Each year, Black Inc bring out three volumes which wrap up a selection of the year’s best Australian stories, poems and essays. These collections have been edited by various authors over the years, among them Robert Drewe, Geordie Williamson, Cate Kennedy, Amanda Lohrey, and, most recently, Charlotte Wood. The 2017 collection of short stories was…
Amongst the rubble of the Festival Theatre, buried deep in the Space Theatre, Club Swizzle is a welcome distraction to the outside world. Transformed into a burlesque bar, the atmosphere hits long before the show even begins. Waiters wander and the MC, Reuben Kaye mingles and greets the guests as they take their seats. The…
The Kransky Sisters have set out on a national Christmas tour from their hometown in Esk, Queensland, to share their memories of Christmases past. Before the sisters arrive, the audience is treated to an intriguing slide show of their adventures to date, featuring the big Koala and the big potato amongst other charming places. Eve,…
Carriageworks have revealed a dynamic program for 2018 and its going to be huge with the season spanning contemporary art, dance, performance, music, screen, food and ideas. The Artistic Program will support 690 artists and will present 70 projects, including 10 world premieres, 17 international works and 17 new Australian commissions. From January Carriageworks will…
Love, Actually is one of those Christmas films that had a significant impact on me the first time I saw it. I’ve since seen it more than once, and each time it has elicited a similar set of emotions within me that have confounded many. I absolutely detested the film and felt it was a…
It’s been thirteen years since Feel, music journalist Chris Heath’s first book with singer Robbie Williams. In that time, Williams has married and started a family, rejoined and left Take That, and further cemented his legacy as one of pop’s true superstars by breaking the Guinness World Record for most tour tickets sold in a…
Fringe World Festival has shared its full 2018 program, rolling out the awesome summer vibes from 26 January through to 25 February in Perth. This year is meant to be the biggest yet, with a variety of new and classic showcases kicking off during the Australia Dy Long weekend. We can expect 750 events across 130 venues…
The Depot Theatre and Secret House have once again worked their magic on a classic, this time bringing Anton Chekov’s The Seagull into the modern era. Stripped back to its heart, this is a compelling tale of the frailty of the mind. Cleverly adapted, beautifully designed and expertly cast, there is nothing to fear from…
Look at the dress or shirt that you are wearing right now. Do you ever wonder where it came from? Or who made it? Imagine if that piece of clothing helped put someone through university, or helped alleviate them from living a life of sex-trafficking and poverty. You’d feel good right? Like, you helped the…
Famed Japanese art collective teamLab and their endless, unique and energetic approach to art and technology is currently on full display at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. Future Park is the largest exhibition from the collective and the largest ever seen in Australia, featuring eight interactive light installations which will be dazzling art lovers of all ages…
A chance encounter in the poverty stricken streets of Myanmar just under two years ago led former High-5 star, Tanika Anderson, to question the Western world’s approach to ‘fast fashion’. Now, Tanika is set to launch the second collection from clothing label, You&Mei, a social enterprise that helps to raise up young women from poverty….
