Please note: Given the sheer volume of cancellations across the country, this document is unlikely to be updated again after Wednesday 25 March.
Following the Federal Government’s announcement that non-essential public gatherings of more than 500 people are banned as of Monday 16 March, in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many Australian arts events and organisations have been either cancelled or postponed.
We are compiling a list of all known cancellations here. Please email updates to editor@artshub.com.au.
In most situations refunds on tickets are being offered, but please check with individual companies on policies. Some companies are asking patrons to reconsider their refund requests, instead exchanging tickets for a performance later in the year or converting the cost of tickets to a donation (the latter being an excellent way to help companies and artists through this unprecedented moment of financial strain).
Also be sure to take a look at our updated 2020 Festivals and Arts Events Calendar which has been updated with news of cancellations due to COVID-19.
As at 24 March 2020.
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National
Alcaston Gallery is now closed to the public as a precautionary measure. The gallery will be open by appointment only with all exhibitions available to view online.
Arts Project Australia has closed their gallery and studio until 14 April. This closure includes the cancellation of the opening of 3 x 3, scheduled for this Saturday 21 March and postponement of their internal exhibition program until further notice.
Arts Centre Melbourne has announced the cancellation of all scheduled performances and events and the temporary closure of its buildings to the public, effective for four weeks until 12 April.
The Australian Ballet has cancelled the remaining performance for the Melbourne season of Volt.
The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) will close until Tuesday 14 April. They will share new content about the upcoming exhibition Frances Barrett: Meatus, revisit exhibitions and artist commissions from their archives and posts updates about the reopening of the gallery on social media.
The Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation has ceased all live Laureate activities until such time as it is deemed safe to do so.
The Australian Tapestry Workshop has cancelled all public events for the coming weeks, including the AIR19 Artist in Residence Exhibition Opening Celebration on 31 March and all guided tours.
BLINDSIDE will be closing their galleries for a two-week period, effective immediately. All public programs and events during this period will be postponed. In order to mitigate the detrimental financial impact on artists, BLINDSIDE will continue to support them with artist fees and extensive documentation of their upcoming exhibitions for online audiences to access via Instagram and Facebook and the gallery’s website.
Brunswick Music Festival, which was due to run until 22 March, has cancelled all remaining shows.
Bunjil Place is closed to the public from 5pm Wednesday 18 March until further notice. This closure applicable to the theatre, studio, gallery, library, function centre, café, foyer and City of Casey customer service.
Chunky Move’s AM:PM public classes program are closed from 23 March for at least four weeks.
Canadian circus company Cirque du Soleil have postponed the Melbourne season of their production KURIOS, until further notice.
The City of Boroondara has closed Hawthorn Arts Centre, Kew Court House and Town Hall Gallery from Wednesday 18 March until Tuesday 14 April, with the possibility of this closure being extended. All exhibitions, events, regular programming, performances and workshops, will be suspended during the closure. See website for details.
The City of Melbourne has closed its North Melbourne venue ArtsHouse until Tuesday 31 March 2020, with the possibility of this closure being extended. The closure applies to other cultural venues within the City of Melbourne: ArtPlay, Signal and the Meat Market, as well as libraries and recreation centres.
Common Rooms at Trades Hall will be closed for at least one month effective 17 March. Ticketholders to any events scheduled during this time will be automatically refunded to the card the tickets were purchased on, with refunds taking 3-5 business days to be processed. New dates for Common Rooms events will announced.
Craft Victoria has cancelled all public events until Monday 30 March, including Design Weeks talks scheduled for Saturday 21 March.
Dancehouse is closed and has suspended all public activities for an initial period ending 20 April.
Darebin City Council has cancelled its Autumn FUSE 2020 festival, which was to run from 13-29 March.
The Dax Centre gallery will be closed to the public from Tuesday 17 March until Tuesday 31 March 2020; planned education programs will not be running during this period.
The Fivex Foundation has decided to postpone the launch event and exhibition of the inaugural Fivex Art Prize until further notice.
Flesh After Fifty, an exhibition exploring images of older women in art at Abbotsford Convent from 29 March – 3 May, has been cancelled.
Flinders Lane Gallery has closed from Wednesday 18 March. Staff are working from home and exhibitions can be viewed online.
Geelong Arts Centre has closed from Monday 16 March for four weeks, through to 12 April. The Geelong Performing Arts Centre Trust and Management will assess the situation as information evolves and re-assess the situation again by the end of March 2020.
Geelong After Dark, which was to be held on the night of 1 May, has been cancelled.
Geelong Gallery has suspended the delivery of all public programs, education programs, events and outreach programs, including the Geelong Design Week program, until at least Monday 13 April 2020.
Geelong’s Platform Arts has suspended the delivery of all public events, programs, music gigs, performances, workshops and auditions. The office will be closed to the public until Monday 13 April 2020 (subject to further notice), and all Platform Arts staff will be working remotely during this time.
