News » Empire Theatre

01

Aug

LOVE OF OPERA NOT REQUIRED

Sopranos must die; It’s the rule of Opera. But when actor, soprano and cabaret artist Isabel Hertaeg takes to the Armitage Centre stage on Sunday, September 23 for cabaret performance Death by Soprano, she will die once for each letter of the alphabet! A satirical A-Z of operatic death scenes, Death by Soprano is a cabaret romp through operatic occupational hazards. Join Hertaeg and her 26 re-en...

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25

Jul

Marriage, Mischief & Mayhem in Opera Queensland's Ruddigore

One of opera’s weirdest and most wonderful shows will be on stage on August 25 with Opera Queensland’s production of Ruddigore, or the Witch’s Curse! Ruddigore, or the Witch’s Curse is the second Gilbert and Sullivan production of the 2018 Empire Theatres season following the highly successful major production The Pirates of Penzance in March and has an all-star cast including Bryan Probets, C...

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20

Jul

2018 Empire Theatres Youth Bursary Now Open

The Empire Theatre is inviting young people between the ages of 12 and 25 to apply for bursaries to attend professional development short courses at leading Australian performing arts institutions. The bursaries aim to assist the region’s young creative talents who demonstrate current involvement and achievement in a performing arts discipline. Past recipients of a Youth Bursary have attended v...

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04

Jul

The story that captivated a nation....

One of the nation’s most horrifying and intriguing stories will be revisited in this extraordinary new Australian play based on the life and experiences of Lindy Chamberlain at the Empire Theatre for one night only on August 7. Filled with humour and heartbreak, this stunning work by award-winning playwright Alana Valentine (Parramatta Girls, Head Full of Love) explores the public’s relationship ...

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03

Jul

EMPIRE THEATRE'S ARI PALANI FINALIST FOR STATE AWARD

After working with newly arrived young people, migrants and refugees in the Toowoomba community for five years, Empire Theatre’s Youth Arts Director, Ari Palani has been named as a finalist for the Outstanding Individual Achiever Award in the Queensland Multicultural Awards. One of just four finalists, Mr Palani was nominated for his Empire Theatre Youth Arts community engagement work at Harristow...

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13

Jun

Sydney Dance Company debuts on Empire Stage

Sydney Dance Company will visit the Empire Theatre for the first time this July with contemporary dance performance ab [intra] on Thursday July 12. Receiving rave reviews in Sydney and being described at contemporary dance at its most evocative and beautiful, ab [intra] is a dynamic work of athleticism that exposes the shared instincts that drive us apart and bring us back together. As the lates...

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04

Jun

2018 BRIAN BOAK BURSARY WINNER ANNOUNCED

Melbourne based operatic lyric tenor Michael Petruccelli has been announced as the 2018 Brian Boak Outstanding Performer Bursary recipient. Mr Petruccelli’s bursary will assist with his expenses in taking up a prestigious scholarship with Opernstudio in association with Frankfurt Opera in Germany, one of the most prestigious music theatres in Europe. Mr Petruccelli said he was extremely humbled a...

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22

May

Empire Theatres Friends of the Theatre Celebrated this Volunteers Week

The efforts of the Friends of the Empire Theatre will be celebrated this week with National Volunteer Week from May 21-27. While well known as the famous ushers and ticket-takers in the theatre, the Friends are a large organization responsible for performing many functions throughout the Empire Theatre, including catering and assisting staff. Friends of the Empire Theatre President, Col Muller...

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17

May

Todd McKenney & Nancye Hayes to host night of laughs

Stars of the stage, Nancye Hayes and Todd McKenney will reflect on their life in showbiz in their new show Bosom Buddies on Friday, May 25 at the Empire Theatre. Nancye and Todd tell back stage stories never before told and show video footage never before seen, in this performance as they sing, dance and reminisce for one night only. Nancye Hayes began her career in My Fair Lady in 1961 and establ...

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15

May

The 78-Storey Treehouse Returns to the Stage in June

The Treehouse is back and bigger than ever! The premiere stage adaptation of the bestselling children’s book The 78-Storey Treehouse will be on stage at the Empire Theatre on June 18-19. With one performance at 6pm on Monday 18 June, and two on Tuesday 19 June, there are three opportunities to take in this award-winning story. Andy and Terry’s treehouse just keeps on growing. With yet another 13 ...

