There's a fair bit to look forward to in theatre in this town during 2020. But 2019 is ending with changes and the ongoing effects of changes, especially to do with theatre buildings.
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The new and glossy Kambri precinct at the Australian National University has yet to demonstrate that the old ANU Arts Centre was not demolished in vain. And you won't be visiting Theatre 3 anymore; that whole building will now be known as the Canberra REP Theatre (with the auditorium continuing to be named after the late Naoné Carrel, well regarded actor and long time Canberra Repertory Society member
Meanwhile, over at the Belconnen Arts Centre Canberra's performing landscape transforms again when the new theatre there opens in 2020 at a time yet to be announced.
Offerings, both musicals and plays, are emerging for 2020. Free Rain is doing the exuberant Mamma Mia! in April and Canberra Philharmonic is pulling out the eccentric Tommy. Keep an eye out, too, for what companies like Mockingbird Theatre and Honest Puck and Everyman and Canberra Rep might be up to. It'll never be less than interesting.
Over in Queanbeyan, the Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre is a venue for local shows but it also programs touring plays and performers that are always worth noticing.
Theatrical things go on too at the largely music venue of Smith's Alternative in Civic, where in 2019 one could find Christopher Samuel Carroll nailing the savage one man/two characters play Howie the Rookie.
The Street Theatre remains a focus for developing strong and original work, with Peter Cook's piece on depression, Breaking the Castle, coming up in February.
And the Canberra Theatre Centre has programmed a string of classic titles including Wake in Fright, Animal Farm, Bran Nue Dae and My Brilliant Career.
Here are five I'm particularly looking forward to, not in any special order (and surely to be added to as the year develops).
1. Hamlet
Bell Shakespeare's upcoming Hamlet will feature a female in the leading role. Harriet Gordon-Anderson, last seen here in Bell's excellent production of The Miser, plays the Prince. This is from the company that gave us Kate Mulvany's riveting Richard 3. There's a long theatrical tradition of female Hamlets including Sarah Bernhardt and Frances de la Tour; it's not about novelty value but the opening of different insights into the part.
2. Shakespeare by the Lakes III
Now in their third summer season, Lakespeare and Co are presenting A Midsummer Night's Dream in open-air sites around Canberra. Outdoor theatre is a tricky thing and travelling to different locations in a season makes it trickier but over the last two years they have been developing and strengthening their approach, first with Much Ado About Nothing and next with Twelfth Night. The Dream looks just the go for late summer in the open air as the sun sets and artificial light magically takes over. The actors are miked so the show and the audiences can spread out. They've played in locations like Lanyon, Glebe Park and Tuggeranong Town Park to appreciative crowds. Bring a picnic and introduce the younger generation to no-stress Shakespeare. Keep an eye out for further information as the season approaches.
3. The Grapes of Wrath
Canberra REP is opening their 2020 season with John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath in the version developed by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre. The story of the dispossessed Joad family in 1930s rural Depression America and their struggle to reach California and a decent life is ever timely. Chris Baldock directs and, judging from the power of the Laramie plays he did for Mockingbird Theatre in 2019, has the right skills to bring off such an epic. With Karen Vickery as Ma Joad at its centre this should be one not to miss.
4. Bran Nue Dae
The Canberra Theatre Centre has advertised a 2020 season full of treasures. The return of the Jimmy Chi and Kuckles classic Bran Nue Dae gives cause to rejoice. This show has luscious songs, great humour, and sharp reflections on prejudice, identity and the history of this country as pertinent now as they were 30 years ago. And when it first erupted into the Canberra Theatre I seem to remember it sported a swimming pool in the orchestra pit.
5. David Suchet
David Suchet in Poirot and More: A Retrospective comes to the Canberra Theatre in January. It ought to be enthralling to see this many-faceted actor talk about his life and his performances. If Harriet Gordon-Anderson can play Hamlet on stage, here's a man who has played Lady Bracknell. There's much, much more to him than Poirot.
