Casey Donovan in Sister Act.Credit: Daniel Boud
The Motown-fuelled musical based on the Whoopi Goldberg movie comes to QPAC, and there’s nun better for a fun night out. Casey Donovan stars as the nightclub singer hiding out from the mob in a convent. Lyric Theatre, QPAC, February 8-March 9.
Jane Austen’s comedy of manners is arguably the world’s most popular novel, and it’s returning to the Queensland Theatre stage for the first time in 40 years. Maddison Burridge and Andrew Hearle play Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy in a brand-new stage adaptation directed by newly minted artistic director Daniel Evans. Playhouse, QPAC, February 20-March 9.
Rossini’s opera, telling the Cinderella story with a few variations, stars rising talents Mara Gaudenzi and Petr Nekoranec in a new Opera Queensland production. Concert Hall, QPAC, March 4 & 8.
Roxanne McDonald, Mel Ree and Nicole Hoskins will star in La Boite’s production of Macbeth.Credit: La Boite
In La Boite’s reimagining of the Shakespearean tragedy, the three witches will tell the tale of the Scottish king’s bloody rise to power, playing all the parts and embodying the Earth groaning under the weight of human ambition. The performance, starring Roxanne McDonald, kicks off La Boite’s centenary year. Roundhouse Theatre, March 6-22.
Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet
One of Queensland Ballet’s most ambitious productions returns. Using the 1965 choreography of Royal Ballet legend Kenneth MacMillan, this retelling of Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers is set to Prokofiev’s earwormy 1935 score. Lyric Theatre, QPAC, March 21-29.
HOTA, Home of the Arts, is the largest regional gallery in the country.
A major exhibition at HOTA Gallery
The Home of the Arts Gallery in Surfers Paradise is the country’s largest regional gallery and has held several landmark international exhibitions since opening in 2021. For 2025, expect a major show from Europe that is quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen in south-east Queensland. Watch this space. HOTA Gallery, April 12-August 3.
Already announced for the festival are top laugh merchants Rhys Darby, Ross Noble, Melanie Bracewell, Ray O’Leary, Nazeem Hussain, Luke Heggie, Becky Lucas, Bron Lewis, and many more.
Around town, April 23-May 25.
Affordable Art Fair is a chance to buy art direct from artists in a relaxed market atmosphere.Credit: Affordable Art Fair
The Affordable Art Fair is a four-day event bringing together work from Queensland and Australian galleries. Making art-buying easy, its second edition offers the chance to meet upcoming artists, attend performances and talks, take part in tours and workshops, and chill at restaurants and bars. Brisbane Showgrounds, May 8-11.
Les Miserables The Arena Spectacular
Can you hear the people sing? Yes, you can, at the Convention Centre, with the touring version of a London arena version of the Victor Hugo musical. Local performers join international stars such as Little Britain’s Matt Lucas as Thenardier. Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, May 28-June 1.
Michael Paynter (Jesus) and Mahalia Barnes (Mary Magdalene) headline Jesus Christ Superstar.Credit: Jeff Busby
This new production of the Rice-Lloyd Webber musical won the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and stars Michael Paynter (Jesus), Javon King (Judas), Mahalia Barnes (Mary) and Reuben Kaye (Herod). Lyric Theatre, QPAC, June 29-July 27.
Torvill and Dean: Our Last Dance
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean shot to fame at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, where they became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time. They haven’t performed in Australia for 30 years and have come out of retirement to show they still have winning form on the ice. Brisbane Entertainment Centre, June 14-15.
Spencer Davis Milford as Frodo and Tom Amandes as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, in Chicago.Credit: Liz Lauren
The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale
Musical theatre can be Hobbit-forming, as this Australian production of an international hit proves. It features Jemma Rix as Galadriel, Ian Stenlake as Saruman, Rob Mallett as Aragorn, and Rarmian Newton as Frodo, in a show that condenses Tolkien’s epic novel down to a mere three hours. Theatre 1, HOTA, Surfers Paradise, July 4-20.
Renowned artist Michael Zavros, who grew up on the Gold Coast, has been tapped to lead the local arts festival for 2025. Gold Coast, July 30-August 10.
The Artist’s Studio by Imogen Corbett, a portrait of artist and educator Natalya Hughes, won the Brisbane Portrait Prize in 2024.
The State Library now runs this important art competition, which gives Brisbane-associated artists the chance to paint or photograph the passionate people of our city. State Library of Queensland, August-November.
The travails of the Biloela family stuck in immigration detention for years have been dramatised by playwright Katherine Lyall-Watson in a “verbatim” production at Queensland Theatre that celebrates the work of the community that fought for their release. Bille Brown Theatre, September 3-13.
Riverfire has been moved to the start of Brisbane Festival, launching the event with a literal bang.Credit: Courtesy Brisbane Festival
Back to Bilo is taking place during Brisbane Festival, the city’s annual celebration of visual and performing arts. The program typically includes local and international artists and companies, with the famous Riverfire pyrotechnic display on September 6. Around town, September (dates TBC).
One of the world’s most popular operas, the inspiration for both Rent and Moulin Rouge, is also playing during Brisbane Festival. This co-production by Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera premiered in Perth in 2023. Italy-based Western Australia-born soprano Elena Perroni sings Mimi; Valerio Borgioni, a rising star from Rome, will play Rodolfo; and First Nations soprano Nina Korbe will take the role of Musetta. Lyric Theatre, QPAC, September 4-13.
More than 60 large-scale sculptures will be installed on the beach for Swell Sculpture Festival’s 22nd year. Currumbin Beach and around the Gold Coast, September 12-21.
Indigenous artist Archie Moore won the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion for his Kith and Kin pavilion.Credit: Andrea Rossetti
Moore is the first Australian artist to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale. He won it for Kith and Kin, an ambitious installation consisting of a genealogical chart spanning 65,000 years, hand drawn in chalk. The Kamilaroi and Bigambul man is presenting the work as part of QAGOMA’s 2025 program in an Australian exclusive. Dates TBC.
The novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos portraying the scandals within Paris’s elite was adapted to ballet by Liam Scarlett using the music of Camille Saint-Saens for Queensland Ballet in 2019. This is a return season of the story that has inspired numerous films, including Cruel Intentions. Thomas Dixon Centre, October 2-18.
The big festival for bookworms has a new location, inside the Brisbane Powerhouse, where the Turbine Platform will be converted into a bookshop during four days of talks by some of the world’s top writers. Brisbane Powerhouse, October 9-12.
Celebrity Courtney Act led the MELT festival’s River Pride Parade on the Brisbane River in November.Credit: Melt Open
Last year, in addition to 220 performances, Brisbane’s festival of queer art and culture brought 5000 nude bodies onto the Story Bridge and a drag flotilla onto the river. What this year will bring is anyone’s guess. Around town, October 22-November 9.
Playwright Aaron Sorkin’s 1989 courtroom drama about corruption in the US military was made into a successful film, and now returns as a showcase for young male talent in Queensland Theatre’s blockbuster season closer. Playhouse, QPAC, November 22-December 7.
Start the day with a summary of the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
