost?

Developed in consultation with people living in conflict zones and displaced by war, the play was first supported by Melbourne Theatre Company’s Cybec Electric program before enjoying a sell-out extended season at the famed La Mama Theatre.

With unexpected tenderness, laughter, and song, THEM takes audiences into extraordinary circumstances to reveal our shared humanity in the ordinary moments that shape our lives.

“A drama dappled with humanity and humour amid the horrors of war [...] The inextinguishable spirit of laughter, of the music of life in the face of desolation, is crucial to both the play’s poignancy and appeal.” 4 STARS, Sydney Morning Herald.

Written by Samah Sabawi

Directed by Bagryana Popov

Producer, Set and Costume Design Lara Week

Lighting Design Shane Grant

Sound Design Elissa Goodrich

Prop Maker Lara Chamas

Production and Stage Manager Hayley Fox Touring

Production Manager Shane Grant

Cast Taj Aldeeb, Claudia Greenstone, Abdulrahman Hammoud, Sahil Saluja, Meena Shamaly, Mehran Tajbakhsh

Originally produced by Lara Week and Samah Sabawi, in collaboration with La Mama Theatre. THEM is supported by La Trobe University, the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative, and the Australia Council for the Arts, the arts funding and advisory body of the Australian Government

The details will be different, but it will happen to you.

Thursday 2 June | 7PM | GPAC Theatre

Described by the New York Times as ‘thrilling and engaging – universal, profound… and uplifting’ Joan Didion’s celebrated memoir is brought to life by Green Room Award-winning actor Jillian Murray in a critically-acclaimed solo performance that reunites her with director Laurence Strangio (L’amante Anglaise national tour 2019).

This highly personal account of loss through the lens of hope unpacks a surreal and overwhelming time in Didion’s life as she faces the sudden loss of her husband John, and later her daughter Quintana. Deeply moving, sometimes funny, and ultimately joyful, this is one woman’s story of the journey to find acceptance, and the lessons learnt in letting go.

After a critically-acclaimed sellout premiere season at Melbourne’s FortyFiveDownstairs this is a production that is a must-see for fans of great drama.

Written By Joan Didion

Directed By Laurence Strangio

Lighting Design Andy Turner

Sound Design Darius Kedros

Photography Jodie Hutchinson

Performed By Jillian Murray

“We felt like privileged listeners, given access to an extraordinarily insightful confrontation with the way in which grief loosens our grasp on reason” ArtsHub

“The audience is mesmerised, holding on to every word, gesture, with eyes following her movements, taking in what’s been so eloquently said” Theatre People

“Jillian Murray gives a superb performance - poised, vulnerable, intelligent, and full of the subtlest ironies” Herald Sun

“This is yet another fine – and, if you like, ‘magical’ – performance from Jillian Murray, aided and guided by Mr Strangio, who here shows that he knows very well that less is more.” Stage Whispers

“a one person show par excellence” The Blurb

The World of Musicals Concert has graced stages across the globe!

Monday 18 July | 7.30PM | GPAC Theatre

The show features a world-class ensemble of multi-talented performing artists who  

exquisitely recreate classic hits, fused with emotive ballads,  

big-screen anthems and iconic show tunes. 

 

From the best of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables to We  

will Rock You, Sister Act and many more, the World of Musicals  

delivers a stirring musical concert theatre experience that will leave  

you spellbound – from the opening song to the final medley of classics. 

 

“ALL THE HIT SONGS IN ONE SHOW ” that is the quintessential takeaway  

from this musical concert gala. 

 

The World of the Musicals concert is a show that is tailored for the  

entire family, so get ready to be enthralled and sing along to all your  

favourite and much-loved Musical songs in one unforgettable evening.  

Join Lab Kelpie for a tailored wellbeing workshop especially for performers

Most of us understand the benefits of stretching before and after we go for a run or hit the gym. So why should the gruelling physical and emotional work of performing be any different? Avoiding pulling a muscle in the gym will mean very little if your mental health is taking a beating in the rehearsal room.

Whether you’re rehearsing a demanding theatre scene or playing the romantic lead in the musical; whether you’re performing the work yourself or witnessing it as a crew member or creative – never underestimate the emotional and mental toll that inhabiting or exploring other characters and stories can take.

In this hands-on (and eye-opening) workshop, we take participants through practical warmups and focus activities, exercises in meditation and mindfulness, and cool-down and “deroling” techniques. We will also share invaluable tips on navigating onstage intimacy and violence, discuss stress and work-life balance, and leave you with resources, tips and tools with which to tend to and maintain mental health and safety in the theatre – both yours and others’

A hands-on theatre workshop for budding actors and theatre-makers.

Two of the Lab Kelpie team will take students through the creation and themes of Become The One with a 90-minute, hands-on workshop exploring the structure and style, casting and character dynamics, performance, and how to touch on serious subject manner in a real and accessible way.

Perfect for amateur thespians, budding playwrights and directors, or behind-the-scenes voyeurs! Includes handouts and further resources. Covering the page-to-stage process of presenting Become The One and including practical exercises and group work, this class is run by two of our team and it’s designed to educate, entertain and enhance the experience of the performance.

A scientific race through the alphabet - where awesome words inspire awesome science!

Friday 27 May | 10AM + 1PM | GPAC Theatre

Join professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge (the Word Nerd and the Science Freak) for a thrilling voyage through the alphabet – where great big chewy sesquipedalian words inspire mind-blowing scientific surprises.

Professor Lexi Con has curated a curious collection of her favourite words (one for every letter of the alphabet) with each word providing Professor Noel Edge with an inspirational jumping off point for 26 quirky scientific demonstrations – that squish and squirt, float and fly, erupt and explode.

Together, this dad-joke quipping, prank-pulling pair of polished professors strut their stuff in a performance that’s equal parts explosive, messy, spectacular, hilarious, fascinating and gross.

And if things weren’t exciting enough, every show is completely different, with audiences determining the order in which the letters are revealed and explored.

Plus, did we mention, this is a race? The plucky pair of professors have just 52 minutes to complete their alphabetical, scientifical countdown. That’s just 2 minutes per experiment! Will they make it in time...?

Brace yourself for an immersive hour of carefully crafted alphabetical, scientifical (award-winning!) chaos!

Never fear, Super Jenny is here these school holidays!

Thursday 21 April | 10.30am & 1.30pm | Outdoors

Jenny likes to swim with mermaids and fly to other worlds, her best friend is Ned and she loves her nanny, but when someone needs help she becomes Super Jenny.

Jenny helps her friends and family all the time, her Nanny says this makes her Super Jenny. But sometimes even super heroes need help. This pre-school children’s entertainment is engaging, fun and educational, incorporating fine and gross motor skills, Auslan sign language, singing, dancing and musical terms. Super Jenny LIVE explores sustainability, mindfulness, coastal care and encourages creativity, imaginative play and cognitive learning that goes hand in hand to enhance all children’s physical and intellectual development.

FREE Program - No bookings required 

‘Monk has achieved a show that is entertaining, educational and also simply fun – which in my opinion brings it close to super’

– Witness Performance 4 Stars

“I for one look forward to learning new Auslan signs and hearing stories from Super Jenny!’s Nanna in coming episodes. Job well done Jennifer Monk and La Mama for Kids.”

– Artshub

Created and Performed by Jennifer Monk

Music and Lyrics by Natalie Jeffreys

Production and Costume designer by Oliver Ross

Image by Abigail Wilson at BeScene