Gertrude Contemporary‘s exhibition and public programming will be suspended across both its Preston and Collingwood venues for at least a week until it is safe to reopen.
Golden Dragon Museum, including the Yi Yuan Gardens and Guan Yin Temple, is closed from Tuesday 17 March – Monday 13 April and will re-open on Tuesday 14 April.
The Green Room Awards Association has cancelled the Green Room Awards ceremony scheduled for Monday 30 March. Plans for a virtual ceremony and celebration will be announced in due course.
The producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Princess Theatre have temporarily suspended performances until Sunday 12 April, when the suspension will be reviewed based on the most up-to-date government advice.
Heide Museum of Modern Art is closed until 13 April.
The Jewish Museum of Australia will close from today, with all upcoming events and education programs postponed.
The Johnston Collection will be closed to the public from Wednesday 18 March from 2.00 pm until Tuesday 14 April 2020.
Linden New Art is temporarily closed and will advise when they are able to open again to the public; at this stage management are taking this decision on a week by week basis.
Liquid Architecture has effectively cancelled its entire program of events and is shifting its operations in order to support artists and audiences, collaborators and comrades, ideas and work, through other platforms, including their online journal Disclaimer, archives and podcasts.
Malthouse Theatre will be temporarily closed to the public until Sunday 12 April. Upcoming performances of Grey Arias and Macbeth (This Ignorant Present) have been postponed until further notice, with the Malthouse team looking to reschedule these performances later this year.
La Mama Theatre will close on Sunday 22 March for at least month. Upcoming productions scheduled as part of the MICF have been cancelled, as has the upcoming La Mama Mobile tour Ladies of the Bay and La Mama Poetica.
MARS Gallery in Windsor is now open only by appointment.
McClelland Sculpture Park+Gallery is closed to the public as of Sunday 15 March 2020 until at least 13 April 2020.
Melbourne Art Foundation has rescheduled Melbourne Art Fair (planned for June 2020) to 4-7 February 2021.
The executive team and board of the new Melbourne Festival have made the decision to postpone the inaugural festival until 2021. Further details on the 2021 festival will be released later this year.
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF), which was due to open on 25 March, has cancelled. No decision has yet been made about the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow, due to commence in late April.
Melbourne International Jazz Festival, due to be staged in winter this year, has been cancelled. ‘The festival is investigating alternative performance opportunities for artists throughout the year alongside streaming and broadcast possibilities,’ said MIJF Chair, John Stanhope AM.
Melbourne Jewish Book Week have cancelled the 2020 festival scheduled for 2-7 May.
Melbourne Recital Centre will temporarily suspend all public events for four weeks, effective midnight Sunday 15 March.
Melbourne Shakespeare Company has cancelled all shows and workshops indefinitely.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has cancelled all concerts scheduled between 16 March and 13 April inclusive. Cancelled and rescheduled concerts are listed on their website. They will, however, keep the music going, inviting audiences to join the MSO YouTube channel to enjoy free MSO performances each Thursday evening at 7.30pm.
Melbourne Theatre Company has announced the cancellation of all remaining performances of Torch the Place and Emerald City, effective from Monday 16 March. Torch the Place was due to close on Monday 23 March, while Emerald City was scheduled to run until Saturday 18 April.The company subsequently also announced the cancellation of its next six productions: Berlin, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, The Heartbreak Choir, Fun Home and True West. MTC’s Education Production SLAP. BANG. KISS. has also had its season and regional tour cancelled but will go ahead as a filmed performance for distribution to schools in order to meet students’ VCE study requirements. The 2020 season will resume in September with As You Like It, pending further developments in the COVID-19 pandemic and Government directives.
MPavillion has cancelled the remainder of its 2020 season, with its final event held on Wednesday 18 March.
Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is closed to the public from Tuesday 17 March until further notice.
Museums Victoria will temporarily close all public sites, including Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, Immigration Museum, Royal Exhibition Building and IMAX, as of 16 March, until further notice.
The National Gallery of Victoria sites, NGV International and NGV AustÂÂralia, will close temporarily to the public from 16 March until 13 April. Much of the collection is available for viewing online.
The National Institute of Circus Arts has ceased all public programs until further notice. This includes Term 1 short courses, their Autumn Holiday Program, Come & Try day and all external bookings or events to be held on the NICA campus.
Scheduled for 15-31 May, Next Wave Festival 2020 will not go ahead as planned but instead deliver an alternative, responsive program led by artists and distributed online and in an extended form.
The Other Art Fair has announced it will postpone its upcoming Sydney and Melbourne editions.
The inaugural PHOTO 2020 International Festival of Photography has been postponed until 10 – 27 September 2020. With much of the community now self-isolating, organisers will instead be investigating ways and means of using technology to bring the world of PHOTO 2020 to people’s homes.
Shepparton Art Museum remains open to the public for general visitation though this may change in due course; see website for details.
State Library Victoria will close to the public from Monday 16 March until further notice. City Library in Flinders Lane, Kathleen Syme in Carlton, Library at The Dock in Docklands, East Melbourne, North Melbourne and Southbank Library at Boyd will also close.
