As major music festivals collapse around the country, an ARIA Award winner has called for Australia to back its arts scene “now more than ever.”
Ahead of the Australian premiere of Broadway hit Hadestown in Sydney on Friday night, beloved local songwriter Christine Anu said that while the enthusiasm in the local theatre scene is “fantastic,” more needs to be done for the country’s artists, particularly in live music, as major events like Splendour in the Grass and Groovin the Moo axed 2025 plans in recent weeks.
Meanwhile just this week, Souled Out Festival cancelled its 2025 events just weeks out, while touring festival LookOut cut two of the stops” due to circumstances beyond our control, and in light of the extraordinary increases in infrastructure costs in some regions.”
“It’s so important for us as a country to be supporting our local/homegrown artists, now more than ever,” Anu told Variety AU/NZ.
“Every day we’re seeing music festivals being cancelled, funding being cut, and hardworking and talented artists not being able to pursue their careers just from the pure fact of not making ends meet from their art.
“So I say, SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC! No matter the medium or shade it comes in.”
Abigail Adriano, Christine Anu and Noah Mullins in “Hadestown”
Hadestown follows “two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone” and “invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.”
The local production features rising star Abigail Adriano as Eurydice, Noah Mullins as Orpheus, Adrian Tamburini as Hades, Elenoa Rokobaro as Persephone and Anu, as the narrator, Hermes.
In recent years, Australia has played host to a number of Broadway blockbusters like “Hamilton” (which just wrapped its second run of Sydney), and “Moulin Rouge!” while other hit productions are on their way including “MJ the Musical” this month, “The Book of Mormon” later this year and “The Lion King” in 2026.
“It’s exciting to see these global productions making their way to Australia because it brings a whole new level of engagement with not just theatre audiences but music and arts lovers alike,” Anu said.
“It’s also a reminder of the incredible talent we have in our own backyard. Our local writers, composers, and performers are just as extraordinary and have a story worthy of telling. I think it’s important to balance these international blockbusters with strong support for Australian stories and productions. The energy around theatre right now is fantastic, and hopefully, that enthusiasm translates into more opportunities for local artists and original works to take centre stage as well.”
The multiple Tony and Grammy Award-winning production from US artist Anaïs Mitchell will make its Australian debut at Sydney’s Theatre Royal on Friday night before heading to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne this May.
Click here for more details on the Sydney season of Hadestown.
