An Ideal Husband Presented by: St Luke’s Theatre Society Date Attended: 28 August 2026 Written by: Oscar Wilde Director: Matthew Hobbs Set Design: Susan Hobbs Lighting Design: Sean Doran Photography: Dia Holt “An ideal husband! Oh, I don't think I should like that.” Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband proves that putting anybody on a pedestal is a bad idea. Sooner or later, they’ll wobble, say something foolish, get tangled in a scandal, or turn out to have committed fraud. Hopefully not all four... An Ideal Husband is a story about political corruption, blackmail, marriage, reputation, and the impossible standards we place upon people we admire. Surrounding all of that is Wilde doing what Wilde does best: filling a room with wealthy Victorians, arming them with wit, and letting them verbally attack one another for a few hours. Sir Robert Chiltern (Alex Thompson) appears to have everything. He’s affluent, successful, respected, and married to the deeply principled Lady Gertrude Chiltern (Elaina Mullins), who considers her husband practically incapable of moral wrongdoing. Unfortunately, Robert’s rise to success began with a decision from his younger years that was... well... considerably less honourable. Then Mrs Cheveley (Sophie Parker) struts onto the scene like she owns the place. She knows what Robert did, she has evidence, and she would very much like to use it. From there, we’re dealing with blackmail, missing jewellery, old school grudges, romantic assumptions, mistaken identities, and enough secrets to keep Victorian society gossiping for weeks. Meanwhile, Lord Arthur Goring (Giorgio Impiccini) repeatedly finds himself in the middle of everybody else’s problems (despite initially appearing to be one of the least useful men in London). Alex Thompson anchors the higher stakes of the story as Robert. Plenty of people around him are allowed to revel in Wilde’s ridiculousness, but Robert’s predicament needs to appear genuinely stressful. And Thompson makes sure it does! He wears the guilt across his face before his character can ever comfortably put it into words. There’s immediate anxiety around Cheveley, fear over what exposure could do to his marriage, and the creeping realisation that his immaculate public identity could disintegrate very quickly. He’s particularly convincing as a husband caught between these two very different women. Cheveley knows exactly where to apply pressure and enjoys doing it. Gertrude, meanwhile, has no idea how much pressure she’s applying at all. Elaina Mullins plays Mrs Gertrude Chiltern with sweetness, composure, and genuine devotion. Gertrude hasn’t simply married a man she loves. In her mind, she’s married a morally impeccable one. Mullins lets us see how deeply that belief is woven into her affection for him, so when Robert falls from that pedestal, there’s a real sense of her entire emotional framework shifting with him. Mrs Laura Cheveley has no interest whatsoever in making anybody’s life easier. Sophie Parker makes her a fabulous queen bee nemesis, playing Laura with deliberately slow pacing, a siren gaze in her eyes, and a venomous edge in her voice. Parker wears the character’s malice in her knowing smiles and carries herself like a woman who’s completely aware of everybody’s weakest point. Her history with Gertrude adds another layer. We learn that they are old school acquaintances who clearly did not leave their dislike of one another in the schoolyard. Every civil exchange carries a little sting underneath it, and Cheveley seems to relish every second she has the upper hand. Then there is Lord Arthur Goring. Giorgio Impiccini gets many of Wilde’s best lines and makes excellent use of them, with crisp comic timing and a wonderfully matter-of-fact delivery. He carries himself with the easy confidence of a man who has never had to worry too much about anything, adding little looks and reactions that make his self-importance even funnier. Arthur says baffling things with tremendous conviction, dresses extravagantly, puts his foot in his mouth, and somehow ends up responsible for untangling everybody else’s mess. Impiccini also finds the warmth of a loyal friend. When Robert faces humiliation and possible ruin, Arthur’s immediate