Melbourne is set to become Australia’s new Jazz Hands Capital with the news that the Junior Theatre Festival Australia will relocate to a bigger stage at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from October 2027.
The move, from its home of ten years at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre, marks the beginning of a significant new chapter for the Southern Hemisphere’s largest celebration of young people in musical theatre, allowing the event to grow from its current annual capacity of approximately 1,400 participants to more than 5,000 participants annually in the years ahead.
“At a time when parts of the professional theatre industry face ongoing challenges and uncertainty, youth musical theatre in Australia is experiencing extraordinary growth,” explained Daniel Stoddart.
“Schools, academies and community organisations across Australia continue to embrace musical theatre at unprecedented levels, with Broadway Junior™ productions becoming increasingly popular and accessible for young performers.”
“With more than 50% of Broadway Junior licenses in Australia presented in Victoria, we know that the move to Melbourne will be a welcomed one by musical theatre fans,” he added.
The Junior Theatre Festival offers participants from across Australia a variety of activities including Broadway Junior adjudications, student workshops and masterclasses, new musical showcases, pilot programs supporting the development of new Australian musicals, teacher professional development workshops, masterclasses and keynote events as well as celebrity guest performances and industry networking opportunities.
The festival in Australia is part of a global network of Junior Theatre Festivals held in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand, and works closely with the world’s leading theatrical licensing group, Music Theatre International Australasia to celebrate Broadway Junior™ musicals.
“Broadway Junior has transformed the way young Australians engage with musical theatre. The growth of Junior Theatre Festival Australia reflects the passion of teachers, schools and students across the country, and Melbourne provides the perfect platform for the festival’s next stage of growth,” said Stuart Hendricks, Managing Director, Music Theatre International Australasia.
Junior Theatre Festival Australia is presented by OzTheatrics and proudly sponsored by Music Theatre International Australasia, Secret Melbourne, Fever and JH Productions, with more exciting sponsors and details about the event to be revealed shortly.
For more information on attending Junior Theatre Festival in 2027, visit: www.juniortheaterfestival.com for details.
Image: Junior Theatre Festival Australia (supplied)