Get the appA regatta on Lake Burley Griffin, a music picnic by the Molonglo River and a Halloween festival in Civic are among the events listed for Canberra this week. The guide also includes youth dance performances, a Pride festival running through November, markets, rose garden tours and a range of comedy and theatre shows. Most listed events take place over the coming weekend, with several running into November.
A new comedy called O Woe Is Me will be staged at the Zamia Theatre on Tamborine Mountain from October 16 to 31, 2026. The production reworks scenes from Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, mixing original Shakespearean text with contemporary dialogue, physical theatre and Australian pop-culture references. It explores why the women in Shakespeare's tragedies so often end in madness, violence or death. Audiences do not need prior knowledge of Shakespeare to enjoy the show.
Comedian Magda Szubanski says she felt terrified and isolated as a young gay person, and that Melbourne University saved her by giving her a sense of safety. She publicly came out in 2012 during Australia's same-sex marriage campaign. Szubanski later described being diagnosed with a rare, aggressive stage-4 mantle cell lymphoma last year. She says she is now in deep remission after chemotherapy, and that the diagnosis has changed her outlook on life.
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Get the appProducer Laura Milke Garner has been named the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend. The honour was announced at a closing night awards ceremony that ended Melbourne's largest celebration of independent arts. Dean, Don't Dance! by Dean Nash won Best Cabaret, while Nosebleeds, created by Holly Bohmer, Mario Hannah and Taylor Griffiths, took Best Comedy. Heir, written by Candice D'Arcy, was named Best Theatre. Holding the VA, written and directed by Fulisia Asalemo Tofete, won Best Words and Ideas and the Crowd Pleaser Award.
Heidelberg Theatre Company will stage Clue: On Stage at its Rosanna venue from November 13 to 28. The show is an adaptation of the 1985 movie and the classic Cluedo board game. It is directed by Chris McLean and Justin Stephens. Six guests at a strange dinner party find their host dead, and each becomes a suspect. Evening performances are at 8pm, with weekend matinees at 2pm.
Comedian Julia Morris has marked her exit from I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! with a series of Instagram posts looking back at her time on the show. Her former co-stars Robert Irwin and Dr Chris Brown were also featured, and fans expressed sadness at her departure as host. An insider says Julia is disappointed to watch the show continue without her but is focused on her new Stan series, Stuck Up & Stupid, a contemporary adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The source says the posts were her way of having the final word.
Grapes of Mirth will hold its comedy and wine festival at Cauldron Distillery on Tamborine Mountain on November 10. Six comedians, including Tommy Little, Mel Buttle, Rhys Nicholson, Pete Helliar and Urvi Majumdar, will perform, with founder Merrick Watts as MC. It is the festival's first visit to South-East Queensland. Festival director Rowan Smith said the event will also feature Queensland wineries and a closing dance set by DJ Pedro Moshman. The event is 60 per cent sold out, and organisers expect it to sell out six weeks before the date.
The ABC has announced its 2027 content line-up, with a strong focus on workplace dramas and crime series. Kitty Flanagan returns to the lead role in the fourth season of the office comedy Fisk, which she wrote with her sister Penny Flanagan. Hugo Weaving stars in The Great White as a disgraced barrister who takes on a dangerous dog case. Rebecca Gibney fronts the rural crime drama Rural Crime Unit, alongside Morgana O'Reilly and Philip Lynch. Other returning shows include You Can't Ask That, Race Around the World and Hard Quiz, which begins its 12th season.
The ABC has confirmed a fourth season of the comedy Fisk, which stars Kitty Flanagan and is due to screen in 2027. The network made the announcement at its 2027 upfronts. Flanagan said a fourth season was always planned, although it was difficult to organise because the cast is spread out, with co-star Aaron Chen now living in the United States. Julia Zemiro said she and Flanagan had long hoped to work together on a show. The release date has not yet been announced. Seasons one to three can be watched on ABC iView.
