From page to stage: inclusive theatre showcase brings local stories to life
April 1, 2026
Two lively animal tales, one about a singing dog, the other a brave little bird, will make their first steps from page to stage this
2026 PRODUCTIONS and PROGRAMS
IN DEVELOPMENT
SUPPORTED DEVELOPMENTS
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
LEARN NEW SKILLS ONLINE
LATEST NEWS
MEDIA RELEASES, NEWS and STORIES
JUTE awarded RASN contract to support and grow Queensland’s regional theatre sector
March 18, 2026
Queensland’s regional theatre sector is set for a new wave of growth, with free statewide advisory support delivered by Cairns-based JUTE Theatre Company through the
Starring Cairns’ own Jason Klarwein, JUTE opens its 2026 season with an intimate and immersive theatre experience by THAT Production Company
February 16, 2026
Exploring the small joys that make life worth living, JUTE Theatre Company, in association with Ipswich’s THAT Production Company, will open its 2026 season at
When tragedy becomes a media spectacle and survival becomes a brand
November 24, 2025
The graduating class of JUTE’s Actors Studio Pathways program will take centre stage this month as JUTE Theatre Company, in partnership with Overall Arts, presents
4 on the Floor: Four playwrights. Four new works. One fabulous night of play readings.
October 20, 2025
JUTE Theatre Company, in partnership with Belloo Creative (Brisbane), will launch a brand-new script development model when it presents 4 on the Floor, with a
Genius: New Dark Comedy Genius brings wit, history and ambition to Cairns
September 18, 2025
Leaping from 17th-century Italy to today’s urban art scene in a fast, funny and thought-provoking mash-up of history, humour and imagination, new dark comedy Genius
@ jute_theatre . Jul 27
Kirtley Walker-Halstead doesn’t just play the Dalinger violin, she is bringing its story to the stage. Crafted in 1778 by Sebastian Dalinger, the rare violin has travelled through European ballrooms, colonial Australia, wartime battlefields and generations of musicians before finding its way to Far North Queensland.
Rhapsody is a new chamber music-theatre work written and performed by Kirtley, inspired by the real history of the instrument in her safekeeping. At this intimate showcase, audiences will hear live excerpts and learn how a violin can become the narrator of its own extraordinary journey.
Kirtley is a professional international classical violinist and chamber musician, with extensive experience performing across Europe, America, Asia and Australia. She is the owner and performer of the 250-year-old violin, The Dalinger, which forms the heart of this project. As playwright and Leader, Kirtley will oversee the artistic direction, narrative development, and performance aspects of the work, bringing both historical insight and musical mastery to the project.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Fri 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus.
8
0
@ jute_theatre . Jul 23
Kirtley Walker-Halstead shares how the remarkable history of a 1778 Dalinger violin inspired Rhapsody: a violin’s journey through time, developed and performed with Dr Katrina Pring.
See the work in development at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre on Friday 31 July, 6pm. Tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
6
0
@ jute_theatre . Jul 19
The star of Rhapsody has a history!
Rhapsody is a new chamber music-theatre work inspired by the true story of the Dalinger, a rare violin crafted in Vienna in 1778 by master luthier Sebastian Dalinger.
Made from even rarer Italian timbers, the Dalinger’s remarkable journey has taken it from European ballrooms to colonial Australia, to wartime battlefields, through the hands of generations of musicians, and ultimately to Far North Queensland.
The work traces the lives, places and turning points woven into the violin’s survival, including its connection to Queensland violinist Harold Fleischmann, who played the Dalinger on the Western Front during the First World War before returning home to lead the Ipswich Symphony Orchestra.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Friday 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
Image 1: Violinist and Queenslander Harold Fleischmann on duty with the Dalinger, WWI Western Front, Belgium/France.
Image 2: Violinist Franz Bauer, who took the Dalinger from Europe to Melbourne to perform at the grand gala opening of Melbourne Theatre Royal.
Image 3: The Dalinger label, 1778.
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus.
4
0
@ jute_theatre . Jul 16
Dr Katrina Pring is helping give a 250-year-old violin its newest voice.
For Rhapsody, Katrina is composing original music for violin and piano, created in close collaboration with violinist and playwright Kirtley Walker-Halstead. Together, they’re exploring how music can carry memory, movement and history, from Vienna in 1778 to Far North Queensland today. This work-in-progress showcase gives audiences a first look at the music, storytelling and creative process behind a new chamber music-theatre work inspired by the true journey of the Dalinger violin.
Dr Katrina Pring is a Cairns-based composer and pianist, holding a PhD in Composition from the University of Newcastle (NSW), 2007. Katrina’s compositional practice combines innovative approaches to chamber music with sensitivity to narrative and performance context. For this project, she will create the original score for violin and piano, working closely with Kirtley to ensure the music reflects both historical authenticity, violinistic artistry, and emotional storytelling in an innovative and engaging format. Katrina will also perform as pianist in the work-in-progress presentation, bringing her technical excellence and interpretive insight to the live performance.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Fri 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus.
8
0
@ jute_theatre . Jul 15
Dare to Dream kicked off its eight-week tour on Monday, with the team spending their first week in Daintree.
Back for another year, the JUTE-initiated program takes First Nations theatre works and creative teams into regional and remote communities. After the performance, the team stays for the week to work with local students as they develop and perform their own stories.
Wishing the team a great tour!