instinct is to help him. He doesn’t spend the evening delivering moral lectures or recoiling in disappointment. He rolls up his frivolous sleeves and gets involved! Nigel Munro-Wallis, portraying Arthur’s very proper father, Lord Caversham, creates some of the show's most biggest laughs. Caversham seems permanently dissatisfied with his son, while Arthur remains impressively resistant to his dad's disapproval. Munro-Wallis nails the dry wit perfectly. He doesn’t need to chase the punchlines because Caversham’s constant exasperation is funny enough. The frequent chuckles from the audience whenever father and son faced off proved that the actors' pairing was landing exactly as intended. Maya Cranny’s Mabel Chiltern occupies the same gloriously unserious corner of society as Arthur. She’s playful, self-important, a bit childlike, and entirely convinced of her own opinions. Naturally, she and Arthur make perfect sense together. Their scenes offer a lighter counterpoint to the Chilterns' marriage. Robert and Gertrude are wrestling with whether love can survive imperfection. Arthur and Mabel seem perfectly happy to begin with imperfection and save themselves the time in therapy. Cranny has some terrific facial reactions too, and I wished she’d open her positioning a little further so those expressions weren’t hidden by her hair or angle to the audience. Natalie Pedler appears as the highly sociable Lady Markby, chattering enough to sustain a drawing-room conversation indefinitely. Savarnah Cruck and June Balfour, as Mrs Mason and Phipps, round out the household with the appropriate formality and restraint, helping maintain the proper world surrounding all this improper behaviour. Matthew Hobbs’ direction handles the script’s shifting moods comfortably. Robert and Gertrude carry the marital stakes, Cheveley keeps the danger simmering, and Goring, Mabel, and Caversham are usually nearby to puncture the seriousness before anything becomes unbearably solemn. There’s a lot of dialogue here (Wilde was hardly shy of a sentence), but the conversation moves at a comfortable clip for most of the performance. Wilde also very good at convincing us the story is nearly finished. A crisis resolves. A loose end appears tied. Everyone can surely go home now... Nope. Somebody enters with another piece of information, another secret wriggles free, and off we go again. Visually, the production creates an attractive world, with the warm drawing-room setting and formal costumes supporting all those ideas of wealth, status, and respectability. Susan Hobbs’ set fills the room with cosy details and ornate furnishings, providing exactly the sort of polished home in which one should absolutely not be discussing blackmail. A few garments would benefit from a good steaming, and some of the women’s hairstyling could use a little extra finishing to match the tidier presentations. And where their tattoos are being concealed, I think lace or evening gloves could sit more naturally within the period styling than the visible bandaging. I’d also encourage a more physical freedom from Gertrude and Mabel during their heightened moments. Their vocal delivery is extremely assured, but both can occasionally look stiff through the body. Anger, distress, excitement, and disbelief all invite a reaction beyond the voice, so allowing those feelings to travel more freely through posture and gesture would help the emotional shifts register even more clearly. Politics hums underneath this piece. Robert’s career was built upon reputation, ambition, influence, and the expectation that a respected public figure must somehow possess an immaculate private history as well. More than a century after Wilde wrote the play, that aspect of the script requires very little assistance to remain recognisable... People fail. People lie. People make choices they regret. People disappoint their fathers by becoming unmarried bachelors who talk nonsense to themselves.... For audiences who enjoy wit, period comedy, scheming, and characters who can turn an insult into an art form, St Luke’s Theatre Society’s An Ideal Husband is very easy to recommend. And after an evening with Wilde’s characters, I’m inclined to agree with Mabel... An ideal husband does sound terribly dull.

