If you’re looking for something to do this winter be sure to check out the fresh season of productions coming to Perth stages. From classical musicals like *Crazy for You* to inspiring performances from Western Australia’s most talented up-and-coming stage actors, there is something to keep everyone occupied during the colder months.
York
Inspired by 200 years of accounts that shed light on how stories are told, York blends humour and horror to uncover the buried histories of our past. Black Swan State Theatre Company has collaborated with WA Youth Theatre Company to produce this daring new work set in and around an abandoned hospital in the township of York on Ballardong Nyoongar country.
The play will be performed from Saturday, July 10 to Sunday, August 1 at Heath Ledger Theatre. Purchase tickets here.
Crazy for You
Immerse yourself in the world of musical theatre in this classic farce where the show folk of New York meet the hicks of a dead-end mining town in Nevada. Set to the much-loved soundtrack of the legendary George and Ora Gershwin, Crazy for You, is a timeless blend of music, comedy, dancing romance and showmanship.
Students from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts will hit the stage of His Majesty’s Theatre from Friday, June 11 to Thursday, June 11 at 7:30 pm with matinees on Saturday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 16 at 2:00 pm. Purchase your tickets here, you’d be crazy to miss it!
Gloria
Gloria follows a group of ambitious editorial assistants at a Manhattan magazine, who are eager to climb the journalistic ladder to success until an ordinary day at work is turned on its head. Performed by Western Australia’s most talented up-and-coming stage actors, direct from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, the play examines the exploitive nature of today’s media-saturated society and the harsh toll that ruthless ambition takes on one’s personal life.
Gloria opens on Thursday, June 10 and will run through to Wednesday, June 16 at the Roundhouse. Purchase tickets here.
Every Brilliant Thing
Every Brilliant Thing is a multi-award-winning international sensation that follows one person’s life under the shadow of mental health. The play is told from the perspective of fathers, lovers, friends and allies and has been described as an hour of life-affirming humour that sees audience members consider the things that make life worth living.
Every Brilliant Thing will be performed by Black Swan State Theatre Company at Studio Underground from Wednesday, August 25 to Friday, September 17. Tickets can be purchased here.
Rise
RISE, produced by the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, sits at the confluence of classical and contemporary dance. Dancers will perform Les Sylphides restaged by ex-Australian Ballet principal, Leanne Stojmenov, and Classical Dance lecturer, Kim McCarthy. The performance will also feature Memento mori, a novel piece by Jynan Hughes that explores the nature of inevitability, impermanence and chance.
RISE will be performed at WAAPA’s Geoff Gibbs Theatre from Monday, June 14 to Thursday, June 17. Tickets can be purchased here.
NAIDOC WEEK productions
Yirra Yaakin is one of Australia’s leading Aboriginal performing arts organisations producing award-winning, world-class theatre that is both entertaining and educational. The company is producing two performances for NAIDOC week, which runs from Sunday, July 4 to Sunday, July 11 this year.
Ngalaka Daa Ensemble
The Ngalaka Daa Ensemble provides an avenue for the recognition of Indigenous language as well as the promotion of cultural awareness and reconciliation. Presented in collaboration with the WA Youth Theatre Company, ensemble participants are exposed to a series of workshops and rehearsals that lead to a number of curated performance opportunities.
Audiences can experience the inspiring work of the Ngalaka Daa Ensemble for free on Wednesday, July 7 at King Street Arts Centre.
Yirra Yaarnz
This weekend of play readings features works from emerging Western Australian Aboriginal playwrights. Yirra Yaarnz showcases the importance of storytelling and playwriting, and how it relates to Aboriginal culture. Each performance is followed by a Q&A session offering audiences a unique opportunity to gain insight into the creative writing process.
Yirra Yaarnz will be held on Friday, July 9 and Saturday, July 10 at the Blue Room Theatre.
Coma & Flight
For those looking for a more interactive theatre experience, Darkfield has returned with its series of immersive sensory shows. The first act, Coma, sees audience members clamber into hospital bunks where they pop a pill and are led into a dream state, forcing all to face their fears. The second offering, Flight, sees participants placed into economy-style plane seating before being “flown” through two realities: one in which you land safely and one in which you do not.
Both experiences are currently on offer at the Perth Cultural Centre and will be running until June 20. If you are in the mood for some unsettling adventure, then be sure to book your tickets now.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Bell Shakespeare’s latest performance is a pared-back production of the Bard’s classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Fast, funny and family-friendly the reawakened performance is brimming with magic, mirth and mayhem.
Catch A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the State Theatre Centre of WA from Wednesday, August 4 to Saturday, August 7. Tickets can be purchased here.
West Side Story
Hailed as the greatest Broadway musical of all time, West Side Story has sold out theatres around the world and is finally landing at Perth’s Crown Theatre this June. This timeless masterpiece telling the tragic story of two young lovers torn apart by enemy camps is sure to capture the hearts of audiences young and old.
The musical is to be performed from Tuesday, June 29 to Thursday, July 15. Purchase tickets here.
HEATHERS The Musical
The darkly delicious story of Veronica Sawyer, a beautiful and brainy teenaged misfit hustling her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High, is hitting the stage of Subiaco Arts Centre this winter. HEATHERS The Musical will take you straight back to the days of high school drama and emotion.
HEATHERS will be showcased from Wednesday, June 23 to Saturday, July 3. Tickets can be purchased here.