NORPA, the innovative theatre company based at Lismore City Hall, has gained a reputation nationally for adventurous performances and this year will be no exception. Amongst the ten shows the company has revealed it will be presenting this year, is a new NORPA Generator work called Dreamland to be performed in and around the community hall at Eureka in the Byron Bay hinterland. Created by the same team behind NORPA’s sell-out show Railway Wonderland, Dreamland has been developed in association with Arts Northern Rivers ‘If These Halls Could Talk’ project and celebrates the special place small halls have in rural communities.
“Small halls are hallowed ground for rural communities the country over. They are the gathering places for celebrations of births, deaths and marriages, sporting victories and defeats, of concerts and picture shows, debutante balls, blue-light discos, school Christmas concerts and yoga classes,” says NORPA Artistic Director Julian Louis “They are fertile ground for terrific stories that reflect our ever-changing community. We love to take the audience on an adventure and what better way to do that than perform the show in a beautiful community hall.”
NORPA also announced actor and theatre-maker Kirk Page in a new role as Associate Director of the company. Supported by a ‘Pathways to Aboriginal Leadership’ grant from Arts NSW, Kirk Page will work alongside Artistic Director Julian Louis across all aspects of the theatre company’s program for creating new Australian theatre works (NORPA Generator).
“NORPA continues its ground-breaking work with the appointment of Kirk Page, a Mulandjali man, as Associate Director,” says Rhoda Roberts, NORPA Board member and co-director of new NORPA work Three Brothers. “Kirk is one of our exciting new theatre makers and with his engagement NORPA will continue to build networks with our communities, our stories and culture.”
At the launch event the audience was treated to a performance excerpt from Three Brothers, NORPA’s new work-in-development celebrating Bundjalung culture and stories, premiering at NORPA in 2017.
In a further boost for the region, NORPA unveiled Lismore Laughs, a new regular comedy event attracting high profile comedians to the region. Lismore Laughs will kick off this year with comedians Hannah Gadsby, Nazeem Hussain and comedy duo The Listies with their wickedly funny show for kids The Listies Make You Lol.
Among other highlights in NORPA’s 2016 Season are Circa’s Il Ritorno combining contemporary circus with opera; ‘kamikaze’ cabaret star and performance artist Meow Meow; a powerful new Australian drama Thomas Murray and the Upside Down River and an exceptional play for young adults Sugarland by acclaimed Australian Theatre For Young People.
The twenty three year service of previous NORPA Chair Dr Andrew Binns and his wife Jeni was acknowledged with a lifetime subscription to NORPA shows and the company thanked the many community groups, local businesses, state and regional funding bodies who have made it possible for NORPA to continue to give audiences across the Northern Rivers access to high quality, inspiring performing arts.
Tickets for all NORPA’s 2016 shows are now on sale. Many shows are expected to sell-out so be quick to avoid disappointment. Tickets to individual shows are available or three-show packages start from as little as $54 (for Under 18s) to $89 (for Adults). With Louis pointing out “That’s a lot of great performance for a fraction of what folks are paying for the same shows in the cities.”
All shows are now on sale at
www.norpa.org.au or Tel: 1300 066 772
NORPA at Lismore City Hall