Arts editor HELEN MUSA has filed her latest Arts in the City column.

K-Pop Icons brings its blend of live performance and digital technology to Canberra. Combining holographic avatar stars with a world-class dance crew, the interactive production features songs from major acts like Blackpink, Rosé, Bts, K/Da, Katseye, Saja Boys and Huntr/X. Canberra Theatre, July 10.

Gia Ophelia, written by Grace Wilson and directed by Canberra-born theatre-maker Jo Bradley, is a one-woman show follows Gia (Annie Stafford), who is determined to play Ophelia one final time as she confronts sexism, ageism and the realities of growing older in the arts. The Courtyard Studio, July 2-4.

The Mint is celebrating the school holidays with hands-on activities designed for curious young minds. Children aged 4-6 can join Mini-Minties sessions featuring storytelling, coin-themed crafts and animal discoveries, while 7-12-year-olds can delve into Mintventures workshops exploring code-breaking, coin design and stories hidden within Australia’s currency. Royal Australian Mint, until July 17.

TrustFM is a newly-launched underground community radio station broadcasting live from trustfm It’s a non-commercial venture designed to connect artists, promoters and audiences.

Mockingbird Too presents Mike Bartlett’s companion plays C*ck and Bull, two sharply observed comedies examining power, identity and human cruelty. Directed by Zac Bridgman, C’ck follows a man whose long-term relationship is upended when he falls in love with a woman while, directed by Céline Oudin, Bull sees three colleagues locked in a brutal workplace battle. The Mockingbird Studio, Belconnen Arts Centre, July 1-18.

Canberra author Maree Spratt, who has spent the past eight years educating students at major national cultural institutions including the National Archives and Parliament House, makes her literary debut with The Followers, a novel set in 2000s Brisbane that explores the dark side of girlhood. At its centre is the toxic and compelling friendship between aspiring lifestyle influencer Lacey and Teresa, her very first “follower”. 

Thread: Connecting Stories and Community brings together historical and contemporary portraits exploring identity, culture and belonging. Developed by the Portrait Gallery with artists and community members in Logan, Queensland, the exhibition examines the relationship between garments, memory, labour and the knowledge systems of First Peoples. National Portrait Gallery, until September 13.

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.