Arts

Picture yourself at the edge of a rainforest, standing in the sun, eager to embark on a trek. Signs point you towards the path and provide helpful information about the journey soon to be undertaken. As you progress down the track, the canopy begins to close over you. New sounds emerge to drown out the…

Drag is a culture that has a richness entwined with a diverse community of entertainers telling a story in all sorts of ways. It’s then comforting to know that drag artists are still out there keen on simply performing musicals for musical sake. Jonny Woo, along with his long-time collaborator Le Gateau Chocolat is bringing…

If you live in Sydney and love contemporary art, block off March on your calendars now. Art Month Sydney, the annual month long city-wide celebration of contemporary art and artists returns in 2017, running from March 1st – 20th. In 2017 there will be a renewed focus on bringing Sydney’s exciting art precincts to life in…

Opera Australia’s latest production of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci is actually two operas performed back to back. Two quite distinct operas in their composition, and yet they lend themselves to the other so easily that it’s odd to try and think of them as distinct. This production, in particular, uses beautiful subtleties to link them even further….

Celia Pacquola is (quite literally) everywhere. Turn on the ABC and you’re highly likely to see her face either on Utopia, her own new show Rosehaven or in her AACTA-winning role in The Beautiful Lie. Having built a reputation in standup for the better part of a decade, it’s a natural progression for someone who’s…

Moogahlin Performing Arts‘ biennial celebration of local and international First Nations playwriting, the Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival returns later this month. In partnership with Sydney Festival and presented at Carriageworks the festival provides a platform for playwrights, either emerging or established,  from all across Australia. The festival has since its inception in 2013…

The term “Hakawati” may not mean a lot to people today. In fact, you’d probably be forgiven for thinking it was something Japanese. Hakawati actually means the art of storytelling in the Arabic tradition where story time is combined with the breaking of bread or sharing of food. It’s a wonderful concept and has now…

Urban Theatre Project’s Home Country is not so much a theatrical production as it is a full-bodied cultural experience, and it’s one not to be missed. Over three and a half hours of theatre, music and food, you are immersed into the worlds of others. It is a piece that challenges you to consider your…

God only knows where pop music would be without Brian Wilson. The genius writer of many of The Beach Boys greatest hits has had a profound effect on popular culture. I Am Brian Wilson (his second autobiography; his first was published in the nineties) is a complex and forthright account of his life in music….

First-time playwright, Nathan Maynard, has created a real gem in The Season, premiering as part of the 2017 Sydney Festival. It’s a great yarn, full of laughter and pride in a culture that has been in the shadows for too long. The Season follows fictional family, the Duncans, on their annual pilgrimage to Dog Island…

Ahead of the premiere of Institute at the Sydney Festival, the AU speaks with Amit Lahav, Artistic Director of the Gecko Theatre Company, who are bringing the show to Australia from the UK for an exclusive three night run. Can you talk about Institute and it’s meaning; how it came to life? It takes me…

Kat chats with Dmitris Papaioannou ahead of the Australian premiere of his production, Still Life. Taking influence from the Greek myth of Sisyphus and Camus‘ essay on the same story, the performance takes a look at the human condition and the drive or ‘thirst’ for spirituality. Could you tell us a little about Still Life? About it’s meaning,…

Which Way Home is a moving, charming tribute to the little things that make up a family. The play is both funny and poignant, delivering smiles and sadness in equal balance, leaving you to contemplate your own parental relationships. Produced by pre-eminent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre company, ILBIJERRI, Which Way Home fits beautifully…

Opera Australia will present their latest production of the Szymanowski’s 20th-century masterpiece King Roger from the 20th January at the Sydney Opera House. The production is co-produced with the Royal Opera House and was first performed in Covent Garden. Playing the demanding role of the conflicted King Roger is Michael Honeyman. We caught up ahead of the production to…

In a world of political uncertainty, where rhetoric that sits against the values of equality lingers and the seeming equilibrium of the world is driving us all mad, nothing feels more necessary than a perverse drag show enjoying a residency at one of the world’s most prestigious events, the Sydney Festival. Thankfully, Briefs: The Second…