Dead Bat on the Night Shift Presented by: Observatory Theatre Venue: PIP Theatre Date attended: 27 August 2026 Written by: Samantha Hill Director / Set Design / Costume Design: Lachlan Driscoll Dramaturg: Emma Churchland Vision Designer: Freddy Komp Sound Designer / Stage Manager: Hannah Page Lighting Designer: Noah Milne Photography: Images by Anderson / Creative Futures Photography Content warnings: Coarse language, sexual references, misogynistic and racist language, fake firearm, gunshots, staged violence, fake blood, haze, and sudden flashing lights. “Hey Siri. How to murder...?” Written by Samantha Hill and presented by Observatory Theatre at PIP Theatre, Dead Bat on the Night Shift centres on Sloane (Claire Pearson), an intelligent, withdrawn employee who's come up with a dramatic plan to improve workplace morale. Her solution? Give her boss a permanent vacation. Six feet under. To be fair, Dave is the worst. I just recently watched 9 to 5, and it seems like I picked an excellent week for watching fictional office tyrants. Darren King as Dave sits comfortably among those men who mistake a tiny bit of managerial authority for evidence of their own superiority. He’s a sexist, racist bully who’s extremely comfortable making everyone else squirm. The audience kept up a chorus of groans whenever Dave launched into another revolting scene. You could feel the reaction ripple through the room, especially from the women hearing a fictional man say something we’ve all, unfortunately, heard some version of before. King gives Dave exactly the kind of cringey swagger that makes him painfully familiar. When we walk in, Sloane is already onstage, rocking the ultimate comfort combo of a hoodie, sweats, and a fanny pack. She’s giving the wall her best dissociative stare. Around her is a deliberately miserable office of grey surfaces, boxes, and a whiteboard covered in the sort of workplace nonsense that suggests somebody attended a management seminar and returned with several markers and no useful ideas. Customer service has rarely looked so bleak. Claire Pearson does a lot of the heavy lifting in this show, with Sloane onstage for almost the entire 150 minutes. She doesn’t say much for long stretches, instead expressing herself through internal asides, sudden outbursts, quirky facts, and wonderful facial reactions. Some parts of Sloane's character might really resonate with neurodivergent folks. She retreats into facts rather than socialising, likes systems that make sense to her, struggles to express emotion directly, and seems way more at ease planning a complex murder than chatting about the weather at work. There are even binders involved in said planning. She is also enormously capable, yet almost none of her strengths are valued in a workplace more interested in whether she can perform the expected version of customer-service friendliness. Pearson understands the power of stillness. Sloane is like a pressure cooker for most of the play, holding everything in and giving very little away. You can tell there’s always far more happening underneath than she knows how to express. So when that restraint finally cracks, it really hits. At one point, Sloane screams, and the sound went straight through my soul. It was like years of frustration, grief, rage, and all the words she has never been able to say coming out at once. Much of that history takes physical form through Clara (Ellen Hardisty), Sloane’s deceased mother and ultimate ghostly bully. She taunts Sloane, puts her down, and voices the cruellest things Sloane believes about herself. With exposed brain tissue and torn clothing from the car accident that killed her, Clara is a pretty horrifying sight (and that’s before she opens her mouth). But what she represents is even worse. She becomes the embodiment of Sloane’s unresolved abandonment, carrying the damage left by a mother who gave her up to foster care. Hardisty also plays another Clara, completely unrelated to Sloane’s mother. Office Clara is firm, quiet, and strong, carrying her own private grief. Hardisty separates the two women beautifully, giving one a vicious, needling presence and the other a quiet resilience. The doubling also works nicely in a play so interested in identity and the versions of people we create in our own minds. And then there is the dearly departed bat. Sloane finds a dead bat outside work and starts carrying it around. Calum Johnston’s puppet is macabre, peculiar, and somehow increasingly companionable as it begins to “speak” to her. That is