AFTERGLOW

9 - 25 July 2026

Belvoir Street Theatre, Downstairs
PRODUCED BY Purple Tape Productions for Griffin Lookout

Every year after the Barbershop Singing National Championships, the men gather for the traditional “afterglow”. Whisky flows, dickie-bows are loosened and quartets sing booze-soaked harmonies into the small hours.

At the 2012 afterglow, Michael meets Tom. One is a barbershop purist with something to prove. The other is a first-timer with a messy suit, a bass voice and a quietly radical outlook: Why aren’t women allowed to sing at barbershop competitions too?

Over six years, their heated debate turns tender, sweet and as complex as a chromatic four-part harmony. Together, the two singers journey through their twenties and encounter some major awakenings. But barbershop has rules, both musical and social. And as Michael and Tom change, so might their place in the chorus. 

From the minds of Sheanna Parker Russon (No Love Songs for Lady Basses) and Lillian M. Hearne (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), this touching musical rom-com will have you humming long after the lights go down.  

Oh, did we mention it’s sung in four-part a capella harmony?

Afterglow was supported by Montague Basement’s The Laboratory Program, KXT Bakehouse, Shopfront Arts Co-Op’s Open Shop Program, Pozible Campaign Donors, Bundanon Trust, NIDA and Sydney Theatre Company.

Book, Lyrics & Melodies Sheanna Parker Russon
Musical Director, Composition & Arrangements Lillian M. Hearne
Co-Directors Cassie Hamilton and Lily Hayman
Dramaturg Jean Tong
Set & Costume Designer Geita Goarin
Sound Designer Clare Hennessy
Lighting Designer Tyler Fitzpatrick
Intimacy & Consent Consultant Bayley Turner
Associate Program Artists Charlie Murphy, Red Addis, Taylah Cooper
Associate Production Designer Andrea Knezevic
Stage Manager Cris Chavez
With Lincoln Elliott, Cassie Hamilton, Lillian M. Hearne, Nat Jobe, Nic Prior

All imaged by Lucy Parakhina

“Cassie Hamilton is a powerhouse, and her character’s big solo moment is elevated by the voice belting behind it, leaving me teary. The first of many times.” ★★★★1/2—Chantal Harrison, What’s The Show

“Hamilton and Prior’s chemistry is electric and palpable.” ★★★★—Dahria Datham, State of the Art

“Many audience members (myself included) were left teary-eyed before erupting into a well-deserved standing ovation.” ★★★★—Olivia Calverley-Haack, The Scoop

“Funny, heartfelt and refreshingly original”—Faith Jessel, Faith In Theatres

“There’s a beautifully crafted sentimentality in trans-led, queer storylines”—Justin Clarke, Time Out Sydney

“We do need a story like the one told in Afterglow.”—Paul Gilchrist, Theatre Red

“Hamilton leads the cast with remarkable exuberance, infusing the proceedings with infectious, indomitable cheer.”—Suzy Wrong, Suzy Goes See

“Afterglow certainly has all the feels”—Yvonne Hocothee, South Sydney Herald

“Wonderfully composed and arranged, the music throughout the show, especially the acapella pieces, were a delight to watch and listen to.”—Murphy Scott, SUDS

“Geita Goarin’s set and costume design was excellent and really lit up the Downstairs Belvoir stage”—Kiran Gupta, Musical Theatre AU

“Heartfelt, funny, buoyed by heavenly harmonies and armed with a refreshingly original premise.”—Naomi Lawrence, City Hub