Limelight – March 2026 – Limelight

But many arts organisations are now offering a range of accessible options from tactile tours to Auslan-interpreted and relaxed performances. Patricia Maunder looks at what is available. In Shakespeare’s day, audiences came and went during plays, cheered and booed enthusiastically, and even threw food at the actors. Behaviour was somewhat more seemly in Mozart’s time, though patrons chatted, played cards and popped between private boxes if the music didn’t enthral them.

When it did, they applauded and stamped their feet not only between movements but during them too. Nowadays, at what has come to be considered ‘high’ cultural performances, we look daggers at anyone with a crinkly lozenge wrapper. While the etiquette that’s developed means audiences can enjoy the show without distraction, it also influences who is in the audience. It’s rare to see those long pushed to society’s margins, including people with disabilities who struggle to sit still and quiet for long periods.

Performing arts experiences present numerous barriers for those with various kinds of disability who, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, comprise more than 20 percent of the population. Some have been partly dismantled in modern times. Hearing loops, for example, amplify performances for those with hearing loss. Access has improved for users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters, though they are often relegated to the worst seats in the house.

In recent years, there’s been a more concerted effort to tackle a variety of barriers, as cultural organisations endeavour to broaden their audiences. Policy documents such as the Sydney Opera House’s 2023 Everybody’s House strategy and the Disability Inclusion Action Plan released by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in September 2025 are driving an uptick in accessible performances. That includes audio description for the 350,000-plus people in Australia who are blind or have low vision, and Auslan interpretation for approximately 30,000 Deaf or hard-of-hearing people who use Auslan as their language of preference.

Relaxed performances accommodate some of the estimated 30 to 40 percent of Australians who are neurodiverse, creating environments in which sensory stimuli are reduced, with sudden changes to lighting states and sound levels avoided. Audience members may move around, exit, enter or make noise at any time, from clapping to humming. Expect singing, dancing and more at relaxed performances for children.

ROOM TO RELAX Breaking barriers for disabled, neurodiverse and young audiences LIMELIGHT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR We reveal the winners for 2025 O FORTUNA The enduring appeal of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana NED KELLY RIDES AGAIN From “death notices” to revival: Reg Livermore’s musical reborn IN THE QUIET SYMPHONY SERIES FRI 17 & SAT 18 APRIL ADELAIDE TOWN HALL Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony traces memory and longing in sweeping strings. Copland’s Quiet City finds stillness in plaintive trumpet and cor anglais solos.

Between them, ASO Principal Clarinettist Dean Newcomb premieres a concerto written especially for him by Joe Chindamo. LIMELIGHT – March 2026 6 On Stage The buzz around live performance 10 In the Limelight Arts industry news and views 14 The Limelight Artists of the Year for 2025 Who lifted your spirits or quietly broke your heart? We reveal the winners by Jansson J. Antmann, Steve Moffatt and Shamistha de Soysa 22 O Fortuna Sam Allchurch and Brett Weymark unpack Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana by Clive Paget 30 Room to Relax The initiatives making live performance more accessible for more people by Patricia Maunder 38 Ned Kelly Rides Again Reg Livermore reflects on his 1970s musical ahead of a Victoria Opera revival by Jo Litson 46 Soundings 46 Lauren Fagan by Deborah Jones INTERVIEW 48 On the Record by Clive Paget RECORDINGS 50 Cutting Edge: Isobel Waller-Bridge’s Objects by Maddy Briggs NEW MUSIC 51 Melbourne Theatre Company’s West Gate by Ceridwen Spark THEATRE 53 Handa Opera at Millthorpe by Jo Litson OPERA 54 At Large by Will Yeoman BOOKS 55 Sirāt by Jason Blake FILM 56 On Air & Online This month’s concert highlights from ABC Classic, independent radio and streaming 62 Coda 62 GUY NOBLE’S SOAPBOX 63 WORLD PREMIERE 64 PLAYING UP 65 5 QUESTIONS FOR ..

. 66 MY MUSIC Contributors Jansson J. Antmann DAMU-trained scenographer Jansson J. Antmann designed the Czech premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Unique ID: 47d61c0dc18eabe4
• File Extension: .pdf
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• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9783991531272, 1300855835
• Pages: 69
• Language: English (en)

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