the strange charm of Samantha Hill’s writing. The absurdity keeps opening little doors into something sadder. For all its dark comedy, Dead Bat on the Night Shift has a real soft spot for the odd little families that form in terrible jobs. You might hate the workplace itself, but sometimes the coworker beside you is the only reason you make it through another shift. Jaxon Norman gives Jonathan an instantly gentle quality. He’s helpful and sweet without needing a flashing “Nice Guy” sign above his head. In Sloane’s world, where she expects criticism, abandonment, or misunderstanding, simple kindness really counts. Clarise Ooi brings bright, distinctly Gen Z energy to Aysu. She’s the lively uni student of the group, full of youthful optimism and momentum. Jenna Murphy became one of my favourite recurring presences throughout the show. Pamela, bless her heart, is a bit of a doormat but stays relentlessly positive despite being injured (wrist guard and all). Murphy keeps popping up as a Centrelink worker, gun seller, glow-worm tour guide, and plenty more. Her comic instincts make each one distinct, and by the time another variation of “Pam” appears, simply recognising her becomes part of the joke. Lachlan Driscoll’s direction keeps us firmly inside Sloane’s world. She becomes our guide, speaking directly to us through narration and asides, while completely zipping up around the people actually standing beside her. Those moments are invisible to everyone else, and sometimes all it takes is one quick glance out to us (very The Office) to say exactly what she’s thinking. The world around her stays fluid too, with rapid scenes, actors shifting between characters, and simple visual changes moving us between settings. Driscoll's costume design tells us plenty as well. Sloane begins in clothes built around comfort, practicality, and invisibility, as though being unnoticed is preferable to being perceived. Later, she changes onstage into more conventionally professional clothing, making the transformation part of the storytelling. Jonathan’s preppy young-adult look suits his gentle manner, Aysu is unmistakably a Gen Z uni student, Office Clara dresses with sensible Gen X practicality, and Pamela’s brighter colours match her determined positivity. Dave, meanwhile, is just... Dave. Freddy Komp’s vision design extends Sloane’s inner world through drawn projections of buildings, beaches, caves, offices, bookshelves, and other environments. Their chalkboard-like style gives the whole thing a hand-drawn quality, as though we’re watching Sloane’s imagination sketch the world around her. Noah Milne’s lighting and Hannah Page’s sound are woven tightly into the action. A lot of the comedy relies on cues landing at exactly the right moment, and they do. Voiceovers, gunshots, flashes, and sudden shifts between Sloane’s external and internal worlds all land with sharp timing. Lastly, motifs of bats, twelves, and tarot cards appear throughout the story, tying into ideas of cycles, fate, prediction, and whether our futures are already set or still ours to mess with. One line cuts straight through all of it: “How dare you dream so small for your life?!” That, far more than the murder plot, feels like the challenge at the centre of Hill’s play. Samantha Hill began writing Dead Bat on the Night Shift 20 years ago as a young graduate feeling stuck, uncertain, and unseen. That backstory adds another dimension now. The frustrations of thankless work are funny because, let’s face it, they’re still painfully familiar for plenty of us. But the play also understands why telling someone to “just quit” or “find something better” can be wildly unhelpful. Choice gets complicated when life has taught you to expect very little. Sloane even goes through the torturous process of Centrelink and JobSeeker (iykyk), turning the whole thing into a bureaucratic circus. Quitting a lousy job is one thing. Then comes figuring out what’s next, proving you deserve assistance, dealing with judgement from strangers, filling out a thousand forms, and somehow staying sane through all of it. Sloane may be very good at planning a murder, but figuring out what she actually wants from her own life is much harder. For all its terrible bosses, maternal trauma, murder prep, and dead bats, Dead Bat on the Night Shift still has a surprising amount of heart. It will particularly appeal to audiences who enjoy black comedy, theatrical absurdity, and character-driven contemporary writing. It’s weird, funny, and is certain to catch you off guard.