Red Stitch Actors Theatre has announced the cancellation of the world premiere season of the new Australian play Single Ladies by Michelle Lee.
RMIT Gallery will be closed to the public until further notice.
The School of Life has cancelled all events until 30 April.
Shepparton Theatre Arts Group Committee has cancelled its upcoming Shepparton Festival season of 10 in Ten, while the Shepparton Festival is reporting that, given most events are under the 500-people capacity, they will proceed with this weekend’s event (13-29 March).
Showcase Victoria 2020 has been cancelled as a physical event but is expected to operate in online form, with details forthcoming.
Stockroom Gallery in Kyneton is now closed except by appointment only.
The Substation is closed until further notice, with all performances and public programs cancelled and the staff working remotely until further notice.
TarraWarra Museum of Art has temporarily closed to the public from 5pm Thursday 19 March, until further notice.
TBC Art Inc in Brunswick has postponed their forthcoming exhibitions until further notice due to COVID-19 concerns. The gallery looks forward to reopening with exhibitions by Alex Hobba and Alex Cuffe as soon as possible.
Ten Cubed Gallery in Glen Iris has closed its galleries and cancelled all guided tours, events and public programs until further notice.
Theatre Works has announced it will close immediately until 1 May, postponing the upcoming seasons of WellBless, Voldemort and the Teenage Hogwarts, Jungle Bungle and Singing Swallows as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.
Brunswick-based gallery Tinning Street Presents is now closed until further notice.
Victorian Opera has closed its base, Horti Hall, until Monday 13 April. This includes the cancellation of the events and performances Baby Bilby Sings, the Trivia Night, and Five Fridays in May (cabaret and big sing). The company has also cancelled its Tasmanian season of Richard Mills’ community opera The Pied Piper scheduled for 29 April – 1 May at Hobart’s Theatre Royal.
The street art festival Wall to Wall, due to be held in the regional Victorian city of Benalla from 3-5 April has been cancelled. The festival hopes to schedule a new date in the future.
Western Edge Youth Arts has closed its office until April 14 (staff are working remotely) and postponed all classes and workshops until further notice.
West Space has cancelled its current exhibition program as well as the WELFARE symposium, scheduled for Saturday 21 March and Sunday 22 March, until further notice. West Space will be closed for a minimum of two weeks.
The Wheeler Centre has cancelled all events until 7 May.
Women’s Circus has closed its training facility effective Tuesday 17 March. All remaining Term 1 classes are cancelled, as are its Autumn Holiday Programs, all community programs and workshops for the next five weeks, and all festival performances and workshops. Women’s Circus core staff will work remotely for the next five weeks.
Yarra Valley Arts Gallery has closed its exhibition spaces, and postponed/rescheduled all workshops until June.
Other Victorian festivals affected currently by cancellations include: the High Country Hops Festival in Beechworth, Yackandandah Folk Festival, Off Grid Living Festival in Eldorado and the Man from Snowy River Festival in Corryong.
4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art has closed its office and galleries from Wednesday 18 March. All planned public programming and performances have been postponed, including the exhibition I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2, Sydney, until such time as audiences can engage with the artworks and planned public programs.
aMBUSH Gallery has temporarily closed its Canberra and Sydney galleries until further notice.
The Art Gallery of New South Wales has closed to the public until further notice
Annette Larkin Fine Art in Paddington is now open by appointment only.
The Australian Haydn Ensemble‘s upcoming tour of Vivaldi’s Garden with Stéphanie Varnerin with performances in Sydney, Canberra, Berry and Newcastle between April 17-21st has been cancelled.
The Australian Ballet has cancelled the Sydney seasons of Volt and Anna Karenina at the Sydney Opera House.
The Australian Centre for Photography Project Space Gallery will be closed from 17 March 2020. No decision has been made about the cancellation of upcoming workshops to date.
The Australian Celtic Festival in Glen Innes (30 April – 3 May) has been cancelled.
Australian Design Centre is closed to the public until further notice.
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra has cancelled its Young Mannheim Symphonists State Intensives which were to take place in April, and concerts in Canberra, Sydney and Newcastle which were to be held in May.
Bach Akademie Australia has cancelled its Easter Oratorio concerts.
Bega Valley Regional Gallery is temporarily closed to the public until further notice, and has cancelled all public programs.
Belvoir has taken the difficult but necessary decision to cancel all remaining performances of Dance Nation, their co-production with State Theatre Company SA which was due to run until 12 April, and has also cancelled their next three shows: A Room of One’s Own, Escaped Alone and The Jungle and the Sea.
Blacktown Arts has closed The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre to visitors from 20 March 2020 until further notice.
The Biennale of Sydney is still proceeding. Artists talks however will be streamed.
Broken Hill Heritage Festival (9-11 April) has been cancelled.
Byron Bay Bluesfest, which was to run over Easter, has been cancelled but will return from 1-5 April 2021.
Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre is closed until further notice. This includes their galleries, Bellbird Restaurant, theatre spaces and all public programs.
Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery is closed from Tuesday 24 March until further notice.
Crankfest Youth Festival in Evans Head has been postponed until further notice.
Critical Path has postponed its March Dance Double Bill featuring Mess by Allie Graham & Skip Willcox and Re/Collect by Mikayla Nangle & Alexandra Ford until August. Similarly, the Dancing Sydney – Artist-led Dance Archives gathering will no longer be taking place at Glebe Town Hall on Sunday 29 March.
Darlinghurst Theatre Company has postponed the remaining performances in its season of A Chorus Line, effective immediately.
Dark Sky Awakens Festival in Coonabarabran (8-10 May) has been cancelled.
Ephemeral Festival in Pambula (11 April) has been cancelled.
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas, scheduled for 3-5 April, has been cancelled.
Four Winds Easter Festival, scheduled for 8-12 April 2020, has been cancelled.
Goulburn Regional Art Gallery has cancelled planned events including Art Teenies, school holiday workshops, school tours and Afternoon Art Clubs, openings and public programs until 30 April. Exhibitions remain open to the public for now.
Port Macquarie’s Grassroots Writers Weekend 2020 has been cancelled.
Griffin Theatre Company has closed the Stables Theatre and cancelled the remaining performances of David Williamson’s Family Values in Parramatta and Geelong, as well as Batch Festival 2020 (though some Batch shows will now have an online iteration, to be announced in due course). Griffin has also cancelled the upcoming season of Matthew Whittet’s Kindness. Australian Theatre for Young People’s CUSP, currently playing at the Stables, will also close immediately.
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery has temporarily closed and postponed all upcoming public programs and events.
Howling Moon Blues Festival (6 July) in Port Macquarie has been cancelled.
Ironfest in Lithgow (18-19 April) has been cancelled.
Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre is closed as of 23 March until further notice.
Jindabyne’s Lake Light Sculpture Festival (10-13 March) has been cancelled.
Merrigong Theatre Company is cancelling or postponing all public events at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong Town Hall and The Music Lounge effective immediately until midnight 14 June 2020.
Metropolitan Orchestra has cancelled Cellists of The Metropolitan Orchestra at The Independent Theatre on 29 March; Cushion Concert series of Tubby the Tuba at Balmain Town Hall On 4-5 April; and MET Concert 2 – Strings Attached at The Independent Theatre in North Sydney on Sunday 17 May.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia has closed to the public until further notice. The MCA galleries, the National Centre for Creative Learning, MCA Store, MCA Cafe, Graze restaurant and Members Lounge are closed, and all upcoming events have been cancelled or postponed.
Narrandera Folk Festival has been cancelled.
In the interests of the health and safety of the community, the National Trust (NSW) has taken steps to close many of its heritage properties across the state. See website for details. The organisation has also cancelled and postponed events until after 30 June 2020.
Newcastle Art Gallery remains open at present but has suspended all public programming.
Armidale’s New England Bach Festival (7-10 May) has been cancelled.
New Theatre‘s production of Neighbourhood Watch by Lally Katz, which was to run from 17 March – 9 April, has been cancelled.
Old 505 Theatre has cancelled the season of Tideline which was due to open on 26 March.
Omega Ensemble’s upcoming performance Four Seasons Recomposed this Thursday, 19 March will not proceed as scheduled.
Opera Australia is cancelling the remainder of its Sydney summer season. This includes all performances of Attila, Carmenand Great Opera Hits at the Sydney Opera House, previously scheduled from 16-28 March.
Similarly, the upcoming Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, La Traviata (scheduled to run from Friday 27 March until Sunday 26 April) has also been cancelled.
Tenterfield’s annual poetry festival Oracles of the Bush (2-5 April) has been cancelled.
The Other Art Fair has announced it will postpone its upcoming Sydney and Melbourne editions. The Sydney fair was due to take place next week from 19 to 22 March at The Cutaway at Barangaroo, with the Melbourne fair from 21 to 24 May 2020. New dates to be advised. Ticket purchasers will be contacted directly to arrange a full refund or credit towards the next fair. Art lovers are encouraged to support the artists who had been selected to exhibit at next week’s Sydney edition by browsing their art on line at Saatchi Art.
All performances, events, exhibitions, workshops, lessons and other events at Penrith Performing and Visual Arts (including The Joan, Penrith Regional Gallery, Penrith Conservatorium and Q Theatre) are suspended until further notice. Cafe at Lewers will remain open for takeaway.
Perisher Peak Music Festival (5-8 July) in the Perisher Valley has been cancelled.
Many events programmed as part of the Plunge Arts & Culture Festival (27 March – 2 May) in the Clarence Valley have been cancelled, though some workshops will proceed with reduced capacity.
The Adelaide Perry Prize for Drawing Exhibition of Finalists 2020 at Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Sydney is now closed to the public, though the Adelaide Perry Gallery remains staffed for the purpose of collection of works.