Actors:
Sheyan Walker
Djalu Barsah
Images by Paul Furse
35
2
@ jute_theatre . Jul 13
A few moments from Harmony Voices, a free creative program building English confidence through theatre-making, storytelling and song. Led by Camila Tirado with JUTE Creative Producer Rachel Furlong and delivered with support from Centacare, the program culminated in a showcase at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre. Check out the full photo album on our Fb page!
Photos by Paul Furse / Frontrow Foto.
38
5
SITE NAVIGATION
Acknowledgement of Country
JUTE wishes to pay its respects to Elders, past and present, of the lands where we work, live and perform. JUTE acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land as well as the many regional areas we visit, tour and produce work. We recognise that these lands have always been places of art and story-telling.
JUTE Theatre Company
Kirtley Walker-Halstead doesn’t just play the Dalinger violin, she is bringing its story to the stage. Crafted in 1778 by Sebastian Dalinger, the rare violin has travelled through European ballrooms, colonial Australia, wartime battlefields and generations of musicians before finding its way to Far North Queensland.
Rhapsody is a new chamber music-theatre work written and performed by Kirtley, inspired by the real history of the instrument in her safekeeping, with compositions by Dr Katrina Pring. At this intimate showcase, audiences will hear live excerpts and learn how a violin can become the narrator of its own extraordinary journey.
Kirtley is a professional international classical violinist and chamber musician, with
extensive experience performing across Europe, America, Asia and Australia. She is the owner and performer of the 250-year-old violin, The Dalinger, which forms the heart of this project. As playwright and Leader, Kirtley will oversee the artistic direction, narrative development, and performance aspects of the work, bringing both historical insight and musical mastery to the project.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Fri 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus. ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
JUTE Theatre Company is proud to announce that Three Dresses has received major funding through Creative Australia’s Creative Futures Fund.
The Fund supports ambitious Australian projects with the scale, partnerships and creative vision to reach new and more diverse audiences across Australia and internationally.
Three Dresses is a First Nations-led stage adaptation of Wanda Gibson’s award-winning children’s book, bringing a deeply local story to life through theatre, song, puppetry and visual storytelling.
We are incredibly proud to be included in such outstanding company. The 2026–27 recipients represent an extraordinary list of artists, organisations and ambitious creative projects from across Australia.
Thank you to Creative Australia for investing in bold Australian work.
Explore the full list of recipients at creative.gov.au/creative-futures-fund and to read more about Three Dresses: www.jute.com.au/three-dresses ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Kirtley Walker-Halstead shares how the remarkable history of a 1778 Dalinger violin inspired Rhapsody: a violin’s journey through time, developed and performed with Dr Katrina Pring.
See the work in development at Bulmba-ja Arts Centre on Friday 31 July, 6pm. Tickets at events.humanitix.com/rhapsody ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentsComment on Facebook
The star of Rhapsody has a history!
Rhapsody is a new chamber music-theatre work inspired by the true story of the Dalinger, a rare violin crafted in Vienna in 1778 by master luthier Sebastian Dalinger.
Made from even rarer Italian timbers, the Dalinger’s remarkable journey has taken it from European ballrooms to colonial Australia, to wartime battlefields, through the hands of generations of musicians, and ultimately to Far North Queensland.
The work traces the lives, places and turning points woven into the violin’s survival, including its connection to Queensland violinist Harold Fleischmann, who played the Dalinger on the Western Front during the First World War before returning home to lead the Ipswich Symphony Orchestra.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Friday 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
Image 1: Violinist and Queenslander Harold Fleischmann on duty with the Dalinger, WWI Western Front, Belgium/France.
Image 2: Violinist Franz Bauer, who took the Dalinger from Europe to Melbourne to perform at the grand gala opening of Melbourne Theatre Royal.
Image 3: The Dalinger label, 1778.
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus. ... See MoreSee Less
Call Now
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Dr Katrina Pring is helping give a 250-year-old violin its newest voice.
For Rhapsody, Katrina is composing original music for violin and piano, created in close collaboration with violinist and playwright Kirtley Walker-Halstead. Together, they’re exploring how music can carry memory, movement and history, from Vienna in 1778 to Far North Queensland today. This work-in-progress showcase gives audiences a first look at the music, storytelling and creative process behind a new chamber music-theatre work inspired by the true journey of the Dalinger violin.
Dr Katrina Pring is a Cairns-based composer and pianist, holding a PhD in Composition from the University of Newcastle (NSW), 2007. Katrina’s compositional practice combines innovative approaches to chamber music with sensitivity to narrative and performance context. For this project, she will create the original score for violin and piano, working closely with Kirtley to ensure the music reflects both historical authenticity, violinistic artistry, and emotional storytelling in an innovative and engaging format. Katrina will also perform as pianist in the work-in-progress presentation, bringing her technical excellence and interpretive insight to the live performance.
Rhapsody - a violin’s journey through time
Fri 31 July, 6pm
Bulmba-ja Arts Centre
Tickets: events.humanitix.com/rhapsody
This project is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia, administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance. Rhapsody is also supported by the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, JUTE Theatre Company and Arts Nexus. ... See MoreSee Less
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
Dare to Dream kicked off its eight-week tour on Monday, with the team spending their first week in Daintree.
Back for another year, the JUTE-initiated program takes First Nations theatre works and creative teams into regional and remote communities. After the performance, the team stays for the week to work with local students as they develop and perform their own stories.
Wishing the team a great tour!
Actors:
Sheyan Walker
Djalu Barash
Images by Paul Furse
Check out more about Dare to Dream at jute.com.au/dare-to-dream ... See MoreSee Less
1 CommentsComment on Facebook