The West Gippsland Arts Centre is gearing up for a bumper season ahead, with record attendance expected for upcoming shows including Guy Sebastian, Bjorn Again and the return of the West Gippsland Dance Festival, all set to hit centre stage in the coming months.
It’s been all jazz hands at the Arts Centre over the past few months, hosting a diverse range of sell out shows including Kitty Flanagan and the 50th Anniversary of Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night, starring Peter Byrne and the Australian Pops Orchestra, with both shows attracting over 700 and 500 attendees respectively each night.
More recently, the team have experienced an overwhelming response to the announcement of Guy Sebastian’s T.R.U.T.H. On The East Side Tour, with fans from as far away as Hobart snapping up their tickets within a day of sales going live.
Nearly 175 West Gippsland Arts Centre members made use of their exclusive membership benefits to secure tickets during members-only presales, with a record number of 103 new membership registrations sought in the days leading up to the tickets going on sale.
Bjorn Again-Mamma Mia has proved another hot ticket. They will bring their critically acclaimed ABBA tribute show to the Arts Centre in early November, with ticket sales already near capacity and very few seats remaining. Members again benefitted with up to $14 off the price of their tickets.
WGAC memberships allow for more than discounted and exclusive bookings, members are also treated to newsletters to keep up to date with upcoming shows and regular members-only events.
Whilst the Arts Centre continues to raise the curtain on these National and International acts, the spotlight is still very much on the community with the West Gippsland Dance Festival returning to Warragul this month in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
Debuting at the Arts Centre in 1991, the highly regarded dance festival attracts over 2500 entries annually from 30 dance schools across the state and allows competitors to showcase performances across many dance styles including classical, jazz, character, song and dance, tap, national, neo-classical/contemporary and hip hop.
President of the West Gippsland Dance Festival Committee, Chloe Smethurst, is excited to welcome back competitors, friends and family at full capacity this year, after the festival was cancelled in 2020 and limited to a regional-only version with no audience and no dancers from metropolitan areas in 2021.
“It will be fantastic to see the Arts Centre buzzing with hundreds of young performers across nine days, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our wonderful event,” she said, “it’s also a lovely opportunity for the students to reconnect with each other and renew the friendships they’ve made in the past across different dance schools.”
“We expect well over 1,000 people will be entertained by the talented and hard-working young dancers. Tickets are available at the door, and everyone is welcome.”
The competition will take place at the Arts Centre over 10 days from Friday 16 September through to Sunday, 25 September with more information available on the West Gippsland Dance Festival’s website.
To keep up to date with all the latest shows and exciting developments from the West Gippsland Arts Centre, visit www.wgac.com.au.
Quote attributable to Mayor Cr Michael Leaney
“The West Gippsland Arts Centre continues to highlight a diverse program of shows and events offering something for everyone in the Baw Baw Shire community.
With the recent record of sell out shows, it is clear our community are eager more than ever to support live entertainment.
And with this upcoming line-up of exciting and popular shows set to rock the Arts Centre in the next few months, I anticipate there will not be a spare seat in the house!”