Presented by Hay Mardi Gras, the Rainbow on the Plains Festival (27-29 March) has been cancelled.
SCCI Fashion Hub 2020 postponed its international speaker participation last week. It has now extended that to the Australia-focused Fashion Hub, taking the event into all-access digital newswire. Via the Foundation’s ongoing partnership with Google Arts & Culture, designers, makers, writers, authors, academics, theorists, gallerists, curators, museum leaders, activists and philanthropists will share key elements of their fashion knowledge with the world. It will be a visually compelling virtual symposium, said SCCI’s Founder, Dr Gene Sherman AM.
The conversation between Tate Modern Director Frances Morris and Dr Gene Sherman AM will be broadcast rather than presented live. When world health improves, SCCI’s postponed international keynote guests Daniel Lismore (UK), Hed Mayner (IL), Lucy Tammam (UK), Diane Venet (FR), Akiko Fukai (JN) and Masataka Hosoo (JN) will be reintegrated into future programming.
Short + Sweet Theatre Festival has literally been cut in half by the virus. Organisers hope to continue the festival’s remaining weeks in June.
Slim Dusty Kempsey Festival (3-7 September) in Kempsey has been cancelled.
Sydney Comedy Festival has cancelled the 2020 Festival which was set to take place from 20 April to 17 May. A number of performers will look to reschedule their shows for later in the year. Information about these rescheduled shows will come at a later date.
Sydney Dance Company has cancelled their forthcoming season, Bonachela/Forsythe, due to have previewed on March 21, opening March 23, with hopes of remounting it later in the year. SDC’s public dance classes, short courses, youth ensemble and school holiday workshops will continue in the Company’s studios in Wattle Street, Ultimo.
Sydney Jewish Museum is closed until at least 31 March.
Sydney Opera House has cancelled all public performances, commencing 17 March until 29 March inclusive, at which point the Opera House will reevaluate based on the latest health advice and developments in the evolving COVID-19 situation. Public areas of the site including precinct food and beverage outlets, tours and retail will continue to operate for the time being.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs has cancelled their performances of St John Passion Reimagined (11 April) and Elijah (9 May). Unfortunately it will not possible for these concerts to be rescheduled in 2020.
The opening night event for Sydney Printmakers exhibition Sydney Print 2020 (1-26 April) at May Space, Waterloo has been cancelled though the gallery remains open at this point but with reduced days (now closed Sundays) and requests that everyone who visits abides by social distancing recommendations.
Sydney Theatre Company has cancelled the remaining performances of No Pay? No Way! (scheduled from 16-28 March). The Riverside Theatres Parramatta season of No Pay? No Way! (scheduled from 1-4 April) has also been cancelled. The upcoming seasons of Triple X; Home, I’m Darling; and The 7 Stages of Grieving have also been cancelled. Ticket holders will be advised on the status of other upcoming productions as soon as new information and advice becomes available.
Sydney Writers Festival, which was scheduled to run from 27 April to 3 May, has has been cancelled. This includes the Primary and Secondary Schools Days, from 4 to 7 May, as well as Student Sessions on 29 April.
The Song Company has postponed all performances scheduled up until the middle of May until later this year. This includes Burden of Truth (up to and including 9 May), Dances of Passion (up to and including 7 May), Dichterliebe Reimagined, and Book of Travelers.
TAP Art Gallery in Surry Hills is open by appointment only for the foreseeable future.
Trundle ABBA Festival has been postponed until October.
Tweed Shire Council has closed all cultural facilities including Richmond-Tweed Regional Library branches at Tweed Heads, Kingscliff and Murwillumbah; Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre and Gallery DownTown in Murwillumbah and Tweed Regional Museum at Murwillumbah, Tweed Heads and Uki.
UNSW has cancelled the Collegium Musicum Choir & Burgundian Consort concert: Cantique du Paradis (Sunday 5 April), Australia Ensemble UNSW Subscription Concert: Contrasts (Saturday 18 April) and the UNSW Wind Symphony & UNSW Orchestra concert: Vicissitudes (Tuesday 21 April).
UTS Gallery is now closed until the end of the Autumn Session, with the current exhibition Fit For Purpose shut as of Tuesday 17 March and the upcoming exhibition The Watters Gift (scheduled to open on 28 April) postponed until further notice.
VIVID Sydney has been cancelled, and will return in 2021.
Due to be held on 15 May, White Cliffs Music Festival 2020 has been cancelled.
Australasian Dance Collective has cancelled the premiere of its triple bill THREE, which was scheduled for 1-14 April at QPAC’s Playhouse.
Brisbane Arts Theatre has cancelled all current productions up to 3 April 2020.
Brisbane Powerhouse is closed to the public as of Tuesday 24 March, with all productions and exhibitions up to Thursday 30 April postponed, rescheduled or cancelled. Its restaurants Bar Alto and Mary Mae’s Bar + Kitchen are also closed until further notice.
