Ocean
A new documentary from 99-year-old British naturalist Sir David Attenborough which highlights the fragility of the ocean and his plea to safeguard our vital ecosystems. Event Cinemas: Kotara and Glendale (check the respective session times for each cinema).
Lake Cinema: 62 Main Road, Boolaroo
Bridget Jones – Mad About the Boy (M): The fourth offering in the Renée Zellwegger comedy/romance series in which Bridget, now a widowed mother, re-enters the dating world. Friday (5pm); Saturday and Sunday (midday and 5pm).
White Bird (PG): A drama, with Orlando Schwerdt and Helen Mirren, about the change in a socially passive young man when learning of his Jewish grandmother’s childhood in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two. Friday (7.30pm); Saturday and Sunday (2.30pm and 7.30pm).
Cash only. Bookings available only for the 7.30pm sessions (4958 5810). https://lakecinema.au
Mystery Musical: Volume 3
Newcastle’s Very Popular Theatre Company offers an adventure into the unknown – a mystery Broadway musical which will be revealed after you’ve bought a ticket and taken your seat in the theatre. No spoilers, no hints, no titles! Ages 12+. Civic Playhouse. Friday (7.30pm), Saturday (2pm and 7.30pm) and finishing Sunday (2pm). Tickets: 4929 1977 or https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
Morning Sacrifice
Australian playwright Dymphna Cusack’s classic 1942 drama, set in the staff room of an all-girl high school, deals with a bitter struggle between teachers deciding the fate of a student accused of a minor misdemeanour. The Laneway Theatre, 90 DeVitre Street, Lambton. Friday (7.30pm), Saturday (2pm and 7.30pm) and Sunday (2pm). Also: 15 May (7.30pm), 16 (7.30pm) and finishing 17 (7.30pm). Tickets: https://au.patronbase.com/_NewcastleTheatreCompany/Productions/MORN/Performances
Lee Kernaghan: Boys from the Bush
An electrifying celebration of the music, the mateship and the memories which have defined the Aussie country singer’s extraordinary career. Features fan favourites and new songs, plus special guests Tori Drake and Matt Cornell. Not recommended for babies or young children due to sound levels. Civic Theatre. Friday (8pm). Tickets: 4929 1977 or https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
The Hanging
Australian playwright Angela Betzien’s thriller of sinister secrets emerging during a police search for two missing schoolgirls in Melbourne’s hinterland. Contains strong language. Runs for approximately 75 minutes with no interval (subject to change). Maitland Repertory Theatre, 244 High Street. Friday (8pm) and Saturday (8pm). Also: 16 May (8pm), 17 (8pm), 18 (2pm), 23 (8pm), 24 (2pm) and finishing 25 (2pm). Tickets: 4933 2766 (midday-8pm, Monday-Friday), [email protected] (with MRT as the subject) or https://www.mrt.org.au/2025-plays/the-hanging/
The Cranky Handle Rally
The Hunter Valley Vintage Farm Machinery Club’s annual display of historic steam-powered machinery and farm equipment. Garnham Grounds, 100 Church Street, Maitland. Saturday and Sunday (9am-3pm each day). A gold-coin-donation entry. Refreshments available.
