R-O-L-L-I-C-K-I-N-G: an adjective to describe Funk Soul’s Production of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. meaning: exuberantly lively and amusing . I was very excited to return to a Funk Soul Production to kick off my 2026 season of community theatre. Last year’s production of ‘The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals’ was a personal standout, and after last night, I continue to remain utterly impressed at what a theatre company with an average age of 22 years old can accomplish! The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee follows a group of zany middle school students competing in a local championship spelling bee. However, the audience is quick to learn that this competition is about more than just spelling, as the contestants reveal their personal insecurities, inner quirks and suppressed dreams. As the students continue to fire back correct answers to (suspiciously made up) words, the pressure mounts too high for some, revealing the vulnerability and resilience of pre-adole...

  There is no better show to round off Adelaide’s season of Musical Theatre than with one that celebrates the Icon herself, Dolly Parton. Here You Come Again is joyful, camp and packed with plenty of Parton whimsy!   Here You Come Again was created by the star of the show herself, Tricia Paoluccio. Initially written during the infamous days of pandemic lockdown, Paoluccio then teamed up with writer / director Grabriel Barre to cement their narrative. Here You Come Again is not a biographical jukebox musical, instead, Dolly exists as a whimsical fairy-godmother archetype in the “mind” of a superfan.  For the Australian Premiere, writers Mike McLeish and Fiona Harris have cleverly adapted the show for Australian audiences. The setting is a family attic in Bendigo, occupied by Kevin, who is recently dumped and living in his parents attic in the early days of the COVID lockdown. In his despair, he turns to Dolly, who magically materialises out of his life size poster!...

  From Flinders Drama Centre, the 2025 graduating class of students presented Future Shocks: New Voices On Stage this week, signalling the completion of their Honours Degrees in Performance.  I went into this show completely blind, but with an eager sense of excitement to see what these emerging performers had been called to create. I truly left feeling delighted and very impressed at the myriad of works presented, each a reflection of the performers’ individual artistry.  Directed by Anthony Nicola, Future Shocks is a presentation of each students’ culmination of their year-long investigation into “innovation of South Australian theatre.” Under Nicola’s guidance, it was obvious that each student had the opportunity to push the boundaries of theatre in each of their thematic performances.  Performed in the stunning Queen’s Theatre, the stage was set as an intimate semi-circle venue, backdropped by a large LED Screen. The screen allowed for some clever implementatio...

You b etter kick off your Sunday Shoes Adelaide, The Metropolitan Musical Theatre Company’s current production of Footloose is here to take us back to the 80s! If you’ve somehow never known the plot of Footloose, it begins when big-city teen Ren McCormack moves to the small town of Bomont, and is shocked to discover that dancing is banned. Determined to challenge this law, Ren aims to convince the town’s strongest voice, Reverend Shaw Moore, all whilst falling for his headstrong daughter, Ariel. With the iconic 80s hits you know, Footloose is a celebration of youth, freedom, and the euphoric power of dance. Directed by Matt Smith, The MET’s show brings together a diverse range of local performers to bring this show to life. Lachlan Stieger is the charming Ren McCormack - who is impressively taking on his first lead role! Playing Ariel is the incredible Vasileia Markou who has a standout voice, especially in ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ and ‘Almost Paradise.’ Together, these two had clearl...

  Internationally renowned Berlin-based artists, Flora&Fauna Visions have been presenting the world premiere of their work ‘ TIMELIGHT: Beyond Our Ticking World ’ at ILA Adelaide. ‘TIMELIGHT’ is an abstract immersive digital art piece that asks us to reflect on our relationship with time, and the ways in which we interact with it.   Upon stepping inside, you are plunged into the digital landscape. Impressively,  work is shown on 100sqm of LED screens. The largest one is curved at the center, immersing you in a panoramic view of the visual scenes.  Running for 25 mins, TIMELIGHT begins by throwing you up into the universe, pausing time as the narration reflects on its meaning. You are then bought back to earth, seemingly placed inside a clock as the screens fill with cogs and the room fills with fast ticking sounds. This frantic, and perhaps most common understanding of time is then warped towards its peaceful conclusion. Time slows to a pause, and you are a...

  For only its second production, Loc’ally Theatr has chosen to confront the weighty, introspective world of iconic playwright Henrik Ibsen in their reinterpretation of When We Dead Awaken. For those unfamiliar, Ibsen’s work is certainly challenging theatrical territory, however the cast delivered a confident and thoughtful performance of this deeply psychological work.  When We Dead Awaken is Ibsen’s final play, a reflective and symbolic piece about artistic ambition, lost love, and the acceptance of death. The story follows sculptor Arnold Rubek, who is vacationing with his young wife Maia. Their strained marriage is disrupted by the sudden reappearance of Irena, Rubek’s former muse, whose intense presence reawakens memories and buried desires. As the two reconnect, they confront what was lost. In their search for redemption and meaning, they ascend a mountain together, in a final act that blurs the line between awakening and death.  Despite the challenges of performi...