This concert showcases the talent and the new work of celebrated, ARIA-nominated, award-winning Indigenous singer and songwriter Emma Donovan. 

Friday 2 August | 7.30pm | GPAC Little Theatre

The concert with Emma and her accompaniment will include songs off her highly anticipated new album ‘Til My Song is Done'.  

This will be an opportunity for the winner of the Australia Council for the Arts 2022 First Nations Arts and Culture Fellowship to share her new music with regional and remote audiences. The project will reconnect Emma with existing fans & help her build new audiences in locations where professional music of this standard is rarely performed. She will also share stories, providing her audiences with an understanding of Country & community.  

Joining Emma (vocals/ukulele) will be Steve Magnusson (guitar) & Samuel Anning (double bass).  

“I am very proud to introduce new words and share languages with audiences and fans. It’s so important to preserve this part of our history, family and country. For me to write my solo album, I needed to go back into my own family musical archives to rediscover the country music I was raised on and that I performed. My solo work will be richly influenced by my family and memories of touring with The Donovans performing country and gospel music. My family’s musical history is known but not yet world renowned. This project will shine a light on Indigenous music culture, sharing stories and preserving language in song. I want to share my story with Australia and the world, and I want audiences to hear my songs and languages to enhance their knowledge of our expansive history of this country". Emma Donovan 

Since then, Emma has toured & recorded with the best in the Australian music scene including Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers, Paul Grabowsky, Spinifex Gum and the late Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter. 

Emma is also well known for her work with the highly regarded Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks & the extraordinary Black Arm Band project. Her collaboration with The Putbacks has won multiple awards including best Soul/RnB album 2021 (Crossover) and 2022 (Under These Streets) at the AIR Awards and Best Soul, Funk R&B or Gospel Act, Best Group and Best Album for ‘Crossover’ at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards. 

This exciting new album 'Til My Song is Done'  follows Emma’s recent, hugely successful national tour with legendary US country star Charley Crockett, where they kicked off in Tamworth and traversing the nation with performances in Queensland, Canberra, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

“Emma’s voice is everything you’d want in a soul singer. She’s the real deal.” – Wax Poetics 

"Donovan can front a well-oiled soul band in her sleep” – Rolling Stone 

Keeping Aussie kids fit and heathy! An interactive and fun performance for children and families!

Tuesday 9 April | 11am | GPAC Little Theatre

Snowy is becoming more beautiful every day and The Wicked Queen is not happy! She has decided to send Snowy away, to get rid of her, once and for all. 

The Magic Mirror has warned The Queen this is a huge mistake – Snowy is beautiful on the inside and the outside- everyone loves her. The Queen isn’t listening and orders The Hunter from the Palace to take Snowy into the forest and leave her there forever!                  

Meanwhile, the Cool Dudes have decided it’s time they started making healthier food choices and doing some exercise.         

During this interactive production, kids will enjoy the opportunity of role-play as they are invited on stage to become a variety of characters- including The Cool Dudes- that love to rap! The off-stage action continues with singing and dancing for the rest of the audience. 

A timely piece of live theatre about making better food choices, while keeping kids fit and healthy! 

“...It is bright, colourful, happy and my kids were very entertained, they can’t stop talking about it. Bravo to all concerned, one thing-take some ear plugs as the kids become very, very excited”- Adelaide Fringe Festival 

'Rekindled Systems' is a ballad for the healing of the earth—an invitation to proceed with living a life of meaning and consequence through art and expression

Saturday 18 November | 5:30pm | GPAC Little Theatre

Rekindled Systems is the unlikely collaboration between Yorta Yorta artist Allara and Ukrainian-Canadian artist Olenka Toroshenko. Their duo show employs skillful storytelling using a sweet tangle of double bass, looped tones, song, spoken word poetry, and dance to weave a multidisciplinary and multicultural narrative. 

While cutting beets for borscht on Sviat Vechir (Ukrainian Christmas) in Jan 2020, the pair realised they are both descendants of people who survived genocides intended to annihilate their cultural identity. Allara and Olenka call upon the guidance of their Elders and ancestors with direct intent and deep kinship to navigate the troubling reality of the state of our current cultural paradigm and planet. The tour will bring a high standard of First Nations music and cultural cross-pollination to regional communities across Victoria, engaging local artists along the way who are deeply connected to their community and country.  

 

Artists Monica Jasmine Karo and Culture Evolves are along for the whole tour sharing their creative expressions of First Nations music, stories, and dance in a celebration of cultural identity, joined by songman and language revivalist Corey Theatre for a special Gunaikurnai homeland show. 

"Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek..." 

Friday 25 August -  Saturday 2 September | GPAC Main Theatre

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change) and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears. 

"Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek..." And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek. 

Shrek presents a treasure trove of creative opportunities, including costumes, sets, puppets (there is a fire-breathing dragon after all) and more! Irreverently fun for the whole family, Shrek proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the ogre. 

A high energy interactive show for kids aged 3 - 5 years.

SOLD OUT!

