QPAC

Grab the sticky geckos, break out the duck cakes, and alert the grannies! Australia’s much-loved Heeler family is returning to Bluey’s hometown of Brisbane with the original live show, Bluey’s Big Play The Stage Show.

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), in association with BBC Studios, Andrew Kay and Windmill Theatre Co., is thrilled to announce that the original live show Bluey’s Big Play will return to QPAC’s Playhouse in Brisbane for an exclusive season from 30 December 2023 to 20 January 2024.

The Emmy® Award-winning animated preschool series Bluey is the number one kids show on Australian broadcast television and the most-watched series ever on ABC iview. A global phenomenon, Bluey is viewed in over 60 countries and screens on Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Disney+.

The first-ever theatrical adaptation of the television series, Bluey's Big Play premiered in Brisbane in 2020 featuring an original story by Brisbane’s own Bluey creator Joe Brumm and new music by Brisbane-based Bluey composer, Joff Bush.
 
Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli star in this captivating live theatre show featuring puppetry and iconic sets, exclusively at QPAC these summer school holidays.
 
Director of Bluey’s Big Play and Artistic Director of Windmill Theatre Co. Rosemary Myers said the producers could not be more excited to collaborate with QPAC again to bring the hit live show back to Bluey’s hometown.
 
“This is very much a homecoming for the show which had its world premiere in QPAC’s Playhouse in December 2020. Bluey’s birthplace is Brisbane, with many of its incredible creative team from Queensland. It was very fitting that we co presented Bluey’s Big Play with Queensland’s performing arts centre and opened its premiere season there.
 
“After a sell-out QPAC season the show went on to break children’s entertainment box office records across Australia performing 447 times across 65 venues. I am sure fans are aware Bluey has taken America by storm both on and off screen, with Bluey making a debut appearance in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Bluey’s Big Play premiering at Madison Square Garden in New York, and where we have been delighted to the reaction this home-grown show continues to receive as it continues to tour all over the U.S. and Canada,” she said.

“We know how much love there is out there for Bluey. It was both thrilling and an honour to translate these brilliant characters into the three-dimensional and we can’t wait to share this special experience with new and returning audiences in Queensland again.”
 
QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas welcomed the announcement of Bluey’s return home again and said QPAC was proud to play host to the exclusive 2024 Australian season of the much-loved Heeler’s stage show.
 
“Brisbane has an extra special connection to Bluey having hosted the world premiere of the stage show and being Bluey’s hometown, there’s no doubt our audiences feel that when they experience this production,” he said.
 
“Bluey is an incredible Brisbane creative success story and we’re very proud to have been part of the creation and presentation of this theatrical work that brought the beloved Bluey characters and stories from the screen to the stage.
 
“It reflects our longstanding commitment to children’s participation in the arts and to collaborating with local companies to create new works and share unique Australian stories on stage,” said Mr Kotzas.
 
This is Bluey’s Big Play, For Real Life. 
 
When Dad feels like a little bit of Sunday afternoon time out, Bluey and Bingo have other plans!
 
Join them as they pull out all of the games and cleverness at their disposal to get Dad off that bean bag.
 
Bluey’s Big Play is a live theatre show featuring brilliantly created puppets.
 
This is Bluey brought to real life.
 
Bluey’s Big Play runs in QPAC’s Playhouse from 30 December 2023 to 20 January 2024.

Director Rose Myers
Written by Joe Brumm
Designer Jonathon Oxlade
Music by Joff Bush
Puppetry Director Jacob Williams

About Bluey
 
The series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog who loves to play and turn everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.
 
Bluey has won the hearts of kids and parents around the world since it first launched in Australia in October 2018, and has quickly become a global hit.
 
In Australia, Bluey is the number one kids show on broadcast television and is the most-watched series ever on ABC iview. In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China; it now screens in over 60 countries. In the US on Disney Junior, since March 2021, the show has been the #1 most watched TV series with kids 2-6. In the UK, Bluey is currently the number one program on CBeebies and is also available on Disney+.
 
Bluey has also won multiple awards, such as the International Emmy ® Kids Award in the prestigious Preschool Category in 2020 and has picked up the AACTA Award for Best Children’s Program for three years running (2019-21). Bluey won four Kidscreen Awards in February 2021.
 
Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy® award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC Kids Australia, co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios, and distributed internationally by BBC Studios outside of Australia.
 
Notable accolades include 2019 Venues Now #1 Top Stop of the Decade Award for tickets sold (5,000 seats or less); 2019 Billboard #2 Highest Grossing Venue Worldwide (5,000 seats or less); 2019 Pollstar #3 Worldwide Ticket Sales (5,000 seats or less)
 
About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group with sales of £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million). Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the global Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Channels & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programmes are made by the business every year, with over 80% of total BBC Studios revenues coming from non-BBC customers including Discovery, Apple and Netflix.  Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, with brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, offering up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features.
BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |
 
About HVK Productions

HVK Productions is part of the Andrew Kay group of companies, an international theatre Producer and concert Promoter based in Melbourne, Australia. Andrew Kay AM has presented, produced and co-produced countless award-winning theatrical, musical and live stage events. Andrew has been one of Australia’s leading producers and presenters of children's theatre including Hi-5, Bananas in Pyjamas, Cat in The Hat, Giggle and Hoot, Hairy Maclary, The Fairies, LazyTown, ABC Christmas Spectaculars, Horrible Histories - Awful Egyptians and Barmy Britain, We're Going on a Bear Hunt. He has also produced the very popular Dan TDM Live and multiple tours of Operation Ouch Live and Steve Backshall’s Deadly 60 Live. Other notable artists presented include three-time Grammy winners the Soweto Gospel Choir, Kathleen Battle, Nigel Kennedy, Kevin McCloud, Yehudi Menuhin, David Helfgott, Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Patricia Routlege, Wynton Marsalis and Louis Theroux. akaaustralia.com.au
 
About Windmill Theatre Company

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Windmill Theatre Company has a global reputation as a leading producer of theatre for children, teenagers and families. Each year the company performs in its hometown, and tours across Australia and around the world. Over the last 17 years, Windmill has presented 63 productions including 36 brand new Australian works, performing to young audiences in 287 cities and towns across 30 countries. windmill.org.au 
 
About QPAC

QPAC is Queensland’s premier performing arts venue and a statutory body of the Queensland Government.  It is not only a theatre venue, but also a producer, an investor, a presenter and a public place for live performance. ​
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QPAC welcomes over 1.5 million local, interstate and overseas visitors annually to more than 1,200 performances embracing the best in live performance: the world-renowned alongside the emerging, local and new. It is a public cultural institution where people, performance and ideas connect. QPAC aims to amplify the voices of diverse communities to provoke thought and reflection and deliver remarkable live arts experiences to audiences. ​
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QPAC is currently building a fifth theatre, making it one of the largest performing arts centres in Australia. The capacity for up to 300,000 additional attendees per year creates an opportunity to significantly expand programming and artists.​
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The 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games will create opportunities to showcase performing arts in Queensland to the world.​ qpac.com.au