Music festival CMC Rocks QLD 2020 has been cancelled and will return in 2021. Event and camping tickets will be automatically valid for CMC Rocks QLD 2021, and patrons are encouraged to hold onto their tickets until next year. Those who are unable to attend the 2021 event will have the option to request a full refund. Moshtix will be in contact with the account holder when this refund window opens.
Edwina Corlette Gallery in New Farm is now running all exhibitions online only, while gallery visitations will be by appointment.
Home of the Arts (HOTA) on Queensland’s Gold Coast will close from 12am on Tuesday 17 March until at least the end of the month. A decision on any further closure will take into consideration any developments of the COVID-19 situation.
JUTE Theatre Company has called an immediate stop to its production of To Kill A Cassowary and the remaining three weeks of JUTE Actors Studio workshop series. All other productions, workshops and public programs have also been cancelled, while Bulmba-ja Arts Centre is now officially closed to the public.
The Institute of Modern Art is closed until further notice. This includes the main galleries, IMA Belltower, gallery shop, public programs, and group tours.
Judith Wright Arts Centre is closed to the public until further notice.
Scheduled to open in July, the production of MAMMA MIA! at The Star Gold Coast has been postponed until further notice, although auditions for a Gold Coast local to play the lead role of Sophie Sheridan will remain open with entries received online.
Opera Queensland has made the difficult decision to cancel the upcoming season of Lorelei, which was due to run 27 March – 4 April. The company has also cancelled Sing Sing Sing (4 April) and its Youth Workshops (6-7 April).
QMusic has cancelled this month’s Community Hook-ups at The Foundry and Solbar.
Both the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) will temporarily close to the public from midday, 23 March 2020 until further notice.
Queensland Ballet has postponed performances of its 60th Anniversary Gala, which was to take place at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) over 20-28 March 2020.
Queensland Museum Network has cancelled the World Science Festival Brisbane 2020 (25-29 March) and some of the remaining World Science Festival Queensland events in Gladstone, Toowoomba and Townsville in 2020.
Queensland Performing Art Centre has closed all its theatres (the Lyric, Playhouse, Cremorne and the Concert Hall) until Thursday 30 April, 2020. All performances and events at QPAC from Tuesday 17 March to Thursday 30 April 2020 will be cancelled, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (18 March – 19 April), Australasian Dance Collective – Three (1-4 April), Queensland Symphony Orchestra – Opera Gala (24 & 26 April) as well as all backstage tours.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra has cancelled all performances and activities up to and including 30 April as a result of COVID-19. This includes all concerts, educational workshops, and community events.
Vulcana Circus has cancelled all school and holiday programs and postponed this week’s scheduled Raise the Roof Higher fundraising cabaret.
aMBUSH Gallery has temporarily closed its Canberra and Sydney galleries until further notice.
All Canberra Comedy Festival shows have been cancelled.
Canberra International Music Festival has cancelled its 2020 festival.
Canberra Symphony Orchestra‘s performances of Llewellyn One: Organ Symphony on 18-19 March have been cancelled.
The National Folk Festival, scheduled for Easter, has cancelled. ‘We recognise that the cancellation of this year’s Festival will have a significant impact on the folk community, and especially those who were scheduled to perform. We hope our audiences will do everything they can to support artists across any available platform at this difficult time,’ organisers said in a statement.
The National Film and Sound Archive has cancelled education programs and will stop their screenings, exhibitions and special events from 18 March until 30 April.
The National Gallery of Australia is closed until further notice. .
The National Library of Australia has temporarily suspended all onsite public programs including guided tours and onsite learning programs from Monday 16 March until further notice. The National Library will close at 5pm each day and public spaces on Levels 3 and 4 will be closed from Monday 23 March until further notice.
The Australian Performing Arts Market, with full support from Darwin Festival, has postponed the APAM Gathering at Darwin Festival until 2021.
Bass in the Grass Music Festival has been postponed until October.
Darwin Fringe will be postponing its 2020 festival activities, scheduled for 3-12 July, until 2021.
The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) will temporarily close most of its venues until further notice from 4pm Tuesday 24 March. This means that MAGNT Bullocky Point, Museum of Central Australia, Fannie Bay Gaol and Megafauna Central in Darwin and Alice Springs are closed until further notice. The Defence of Darwin Experience and Lyons Cottage, which are operated by third parties, remain open at this stage.
MusicNT will pause all on-ground delivery of their remote area music development programs including Sista Sounds and RAMP for the foreseeable future. They are monitoring the developing situation for both these programs and their large-scale annual events including NIMA, Bush Bands, and NT Music Awards.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light has been postponed until 11-20 September 2020.
The upcoming Australian Musical Theatre Festival in Launceston, scheduled for 21-24 May, has been cancelled but will return in 2021 from 19-23 May.
Contemporary Art Tasmania’s Gallery will close as of Friday 20 March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. staff members will move to remote working – please note that the office phone will be unattended most days and therefore the best contact is by email.
