From music and dance to documentary and theatre, Canberra gets animated in the latest Artsweek column by HELEN MUSA.

David Mamet’s sardonic take on the Hollywood film industry’s obsession with money over art, Speed-the-Plow, arrives in a new production directed by and starring Jay James-Moody alongside Lexi Sekuless and Joe Pike. The Mill Theatre, Fyshwick, May 6-9 in preview, then May 13-30.

Ausdance ACT’s 2026 Australian Dance Week animates Canberra with a mix of events including a launch atop Mt Ainslie, street dancing, a networking morning tea, and free dance classes across the city, Canberra, until May 6.

Fabricio Tocco launches Precarious Secrets: A History of the Latin American Political Thriller, in an in-store event with discussion, Paperchain Bookstore, Manuka, April 30.

SierraFest 2026 celebrates Sierra Leonean cultural heritage through music, dance, food, fashion and language in a community gathering, Mallee Pavilion Exhibition Park Canberra, May 2.

The documentary Pointe: Dancing on a Knife’s Edge explores the life of Floeur Alder, daughter of celebrated dancers Lucette Aldous and Alan Alder, will be followed by a Q&A that adds personal and historical context, Arc Cinema NFSA, May 3.

For ANU Meet the Author, Dervla McTiernan discusses Three Reasons for Revenge with Chris Hammer, Manning Clark Hall ANU, April 30. Also, Antoinette Lattouf appears in conversation with Virginia Haussegger to discuss Women Who Win, Cinema ANU, May 5 and Caitlin Vincent discusses Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battles for its Future, ANU Cinema, May 7.

Concerts

• La Fiamma dell’Opera offers a candlelit evening of Italian opera in an intimate setting, All Saints Ainslie, May 1.
• Luminescence and the Machine blends international and Australian composers and performers in an ambitious sound-driven work two years in the making, The Street Theatre, April 30 and May 3.
• The Llewellyn Choir presents the East Coast premiere of Lachlan Skipworth’s Mass for Easter Sunday alongside works by Ēriks Ešenvalds with soprano soloists and brass ensemble, Duntroon Chapel, May 2.
• Pianist Ryan Xing performs a virtuosic program featuring Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and Miriam Hyde in a lunchtime recital, Wesley Music Centre, May 6.
• Geoff’s Jazz presents a Sydney sextet tribute to John Coltrane’s classic album Blue Train in an evening of dynamic live jazz, Smiths Alternative, May 6.

Stage

• Djilba: A Moment in Time sees dancer Floeur Alder collaborate with sculptor and writer Virginia Ward at Mirramu Creative Arts Centre, May 2.
• Lose to Win shares the true story of Mandela Mathia through storytelling, music and dance, tracing his journey from South Sudan to Australia, The Q, Queanbeyan, May 2.
• Musica Viva Australia’s Beethoven’s Ghost tour brings together violinist Kristian Winther with cello and piano in a chamber music program, Llewellyn Hall, May 7.
• The Australian Haydn Ensemble performs Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony in chamber arrangement alongside Mozart’s Haffner Symphony, Gandel Hall, May 7.

Galleries

• Never The Twain Shall Meet: East is East & West is West by Fatima Killeen, ANCA Gallery, May 1-24.
• BLAZE celebrates the next generation of Canberra artists with an exhibition opening featuring guest speaker Prof Brenda L Croft, Canberra Contemporary, May 1.
• Extra Padding, the third iteration of an evolving project, Platform, May 2 to 24.
• Artist Talk brings together Linda Dening, Kim Mahood, Sally Simpson, Wendy Teakel and Gill Sanbrook for a discussion of their work and ideas, Grainger Gallery, May 3.
• Beyond presents four artists examining life in an age of constant news and rapid change, Chapel Gallery Charles Sturt University, May 7 to 23.