Author: Jodie Sloan

Michael Cassel Group, Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Langley Park Productions have just announced that the Ghost with the Most is heading Down Under, with the eight-time Tony Award-nominated hit musical Beetlejuice set to premiere at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in 2025. Based on the iconic Tim Burton comedy-horror of the same name, Beetlejuice centres around…

It’s 1977, and Strawberry the glowing octopus (Stauroteuthis syrtensis) is finally out of jail. Hitching a ride with Ray, an insurance sales-snake searching for meaning in his life, she heads for New York City, where she eventually finds work at a little bar called CBGB. Centered around the New York City Blackout of 1977 and…

A young woman, grieving the loss of her twin brother, leaves Italy and heads to the one place he’d always wanted to go – Shanghai. By day, she teaches Italian. By night, she seeks an end to the grief that consumes her. And then she meets Xu. Blue Hunger, the fifth novel from Italian author…

Taking place over the weekend of July 15th and 16th, Brisbane Open House has announced a huge program of events, showcasing the city’s rich architectural heritage, cutting-edge design, and innovative spaces. Launching back in 2010, Brisbane Open House is a free annual event, inviting residents and visitors a rare opportunity to explore some of the…

Entries for the 2023 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have opened, with a shared prize pool of $600,000 up for grabs. Honouring excellence in Australian literature, works published in 2022 are eligible to enter. Since its inception in 2008, the Awards have grown to six categories, covering fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, young adult literature, poetry, and…

Queensland Theatre‘s production of Cheryl Strayed New York Times bestseller Tiny Beautiful Things took to the Billie Brown theatre stage earlier this month. Adapted for the stage by Academy Award nominee Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Tiny Beautiful Things follows Sugar, an online advice columnist, as she helps strangers navigate the contradictions and complexities…

Yours and Owls Festival have announced their 2023 line-up, and it’s an absolute banger! Setting up shop at the University of Wollongong – the festival’s home for the next three years – the Yours and Owls team are promising great vibes and exceptional entertainment. Welcoming back a wealth of international talent for the first time…

Gwyn has emerged victorious over the risen dead. But at what cost? Aranor has fallen and Ailbhe Ahriddin sits on the Tintarel throne. The survivors of the Demon War flock to her banner. Alcide is by her side, caught in a dark plot that Gwyn can’t quite figure out. And somewhere out there, the last…

Shay is an outsider. Part of a fringe religion known as the Aviscultans, she has never quite lived up to the legacy of her mother, who divined great messages from the murmurations of starlings. Regularly escaping to London, she works as a messenger, skipping nimbly across the city skyline, and, occasionally, staging rescues of birds…

It’s a sold out all ages show at Brisbane’s Triffid for the final night of Peach PRC‘s Manic Dream Pixie tour. Younger fans take up residence in the mezzanine, overseeing a room filled to the brim with people dressed in myriad shades of pink. Some hold banners, others sport fairy wings, all seem fit to…

From cutting his teeth in local venues to supporting Drapht at a sold-out Solbar, Sunshine Coast rapper CaelWhip is certainly one to watch. The Coolum hip hop artist’s latest, “2 Bucks A Litre” navigates the pressures of adulthood and the seemingly endlessly rising costs of living. Recorded at CaelWhip’s home studio, it’s another great track from…

You think you’ve had a big week? Peach PRC set off on her national sold-out tour last Thursday then dropped her debut EP, Manic Dream Pixie, a day later! The Aussie artist has amassed more than 2 million TikTok followers, and over 110 million combined streams, and Manic Dream Pixie is everything we’ve come to…

Thea Zoltaire wants to be a Warsword, a legendary warrior of Thezmarr. There’s just two problems. One, thanks to a prophecy, women are forbidden to wield blades. And two, Thea only has a few years left to live. Her time is running out. After years of training in secret, she finally has an opportunity to…

Only the wealthiest and most influential families can boast of having their own Grief Nurse. Shunned, feared, and revered in equal measure, Grief Nurses ensure their families are free of negative emotions, freeing them from sadness, anxiety, and heartache. Lynx is the Asters’ Grief Nurse, removing their Sorrow and replacing it with Bright. Taken as…

On his 59th birthday, Tyson Parks, a famous but fading horror writer, receives a desk from his partner. It’s hoped that the piece will get his creative juices flowing again, and rekindle his passion for his work. And it seems to be working. His agent is more excited than Tyson has seen him in years,…

Off the coast of a tiny forgotten town called Elston-Fright, lies a rock-that-doesn’t-exist. On that rock live three wicked child-snatching children. But someone else lives there too. A ghost. She’s fashioned a body made of wax with seaweed for hair and abalone shells for eyes. She’s found a friend, a huntsman spider named Simon. And…

The curse on Lakesedge and its young lord has been lifted. But it has come at a great cost. Leta, desperate to save the boy she loves, has made a deal with the Lord Under. Sacrificing herself to mend the Corruption that has ravaged Lakesedge, she is damned to walk the world Below. Yet her…

The Cairndale Institute isn’t like other schools. Taking in children with specific skills, known as Talents, it’s not only a chance to grow and learn; but also a refuge from a world not ready for their powers. Charlie Ovid can heal himself from just about any injury. Komako can manipulate dust to do extraordinary things….

