Spring has sprung and so we have an exciting bouquet of fresh and colourful stories featuring NIDA alumni from every field. With so much talent sprouting across television, theatre, events and film, there’s never been a better time to step out and see what’s in season.
Hopping onto cinema screens from 18 September, Kangaroo stars Ryan Corr (Acting, 2009), Rick Donald (Acting, 2009) and Steve Kidd (Acting, 1987). When Chris Masterman finds himself stranded en route to Broome, he and a spirited young girl, Charlie, form an unlikely bond as they care for injured (and adorable) kangaroos. Behind the scenes is a pouch full of NIDA talent including, Costume Designer Edie Kurzer (Design, 1978), Costume Assistant Victoria Arvanitakis (Costume, 2019), Costume Standby Amy Rose Jackson (Design for Performance, 2021) and Sustainability Advisor Heidi May (Acting, 2018).
Returning to the Top End on 12 September, Amazon Prime’s eagerly awaited series Top End Bub follows an Indigenous lawyer and her baker husband who relocate from Adelaide to the outback to raise her orphaned niece. Directed by Shari Sebbens (Acting, 2009) with a stellar alumni line-up including Miranda Tapsell (Acting, 2008) Guy Simon (Acting, 2010), Rob Collins (Acting, 2013) and Buyer/Dresser Hannah Sitters (Design for Performance, 2019), this feel-good family drama is all about family, love and life up north.
Guided by Co-Directors Declan Greene and Amy Sole (Directing, 2022), Dylan Van Den Berg’s celebrated play Whitefella Yella Tree, first staged by Griffin Theatre Co, finds new life on the Sydney Theatre Company stage from 19 September – 18 October. Catch Joseph Althouse (Acting, 2018) and Danny Howard (Acting, 2024) in this tender two-hander about first love and cultural legacy. Setting the tone are world-builders, Designer Mason Browne (Design, 2003) and Lighting Co-Designers, Kelsey Lee (Design for Performance, 2018) and Katie Sfetkidis.
From page to stage, Virgina Woolf’s Orlando is coming to Belvoir St Theatre from 6 – 21 September. Directed and co-adapted by Carissa Licciardello (Directing, 2017), this bold reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s classic is brought to life by an ensemble of alumni talent, including Janet Anderson (Acting, 2022), Nyx Calder (Acting, 2018) and Emily Havea (Acting, 2014). With design magic from David Fleischer (Design, 2009), Ella Butler (Design for Performance, 2017), Hailley Hunt (Design for Performance, 2022), the vocal expertise of Laura Farrell (Voice, 2020) and Stage Manager Archer Dametto (Third-year Technical Theatre and Stage Management student), this adaptation is 400 year-long wild ride where the only constant you can expect, is change.
Part of Belvoir St Theatre’s 25A program, Life is a Dream is a contemporary adaptation of La Vida es Sueno by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, brought into the 21st century by Writer and Co-Director Claudia Osborne (Directing, 2019). Featuring powerful performances from Thomas Campbell (Acting, 2002), Shiv Palekar (Acting, 2014), Ariadne Sgouros (Acting, 2017) and Ariyan Sharma (Musical Theatre, 2020 & Acting, 2023), and with artistry behind the scenes by Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee (Design for Performance, 2018), Set/Costume Designer Cris Baldwin (Design, 2018) and Sound Designer Madeleine Picard (Technical Theatre and Stage Management, 2023). This production is a vibrant, witty and unmissable take on fate, freedom and the legacies that shape us. Life is a Dream is on stage from 2 – 21 September.
Taut, tense and timely, She Threaded Dangerously makes its debut at the Old Fitz Theatre from 18 – 27 September, unravelling dangerous secrets, problematic power dynamics and fraught friendships at an all-girls school. Penned by Simon Thomson (Writing for Performance, 2023) and starring Lilian Alejandra Valverde (Acting, 2024), Leon Walshe (Acting, 2024) and Alyssa Peters (Stage and Screen Performance, 2022), with Sound Designer Alexander Lee-Rekers (Writing for Performance, 2017).
Fringe Festival, Sydney is running from 1 – 30 September across the city with bold new works that showcase local voices and impressive talent. Adding to the momentum of this month, SXSW Sydney brings together innovators and changemakers from across the globe, with Remy Hii (Acting, 2011) sharing his insights as a featured speaker. Finally, Australia’s largest international arts festival Brisbane Festival, is on from 5 – 27 September with over100 dazzling events, kicking off with fireworks on 6 September.
Header image: Nyx Calder (Acting, 2018) and Janet Anderson (Acting, 2022) Belvoir St Theatre’s production of Orlando.