There’s no shortage of shows to see and so to help you out, we have collated a guide of the best-goings-on for the month of April, helping you plan your calendar accordingly.
It’s shaping to be a magnificent year for theatre and stage lovers alike in regional Victoria thanks to our friends at the Geelong Arts Centre.
With a plethora of entertainment once again adorning our favourite regional theatre, from big-budget music spectaculars to lunchtime matinees, theatre, and professional development workshops, this is your cue to get ready for a huge April of entertainment in Geelong.
Here are the shows not to miss at the Geelong Arts Centre this month.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
Our Top Pick: Don Juan
When: Tuesday, April 26 to Saturday, April 30
Where: Studio 4
Leave your inhibitions at the door and join the revelry when Don Juan travels across the sea and berths In Geelong this April.
Directed by the award-winning Leo Gene Peters and an audacious cast of New Zealand performers, Don Juan brings together brilliant physical comedy, twisted pop songs and explosive wit to create a hilarious and irreverent show as five ludicrous “French” performers invite the audience into their wild retelling of the story of Don Juan, the original master of seduction.
Don Juan is the boldest and greatest of men, seducing, fighting, and charming his way through life. He does whatever he wants and to hell with the consequences. He lives big, loves big, and leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake – when was the last time we approached the art of seduction so boldly?
Don Juan is created and performed by the talented Kiwi cast, who play a revolving repertoire of outrageous characters including their own version of Don Juan. This depicts how, despite our best efforts, we often fail to be the impressive person we wish to be.
By putting the audience in the centre of the action, Don Juan feels more like a party than a play.
Tickets here.
Exploring Songlines Through Creative Play
When: Wednesday, April 20 from 10am
Where: Studio 4
Do you love digging your toes into warm golden sand? Have you walked through tall trees of olive green? Have you sat amongst the spiky leaves of spinifex?
As part of the Geelong Art Centre’s Family Magic program, local artist and curator, Kiri Tawhai – a proud Noongar and Tuwharetoa woman – explores the idea of Songlines that are embedded in the earth, how we each have our own Songlines, life paths, stories and movements that make up who we are and how we are connected to place.
For more than 60,000 years, Australia’s many Indigenous cultures have used Songlines to map the land and skies, and describe them through stories, song, dance and art. An archive for powerful knowledges, Songlines are passed on over thousands of years.
Explore Songlines, learn about traditional ways of Storytelling and connection to Country through performance art, visual art practice and collaborative play.
Please note, all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets here.
Paul Kelly With His Band – On The Road Again
When: Wednesday, April 20 from 7:30pm
Where: Costa Hall
Revered Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly with his band returns to the stage for their On The Road Again East Coast Regional tour, bringing along his full band (including Vika and Linda Bull, Bill McDonald, Peter Luscombe, Ash Naylor and Cameron Bruce).
Unlike many recording artists in their fourth decade of activity, Paul Kelly hasn’t slowed down. The last ten years alone have given rise to several solo albums and a full-length collaboration with Charlie Owen. In 2020 alone, Kelly released two records, the lockdown-recorded album Forty Days and the Paul Grabowsky collaboration Please Leave Your Light On.
Having appeared in a slew of online gigs over the past year, these all-ages live shows will see Kelly back on the big stage armed with all the singalongs and the hits that promise to whip the audience into a frenzy.
“The band and crew and I have really missed each other over the last eighteen months as shows after shows were first postponed then cancelled,” Kelly says.
“We put our toe in the water with a one-off New Year’s Eve performance for TV but now we’re really looking forward to stretching out and playing music night after night. We want to see the whites of your eyes, you lovers of sound, joy and fury; we want to charge the air around us and change each other and send you home singing into the night!”
Having toured Australia countless times, both as headliner – notably on his Making Gravy tours – and as the special guest of greats like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen in 2017, Kelly was awarded the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to the performing arts and the promotion of the national identity through his contributions as a singer, songwriter and musician.
Tickets to Paul Kelly With His Band – On The Road Again are now exhausted. Please continue to check here for renewed ticket availability.
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Artist Accelerate – Decolonising your practice: making way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and companies
When: Thursday, April 21 at 4:30pm
Where: Online Forum
Looking for some inspiration? Indulge in the passion and expertise of Merindah Donnelly, proud Wiradjuri woman and Executive Producer at Blak Dance as she shares her thoughts on how we decolonise the arts space. How all artists can support, celebrate and uplift Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.
With an aim to support artists in building a pathway to professional artistic practice the Artists Accelerate professional development speaker series has been specifically created as a part of the Creative Engine initiatives for artists looking for efficient, effective and engaging ways to further develop their skills practice from like-minded industry leaders.
This inspirational 45 minute professional development session will include an opportunity for Q&A at the end of the session.
All events in the Artists Accelerate professional development series are free. Registration is essential here.
Professional Development – Writing About Yourself & Your Practice
When: Saturday, April 23 at 9:30am
Where: Studio 3
Grant writing is a necessary skill for artists. Following her popular 2021 Creative Engine Artists Accelerate online session, join poet, playwright and author, Emilie Collyer, in this in-person interactive Creative Engine PD workshop as she provides guidelines and tips for writing about your work within different contexts.
The workshop will include time to write and the opportunity to receive feedback on a specific piece you are working on, and / or to generate writing around some common industry grant questions and parameters. This is a broad skills workshop suitable for both emerging artists new to grant writing and also more experienced practitioners seeking a refresh in their approach and some expert advice and feedback.
With skills pertinent to both emerging artists and experienced practitioners looking to refresh their approach, don’t miss out!
Find out more here.