Entertainer. Performance artist. International mischief maker. Internet provocateur. Three descriptions of British artist Harry Clayton-Wright, that are more than fitting. An entertainer unafraid of pushing boundaries of trashy comedy and cabaret, toeing the line of cheeky risqué and the all-out ribald, Clayton-Wright’s work mixes endearing charm with a maniacal confidence that has made him a popular…
A tapestry commemorating the sacrifice and heroism of Australian soldiers on the Western Front is set to be cut from the loom this month in Melbourne. Designed by prominent Australian artists Lyndell Brown and Charles Green, Morning star will be showcased at the opening of the Sir John Monash Centre (SJMC) in France. Morning Star will provide…
Christmas is around the corner and the holidays are so close you can almost touch it! If your mind has already set into festive mode and you’re looking for something to kick start the holiday cheer, then we have you covered. Here are our top picks for Art Events happening around Australia this month! Carriageworks…
Lies, Lies and Propaganda will present Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol, at the Kings Cross Theatre from December 12th to 24th, contrasting the classic Victorian ghost story with the modern Theatre. Join Ebenezer Scrooge this Christmas on a journey through past, present and future as he discovers the kind of person he was, is…
I travelled to Las Vegas to see Cher. You heard me. Cher. I was first introduced to her music as a child in the 1980s and have always wanted to see her perform. Realising the chances of her coming to Australia were slim, when I discovered she was performing in Las Vegas I felt a…
“I wanted to make films from time I saw my first films in the mid-1940’s. Unlike my school friends I had no interest in animated films (I still don’t) but was fascinated by narratives with actors. Somehow I realised while still very young, that the key person in all the films was not the leading…
A question commonly asked in arts circles is where all the new Australian musicals are. Surely, they do exist, but grand-scale, blockbuster song-and-dance shows isn’t something we’re generally known for. Hot Shoe Shuffle – arguably Australia’s first hit musical – premiered only 24 years ago, and since then only Pricilla and Strictly Ballroom have made…
Sydney’s family production of The Wind in the Willows continues its summer tradition returning to the beautiful surrounds of Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney from Friday 5 to Sunday 28 January 2018. This critically acclaimed outdoor theatre production delivers fun for young and old as all are given every opportunity to scream out loud, sing along and…
It is one of the most anticipated exhibitions to come to Melbourne this year, and what an absolute privilege it was to step inside the Winehouse world. Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait was curated by Jewish Museum London, and Amy’s brother Alex to show the world that Amy was so much more than just a…
Elsie Bainbridge, newly widowed, is sent to her late husband’s estate to see out the last few weeks of her pregnancy. With a skeleton staff, abandoned, dusty rooms, and a surrounding village terrified of the house, The Bridge is far from the haven Elsie hopes it to be. But when she and Sarah, her husband’s…
It’s been a historic week for the LGBTQI community with an almighty YES vote from 61.6% of Australians who believe same-sex marriage should be legalised. There’s no denying it’s been tough time for all those involved, and it’s hard not to reflect on the events leading up to the result but standing together in strength…
Set to be the biggest cultural development to ever hit Western Sydney, a self-funded $100 million dollar performing arts centre and multi-purpose entertainment venue is opening its doors in late 2019. Construction of the spectacular 2000 seat proscenium arch theatre, is about to commence, and is anticipated to host world-famous stage shows, musicals and concerts,…
All children, except one, grew up. At least, that is what J.M Barrie would have us believe. However, as I sat in a darkened cinema full of a mix of elderly retirees, bright-eyed children and University students all laughing unabashedly at the sight of a bald adult male playing Tinkerbell, I couldn’t help but disagree….
Young playwright and recent NIDA graduate Emme Hoy has been awarded the NSW Philip Parsons Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights. Supported by Belvoir St Theatre, the Fellowship provides a prize of $12,500, with a further $7,500 available for script development, with the chance to have a play go on to be staged at Belvoir St Theatre. “I’m so…
Black Inc’s Writers on Writers series was launched in October 2017 with the publication of its first two books, Alice Pung on John Marsden and Erik Jensen on Kate Jennings. The tag line for the series reads ‘Twelve Acclaimed Writers. Six Memorable Encounters.’ This sums up the idea behind the series incredibly well, which will…
A haunted and deserted town, yet some people can’t, or won’t, leave. Any prospect of work is long since gone. The road sign offering directions to where the town is, has been removed. Yet, for a small group of locals it’s home, and the only place they know. perfectly captures the feel of country town…
She doesn’t know him. He knows everything about her. Philip Peterson, a wealthy businessman disappears without trace on a trip to South America. Seven years later he’s back. Or is he? The Stranger starts with a memory, and these flashbacks creep in throughout the novel. Not too far into proceedings ‘The Stranger’ is found, appearing amid…
Celebrating ten years of the Basil Sellers Art Prize, Play On: The Art of Sport is opening at the Hazelhurst Gallery and Arts Centre in Gymea NSW on 9 December 2017 until 11 February 2018. The exhibition is a dynamic mix of media, with works exploring the sporting genres from community footy, women’s boxing, ground-keeping to gymnastics…
Misty Copeland represents strength, courage and female empowerment, but now the Under Armour athlete and Principal Ballerina can add fashion icon to her bio. Copeland made the journey to Sydney to launch her new collaborative collection with Under Armour which is fashion-forward, transformative and transitional, celebrating her undeniable drive and unmistakable style. Why have you chosen to collaborate with…
