Directed by Jennifer Hagan and presented by Strange Duck Productions, Blonde Poison is a gripping tale of betrayal, war and the high price of survival. Based on a true story, Stella Goldschlag is preparing to be interviewed in her home by an old childhood friend, now a successful journalist. As she becomes increasingly anxious about…
Stephen K Amos is no stranger to Australian audiences. The English comedian has been visiting our shores for ten years and has made us laugh with his funny anecdotes and observations. The author of the hilarious autobiography, “I Used to Say My Mother Was Shirley Bassey”, has just completed a run of shows for the…
Who knew the old trope of the hard-boiled detective paired with eager up-and-coming youth set to solve crime and make safe the streets could be so smoothly re-imagined as a musical? An utterly hilarious musical at that! Ian Ferrington, writer of “The Detective’s Handbook” sure did. For hilarious it is. The audience could hardly save…
It’s hard to be critical of non-professional productions, because they are the training ground for so many working in the industry. Certainly, newcomers should be congratulated for sticking out their proverbial necks and adding to Sydney’s ever-expanding theatrical quilt. But unfortunately, some productions just don’t work, no matter how much effort the creatives put in….
Let me set the scene. It’s about half way through the set, the comedian’s just had to deliver the punch-line of a joke for the third time; and now he’s offered to get a round in for the audience because an older Swiss-Aussie audience member told him he was making him thirsty. Presumably this was…
“Empowering through the arts.” That’s the motto of Melbourne based group the School of Hard Knocks, who aim to engage and encourage people through performance, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, boosting their confidence and offering them a place in a welcoming community. This year, the school’s International Singers Festival, already a success in Melbourne, will, for the first…
For more than twenty years, a locked wooden dresser sat ignored in the home of broadcaster and musician Joel Carnegie. When it was finally opened, a treasure trove belonging to Joel’s grandfather, swing musician Col Brain, was revealed. Now, in a unique event as part of Geelong After Dark, Joel, along with the Geelong West Brass…
In 2010, a family of green-skinned creatures crash landed at Woodford Folk Festival and, for the past six years, have been trying to get back in the air. After appearances at the Adelaide Fringe and Cairns Festival, Anywhere Festival has invited the Gremlins back to make another attempt at taking to the skies, and Brisbane…
2015 Auckland photographer of the year Ilan Wittenberg will present his latest portfolio Bare Truth as part of this year’s Head On Photo Festival, exhibiting his work in Sydney in late May. Photographed over a year, Wittenberg’s pieces feature striking monochrome portraits of a diverse selection of New Zealand men, all stripped to the waist. The men are made…
The Mars Project is the new work from writer Will O’Mahony and The Skeletal System, the team behind the acclaimed Great White. The Mars Project tells the story of Wren and Sam, Sister and Brother, detailing their diverging lives, as one tries to reach Mars and one struggles to speak – Sam has autism. The…
Amy Herzog’s Belleville had a critically acclaimed run Off-Broadway in 2013, and in Melbourne last year. Now, Mad March Hare have brought their production to the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo, which runs until May 12. Actor Chantelle Jamieson talked to me about the vibrancy of director Claudia Barrie, solving problems and her love of the…
Can a woman be a wingman? The Desperettes, a cabaret trio from Melbourne, are here to show us how we can apply the art of being a “wingman” to the modern woman, bringing their production A Lady’s Guide To The Art Of Being A Wingman to Melbourne’s The Butterfly Club for a May run, bending…
Trigger warning: This post includes information about rape and domestic violence and may be distressing for some readers. Vanessa de Largie makes no apologies. The former actress and feminist is now a successful author and sex blogger for The Huffington Post. Her writing is fierce, funny and honest with things like “The Blowjob Artist”, “The…
Joining The Australian Ballet‘s 2016 program is Stanton Welch‘s Romeo and Juliet, which will be presented by Houston Ballet. Debuting in Australia, and following a huge world premiere in 2015, this remake of the unmistakably beautiful love story will be coming to the Arts Centre Melbourne for an exclusive season performance. The Houston Ballet will be…
Melbourne’s threeOclock gallery will become home to a new exhibition this Mother’s Day, dubbed A Girl’s Place. Developed and curated by artist Kim de Kretser, the pop up gallery features art and galleries that explore social and environmental themes through installation art, film and public speaking sessions. The powerful new exhibition will be based around stories…
