The arts are popping this week and arts editor HELEN MUSA has brought together what’s happening where and when in this week’s Artsweek column.

Jane Austen fans will be lining up for Bloomshed’s Pride & Prejudice, a sharp social satire dressed as a period drama and billed as a love story set in a housing crisis. The Playhouse, October 15-18.

In the  next National Carillon extravaganza, carillonist Thomas Laue will perform with Parillax Trio, featuring carillon, marimba and saxophone, with Greg Joseph Yidinji on didgeridoo. The event is expected to draw up to 3000 people. National Carillon, Lake Burley Griffin, October 12.

Author Linda Peek speaks about her best-selling book Malta: A Childhood Under Siege in a special talk. Australian War Memorial, October 9.

The Battle of the Bands heats up with nine acts competing over two nights for a place in the finals. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, October 9-10.

The documentary Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf screens as part of Floriade About Town. Arc Cinema, NFSA, October 11.

Canberra’s dementia-inclusive Alchemy Chorus begins a new term of joyful weekly singing. COTA Hall, Hughes, October 16.

The Questacon Science Circus celebrates 40 years with a free pop-up science centre, offering hands-on exhibits and dazzling demonstrations. Ainslie Arts Centre, October 8-9.

Stage

• The Q’s next season show Jon and Jero: STUFF! is an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure comedy that has just finished a   successful Melbourne International Comedy Festival run. The B, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, October 10.
• James Batchelor’s new dance work Resonance reflects on the legacy of choreographer Tanja Liedtke, featuring dancers who worked with her, an intergenerational cast, and QL2’s Quantum Leap Ensemble. The Courtyard Studio, October 10-11.
• Youth Cabaret stages its first full-scale show, Ride the Cyclone, a cult musical where six choir kids killed in a rollercoaster accident battle in song for a second chance at life. Smith’s Alternative, Civic, October 8-17.

Galleries

• Six Degrees showcases works by artists Zair Ahmed, Cheqah Agnir and Sophia Gawan-Taylor, exploring human connection and social networks. M16 Artspace, Griffith, until October 26.
• Near and Far is an exhibition by mother-and-daughter artists Marilyn and Kate Hutchinson. Kate a Blue Mountains-based social worker, frames the world through her camera, while Marilyn, a multimedia visual artist, works with themes of nature. Smith’s Alternative, Civic, until October 26.
• In Drawn to This Moment artist Kylie Fogarty exhibits alongside Valentyna Crane and Jennifer Baird in a vibrant group show. Tyger Gallery, Yass, October 10-25.
• Inner Being, curated by Julian Laffan, brings together 10 Australian and Japanese artists to explore place, science and cultural memory. Megalo Print Studio, Kingston, October 11-November 22.
• Rosalie Rose presents Snakes and Flowers, a textile exhibition honouring cloth and slow-stitch, while Mick Ashley launches his quirky 2026 Calendar in a one-day event. Q Gallery, Ainslie, October 10-12.
• The Canberra Museum and Gallery transforms into an investigation lab, revealing the hidden layers of Sidney Nolan’s works using forensic imaging. October 14-15.

Concerts

• The Friends of the School of Music hold their annual jazz concert fundraiser with the ANU Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Recording Ensemble. The Big Band Room, October 9.
• Former Canberra soprano Louise Keast sings with the Opera Australia chorus before appearing in Love Through Many Lenses, joined by Elizabeth Cooper and pianist Kathleen Loh in a program of Schumann, Rossini, Massenet, Puccini, Poulenc and Delibes. All Saints Anglican Church, Ainslie, October 10.
• Ronan Apcar and the Ellery String Quartet celebrate Sofia Gubaidulina with a program including her early Piano Quintet, a violin and piano duet, and a response to Bach’s unfinished final work. Wesley Music Centre, October 10.
• Early Music Day brings together Latham Horn, Marion Treupel-Frank, Ariana Odermatt, Sally Walker, her students, and Wesley Scholars for a series of masterclasses and concerts. Wesley Music Centre, October 10.
• The Blamey Street Big Band returns with James Bond themes reimagined for jazz, from Goldfinger to Skyfall, with vocalists Leisa Keen, Ashleigh Harris and Jared Newall. The B, Queanbeyan, October 11.
• The Llewellyn Choir and Sinfonia perform Duruflé’s Requiem conducted by Rowan Harvey-Martin, with soloists Sonia Anfiloff and Rohan Thatcher. Duntroon Anzac Memorial Chapel, October 12.
• The Jazz Haus continues with vocalist Sandie White. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, October 11.
• The Luminescence Chamber Singers present Garden of Earthly Delights. Wesley Music Centre, October 12.
• The Merry Muse folk session features Traditional Graffiti. Canberra Irish Club, October 12.
• C2Q makes its second appearance at the Wesley lunchtime series, presenting music written for the rare chamber ensemble of a double bass quartet. Wesley Music Centre, October 15.