Alice in Wonderland
An abridged musical version of the Lewis Carroll stories and the animated Disney classic about Alice’s madcap adventures when she falls down a rabbit hole and into a strange topsy-turvy world. Young People’s Theatre, corner of Lindsay and Lawson streets. Saturday (2pm and 6pm). Also: 17 May (2pm and 6pm) and finishing 24 (2pm and 6pm). 90 minutes (including interval). Tickets: https://yptninc.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/sales/sales
Open Day: Miss Porter’s House Museum
A special Mother’s Day event featuring displays of memorabilia detailing the remarkable lives of Newcastle’s historic Porter women, plus stalls offering plants and homemade craft. 434 King Street, Newcastle West. Sunday (1pm-4pm). Tickets: at the door or https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/miss-porters-house-general-entry-tickets-198196640487?aff=oddtdtcreator
Laneway Theatre Flicks: A Star is Born
The 2018 Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga drama of a musician’s popularity declining as his young singer wife’s career reaches super-stardom. The Laneway Theatre, 90 DeVitre Street, Lambton. Sunday (6.30pm). Tickets (no allocated seating): at the door, 4952 4958 or https://au.patronbase.com/_NewcastleTheatreCompany/Productions/STAR/Performances
Nurse Georgie Carroll: Infectious
Former nurse Georgie’s razor-sharp stories of life in general and of her time working in Britain’s hospital system. Strictly ages 15+. 80 minutes (no interval). Civic Theatre. Sunday (7.30pm). Tickets: 4929 1977 or https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
About Face: How to Read Portraits
An Arts Society lecture with Alice Foster discussing the complexities of reproducing a face for portraiture and highlighting the relationship between sitter and painter. Hunter Theatre, Hunter School of Performing Arts, Cameron Street, Broadmeadow. Monday, 12 May (6.30pm). Tickets: https://artsnationalnewcastle.org.au/event/about-face-how-to-read-portraits/
Tuesday Night Jazz
Multi-award-winning jazz musician/singer/composer Dorian Mode (with guitar Mark Johns, bass Fiona Lugg and drums Nic Cecire) infuses jazz standards with local charm and cultural satire. The Grand Hotel, 32 Church Street, Newcastle. Tuesday, 13 May (7.30pm). Tickets: https://www.thegrandnewcastle.com.au/events
Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out!
Based on the much-loved animated series and packed with fun, games, music and amazing puppets as Peppa parties with family and friends at the zoo and at the beach. Civic Theatre. Wednesday, 14 May (10am). Tickets: 4929 1977 or https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
Concert: Hollywood Songbook
Musica Viva presents Germany’s Signum Saxophone Quartet, with Australian opera star Ali McGregor, performing tunes and classical pieces connected with film musicals. Includes works by Prokofiev, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Harold Arlen. City Hall. Wednesday, 14 May (7.30pm). Tickets: https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
The Drowsy Chaperone
The popular musical/comedy about a devoted musical-theatre fan settling down at home to play his favourite cast album of a forgotten 1920s gem, with the show and its colourful characters suddenly bursting into life in his apartment. Civic Playhouse. 15 May (7pm), 16 (7pm), 17 (2pm and 7pm) and finishing (2pm and 7pm). Tickets: 4929 1977 or https://civictheatrenewcastle.com.au
Thursday Jazz Jam
Features the Heather Price House Band, with musos invited to jam. The Grand Hotel, 32 Church Street, Newcastle. Thursday, 15 May (7.30pm). Tickets: https://www.thegrandnewcastle.com.au/events
Back-to-Back Galleries: The Circle
A variety of works by six female artists and featuring drawing, painting, ceramics and printmaking. The subjects include landscapes, nature, domestic environments, and the waterscapes surrounding Hawks Nest. 57 Bull Street, Cooks Hill. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (11am-5pm). Until 25 May. Opens officially on Friday, May 9 (6pm-8pm), with a talk by artist John Morris.
Newcastle Museum: A Place Called Hollywood
Recalls Newcastle’s unofficial suburb of Hollywood, established just outside Jesmond during the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s, using archaeological objects, photographic records, and memories from people who lived and worked there. 6 Workshop Way, Honeysuckle. Tuesdays-Sundays (10am-5pm). Until 25 May.
Museum of Art and Culture: Opus – An Artist’s Odyssey
Highlights Lake Macquarie artist/lecturer Trevor Weekes, whose work embraces drawing, painting, sculpture, writing and animation. 1A First Street, Booragul. Tuesdays-Sundays (9am-3pm). Until 25 May.
Museum of Art and Culture: Beach Couture – A Haute Mess
Scenes by Lake Macquarie-based artist Marina DeBris, who turns beach-scavenged trash into art with the aim of highlighting marine pollution. 1A First Street, Booragul. Tuesdays-Sundays (9am-3pm). Until 25 May.