Title: Take The Stage 2026 Presented By: Elements Theatre Co. Genre: Community Performance Showcase / Variety Performance Synopsis: Take The Stage is a free community performance showcase celebrating local talent, creativity, and confidence. Open to performers of all ages and experience levels, the event welcomes singers, dancers, actors, musicians, comedians, and variety performers. Participants can perform solo, as a duo, or as part of a group. Rather than operating as a competition, Take The Stage has no judges, scores, or prizes and is designed simply as an opportunity for members of the community to perform and share their talents. Audition Date: Saturday 19 September 2026 Audition Time: From 12:00pm. Individual audition times will be allocated after registrations close. Audition Location and Address: Elements Theatre Co., 1A/131–135 Old Pacific Highway, Oxenford QLD Audition Requirements: Prepare the act you intend to perform in the final showcase if selected. Maximum performance length is 4 minutes. Solo, duo, and group performances are welcome. Acts must be family-friendly and suitable for audiences of all ages. If using music, bring your track on your phone or USB. If using props or equipment, bring these to the audition and ensure they can be set up quickly. Costumes are welcome but are not required at auditions. Wear comfortable clothing and appropriate footwear suitable for your act. Arrive 15 minutes before your allocated audition time for check-in, warm-up, and to meet the team. Performers will present their act to the coaching team and may receive questions or feedback. Applicants under 18 must provide parent/guardian details. Audition Registration: Take The Stage 2026 Registration Form Registrations close Monday 7 September 2026 at midnight. Audition Pack: Take The Stage 2026 Information Pack Performance Date: Sunday 4 October 2026 Performance Times: 3:00pm and 6:00pm Performance Location: Elements Theatre Co., 1A/131–135 Old Pacific Highway, Oxenford QLD Rehearsal Dates: Friday 2 October 2026 – Free Performance Workshop Rehearsal Times: 1:00pm–6:00pm. Successful acts will select a one-hour workshop session, with each act receiving approximately 10 minutes of one-on-one coaching within the open workshop setting. Warnings: Acts must be family-friendly and suitable for audiences of all ages. Please note the studio is located upstairs and is accessed via stairs. There is currently no wheelchair access. Those with accessibility requirements are encouraged to contact Elements Theatre Co. prior to the event. Performer Age: All ages and experience levels. Production Website: Elements Theatre Co. – Event Calendar Other information: Registration, auditions, the Performance Workshop, and the performance opportunity are all free. Successful performers will attend a free workshop on Friday 2 October to polish their act in the performance space. Coaching may cover stage presence, microphone technique, movement, timing, and audience engagement. On performance day, performers should arrive 30 minutes before their concert time, completely performance-ready with costume, hair, makeup if applicable, correct footwear, props, and accessories. General enquiries: info@elementstheatreco.com.au Available Roles: There are no set characters or theatrical roles. Applications are open to a broad range of acts, including: Singers Dancers Actors Comedians Musicians Magicians Spoken word performers Variety performers Other unique performance acts Solo performers Duos Groups

Discover the latest in Brisbane theatre auditions and reviews on Stage Buzz Brisbane. Your go-to source for all things theatre in the Queensland capital. WELCOME TO STAGE BUZZ BRISBANE This dynamic hub for South-East Queensland thespians is your go-to source for audition updates, performance reviews, and engaging content that celebrates the vibrant local theatre scene. From spotlighting talented actors to providing valuable tips, it's a community-driven platform that brings the magic of the stage to the forefront, fostering connection and celebration among theatre enthusiasts in the region. NICE TO MEET YOU Embrace the enchanting world of South-East Queensland's theatre scene right here on Stage Buzz Brisbane! We're your go-to hub for all things theatrical: upcoming performances adult audition alerts youth auditions performance reviews exclusive spotlight interviews with local talents rehearsal/performance venue database Whether you're a seasoned thespian or a passionate supporter of the arts, join us on this exciting journey as we celebrate the magic that unfolds on our local stages. At Stage Buzz Brisbane, we believe every production deserves its moment in the spotlight. If you know of any upcoming productions or hidden gems that have slipped under the radar, don't hesitate to reach out and share your insights or let us know about the productions that deserve extra applause. Together, let's shine a light on the vibrant and thriving community theatre culture in South-East Queensland. Let the curtains rise, and let the show begin! Contact

