Local Newspapers from Melbourne, Victorisa, Australia
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Lorna Osborne (Axon), veteran Melbourne-based Tivoli dancer, choreographer, director and long-term dancing teacher, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 19, aged 96.Born in Richmond on June 21,1928, and an only child, Lorna attended dance classes with Miss Lorna Vesper in Richmond from age five to fifteen.She studied RAD classical ballet, tap, musical comedy, Highland, Irish…
Read More about OBSERVER: Vale Lorna Osborne
The Green Room Awards Association has announced the nominees for the 42nd Annual Green Room Awards.The most nominated productions this year include GROUNDHOG DAY (11 nominations), CANDIDE (9 nominations), 37 (8 nominations), MY BRILLIANT CAREER (8 nominations) and COUNTING & CRACKING (7 nominations). Anton Berezin, President of the Green Room Awards Association said: “During 2024,…
Read More about OBSERVER: Green Room Nominations
ShowsGilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria: Fledermaus! March 8, 9 at The Round Studio, Nunawading. April 12 at Moe Plaza. Director: Robert Ray; Musical Director: Geoffrey Urquhart. Bookings: gsov.org.auWilliamstown Little Theatre: Wicked Sisters (by Alma de Groen) Until March 3 at Williamstown Little Theatre, 2 Albert St., Williamstown. Director: Ellis Ebell. Bookings: wlt.org.au/Lilydale Athenaeum Theatre Company: Moon…
Read More about OBSERVER: Local Theatre Report
The musical theatre show A Nightime Travesty, which played at The Malthouse, was a wild rollercoaster of a ride.It had some great music and songs but, while applaudable for its bold efforts at providing provocative challenging theatre, was ultimately a failed experiment.In an apocalyptic end-of-days scenario two flight attendants, Angel (played by Carly Sheppard) and…
Read More about OBSERVER: A Nighttime Travesty
Image Economics.In a visual landscape where images proliferate and morph in virtual growth capable of swaying elections, mobilising mass movements and influencing identities and social norms, Image Economics offers a timely reappraisal of how the digital, networked world permeates our offline lives.The digital tools and systems that generate, store or process data – along with…
Read More about OBSERVER: Arts Column with Peter Kemp
A major new exhibition has opened showcasing Victorian First Nations artists from across the state. Colin Brooks (PIctured), Minister for Creative Industries, attended the 2025 Melbourne Art Fair to see the Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair Showcase Exhibition, which celebrates the rich cultural and creative diversity of Victorian First Nations artists. Co-curated by…
Read More about OBSERVER: First Nations artists at Melbourne Art Fair
Award-winning rural crime writer Margaret Hickey (pictured has decided that a change is as good as a holiday.The author of best sellers The Creeoer, Stone Toen and Broken Bay has just renewed a collection of short stories called Rural Dreams, celebrating the Australian countryside.Hickey is based in north east Victoria and enjoys setting her stories…
Read More about OBSERVER: Rural Dreams
In Our Monster’s Name is Jerry, queer couple Maude (Laura Jane Turner) and Lou (Em Jevons) are desperate to conceive, enduring rounds of IVF without success.An unexpected turn of events occurs when Maude inherits a house from a distant relative.Eccentric next-door neighbour Barb (Amanda LaBonté) soon comes nosing around to welcome Maude and Lou to…
Read More about OBSERVER: Our Monster’s Name Is Jerry
The stunning Edna Walling designed gardens of Knowe Cottage (circa 1919) hosted the new production of Fledermaus by Director Robert Ray for Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria.An impressively moustachioed Terence MacManus welcomed the audience (who were peering anxiously at the foreboding skies), switching to a resonant Russian accent for his character Prince Orlovsky. Mac Manus…
Read More about OBSERVER: Fledermaus
Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away in 2023 but, with the aid of mixed reality pioneers, Tin Drum, he performs again in the world of virtual reality. This installation is part of the Asia Topa festival showcasing artists from the Asia-Pacific.The audience wears VR goggles. They can walk around the image of Sakamoto as he…
Read More about OBSERVER: Kagami