DarkLab venues In The Hanging Garden, Odeon Theatre, and Àltar in Hobart are temporarily closed until further notice.
Design Tasmania’s Launceston galleries and shop are closed from Wednesday 18 March until Monday 6 April inclusive, with the possibility of extension.
Hadley’s Art Prize, the $100,000 Australian landscape prize for 2020, has been cancelled.
Mudlark Theatre Company and the Tasmanian Theatre Company have postponed the Launceston and Hobart seasons of Mudlark’s Caravan Boat Treehouse by Stephanie Briarwood. Mudlark will be working to remount the show later in the year in Launceston and on the North West at this stage in September (medical advice permitting). If logistically and economically possible around this time, TTC will present the work in Hobart.
The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is closed indefinitely, with no announcement of a re-open date.
Salamanca Arts Centre has closed public access to the Long Gallery, the Sidespace Gallery, the Studio Gallery and the Top Gallery, and most other parts of the Arts Centre effective from 12 noon Monday 23rd March. The majority of SAC retail outlets have also made the choice to discontinue trading.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) remains open at this point, however it has postponed its Festival for Children and Young People scheduled to take place during the Easter school holidays from 20-24 April.
Tasmanian Wilderness Gallery at Cradle Mountain is closed from 23 March.
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has suspended all public performances immediately until further notice but will continue to rehearse and perform during this period, with content uploaded digitally to YouTube.
ActNow Theatre has postponed all upcoming workshops and performances, including their Arts Pathway Program which was set to take place in April.
Adelaide Cabaret Festival, which was to run from 5-20 June 2020, has been cancelled. ‘We are now working on ways to take the cabaret platform online – cabaret has always been a way for artists to express political commentary and satire in a way that uplifts audiences and perhaps that’s what we need at this time. Watch this space,’ said Artistic Director Julia Zemiro.
All Adelaide Festival Centre venues will be closed to the public and all performances will be suspended from midnight Tuesday 17 March until Thursday 30 April. All theatres, venues, bars and the box office will be closed to the public. Ticket-holders will be contacted directly and refunds for cancelled performances will be processed automatically; patrons do not need to contact BASS.
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra has cancelled upcoming events including Ben Folds: The Symphonic Tour (19 March) and Come and Play (21 March) while Master Series 2: Natsuko Plays Brahms (3-4 April) will proceed without an audience. At this stage, the ASO is working with partners on a potential livestream or broadcast program.
Adelaide Youth Orchestras has suspended all activities until the week commencing 27 April. This includes concerts at Brighton on Sunday 22 March, Thebarton on Sunday 29 March and Maestro 1 at Elder Hall on Sunday 5 April.
The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA) has announced that, following advice from Federal Government, it will temporarily close its doors to the public at 5pm on Wednesday 25 March.
Australian Dance Theatre has closed its home, The Odeon, for the foreseeable future. All public dance classes will be suspended, the Youth Ensemble is on hiatus until the start of Term 2 and all external hirers will be rescheduled to a time later in the year. ADT and Art Gallery of South Australia have also agreed to cancel the scheduled performances of Garry Stewart’s newest work, Colony, which was programmed as part of the Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. In addition, the European tour of The Beginning of Nature, was scheduled to have premiere seasons in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, will be rescheduling into an expanded tour in 2021. The company has also cancelled its upcoming collaboration with Co:3 Australia, Garry Stewart’s Objekt, which was due to be performed in Perth and Adelaide in June and July.
Carclew House is in lockdown from Tuesday 17 March to at least 30 April 2020. Access to the building is restricted and all staff are encouraged to work from home.
Corinthian Singers of Adelaide have postponed their Magnificat concert, Sunday 29 March, until a future date yet to be decided.
Country Arts SA has cancelled all live performances scheduled in their venues in Whyalla, Port Pirie, Renmark, Mount Gambier and Noarlunga from 18 March in anticipation of re-opening on 30 April.
The Fleurieu Biennale Art Prize committee has cancelled the 2020 art prize. It will return in 2022.
Goodwood Theatre and Studios has closed until further notice.
GRiT Studio Collective has cancelled its performance art workshops for 5-13 year olds and is investigating online performance options.
Australian artist Anna Glynn’s touring exhibition Promiscuous Provenance at the Hahndorf Academy has had its public program cancelled.
Holden Street Theatres has cancelled or postponed upcoming productions including Skylight presented by Verendus Theatrical, Charlie Brown and Into The Woods presented by Shane Davidson Presents, and Blue Stockings presented by Red Phoenix. The October production of The Laramie Project presented by Red Phoenix Theatre is planned to be performed as scheduled.
SALA is currently going ahead at this stage, as only large scale events and mass gatherings are being recommended to postponed or cancelled. SALA’s small scale exhibitions and events, with proper hygiene and safety measures in place, should not offend current protocols.
SA Light Opera’s current production in rehearsal, Romberg’s The New Moon, is now planned to go ahead from 19 – 22 November this year.
