The Nutcracker brings Christmas magic to Canberra, ancient writing gets a fresh look and Diwali celebrations light up Queanbeyan in arts editor HELEN MUSA’s latest “Artsweek” column.

The Victorian State Ballet brings its production of Christmas favourite The Nutcracker to Canberra Theatre, November 13-14.

The ANU Classics Museum holds its end-of-year reception, followed by a lecture by Dr Marko Vitas of ANU’s Centre for Classical Studies on its ancient cuneiform tablet, titled ANU Classics Museum Cuneiform Tablet: A Window into the Cuneiform World. ANU Classics Museum, November 12.

Emma Batchelor leads the Interdisciplinary Arts (tea) Party, a two-hour workshop exploring the creative process behind her new novel Bloomwaves. A Block Theatre, Quantum Leap Australia, Gorman Arts Centre, November 13.

Roger Pulvers explores how Japanese culture might help address some of the biggest challenges facing the 21st century, as part of Questacon’s Australia and Japan: A Day of Discovery. Questacon, November 14.

John Birmingham discusses his new Quarterly Essay, On One Nation and the Rising Right, in conversation with Mark Kenny as part of the ANU Meet the Author series. Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, November 18.

The Queanbeyan Diwali Mela celebrates the rich traditions of the communities of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, with cultural performances, traditional food stalls and family-friendly activities. Queanbeyan Showground, November 14.

Canberra’s Tongan community celebrates Tonga National Day with cultural performances, traditional food stalls, community exhibits and family activities .Margaret Timpson Park, Belconnen, November 14.

Localjinni presents a projected night walk through Canberra’s Civic Centre, led by local artists in a spirited act of dissent against the boundaries of public space, reclaiming the right to roam and creatively reimagining the city after dark. Civic Centre, November 16.

Stage

• Come Alive 26 returns for its 17th annual Festival of Museum Theatre, with 13 schools presenting 20 performances inspired by the collections of the National Library and the Royal Australian Mint. ACT Hub, November 10-13.
• Created by Darren O’Donnell and international performance company Mammalian Diving Reflex, Nightwalks with Teenagers invites adults to experience Canberra after dark through the eyes of local teenagers, who devise and lead the walking tours. The production is part of the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival. Canberra, November 12-14.
• Shaylie Gillies offers audiences a first look at her new play Amelia Parker’s Assassination. After two weeks of rehearsals, the actors present a rough-cut performance of the original script, with minimal lighting, sound, sets and costumes, and scripts in hand. Audiences are invited to pay what they like. Belconnen Theatre, November 14.
• As part of the BOLD Dance Festival, a triple bill of dance and film, Being BOLD, brings together Australian dance artists Anca Frankenhaeuser, Patrick Harding-Irmer, Chrissie Koltai and Sue Healey to explore longevity and artistry. The program includes I Thought You Were Dead But Here We Are, a dance theatre work by performers aged 78, 79 and 81, alongside Healey’s films Angels, My Angels, My Glorious Angels and The Cry of the Whistler. Quantum Leap Australia, November 15.
• Vaidehi Subramanyan presents Smaranam, Memory Embodied, a Bharata Natyam performance drawing on the traditional margam repertoire. Quantum Leap Australia, November 15.
• Bestselling historian and Times columnist Ben Macintyre returns to Australia with the story of how one mysterious double agent prevented a Cold War nuclear catastrophe. Canberra Theatre, November 15.
• Actors, English and drama teachers, and theatremakers are invited to take part in six sessions exploring new approaches to creating and performing theatre, led by course tutor Peter Wilkins. Monday evenings Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning, Stirling, November 16-December 21.
• Korean writer Sung Haena, one of the most exciting voices in contemporary Korean literature, discusses authenticity and her bestselling short story collection Honmono, in conversation with Theodore Ell. ANU Hedley Bull Lecture Theatre, November 13.
• The wordless clown show A Drag Is Born, created by Canary Islands-born theatremaker Edu Díaz, now based in New York, comes to Canberra for one night as part of the SpringOUT Pride Festival. The Street Theatre, November 13.