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07

May

POLITICAL THRILLER THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

What makes the Trumps, the Abbotts and the Hansons of this world tick? What would happen if their world started to shift ever so slightly? Embodying their slogans, mannerisms and headlines, A Prudent Man is an amalgamation of recent history's conservative politicians, performing in the Armitage Centre on May 9. Hot on the tail of the US Elections, this speculative piece inspired by real life polit...

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30

Apr

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEAS

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we have put together a brief list of some the best gift ideas for your Mum, Grandmother or favorite Aunt, from the 2018 Empire Theatres season. For the Theatrical Mum, Bosom Buddies starring legends of the stage, Nancye Hayes and Todd McKenny will be on stage Friday 25 May. Both are multi- award-winning performers who will sing, dance and reminisce their way through th...

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24

Apr

FREE EVENT: SYDNEY WRITERS FESTIVAL

The Sydney Writers’ Festival Live and Local program is returning to the Empire Theatre on Friday 4th May to Sunday 6th May. As part of the free event, headline events from Sydney Writers’ Festival will be live streamed to the Empire Theatre’s Supper Room from 10am to 5:30pm (May 4 – May 6). While watching the talks, the audience will be able to actively engage with the Festival by submitting quest...

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11

Apr

MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL TRAVELS TO EMPIRE THEATRE

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is on the road again, with a huge night of laughs at the Empire Theatre on Tuesday April 24. Featuring some of the best stars and talented newcomers from one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is a night of hilarity not to be missed. Now in it’s 20th year, the roadshow brings some of the best hom...

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28

Mar

Local singers to perform in Ruddigore

Toowoomba singers had the chance to shine on Monday and Tuesday this week when Opera Queensland held auditions for it’s community chorus for the star-studded production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore to be performed on the Empire Theatre stage on August 23. Known as Project G&S, the community chorus program allows 10 men and 10 women to sing and dance on stage in Ruddigore alongside th...

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27

Mar

Yo Diddle Diddle bring beloved nursery rhyme to life

Cow, Cat and a dog named Houston are set to bring the farm to life in a hip-hop infused adventure as two performances of Yo Diddle Diddle are performed on the Empire Theatre stage. Yo Diddle Diddle will come to live on stage on Tuesday 22 May with one performance at 9.30am and another at 11.30pm. Exploring the theme of resilience, the fun-filled Yo Diddle Diddle is the first work by Patch’s new A...

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16

Mar

PIRATES OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS

The Empire Theatre's version of Essgee's Pirates of Penzance presented by Heritage Bank opened on Wednesday night with a standing ovation and rave reviews. You don't miss this hilarious singing and dancing spectacular! Reviews include: 'The show reached a fitting climax with the whole company in the Megamix Finale which after curtain calls left everyone leaving the theatre with smiles on thei...

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07

Mar

PIRATES OF PENZANCE EMBARKS NEXT WEEK

The Pirates of Penzance will sail into port next week when the Empire Theatre’s major production for 2018 opens on Wednesday March 14. The highly anticipated production runs for just one week with just five performances to choose from. The musical stars internationally successful singer and actor Michael Cormick as the Pirate King, Brisbane-based actor Alex Woodward as Frederic and rising opera s...

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16

Feb

Long serving staff member retires after 20 years

After more than 20 years working hard on the action behind the scenes of Toowoomba's iconic Empire Theatre, Margaret Turnbull will take her final bows today. Retiring from her position as Events Manager, Margaret has been a hardworking and valuable member of staff, dedicating a large portion of her life to the theatre she loves over the past 20 years. After being a vocal supporter of the theatre'...

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07

Feb

Outdoor Film Festival brings best short films to Empire Theatre

Enjoy a night out under the stars on the Empire Theatre Lawn on Saturday February 24 for the annual screening of award- winning touring film festival, Flickerfest. Celebrating 27 years of the festival, Academy Accredited and BAFTA recognised, Flickerfest showcases the Best of Australian Shorts programme, with films hand- picked from more than 2500 entries. This year’s festival features a range o...

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