Culture

Stayed plugged in with all the latest happenings at The Joan in 2018! From Julius Caesar to Lindy Chamberlain, Tiwi R’n’B to Carole King’s Tapestry, The Joan is ready to bring spirited iconic performances that are sure to reflect and uplift. Also, be sure to check out our list of music gigs landing @ The Summit Series in 2018.

January: Isaiah Firebrace | February: Tapestry: Songs of Carole King – Vika Bull & Debra Byrne | March: Q Theatre Back to Back - Everything You Ever Wanted & How I Saved the Western Black Rhino | April: Bosom Buddies – Nancye Hayes & Todd McKenney | May: The Orchid & The Crow | June: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow | June: Letters to Lindy | August: Days Like These | September: B2M Mamanta & The Wharf Revue 2018 – Sydney Theatre Company | October: Julius Caesar – Bell Shakespeare | November: Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue – Q Theatre

Pic: X-Factor winner, Isiah Firebrace.

2018, is off to an electrifying start as Isaiah Firebrace lights up The Joan’s stage, on Sunday 21 January. Firebrace’s blazing success story from small-town NSW to Eurovision – picking up a coveted X Factor win along the way - has captured the hearts of many.

Pic: Vika Bull & Debra Byrne. Photo captured by Mark Gambino. 

In February it’s all about reflection, with The Joan bringing the formidable talents of Vika Bull and Debra Byrne together in celebration of Carole King’s chartbusting masterpiece, Tapestry, on Saturday 9 February. Bringing you all King’s mega-hits including (You Make Me) Feel Like a Natural Woman, You’ve Got a Friend, It’s Too Late and Will You Love Me Tomorrow.

Pic: (left) Promo image for Rachel Roberts' production Everything you Ever Wanted & (right) promo image for Nathan Harrison's production How I Saved the Western Black Rhino. 

March at the Joan, shine’s a spotlight on the Back to Back: Q Theatre’s new works,with two plays developed through The Joan’s Q Lab Artist-in-Residence program. The works - Everything You Ever Wanted and How I Saved the Western Black Rhino by young Australian Theatre makers, Rachel Roberts and Nathan Harrison are sure to intrigue!

Pic: (left) Nancy Hayes & (rigtht) Todd McKenney.

Australia’s leading lady of musical theatre Nancy Hayes and number one song-and-dance man Todd McKenney come together in Bosom Buddieson 17 & 18 April. In the new show, they sing, they dance, and they reminisce - about all the lows and highs of their stage careers.

Pic: Daniel Tobias in the production The Orchid & The Crow. Photo credit - Andrew Wuttke.

May Friday 18 will see Daniel Tobias effortlessly draw us into the inspiring tale of his near-death experience in The Orchid & The Crow, a comedy about an atheist surviving cancer by finding God in Lance Armstrong - with songs! Part story-telling, part-theatre, with original songs, this brilliantly clever and ultimately moving story has been described by audiences as 'life-changing'.

Pic: Promo image from the 2017's Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow.

June will see winter get underway with some big laughs as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow rolls into town on Tuesday 19. Always a sell-out, this brings some of the world’s best comedians to Penrith for the best comedy fix around!

Pic: Lindy Chamberlain.

Also in June – everybody remembers the story of Lindy Chamberlain. Accused of murdering her child, her claim – that the baby was taken by a dingo. Filled with humour and heartbreak, Letters to Lindy (26 & 27 June) is a stunning piece by award-winning playwright Alana Valentine (Parramatta Girls, Head Full of Love).

Pic: Promo Image for Days Like These.

August sees Australia’s pioneering performance company Murmuration hit the Joan, exploring the varied ways we, as humans, express our emotions from one day to the next in Days Like These. Through a series of emotive snapshots, the audience is invited to reflect on and revisit the best and worst days as a creative team of very different people bravely peel back their layers to share stories of joy, loss, frustration and change (10 & 11 August).

Pic: Tiwi R'n'B legends B2M.

September will sweep audience’s away with B2M - Australia’s answer to the Backstreet Boysat The Joan. Be transported to their Tiwi Island homeland on Saturday 1 September with Mamanta, a pumping R’n’B performance, Tiwi style!

Pic: Comedy dynamic duo Jonathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe.

September will also see The Sydney Theatre Company, kings of comedy: Johnathan Biggins and Drew Forsythe performing at The Joan. The guys will keep the punchlines rolling as they bring The Wharf Revue into High Street territory once again for another glorious year of political satire. Shows are 20 – 22 September, (be sure to get in early)!

Pic: Promo image for Shakespeare's political thriller - Julius Caesar. Photo credit Pierre Toussaint.

Julius Caesar - Shakespeare’s political thriller - is a masterpiece of intrigue and treachery. In October, The Joan’s audiences will be treated to Bell Shakespeare’s masterful interpretation in a production that will leave the audience breathless on 5 & 6 October.

Pic: Promo image for Q Theatre's upcoming production Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue.

The year finishes up with art, intrigue and some spectacular canapés. Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue (15 – 24 Nov), another brand-new play by Q Theatre, by Noëlle Janaczewska. Yellow Yellow Sometimes Blue is inspired by the history of Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest and invites audiencestopeer through the eyes of ‘the help,’ for a fresh take on Emu Plains in the 1950s.

Subscriptions to the High Street Season

2018 Subscriptions will be available in three sizes: four pack ($196 Standard / $176 Concession), six pack ($264 Standard / $234 Concession) and eight pack ($336 Standard / $296 Concession). High Street subscribers receive 20% off single ticket purchases for Summit Fine Music and Playground Kids & Families shows.

High Street Subscribers will have the special benefit of receiving a 20% discount on all tickets purchased to shows in The Summit – Fine Music, and Playground – Kids & Families series. What a great incentive to max out your entertainment calendar in 2018.