The physical and comedic talents of a dynamic cast smash through the language barrier in this Russian adaptation of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. Combined with powerful design and masterful direction, Cheek by Jowl’s production is a treat for theatre fans and a highlight of the 2017 Sydney Festival lineup. Measure for Measure is a Shakespearean…

Based on the novel The Women in Black, by Madeline St John, Ladies in Black is that all too rare thing: an entirely new Australian musical. There is no mistaking the country in which this show is set – from the home-grown accents to the local suburbs referenced in the text, this is a musical…

Tomorrow the Sydney Festival officially kicks off – with some events, including the Meriton Festival Village in Hyde Park, launching today. Among the incredible three weeks of entertainment are a slew of totally free arts events and performances. Here are our picks of just a few of them… THE HAIR SALON The Hair Salon is…

The curators of The Hunger Games: The Exhibition has gone all out to ensure the odds are ever in their favour, creating a highly interactive, sensory feast for fans. Hosted in the sparkly new International Convention Centre Sydney, the exhibition is a tribute to The Hunger Games movies and books. Featuring numerous costumes and props…

Woodford is a wonderful festival away from the hustle of the city celebrations. There are no fireworks, no roughies, and a very different vibe where you can fill your head with amazing experiences outside of getting drunk and revelling away. One of those inimitable experiences is the visual art workshop programs happening at the festival….

Hakawati is a Sydney Festival show that allows you to be swept away to an Arabian night in Western Sydney. The show is a celebration of food and stories and is inspired by an Arabic tradition where storytelling is combined with breaking bread. This event will have its world premiere at the El- Phoenician restaurant…

Sport for Jove’s Summer Shakespeare Season is in its eighth year and is impressing audiences once again, this time with their double bill – Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. Designed to be viewed back-to-back, with some of the actors reprising their roles in the second play, politics, intrigue and murder abound. Suzanne Pereira is…

Landing the plum role of Lisa in last year’s world premiere of Ladies in Black was a dream come true for Sarah Morrison, who received critical acclaim for her performance. Now, Morrison is set to reprise the role of the young, starry-eyed school-leaver when the show finally hits Sydney next month. I started by asking…

Nathan Maynard’s first play, The Season, is making its world premiere next January as part of the Sydney Festival, and the playwright couldn’t be more excited. The ‘season’ of the title refers to the annual mutton-bird harvesting that takes place on remote Big Dog Island, in Tasmania’s Bass Strait. Maynard is a descendant of the…

Artistic Director of Urban Theatre Projects, Rosie Dennis, is no stranger to delving into the heart of a community for her theatrical inspiration. In the company’s latest work, Home Country staged for the Sydney Festival, Dennis takes audiences on a journey (both figuratively and literally) through a multi-storey carpark in Blacktown. We were naturally intrigued……

Award-winning Canadian Indigenous performer and playwright, Cliff Cardinal, and Native Earth Performing Arts are bringing the critically-acclaimed one-man show, Huff, to Sydney this January. The piece follows Wind, a First Nation’s boy who escapes his own painful reality by sniffing solvent. Chatting to us from the theatre home of Canada’s VideoCabaret – where he is…

Yesterday we published part one of an interview with the director of the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Gordon Morrison. In that first half, we heard his vision for the gallery and what its place will be for future exhibitions stemming from the gallery’s recent exhibition of the touring Archibald Prize artworks. For those art lovers…

After a sold-out debut run, comedian Eric Andre will return to Australia and make his first trip to New Zealand with dates set for May 2017. Known for his off-kilter humour, Andre has presented his cult hit talk show The Eric Andre Show since 2012, co-hosting with Hannibal Buress and boasting guests such as Jack…

On January 15th, singer-songwriters Amanda Palmer and Missy Higgins will speak on motherhood, music, and artistry at a one-off event for the Melbourne branch of Alain de Botton‘s School of Life. Both Palmer and Higgins have built their musical careers on going against the grain, boasting creative streaks that, Palmer at least, worried might be…

In a Sydney exclusive, SIRO-A will bring their theatrical spectacular Techno Circus to Australia early next year, performing at The Concourse from 10th to 29th January 2017. Described as Japan’s answer to Blue Man Group, SIRO-A was formed in 2002 by six classmates from Sendai. Aiming to break the barriers of conventional theatre, the group…