AUTO-TUNE

re:group Performance Collective are back at the Playhouse in the Civic Theatre from Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October, their first show in Newcastle since POV. This one is called AUTO-TUNE, and they've described it as a rock opera and a raucous piece of gig-theatre told through 17 original songs and a good deal of dark humour. It's a bit of a time capsule: they call it a regret-filled love letter to millennial culture, and it trades in Nokias, a Silverchair obsession, teen drinking and questionable decision-making to take you back to the early 2000s.

At the centre is Michael, a teenager with a time-travelling superpower that lets him auto-tune away dumb statements, awkward pauses and cringe jokes. The whole thing was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House and developed with support from Brand X, Crush Collective, Intimate Spectacle and the University of Sydney's Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. The text is by Mark Rogers, with direction and design by Solomon Thomas.

It's a short run, and there's a bit more to the nights than just the show: local bands play for free after each performance, so you can stick around for a few more songs once the curtain goes down. The show itself is suitable for ages 15+.

All sessions start at 7:00pm and run for 55 minutes. There's an Auslan-interpreted session on Friday 2 October. Tickets are A$30 standard and A$18 concession for under 18s. The Playhouse is at the Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter Street, Newcastle.