Hunter Wetlands Centre: Artz Emergence
Four artists offer unique perspectives of the wetlands to capture its seasonal rhythms and transformations. 1 Wetlands Place, Shortland. Daily (9am-4pm). Until 29 May.
Newcastle Museum: Disrupt, Persist, Invent
A travelling exhibit from the National Archives of Australia which explores the history of Australian activism, from noisy protest to quiet persistence, and the many ways people have achieved social change. 6 Workshop Way, Honeysuckle. Tuesdays-Sundays (10am-5pm). Until 1 June.
Maitland Regional Art Gallery: Barely Glimpsed
Newcastle-based oils painter Patrick Mavety highlights the everyday via Maitland’s urban landscapes, countryside and interiors. 230 High Street. Tuesdays-Sundays (9am-4pm). Until 1 June.
Maitland Regional Art Gallery: My Message is Love
Artwork by Iranian-born Mostafa Azimitabar, painter, musician, writer and human rights activist, which is imbued with messages of love, unity, compassion and understanding. 230 High Street. Tuesdays-Sundays (9am-4pm). Until 1 June.
Murrook Culture Centre: Guwayu – For All Time
Powerful works from some of Australia’s esteemed First Nations artists which explore the interwoven nature of history via dispossession, activism and resistance. 2163 Nelson Bay Road, Williamtown. Daily (10am-2pm). Until 1 June.
Port Stephens Art Centre: Floral Fantasia / Spinning and Weaving
Marianne Newton’s artworks offer vibrant botanical beauty by celebrating flowers through diverse mediums; and potter Kyle Wallace’s textile artistry highlights the craftmanship of spinning fibres and weaving textured designs. Cultural Place (off Shoal Bay Road), Nelson Bay. Mondays-Saturdays (10am-4pm); Sundays (10am-1pm). Until 17 June.
Morpeth Museum: Poppies – A Symbol of Remembrance
An honouring of the courage and enduring spirit of the ANZACS and featuring stories of local soldiers during World War One. 123 Swan Street. Thursdays-Sundays (11am-2pm). Until 29 June.
Dungog Arts Society: Faces and Places
A variety of artists with a variety of subjects, including portraits, landscapes, abstract and still life. 266 Dowling Street. Daily (10am-4pm). Until 29 June.
Lovett Gallery: The Hidden Beauty of Seeds and Fruits
A display by award-winning British photographer Levon Biss of the carpology collection of Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden, which allows 3,500 historic specimens to be viewed and appreciated in astonishing detail. Level 2, Newcastle Library, Laman Steet, Newcastle. Mondays-Thursdays (9.30am-8pm), Fridays (9.30am-6pm) and Saturdays (9.30am-2pm). Until 26 July.
Dungog Museum: Bing-Bang-Ring – Cash is King!
A beautifully ornate cash register from Dungog’s former grocery store is the centrepiece of artist Helene Leane’s salute to the town’s retail and community history. Features vibrant posters and modern art depicting reimagined 1960s store products. 105 Dowling Street. Wednesdays (10am-12.30pm) and Saturdays (10am-2pm). Until 30 August.
Rathmines Heritage Centre: Art and War
A display by esteemed photographer Max Dupain of the Australian experience of World War Two, taken while he was serving as a wartime Camouflage Officer. Stilling Street, Rathmines. Saturdays and Sundays (10am-2pm). Until 2 November.
Coming Soon – Crips and Creeps: Are You Pulling My Leg?
Entertaining and uncensored stand-up featuring award-winning performers with a disability or chronic illness highlighting the many facets of their lives, including relationships, inclusion, and the awkward situations encountered in a mainly non-disabled world. Strictly ages 18+. The performance is Auslan-interpreted and live captioned. Warners Bay Theatre, 39 Lake Street. Friday, 16 May (7.30pm-9pm). Tickets: https://www.arts.lakemac.com.au/Events/Crips-Creeps-are-you-pulling-my-leg