Three of Sydney’s largest cultural institutions, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia are curating a new city-wide exhibition to showcase and support Australian art. Taking place over a six year period, The National: New Australian Art will present three editions in 2017, 2019 and 2021, connecting…
Punk band, The Scavengers once sang about true love being beautiful. You could also say that Daffodils is a gorgeous romance story set in New Zealand where the aforementioned are from. The play is actually a Kiwi cabaret based on a real life love story between two teenagers, a farm girl named Rose and a…
Narrated fiction and non-fiction is nothing new, with spoken-word stories in forms ranging from radio to cassette tapes to digital existing for readers for decades. With the increase and ease of downloading digitally directly to smartphones or other digital devices, audiobooks are enjoying a resurgence in popularity. According to a survey of 1034 Australians over…
Actor David Koechner is perhaps best known as Champ King from Anchorman and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; or maybe as Todd Packer from The Office. But did you know he’s also an accomplished stand up performer? Despite his fairly prodigious filmography, Koechner has at least 60 films under his belt, and a pretty busy…
Melbourne ‘future soul’ quartet Hiatus Kaiyote are set to headline the Saturday night of the Perth International Jazz Festival when it returns for a fourth year this June. Over the first weekend in June, the festival presented in partnership with Brookfield, will see over 50 performances take place across multiple venues across the city; with…
From today the Anna Schwartz Gallery in Melbourne plays host to the first Australian exhibition of work by North Korean artist Kim Guang Nan. The exhibition titled The Future is Bright, curated by Doug Hall AM runs until the 21st May. Kim Guang Nan was born in 1953, a few months after the armistice of…
Comedy legend Billy Crystal, along with Gold Logie nominated television presenter Andrew Denton, will be touring the country in July and August. Best known for his roles in movies such as When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, and Analyze This, as well as his nine-time stint as Oscars host, Crystal will sit down in conversation with Denton…
Netflix fans rejoice! Dean Strang and Jerry Buting, defence attorneys on binge watch favourite Making A Murderer will visit Australia later this year, speaking to audiences across the country about the show and the American legal system. Australian fans are invited to watch and participate in a moderated discussion and Q&A session with the two lawyers, with five dates set…
Four of Perth’s independent theatre companies are getting together for a range of performances at the Subiaco Arts Centre Stage from the 8th of June to the 2nd of July. The 2016 festival (previously known as the Independent Theatre Festival) supports local artists and gives them the opportunity to showcase their works to a wider…
Singer songwriter Alice Night and composer Robert Davidson will be perfomring at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts for a night of live, theatrical music on April 29th. Alice Night will be performing her debut album, Culture How Could You?, questioning contemporary culture, strained love with integrity and dark hope. The ‘Artivist’ performance — a…
As the 30th Melbourne International Comedy Festival drew to a close, thoughts turned to the annual awards ceremony and the announcement of the recipient of the prestigious Barry. Named for festival patron and Aussie icon Barry Humphries, the award recognises the Most Outstanding Comedy Festival Show. The 2016 award went to Australian Zoe Coombs Marr, for her show Trigger Warning, making…
The April – July Season at Perth’s Blue Room Theatre kicked off last week with Renegade Productions’ Selkie the new work from writer Finn O’Branagáin, and directed by Joe Lui. Selkie is a contemporary reimagining of the old myth; stripped of the romanticism and whimsy; an exploration of the darker themes at play. I was…
A brilliant play that was highly commended at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival, The Events is now set to make it’s debut in Australia. The premiere will see Catherine McClements return to the Belvior Street stage, where she will be accompanied by Sydney’s community choirs to present a show intertwined with theatre and music. The Events has…
And you thought your family was bad. Meet the Blisses. Mother Judith (Heather Mitchell) is a retired stage actress, her husband David (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) is a novelist and their two grown children, Simon (Tom Conroy) and Sorel (Harriet Dyer) still live at home. Hay Fever opens with the siblings exchanging insults and generally talking around…
On a cold Wednesday night in Melbourne a small selection of ‘in the know’ theatre goers headed down to La Mama Theatre in Carlton, Melbourne for the opening night of esteemed Norwegian play Night Sings Its Songs. Patrons mingled in the outside courtyard, anticipation growing with every passing moment, wondering just what they were in…
