Hop into QPAC for a chock-a-block autumn of entertainment

(QPAC) is the place to be this autumn with a fantastic line-up of family fun, thrilling music, heart-racing dance, exhilarating theatre, meaningful conversations and laugh-out-loud comedy.

FAMILY FUN

R.O.F.L. (Rolling On The Floor Laughing) will burst into QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre from 30 March to usher in the Easter holidays. Rich and Matt from The Listies will present a comedy extravaganza jam-packed with superbly stupid stuff in this ‘kidult’ show for all ages. The Listies will tackle the most terrifyingly tortuous family situation of all: BEDTIME! Featuring a ‘burpershop’ quartet, an audience-based tea towel alien attack, lullabies of doom, a panoply of puns, and more, this is a must-see for 2023.

The much-loved favourite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, will wiggle its way into the Playhouse with a menagerie of over 75 magical puppets from 5 to 9 April. Alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the show features three other Eric Carle stories – Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Ten Little Rubber Ducks, and The Very Busy Spider. Presented by the team behind the Australian tours of The Gruffalo, Spot, and The 13, 26, 52, 78 & 91-Storey Treehouses, these performances will excite, educate and entertain.

Prepare to experience a jaw-dropping spectacle of live magic, illusions, and stunts with Showmen from 6 to 8 April. Starring five of the biggest names in Australian and international magic – Mike Tyler, Christopher Wayne, Apollo Jackson, Josh Norbido and Joel Fenton – collectively these magicians have performed in over 300 cities around the globe and to millions on TV on shows such as America’s Got Talent, The Bachelorette Australia, and Entertainment Tonight. Celebrate this ultimate magic spectacular, offering an unforgettable night of old school magic and live theatre that is perfect for the whole family.

BLOCKBUSTER MUSICALS

The Tony®, Grammy®, Olivier and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, HAMILTON, is now playing in the Lyric Theatre for a strictly limited season. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, HAMILTON has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre. Don’t miss the chance to witness this cultural phenomenon that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education before it leaves Australia on 23 April.

From 16 May to 27 July, audiences will enter a world of splendour and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza featuring over 70 songs including many of the iconic hits from the movie, as well as additions from Adele, Katy Perry, Sia, Beyonce, Rihanna and more.

CAPTIVATING CONVERSATIONS

Classical music enthusiasts are invited to join one of the world’s greatest conductors, Sir Simon Rattle, in an exclusive conversation event on 27 April. Hosted by much-loved local music identity, Martin Buzacott, Sir Simon will share his thoughts and aspirations in a wide-ranging discussion that will cover everything from music and life to the challenges of presenting live music performances in the digital age.

Multicultural Australia in partnership with QPAC will host Changing the Conversation, a series of thought-provoking discussions exploring key issues in our increasingly multicultural society. The first event of 2023, to be held on 28 March, focuses on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and what it means for the many voices who are part of today’s Australia. The panel will include leaders from academia, government, business, and the community.

REMARKABLE THEATRE

Blast off into an unknown frontier with Dead Puppet Society’s Ishmael from 19 to 27 May. On the resource-depleted earth of a not-so-distant future, a young climate refugee named Ishmael is given the chance to build a new life, provided she can survive a voyage to the outer solar system aboard the MV Pequod under the command of the obsessive Captain Ahab. After wowing audiences during its Brisbane Festival 2021 world premiere and hailed by critics as ‘a new kind of storytelling’ (Limelight), Ishmael returns with a unique, visually compelling theatre experience reimagining the timeless novel, Moby Dick.

Back by popular demand, Agatha Christie’s thrilling The Mousetrap returns to QPAC’s Playhouse from 26 May with a repeat season of the genre-defying murder mystery. For 70 years, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has kept millions of people from every corner of the globe on the edge of their seats. Can you solve this world-famous mystery for yourself?

The staunch sibling tale of connection, Glass Child, will make its QPAC debut in the Cremorne Theatre from 31 May to 3 June. Glass Child is a poignantly revealing and personal depiction of the sibling relationship between Kayah, a young man with Down Syndrome, and his sister Maitreyah. Expressed through dance, theatre, and storytelling Glass Child highlights their connection and how their lives have been affected by other people’s perceptions.

STIRRING DANCE

Dancenorth Australia’s epic and intimate RED makes its QPAC debut from 29 March to 1 April. In RED, tens of thousands of years ago, a genetic mutation gave rise to the physical manifestation of red hair in humans. Air is slowly emptying from a large transparent inflatable structure, ultimately sealing its inhabitants in preserved isolation. Opening to critical acclaim at Brisbane Festival in 2021, RED illuminates the preciousness of life and the intrinsic value of nature through this exquisite, immersive performance.

Experience love, envy, betrayal, and tragic redemption with Queensland Ballet’s Giselle from 14 to 29 April. First performed in Paris in 1841, this Romantic-era masterpiece is set in an ethereal realm where vengeful spirits dance in the darkness, and love triangles can be deadly. With exquisite choreography, luminous costumes, and an enchanting score, Giselle has held audiences spellbound since its Parisian premiere more than 150 years ago.

BELOVED CLASSICAL MUSIC

Dive to the depths of the ocean with Ensemble Q’s first QPAC concert in 2023, Deep Blue, on 30 April. This atmospheric program celebrates our fascination and love for the sea, and features works from George Crumb, Paul Dean, Margaret Sutherland, and Frank Martin. UK based-mezzo soprano Lotte Betts-Dean joins the ensemble for the most exquisite and romantic version of Henri Chausson’s Poeme de L’amour et de la mer in this unforgettable program.

Krysia Osostowicz, Ian Belton, Paul Cassidy, and Jacqueline Thomas – also known as the Brodsky Quartet – return to QPAC on 2 May to celebrate half a century of remarkable music-making. Since their formation in 1972, the quartet has performed over 3,000 concerts and released over 60 recordings ensuring that they remain at the forefront of the international chamber music scene. With a program featuring works from Bach, Britten, and Schubert this evening of celebration will be one for both lifelong fans of classical music and those simply looking to be inspired.

The fourth in QPAC’s concert series celebrating the distinctiveness and vibrancy of Greek culture, Rebetiko in Symphony on 3 May will showcase a genre often referred to as the ‘Greek Blues’. Direct from Greece, Ifigenia Ioannou will guest star performing the classics from the iconic Rembetiko film by Costas Ferris, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by the inimitable George Ellis. The performance will also feature music from legends of Greek music Kostas Skarvelis, Vassilis Tsitsanis and Panayiotis Toundas.

Didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton and captivating violinist Véronique Serret join Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra for evocative Australian music that explores connection to place on 25 May. Camerata will intertwine works from esteemed Australian composers Margaret Sutherland, Frederick Septimus Kelly, Brenda Gifford, Cameron Patrick, William Barton and Véronique Serret, in an expressive and heartfelt performance for chamber orchestra.

WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL

World Science Festival Brisbane returns from 22 to 26 March to ask, and answer, some of the biggest questions facing humankind. Presented by Queensland Museum Network, the Festival will paint the town red and take science out of the laboratory and into the streets, parks, museums, galleries and performing arts venues of Brisbane and regional Queensland. QPAC will be hosting engrossing events including a discussion with NASA’s outgoing head scientist Thomas Zurbuchen, the delightfully dorky game show Night of the Nerds, and a special episode of A Rational Fear with hosts Dan Ilicand Lewis Hobba.

Though the temperature might start to drop, the heat is turning up at the ‘PAC. Check out our full autumn program so you don’t miss out on the most amazing seat in the house – yours.

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