Get involved

#Current opportunities

Check out the opportunities we currently have below, or check back again soon.

#Playlab: Nurture

Nurture 2025 Applications are now Open!

About Nurture

Connecting with community as part of Gather 2025, Nurture provides a creative, nurturing development opportunity for young regional playwrights (16-25) to expand their craft.

3 participants will be selected to engage in development with nationally-recognised playwright, Kathryn Marquet in the lead up to Gather, before being joined by a team of local actors and youth facilitators to further develop the piece.

Participants will emerge from the program with a professionally-developed short play completed and tested in front of an audience at a public reading at The Empire.

Applications are now open and close April 27.

#Playlab: Gather

Say hello to Playlab’s brand new development program… Gather!

About Gather

Connecting community through creativity, Gather is a regional playwriting intensive designed to further advance the creative practice of regional playwrights across Queensland.

Hosted in 2025 at the Empire Theatre in Toowoomba, this two-week intensive places emphasis on knowledge sharing and building professional networks through an in-person creative development with a professional dramaturg, director and team of actors.

As part of the Gather, Playlab will also be offering two additional sub-programs: Muster and Nurture, as well as a professional masterclass series which is available to the public.

Standby for more news to come!

#Professional Performing Opportunities

Since 1999, The Empire has produced mainstage musical productions, establishing a reputation as an industry leader and prestigious option for local performers and backstage crew looking to further their exposure to a professional performance environment.

With the aim of providing high quality musical theatre entertainment as well as valuable opportunities for actors, singers, musicians and dancers to work with a professional production team and creatives, The Empire's major production is a significant contributor to the continued development of the arts in our region.

Our team of experienced and creative staff work hard alongside the talented group of on stage cast and behind the scenes personnel including backstage crew, costumers, makeup artists and more, to bring a professional grade performance to our local audiences.

We are committed to staging challenging professional level performances, utlising the talent within our community and bringing the magic of live theatre right to our audience's door.

Bringing audiences from both the Toowoomba region and beyond, our productions are always well supported by a large number of ticket purchasers, allowing us to reinvest in the future of the arts in the Darling Downs.

Open auditions for our annual productions are generally held in October and November for performances the following year.

List of Previous Major Productions

2024 Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Broadway Version)
2023 The Boy from Oz
2022 We Will Rock You
2020 Mamma Mia
2019 Kinky Boots
2018 Essgee's Pirates of Penzance
2017 Wicked
2016 Legally Blonde The Musical
2015 Mary Poppins
2014 The Phantom of the Opera
2013 Hairspray
2012 The Female of the Species
2012 The Wizard of Oz
2011 Secret Bridesmaids' Business
2011 The Boy from Oz
2010 Monty Python's Spamalot
2010 April's Fool
2010 Cosi
2010 Disney's High School Musical on Stage
2009 Cats
2009 Singin' in the Rain
2008 Cabaret
2007 Disney's Beauty and the Beast
2006 Sweet Charity
2005 Grease
2003 Chicago
1999 Jesus Christ Superstar