Boasting more than 40 events over five days, the Australian Musical Theatre Festival returns to Launceston. Carmel Dean’s Well Behaved Women, which shines a light on some of history’s trailblazing women, launches the festival, while the Opening Night Gala features a cast led by Jarrod Draper. The centrepiece is a production of The Frogs by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove and Nathan Lane. In another highlight, Delia Hannah reflects on her life in Seeing Is Believing, in which she is joined by the festival’s Artistic Director Tyran Parke. Following a sold-out performance last year, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra returns for the concert Broadway Showstoppers with singers Draper, Hannah, Lisa Crosato, Nadine Garner, Rob Mallett and Lorinda May Merrypor.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

The issues of our BIPOC community cannot fully be understood from outside but it is the responsibility of us all to create a theatre that is diverse and inclusive to all.

This diversity panel is one small way to understand and engage in that conversation. In 2O22, the Australian Musical Theatre Festival’s Diversity and Inclusion Panel was first presented within a safe, educational and understanding space, allowing us all to illuminate and interrogate some basic truths about the nature of these issues in the arts.

In 2O26, we continue the conversation in the same manner in a bid to better understand how we might contribute to a brighter future for all.