< Back CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT: Scratch - Studio1 Brisbane 6 Sept 2026 Season: September 6th, 2026 Title: SCRATCH by Studio1 Presented By: Studio1 Brisbane Genre: Experimental dance / physical theatre / creative development Synopsis: SCRATCH is an afternoon showing that brings together South-East Queensland’s arts community to share, observe and discuss ideas in progress. Two or three dance or physical-theatre artists present developing work before participating in a facilitated feedback session with the audience. The event supports experimentation, critical discussion, peer learning and connection across Brisbane’s independent arts sector. Performance Dates: Sunday 6 September 2026 Performance Times: 1:00pm–3:00pm Performance Location and Address: Studio1190 Station Road, Yeerongpilly QLD 4105 Ticket Costs: Free admission; registration is required. Ticket Link: Register through Humanitix Warnings: No content or technical warnings have been published. Recommended Age: All Ages Duration: 2 hours, including the showings and facilitated feedback session Production Website: Studio1 Other Information: Audience members are invited to participate in a constructive, facilitated discussion responding to the works in progress. The afternoon is designed to encourage experimentation, community building, research and connections between artists and audiences. Registrations are non-refundable. Previous Next

< Back MUSICAL THEATRE: Mamma Mia! - The Very Popular Theatre Company 4 Sept 2026 Season: September 4th - 20th, 2026 Title: MAMMA MIA! Presented By: The Very Popular Theatre Company Genre: Jukebox musical / romantic comedy Synopsis: On a sun-drenched Greek island, bride-to-be Sophie secretly invites three men from her mother Donna’s past to her wedding, hoping to discover which one is her father. Told through 22 of ABBA’s greatest hits—including “Dancing Queen,” “SOS” and “Mamma Mia”—the musical is a joyful story of love, friendship, family and identity. Performance Dates: 4–20 September 2026 Performance Times: Friday 4 September — 7:30pm Saturday 5 September — 2:00pm and 7:30pm Sunday 6 September — 1:00pm and 6:00pm Tuesday 8 to Friday 11 September — 7:30pm Saturday 12 September — 2:00pm and 7:30pm Sunday 13 September — 1:00pm and 6:00pm Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 September — 7:30pm Saturday 19 September — 2:00pm and 7:30pm Sunday 20 September — 1:00pm and 6:00pm Performance Location and Address: The Star Theatre, The Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach QLD 4218 Ticket Costs: Tickets from $69, plus applicable transaction fees. Prices vary according to the performance and seating category. Ticket Link: Book through Ticketek Warnings: All guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult or guardian while at The Star Gold Coast. Recommended Age: All ages Duration: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval Cast: Erin Cornell — Donna Sheridan Emily Monsma — Sophie Sheridan Harley Dasey — Sky Chloe Rose Taylor — Tanya Jo-Anne Jackson — Rosie Matt Edwards — Sam Carmichael Timothy Aaron Cooper — Harry Bright Danny Folpp — Bill Austin Katie Loxston — Lisa / Sophie cover Juliette Coates — Ali Jake Ameduri — Pepper Samuel Allsop — Eddie Ensemble — including Isabel Kruse, Shelby Giles, Charlie, Hunter Ireland, Bella Keightley, James, Dijana, Lucy Ross, Isaac, Kelsey Spencer, Ben Sullivan, Greyson Vaughn, Anthony Vitetzakis, Alex Watson, Kaitlin West and Justin Wise Creative Team: Music and Lyrics — Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus Book — Catherine Johnson Originally Conceived by — Judy Craymer Director — Erin James Musical Supervisor — Daniel Wilson Choreographer — Rachel Stark Musical Director — Jonathon Gardner Associate Director — Sophie Carmody Production Manager — Jacob Harwood Production Website: MAMMA MIA! The Musical – Gold Coast Other Information: Accessible seating can be requested through Ticketek’s Accessible Seating Form. Parking at The Star Gold Coast is no longer universally free, and additional arrival time is recommended during busy periods. Previous Next