Thursday 6 July | 10.30am | GPAC Town Hall

Fun energetic and engaging circus show for young people aged 3 -5 years.  A mix of juggling, acrobatic and unicycling performance with hands on activities including a silly warm up, juggling challenges, and plate spinning.

Children will be engaged and laughing from start to finish! The show includes moments of quiet focus, eruptions of noise and excitement, moving and grooving. 

Circus Workshop for kids aged 6 - 12 years

Thursday 6 July | 1.30pm | GPAC Town Hall

SOLD OUT!

This is a fun and structured workshop that gives children aged 6 - 12 years a taster of a variety of circus skills. 

The instructor led workshop will have the children, laughing, being silly and making plenty of noise.  Everyone is guaranteed to achieve something, and everyone is guaranteed to be challenged. 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn skills including, juggling, diabolo, devil-sticks and spinning plates, plus a bonus unicycle demonstration!

Workshop accompanying adults attend for free.

Please contact Box Office on 03 5176 3333 if you're having trouble with workshop ticket purchases online.

Barry the Bunyip is a smelly fellow and all the bush creatures don’t let him forget it!

Saturday 24 June | 7.30pm | GPAC Little Theatre

The Fairy Queen has decreed that Barry the Bunyip has to leave his home, and he’s not happy about it!  

Bush Tale Bunyip is developed over the span of five months by a group of 30 young stars aged between 8 - 16, and will premier in the GPAC Little Theatre this June.

The Gippsland Youth Drama Workshop produces an original show with every group, based on the participant’s ideas for characters, plot and themes that are important to them. 

The audience will meet fairies, pixies, witches, brownies and of course a bunyip in a story that focuses on differences and acceptance and not judging books by their covers (or others by their smell)! 

The irrepressible comic strip heroine takes centre stage in one of the world's best-loved, award-winning musicals. Presented by Lavalla Catholic College.

Thursday 27 July | 7pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Friday 28 July | 7pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Saturday 29 July | 1pm | GPAC Main Theatre 

Saturday 29 July | 7pm | GPAC Main Theatre 

Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Annie JR  features everyone’s favourite little redhead in her very first adventure. 

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. 

Annie JR  is full of classic songs likes “It’s the Hard-Knock Life”, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” and “Tomorrow”, and is sure to have audiences leaving the theatre singing them for days!  

Music from the stage and screen.

Sunday 7 May | 2.30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

The Latrobe Orchestra will share the stage with living legend Judy Hall OAM, singing superstar Mary Mirtschin, and guest artists from the Lavalla Catholic College Music Department to bring together a concert of film and theatre musical favourites. 

The Latrobe Orchestra are delighted to support centenarian Judy Hall in her debut performance on the GPAC stage. She will perform the second movement of Beethoven’s sublime Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Emperor, as heard in Dead Poets Society. 

The Latrobe Orchestra will also perform selections from legendary film score composers including James Horner’s Titanic (featuring Mary Mirtschin) and Apollo 13, Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings, John Ottoman’s homage to John William’s Superman Returns, and Rodger and Hammerstein’s Sound of Music. 

Lavalla Catholic College Music Department ensembles will delight audience members of all ages. 

Class Act Productions is back with Oliver! JR. A 60-minute version of the beloved classic Broadway musical, adored by generations.  Featuring a cast full of Gippsland’s most talented youth, this musical will have audiences begging for “more!” 

Thursday 13 July | 7:30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Friday 14 July | 7:30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Saturday 15 July | 3:30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Saturday 15 July | 7:30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Sunday 16 July | 1:30pm | GPAC Main Theatre

Consider yourself at home with Oliver! JR., the Broadway Junior version of Lionel Bart's classic musical based on Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning show is one of the few musicals to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and is widely hailed as a true theatrical masterpiece by actors and audience members alike. 

The streets of Victorian England come to life as Oliver, a malnourished orphan in a workhouse, becomes the neglected apprentice of an undertaker. Oliver escapes to London and finds acceptance amongst a group of petty thieves and pickpockets led by the elderly Fagin.

When Oliver is captured for a theft that he did not commit, the benevolent victim, Mr. Brownlow takes him in. Fearing the safety of his hideout, Fagin employs the sinister Bill Sikes and the sympathetic Nancy to kidnap him back, threatening Oliver’s chances of discovering the true love of a family. 

Oliver! JR. is full of classic songs like "Consider Yourself", "Food Glorious Food", and "Oom-Pah-Pah", and is sure to have audiences leaving the theatre with them stuck in their head for days! 

A free summer festival created by the Youth, for the Youth.

Saturday 17 December | 11am - 9pm | Outdoor Theatre

Join us for a day of fun and celebration with activities, interactive entertainment, food trucks, live music and more!

Watch this space as we announce the full day program.

Artists, Food trucks & entertainment:

•Teenage Dads

•Darcy Fox

•Timothy Wolf

•Wacky Wombat Entertainment

•Miss Hannah’s Facepaint

•Melbourne Silent Disco

•Danceworks 114

•Gratitude Cookies (supported by Youth Council)

•PollyannaR (supported by Youth Council)

•Slinky Spuds

•Grab & Go Kebabs & Fish n Chips

•L&M Espresso Lab