South Australian Museum has temporarily closed to the public as of 5pm Wednesday 25 March 2020.
State Library of South Australia has temporarily closed to the public as of 5pm Wednesday 25 March 2020.
State Opera South Australia has cancelled its performance of Carmina Burana at Memorial Drive on Friday 27 March and the May season of The Barber of Seville at Festival Theatre. In addition, planned performances by Teddy Tahu Rhodes in recital and Les Arts Florissants are not able to proceed as planned.
State Theatre Company South Australia has cancelled the upcoming seasons of The Gospel According to Paul and Single Asian Female due to the closure of the Adelaide Festival Centre until 30 April 2020.
Vitalstatistix has closed their venue, the Waterside Workers Hall, to public events, hirers and general public activity, for a minimum of one month. Staff are working from home as much as possible and all travel for Vitals’ programs will be cancelled for at least a month. These actions include the cancellation of numerous events, projects, and a pause to the weekly gathering of Waterside’s resident choir, Born on Monday.
Writers SA has asked its staff to work from home and are in the process of shifting their autumn workshop program to online streaming.
Barking Gecko Theatre’s Gecko Ensembles program will be suspended as of 20 March until Term 3, 2020. Teaching Artists will be paid until the end of this term and next term regardless of this cancellation. the company has also cancelled the world premiere of HOUSE at the State Theatre Centre of WA (which was scheduled to run from 26 June – 18 July) and the Australian tour of My Robot (28 April – 12 August).
Black Swan State Theatre Company has postponed the majority of its 2020 season with the exception of Oklahoma!, which will be presented in November.
The Blue Room Theatre is closed to the public until further notice.
Bunbury Regional Art Gallery has closed its doors to the public as of Monday 23 March.
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre is closed from midday Monday 23 March.
PICA has closed its galleries, effective immediately.
Spare Parts Puppet Theatre has cancelled April season of Miss Lily’s Fabulous Feather Boa which was scheduled to run from 11-25 April in Fremantle.
STRUT Dance has closed until at least 1 April. This includes both professional and public classes, workshops and performances.
West Australian Ballet has cancelled all events scheduled for the next 90 days, including performances of Genesis, The Sleeping Beauty and STATE as well as ballet classes, auditions and hires.
West Australian Opera has cancelled the following performances: Star Navigator, 28 March, Perth Concert Hall; Opera in the Pinnacles, 4 April, Nambung National Park; Opera in Geraldton, 5 April, Queens Park Theatre; and Elijah, 8-10 May, Winthrop Hall UWA. The company has also cancelled all school workshops, community workshops and Wesfarmers Arts Singing Classes.
West Australian Symphony Orchestra has suspended all performances at Perth Concert Hall until the end of April 2020.
Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company has cancelled its annual Family Picnic, scheduled for Thursday 19 March.
Producers John Frost, Suzanne Jones and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions are disappointed to announce that the Australian seasons of Dolly Parton’s hit musical 9 TO 5 will be postponed.
Effective immediately, ANAT (Australian Network for Art and Technology) is implementing social distancing measures to mitigate the risk of contracting and passing on the corona virus. These measures include:
- No interstate or international travel until further notice.
- All staff to work remotely from home, using Zoom for meetings.
- Postponing/cancelling any scheduled public events.
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has cancelled or postponed a number of performances. Series 2 – Mozart’s Clarinet has been cancelled outright, while the regional tour of Notturno and the Melbourne Gala Dinner have been postponed. No further Brandenburg concerts will be held until at least 14 June 2020
The Australian Chamber Orchestra‘s Arvo Pärt & Shostakovich concerts, scheduled to tour nationally from 19 March to 1 April, have been cancelled.
Bell Shakespeare‘s seasons of Hamlet in Canberra (8-18 April) and Melbourne (23 April – 10 May) have been cancelled. The company is committed to finding ways in the future to share this critically acclaimed production with Canberra and Melbourne audience.
Bonhams salerooms will remain open for viewings and auctions will continue. However, they have cancelled all non-essential events until 15 April.
Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment have also announced the cancellation of a number of upcoming tours including Jimmy Eat World and Kip Moore.
Frontier Touring and Arena Touring have cancelled So Pop 2020, which was scheduled to tour across Australia and New Zealand in Aptil-May.
The National Trust has cancelled the Australian Heritage Festival nationally.
Palace Cinemas has temporarily closed all Palace Cinema locations from Thursday 19 March for an indefinite period to protect both staff and patrons.
The Rolling Thunder Vietnam 2020 tour of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney (State Theatre and Sydney Coliseum Theatre) has been postponed. New dates have yet to be confirmed.
Six the Musical has postponed all forthcoming seasons including Melbourne, Adelaide and Wellington. Ticket holders for all future performances will be contacted by your ticketing providers directly with refunds to be organised to the original credit card holder.
Tim Minchin‘s national tour of BACK has been postponed until further notice.
The National and Handsome Tours have postponed the band’s March-April Australian tour until December.