20/07/2026
A Curryfest Cabaret????? 😱😱😱
🤔 Think somewhere between culture, community celebration, and “are we legally allowed to do this?” 🤭
But somehow… it works, and you aren’t going to want to miss it!
As part of 20 years of Curryfest, we’re creating something a little different.
“Saltwater Spice” is an original cabaret-infused Bollywood musical set right here in Woolgoolga bringing together humour, music, dance, culture, community and a healthy amount of chaos.
At the centre of it all is a cancelled wedding, an overambitious mother, an arranged marriage, a wealthy farming family, a development application for a proposed cabaret venue called the Woopi Rouge…. a whole bunch of town gossip, some former dancers making a comeback, berry pickers and backpackers, numerous complaints about parking potholes and council, online outrage, a big spicy food event, lost dogs, keys and minds, some people looking for accommodation, and a community that gets increasingly dragged into the whole escalating situation.
So, basically… Woolgoolga. 😂
Underneath the comedy, Saltwater Spice plays with some bigger ideas around culture, identity, family expectations, gender, tradition, belonging and the roles we’re all expected to play.
It’s all about making people laugh, occasionally squirm, possibly recognise themselves, and maybe question a few of the beliefs and assumptions we carry around without really thinking about them.
🎭 It will very much be a case of life imitating art imitating life. 🎭
🕵️ You can try to work out who the characters remind you of in real life.
💁 You might even spot a few familiar faces making cameos along the way.
👯 And right now, we’re looking for the people who want to help bring the whole thing to life.
Performers. Singers. Dancers. Actors. Musicians. Comedians. Creatives. Backstage people. Big personalities. Quiet geniuses. People with experience. People who have always wanted to give something like this a crack.
We want to hear from anyone interested in being part of the inaugural Saltwater Spice Curryfest Cabaret.
This is a chance to help create something completely original for Curryfest’s 20th anniversary and make this milestone one that people will be talking about for a very long time.
Possibly for the right reasons.
Possibly not.
Either way, it should be fun. 🎊
🌶️ Interested in joining the cast, creative team or general organised chaos? Register your interest here: https://forms.gle/TPXfp3F9Uh166oZSA
SALTWATER SPICE is an exuberant celebration of community, culture, and the courage to step out of assigned roles and dance to your own rhythm.
A little bit Bollywood, a little bit cabaret… and a lot Woolgoolga.
A HUGE thank you to the AusGov Office for the Arts for funding this project and to Naidu Theatre Company for bringing it to life.
Woolgoolga Kevin Hogan MP Gurmesh Singh MP Mayor Nikki Williams - Coffs Harbour Woopi News
