Adaptations abound in Perth’s theatrical menu for July, including fast-paced contemporised Shakespeare, children’s books made physical, and the stage adaptation of a certain diary that has moved generations of readers.
If you’re looking for something more niche, you might be more interested in attending a heartfelt puppet musical about friendship and grief, or an examination of extremism communicated through the viscerally-visual language of contemporary circus.
Whatever your taste, there’s something playing in Perth this month to satisfy a creative craving of any conceivable flavour.
Perth theatre guide – quick links
Eclipse
Contemporary circus meets powerful storytelling in Eclipse, an ambitious new production from CircusWA that searches for the hope beyond the chaos. Devised by Western Australia’s renowned theatre-maker Sally Richardson, it combines physical theatre, aerial artistry and live music to examine the complexities of existence in the Anthropocene.
CircusWA Artistic Director Jo Smith says the production demonstrates the critical role young people play in imagining and building a better future. ‘Young people are inheriting a world facing unprecedented environmental and social challenges, yet they continue to bring extraordinary creativity, resilience and hope,’ she says.
This world premiere is more than just a performance, it’s an invitation for audiences to imagine a future in which we can all thrive and grow. Mapping a path through environmental destruction and political extremism, this phenomenal work of scale provides modern reflections on a changing world order, expressed through thought provoking, emotionally moving, and visually spectacular contemporary circus.
CircusWA’s Eclipse is at Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA from 2 to 4 July.
Rules of Summer
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre invites families into a world where rules are made to be broken with the return of its first immersive, multi-sensory theatre experiences for children and families. Adapted from Shaun Tan’s award-winning book, Rules of Summer transforms the theatre into a strange and sensory world. Audiences don’t just watch the story unfold, they’re invited in through secret messages, surprising sensory encounters and the unmistakable oddness of Shaun Tan’s world made physical.
The show follows two boys and the mysterious, unspoken rules that hold them together and pull them apart (never step on a snail, never leave a red sock on the clothesline, never be late for a parade).
Artistic Director Philip Mitchell says Rules of Summer offers families a theatre experience unlike anything else these school holidays. ‘This is a show where the audience is part of the story from the moment they walk in. It’s playful and funny and full of surprises.’
The puppetry is uniquely suited to Shaun Tan’s distinctive style of storytelling. ‘The absence of words heightens the visual storytelling and encourages audiences to feel things intuitively,’ explains Mitchell. ‘At its core, this is a story about the tensions and joys of any close relationship – sibling, friend, partner. Every relationship has its rules, spoken and unspoken, and we all know what it feels like when they get broken.’
There is no dedicated Auslan performance for this season, as Rules of Summer has no dialogue.
Rules of Summer plays at Perth’s Claremont Showgrounds from 4 to 18 July.
Same Time Next Week
Winner of eight Performing Arts WA Awards, Same Time Next Week is a heartfelt puppet musical that blends humour with fantasy and raw emotion.
When Mark is diagnosed with leukaemia, his greatest wish is to keep playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends. Their weekly gaming sessions become a lifeline through treatment, and the boundaries between fantasy and reality blur. Can the magic of storytelling defy the odds, or will the dice roll against them one last time?
Same Time Next Week will have you crying with laughter, whether you’re a lover of D&D or a total newbie. This story about friendship, grief, and imagination is filled with toe-tapping songs, and is performed by an ensemble of some of Perth’s best puppeteers.
Same Time Next Week is at Studio Underground, State Theatre Centre of WA from 9 to 18 July.
The Diary of Anne Frank
Following a sold-out Perth season and acclaimed performances in Melbourne and Sydney, Drew Anthony’s award-winning production of The Diary of Anne Frank returns for a strictly limited season.
Told through Anne’s own words, this moving stage adaptation captures the extraordinary resilience, hope and courage of a young girl living through one of history’s darkest chapters. Powerful, respectful and deeply affecting, it offers audiences the opportunity to experience an enduring story that has moved generations of readers.
Recent winner of Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Drew Anthony), Best Performer in a Play (Chloe-Jean Vincent as Anne Frank) and Best Supporting Performer in a Play (Holly Easterbrook as Edith Frank) in the BroadwayWorld Awards, The Diary of Anne Frank is an inspiring true story about one girl’s hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.
The Diary of Anne Frank plays at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA from 16 to 26 July.
Hamlet
Shakespeare’s legendary tale of revenge receives a fresh new interpretation as Stray Cats Theatre Company presents a fast-paced, contemporary adaptation of Hamlet. Regarded as one of the greatest plays ever written, Hamlet asks the audience to question everything, and always ‘to thine own self be true’ (if you can remember who that is).
When Hamlet vows revenge for the murder of his father, he is thrown into a world of corruption starting his downfall into the depths of deceit. Plagued by ghostly entities, Hamlet is forced to confront his own sanity and just how far he is willing to go for vengeance.
Directed by Karen Francis, this production retains the original play’s emotional depth and iconic language, while introducing modern English and musical elements. Shakespeare enthusiasts and newbies alike will appreciate this contemporised theatrical experience of madness, power & passion.
Hamlet plays at the Fishtrap Theatre, Mandurah Performing Arts Centre from 22 to 26 July.
More Perth theatre highlights for the calendar
Playing at the Blue Room Theatre at the end of July, So It Comes To Dust is a surreal thriller written and directed by Evan Rickman, set in the beautiful and terrifyingly vast West Australian desert. Forced into a war they don’t want to fight, in the middle of a desert that never seems to end, a group of conscripts guard a checkpoint that no-one ever crosses. Late one night a stranger appears, warning of potential catastrophe. Blending psychological suspense with visual storytelling, So it Comes to Dust examines power and fragility in a world doomed to repeat its own history.
After sell-out seasons across the world, The Gruffalo is coming to Perth this July school holidays. Join the clever little Mouse on a musical adventure through the deep, dark wood, meeting Fox, Owl and Snake before discovering whether the legendary Gruffalo really exists. The Gruffalo is a magical theatre experience for children aged three and up, filled with catchy songs, colourful characters and plenty of laughs. Based on the award-winning picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, this scary-fun musical adaptation entertains both kids and their grown ups.
Also showing in Perth this July is Blue Room Theatres’s short works program, 600 Seconds. Expanding into five distinct programs – Moves, Makes, Montage, Music and Menagerie – this year’s program bursts with bold ideas, fresh talent and creative energy.
Suzy Eddie Izzard Performs Shakespeare’s Hamlet also comes to the Heath Ledger Theatre at the State Theatre Centre of WA at the end of the month. Nominated for New York’s Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, it sees Izzard performing on the blank canvas of a bare stage, letting Shakespeare’s words and pure storytelling take the spotlight.
ArtsHub: Suzy Eddie Izzard is Hamlet – and the readiness is all
Other highlights this month include Ballet of Lights: Sleeping Beauty at the Octagon Theatre at the University of Western Australia, which brings the beloved tale to life through stunning choreography, and beautiful glow-in-the-dark costumes; The Almighty Sometimes at Subiaco Arts Theatre, a raw and honest play about a mother and daughter at loggerheads, and one of the most powerful Australian plays of the last decade; and the award-winning musical MJ – The Michael Jackson Musical at the Crown Theatre.