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ROCKWIZ LIVE! Back on the Road 2022
When: Saturday, April 23 at 7:30pm
Where: Costa Hall
Put your trivia hats on, freshen up your rock music knowledge, and practice your go-to karaoke jam – our old friends Brian, Julia, Dugald and the rest of the RocKwiz OrKestra are getting back on the road this April.
Following a couple of years of cancellations, RockWiz Live is hitting the road with a special 10 date tour to brighten up 2022.
Hailed as Australia’s premier live music trivia quiz TV program featuring an entertaining mix of celebrities, chat, music, and comedy, the two-hour live show will feature hosts Julia, Brian and Dugald, the RocKwiz OrKestra as well as a host of special guests, your old favourites, some new surprises, and YOU on their stage! That’s right, along with all the original segments from the show, RocKwiz will be using members from the audience for participation, so get ready to get involved and have fun.
Tickets here.
Human Nature – People Get Ready
When: Saturday, April 30 at 8pm
Where: Costa Hall
Australia’s homegrown heroes and ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Human Nature are returning to their roots, bringing together 30 years of performances for a never-before-seen intimate tour of the Australian heartland, People Get Ready!
And the best part? The suavest boy band south of the equator are hitting Geelong with their bespoke concert for the first time in 15 years!
Formed in high school, the all-boy band have since forged a career filled with highlights since signing with Sony more than three decades ago. Now, they’re one of Australia’s greatest musical success stories and exports, rightfully earning themselves a place as one of the world’s finest pop vocal groups.
The band has sold more than 2.5 million albums, and earned 27 platinum awards, 18 top 40 hits and five top 10 hits worldwide. Each member of Human Nature was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), as well as being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
Now gearing up for their People Get Ready Tour, Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers, Andrew and Mike Tierney will each share their favourite stories as they delve into 30 years of history and friendship.
Fans, both new and old, will enjoy a night of the best songs ever written, including their original hits, Motown classics and more – all performed with vocals upfront in an acoustic mode. And while the band will perform stripped back renditions of their tunes, the audience will be on their feet as they take a journey through their extraordinary career as one of Australia’s most loved and globally successful bands of all time.
Dance to hits including ‘Tellin’ Everybody’, ‘Wishes’, ‘When You Say You Love Me’, ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ and so many more.
Tickets here.
Become The One
When: Tuesday, May 3 – Saturday, May 7
Where: Studio 4
What would you do for love? And what wouldn’t you?
When Noah captures the attention of Tom, a celebrated AFL player nearing the end of his career, sparks immediately fly. But as the season progresses and their relationship grows, questions around identity, agency and our devotion to hyper-masculinity begin to surface, forcing us to consider what happens to love when good intentions and patience aren’t enough anymore.
An award-winning romantic comedy featuring two vibrant, lovable characters at its heart, Become The One explores why a footballer would choose to remain closeted, and why their openly gay partner would choose to accept it.
Weaving a clever tapestry of comedy, drama and romance, the play repositions the typical “closeted sportsman” narrative by asking its audience to consider:
What if it was the partner, not the athlete, that became the driving force behind dismantling the heteronormativity of Australia’s national sport? What might they – and that journey – look like?
Winner of the 2018 Playtime Award for New Writing, this funny, smart and challenging drama explores the true meaning of bravery and what it might take to do the right thing – as a lover, as a high-profile sportsman, as a human being – to become the one.
Tickets here.
Professional Development – The Locker Room
When: Friday, May 6 at 2:30pm
Where: Geelong Arts Centre
Yes, this is in May but it’s something to get excited about. Here, guests can explore the structure, style, casting and character dynamics of Geelong Art Centre’s Our Season 2022 show, BECOME THE ONE.
Join the cast and creatives of Lab Kelpie’s Become The One during this 90-minute, hands-on workshop exploring the structure and style, casting and character dynamics, performance, and how to touch on serious subject manner in a real and accessible way.
Designed to educate, entertain and enhance the experience of the show, learn how to touch on the serious subject matter in a real and accessible way using practical exercises and group work.
Tickets here.
Plus, just announced… Creative Engine Community Fuel
Want to warm up this winter and contribute to Geelong’s thriving creative scene? Add your financial fuel to our region’s creative fire with Geelong Arts Centre’s Creative Engine ‘Community Fuel’!
Community Fuel invites local creatives to pitch their ideas to arts-loving members of the Geelong community. See the impact of the community’s collective fuel instantly, with all money raised from tickets sold awarded to the winning pitch, as well as matched funding from Geelong Arts Centre.
A $10 Community Fuel ticket gets you dinner, live entertainment, and most importantly, a coveted vote for your favourite creative idea! Gather your mates – this is grassroots, community action at its best and the kind of social enterprise that can change lives, hearts, and minds.
The night is dedicated to celebrating and supporting the artistic heart of our clever and creative city, Community Fuel will see the Geelong community come together at our Ryrie Street Level 1 Lounge support a local creative or organisation while also enjoying the best in live and local entertainment over a bowl of soup and a refreshing beverage.
You’ll hear pitches from 3-4 local creatives across a range of artforms and will have the opportunity to ask questions then it’s you who will have the opportunity to collectively fund your favourite project pitched on the night. The final tally will be counted and the winning pitch will be announced, taking home with them the money from the door AND matched funding from Geelong Arts Centre! 100% community funded and supported by Geelong Arts Centre, with 100% of funds going straight to the artists who need it most.
Find out more here.
Geelong Arts Centre is supported by The Victorian Government through Creative Victoria, Major Artistic Partner Deakin University and Innovation Partner Costa Asset Management.
