CURRENT PRODUCTIONS
Roald Dahl's The Witches
AUDITIONS NOW OPEN - REGISTER HERE
The Witches is a children's dark fantasy by the well known British writer Roald Dahl.
The story is set partly in Norway and partly in the United Kingdom, and features the experiences of a young British boy and his Norwegian grandmother in a world where child-hating societies of witches secretly exist in every country.
The Witches are all ruled by the extremely vicious and powerful Grand High Witch, who has just arrived in England to organise her worst plot ever!
But an elderly former witch hunter and her young grandson find out about the evil plan and now they must do everything to stop it and defeat the witches.
'Children should never have baths,’ my grandmother said. ‘It's a dangerous habit.'
Where: Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: April 2020
Times: Matinee and evening performances daily.
Almost, Maine - Actor's Company
Hunter Drama's Actor's Company brings you Almost, Maine.
Playful and surreal experiences are commonplace in the world of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, where on one deeply cold and magical midwinter night, the citizens of Almost -- not organised enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness -- experience the life-altering power of the human heart.
Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers. Propelled by the mystical energy of the Aurora Borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and sincere, Almost, Maine is a series of loosely connected tales about love, each with a compelling couple at its centre, each with its own touch of sorcery.
The sentimental person thinks things will last — the romantic person has a desperate confidence that they won't
Where: Newcastle
Performance Dates: May 2020
Times: Evening performances.
AUSSIEFEST - Mid Year Festival
Twice a year, Hunter Drama students take to the stage to showcase their dramatic talents in our Festivals! For some it will be their first time treading the boards, for others, an exciting annual platform to test out new skills. Whether an old or new student, one thing is for certain, it’s sure to be an exciting and thrilling show!
Our 2020 Mid-Year Festival is completely inspired by Australian Writers, Plays and Musicals!
Even if you're little, you can do a lot.
Where: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre and Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: June 2020
Alice In Wonderland JR.
In Hunter Drama's 10th anniversary production of Alice In Wonderland JR. Hunter Valley students will travel down the rabbit hole and join Alice, one of literature’s most beloved heroines, in her madcap adventures. Featuring updated songs from Disney’s thrilling animated motion picture, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR. is a fast-paced take on the classic tale.
The ever-curious Alice’s journey begins innocently enough as she chases the White Rabbit. Her adventures become increasingly more strange as she races the Dodo Bird, gets tied up with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, raps with a bubble-blowing Caterpillar and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game!
The cast of Disney's Alice In Wonderland JR. will also be invited to perform at the Junior Theatre Celebration in Newcastle, October 2020.
We're all mad here.
Where: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre
Performance Dates: July 9th - 11th, 2020
Times: Matinee and evening performances.
The History Boys
An unruly bunch of bright, funny senior boys in a British boarding school are, as such boys will be, in pursuit of sex, sport, and a place at a good university - generally in that order.
In all their efforts, they are helped and hindered, enlightened and bemused, by a maverick English teacher who seeks to broaden their horizons in sometimes undefined ways, and by a young history teacher who questions the methods, as well as the aim, of their schooling.
In The History Boys, Alan Bennett raises - with gentle wit and pitch-perfect command of character - not only universal questions about the nature of history and how it is taught but also questions about the purpose of education today.
One of the hardest things for boys to learn is that a teacher is human. One of the hardest things for a teacher to learn is not to try to tell them.
Where: Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: August
Times: Matinee and evening performances.
Disney's Tarzan - The Stage Musical
Washed up on the shores of West Africa, an infant boy is taken in and raised by gorillas who name him Tarzan. Apart from striving for acceptance from his ape father, Tarzan's life is mostly monkey business until a human expedition treks into his tribe's territory, and he encounters creatures like himself for the first time. Tarzan struggles to navigate a jungle, thick with emotion, as he discovers his animal upbringing clashing with his human instincts.
Based on Disney's epic animated musical adventure and Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan features heart-pumping music by rock legend, Phil Collins, and a book by Tony Award-winning playwright, David Henry Hwang. High-flying excitement and hits, like the Academy Award winning "You'll Be in My Heart," as well as "Son of Man" and "Two Worlds," make Tarzan an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Put your faith in what you most believe in.
Where: Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: October 2020
Times: Matinee and evening performances.
The Wizarding World Of Wowfest
Welcome to the Wizarding World Of WowFest, where Hunter Drama Students will present mystic and magical performances inspired by the famous wizards from across the globe.
Twice a year, Hunter Drama students take to the stage to showcase their dramatic talents in our Festivals! For some it will be their first time treading the boards, for others, an exciting annual platform to test out new skills. Whether an old or new student, one thing is for certain, it’s sure to be an exciting and thrilling show!
Wands are only as powerful as the wizards who use them.
Where: Cessnock Performing Arts Centre and Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: December 2020
Sweet Charity - Senior Musical Theatre
With unforgettable performances, Sweet Charity showcases the talents of Hunter Drama's Senior Musical Theatre Ensemble.
A tender, poignant and consistently funny look at the adventures, or rather, misadventures in the ways of love encountered by the gullible and guileless lady known as Charity Agnes Valentine, who always gives her heart, and her earnings, to the wrong man. Charity sings, dances, laughs and cries her way through romances!
Sweet Charity is a musical in every sense of the word. Cy Coleman has captured the rhythms and sounds, and Dorothy Fields the vernacular of fun, of 60's New York. Sweet Charity premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it was nominated for nine Tony Awards, with Bob Fosse Winning Best Choreography. "Hey Big Spender" will having dancing out the door and all the way home!
There's gotta be some life better than this!
Where: Civic Playhouse Newcastle
Performance Dates: December 11th - 13th 2020
Times: Matinee and evening performances.