1996-ish. Canberra-ish. Artie Whig (Will Carseldine) is facing an uncertain future, about to be cut off by his no-nonsense father John (Kevin Hides). Unless he marries and finds a career, the young gadabout can kiss his allowance goodbye. Meanwhile, Minister for the Environment Robyn Shi (Hsiao-Ling Tang) and her advisor Gertrude (an absolute scene-stealing Emily…

Gold Coast theme park Warner Bros. Movie World will be putting the ‘Oz’ in The Wizard of Oz, with a brand new precinct themed around the classic film set to open in 2024. Taking over the space previously occupied by the Arkham Asylum coaster (some may also remember it as Lethal Weapon – The Ride),…

With Moulin Rouge wowing audiences in Sydney, Brisbane’s Lyric Theatre is hosting its own tragic tale of Parisian courtesans and ill-fated love affairs. Verdi‘s iconic La Traviata opened last week, led by Lorina Gore and Kang Wang as star-crossed lovers Violetta and Alfredo. A joint venture between Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia, and West…

Alt-pop artist Ellery Cohen is about to drop latest single “Demons” and we’re stoked to be able to bring you an exclusive look at the track’s music video! “Demons” was a long-time coming for Ellery, who emerged from the Melbourne lockdowns with a newfound approach to both life and music. Working with No Frills Twins’…

After a delayed start, Robyn Archer: An Australian Songbook has finally made its way to the Bille Brown Theatre stage and, happily, it was more than worth the wait. Setting aside the assumed Aussie repertoire, An Australian Songbook explores the history of our country through a rather unexpected collection of Australian music, anchored by the…

National treasure Robyn Archer has set up home at Queensland Theatre for the next couple of weeks. Alongside her long-time band members, George Butrumulis (Zydeco Jump), Cameron Goodall (The Audreys) and Ennio Pozzebon (Keating: The Musical), she’ll be taking audiences on a journey through Australian song – and it won’t always be the tracks you’re…

SXSW have announced an annual Asia-Pacific installment, with Sydney set to host in October 2023. It’s the first time the iconic conference and festival of creativity has expanded beyond North America since its inception in 1987. A joint collaboration between the NSW Government, Destination NSW, TEG, and SXSW, SXSW Sydney will bring together the world’s…

The sorceress Ailbhe Ahriddin is continuing her onslaught. As plague ravages the land, she has thrown open the gates of Death, setting her demons loose to claim the corpses left behind. For Gwyn and her comrades, still reeling from the events of Jhabahabi, it’s yet another huge setback. But all is not lost. Deep in the…

Today we’re sharing the exclusive video premiere of Woodlock‘s “Sunday Drive“! It’s the third single to come from the trio’s upcoming Bermuda Sea EP, due for release in early August. Woodlock, consisting of brothers Zech Walters (guitar/vocals), Eze Walters (guitar/vocals), and friend Bowen Purcell (drums,), describe the new EP’s theme as “yearning”, of wanting to…

Let’s us help you get through Hump Day with some new music! Today we’re sharing an exclusive look at Getting Over All Of It, the latest from indie-folk singer-songwriter Matthew Gilbert. Funded by Gilbert’s fans through a Kickstarter campaign, the sophomore release was penned and produced during the Melbourne lockdowns last year. Mixed by Jacob…

For twelve years, Aina and Whitney have lived in exile. Imprisoned on an isolated island, their lives are measured by the clock in the kitchen that dispenses the pills that keep them alive. Hobbies keep them busy while they await their release. Whitney tinkers, sculpts, maps the island. Aina does jigsaws, gardens, writes music. But,…

How about some brand new music to help celebrate the long weekend? Today we’ve got the exclusive premiere of Josh Needs’ “Silver Sheets”, a grungy slice of post-punk that we’ve not been able to shake since our first listen. “Silver Sheets” is the latest glimpse we’ve had of Needs’ upcoming EP Fault Line, covering one…