Concerts

• Singer-songwriter Lior and composer Ade Vincent explore the influence of artificial intelligence on art in To Be Human, a seven-part song cycle featuring the CSO Chamber Ensemble conducted by Jessica Cottis. The concert also includes Happy Deathday Mister Robot!, by the late Canberra composer Michael Sollis. National Museum of Australia, November 12.
• Salut! Baroque presents Charms in Musick, a program of vocal and instrumental Baroque works celebrating the magnificence of the human voice, featuring guest soprano Anna Fraser. Wesley Uniting Church, November 13.
• Melbourne folk band Things of Stone and Wood are launching their new album The Final Forest after a 23-year gap between albums Rae Street and Rollercoaster. Belconnen Arts Centre, November 14.
• Septimus Kelly: Australia’s Chopin celebrates the life and music of Australian Romantic composer Frederick Septimus Kelly. Pianist Edward Neeman performs Kelly’s unfinished Sonata in F minor and other works in a commemorative concert presented by Flowers of Peace and directed by Chris Latham. Wesley Music Centre, November 14.
• The Latvian Radio Choir joins recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey for an adventurous program featuring two world premieres commissioned by Musica Viva Australia from Australian and Latvian composers, the concert brings together some of the most innovative voices in contemporary music. Llewellyn Hall, November 14.
• Harpist Alice Giles returns to Tuggeranong Arts Centre for Under a Starry Sky, a special end-of-year Saturday Salon recital featuring works by Claude Debussy and Carlos Salzedo, the program evokes the warmth and quiet celebration of the festive season. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, November 14.
• Shortis and Simpson unveil a fresh batch of songs in Satire at Smith’s, turning their attention to the foibles and follies of political leaders in a cabaret of humour and commentary on the year nearly survived. Smith’s Alternative, November 14.
• Musica da Camera presents its final concert of the year, Southern Sun, Northern Lights, directed by Lauren Davis. The program includes works by CPE Bach, Respighi, Lewis and Carse, with mezzo-soprano Maartje Sevenster joining the ensemble for Respighi’s Il Tramonto (The Sunset). Holy Covenant Church, Cook, November 14; Gunning Shire Hall, Gunning, November 15.
• The Merry Muse presents a special Peace Concert, with entry by donation and proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross to assist its relief efforts following the Nepal floods. Canberra Irish Club, November 15.
• Organist James Flores performs on St Andrew’s historic 1904 W.G. Rendall organ. His program includes works by Bach, Buxtehude and Bédard, excerpts from Handel’s Water Music and other works. St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Braidwood, November 15.
• Art Song Canberra welcomes mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean, accompanied by pianist Ronan Apcar, for a musical journey through centuries of art song, folk arrangements, opera, contemporary works, electronics and pop. Wesley Music Centre, November 15.
• Good Faith Choir and Canberra Community Voices join guests from the Tomas Dietz Flamenco Centre Canberra and the Bishop ‘n Bradley guitar duo for Music of Heaven and Earth. St Margaret’s Uniting and Holy Cross Anglican Church, Hackett, November 15.
• The Wesley Lunchtime Concert series presents pianist Stuart Long and poet Rohan Buettel in a program bringing music and poetry into conversation through lyrical piano works and evocative verse. Wesley Music Centre, November 18.
• Fin Torpy presents a final recital at Llewellyn Hall, joined by associate artists Ariana Odermatt and Kimberley Steele. The program includes works by Antonio Vivaldi, Carl Reinecke, Eugène Damaré and Hoover. Llewellyn Hall, November 18.

Galleries

• Writer and curator Kevin Murray will join artist Phoebe Porter in conversation to discuss the ideas, materials and making processes behind her  exhibition Raw and Refined, on display as part of the Craft + Design Canberra Festival. Departure Lounge Canberra Airport 21 Terminal Avenue, November 12.
• In Unmoored, Laura Canty  combines materials which have been unmoored to create collages, which she says during the age of AI and digital manipulation, analogue collage represents an adherence to the handmade. COX Architecture’s COX Gallery, 8 Thesiger Court Deakin, until December 17.
• Tango Conway’s It’s Curtains! explores the parallels between drawing and theatre.Drawing on theatrical props and conventions, including footlights, vaudeville hooks and curtains, Conway transforms Platform Gallery into a stage. Platform Gallery, Manuka, November 13-December 6.
• Maiden Mother Crone brings together three contemporary female artists, Del Kathryn Barton, Emily Hunt and Jess Johnson, in a summer exhibition featuring new works across painting, textiles, drawing, ceramics and video. National Portrait Gallery, November 14-May 23.
• Zoja Trofimiuk, a Czech sculptor and printmaker based in Melbourne, presents Dialogue in Glass, a solo exhibition of work specialising in cast glass and bronze. The exhibition is presented in partnership with Canberra Glassworks. Embassy of the Czech Republic, Deakin, November 19.
• CAPO presents its annual exhibition and art auction, offering an opportunity to view and acquire works while supporting the organisation. Thor’s Hammer Gallery, Griffith, November 14.
• Canberra jewellery designer Harriet Barry loves to speculate about the famous people who may once have used the clay pipe fragments incorporated into her handmade jewellery. Every piece in her unusual exhibition tells a story, from 4000-year-old mammoth bone beads and chank shells traded from the Bay of Bengal to Nagaland in the Himalayan foothills, to African fertility pendants. Studio exhibition, 49 Webster St, Hughes, November 13-15.

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