A new stand-up comedy show in Townsville lets parents bring their babies along. Called Nappies and Comedy, the event is designed to help new parents socialise after childbirth without fear of judgement. Comedian and producer Sarah Stewart says crying babies and nappy accidents are accepted at the show. Local comedians James Shilock and Paddy Hoot will perform alongside her, sharing stories about parenthood. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance, and tickets are selling fast. The material is strictly for adults.
Comedian Demi Adejuyigbe has said he would like everyone to take government-mandated dance classes. In a Subway Takes interview with Kareem Rahma, he discussed his digital habits. He said he switched from Spotify to Apple Music over concerns about musician pay and company links to AI and military contracts. He said he would like X to be limited to three posts a day, and that he wants to stop using it entirely. He also described his love of his Canon film camera and his interest in visual effects in film.
Chef Poh Ling Yeow made a playful jab at Julie Goodwin while giving a mock Gold Logie acceptance speech on Sam Pang Tonight. Host Sam Pang set up the bit, asking Poh to pretend she had won the award he received this year. Co-host Kitty Flanagan presented her with Sam's Gold Logie. In the speech, Poh thanked voters and colleagues, then told Goodwin, who beat her in the 2009 inaugural MasterChef Australia season, to suck it. The crowd laughed throughout, and Poh has been nominated for the Gold Logie twice.
Comedian Mark Trevorrow, performing as his character Bob Downe, shared the stage with drag queen Stan Munro at the Kyogle Bowlo on Saturday, October 17. The pair played to a packed crowd. Munro, who said Trevorrow makes him laugh easily, first met him 30 years ago at Daylesford, Victoria. Munro, 86, calls himself the oldest living Les Girl and has written a book, Secrets of a Showbiz Dame. He will be interviewed for Antiques Down Under and speak about the book in Sydney on November 7.
A new television comedy, The Sonny Disposition, premieres on Stan on October 19. Created by Carlton comedian Simon Taylor and Josh Samuels, the series satirises podcast fame through an ego-driven podcaster whose ambitions damage his relationship. Taylor said the show was made independently, after a friend left the country and gave him temporary access to a furnished office. The full series was filmed in Collingwood in February, with the creators taking on multiple roles. The series is streaming on Stan and will screen on 9Go and 9Now in November.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is increasingly using comedy, podcasts and influencer content to reach audiences beyond traditional political media. His recent skit with comedy duo Swag on the Beat has drawn mixed reactions online. Appearances on other podcasts have also sparked criticism, including an apology after a July episode. Researchers say creator content is influential, but that visibility does not automatically bring trust or support. The longer-term question is whether these interactions are changing how people see Albanese and his government.
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Get the appTrevor Ashley's musical parody Deep-Heat Rivalry is coming to Australia after its London run. The show will play at Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne in January during Midsumma, and at The Foundry Theatre in March during Mardi Gras in Sydney. Tickets for both seasons are on sale, and the cast will be announced soon. Written by Ashley and composer Phil Scott, the comedy follows rival hockey stars Shane Hollandaise and Ilya Stroganoff, whose on-ice clashes hide a secret romance.
Comedian Anh Do is returning to Kyneton Town Hall due to popular demand. He will perform his personal stories, blending real-life anecdotes with comedy. The show is on Thursday 22 October at 7.30pm and is rated PGR 7+. Adult tickets cost $74.90, while children aged 7 to 17 and concession holders pay $69.90. Do promises a mix of heartfelt moments about life's triumphs and struggles.
Drag performer Joey Jay, a former star of RuPaul's Drag Race, begins her Australian tour in Brisbane this week as part of Melt Festival. Her live show will mix glamour with personal stories and direct interaction with audiences. Joey Jay says she wants to get to know the people in each room and share her experiences, including living with ADHD. She is also looking forward to trying local food, including barramundi. The show at The Beaumont is set for Wednesday, October 21.