6th – 13th September at the Malthouse Theatre!

EN TRANCE

AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 13 2009 at THE C.U.B. MALTHOUSE, TOWER THEATRE

Prices: $22.50 – $28.50

Presented by MALTHOUSE THEATRE

CREATED AND PERFORMED BY YUMI UMIUMARE
DRAMATURGE MOIRA FINUCANE
MEDIA ARTIST BAMBANG NURCAHYADI
INSTALLATION ARTIST NAOMI OTA
SOUND DESIGNER IAN KITNEY
COSTUME DESIGNER DAVID ANDERSON
LIGHTING DESIGNER KERRY IRELAND

From her many performances of The Burlesque Hour around the globe, to Malthouse Theatre’s very own presentation of DasShoku Hora!!, Yumi Umiumare’s electrifying performance style is in demand the world over.

In this bold new work, Umiumare is set to detonate her extraordinary vision from the international to the other-worldy as she thrusts us into the twisted corridors of the un-living. At times brutally visceral, the performance is counterbalanced with the purity of digital painting produced live with her collaborating artists, Bambang Nurcahyadi and Naomi Ota.

EnTrance extends even further Umiumare’s diverse dance vocabulary, plummeting into the cracks where the spirit and the body are propelled into another existence. Umiumare takes us from unsettling moments of physical extremity to magical images of reflective serenity.

Link to my EVENTS CALENDAR for specific date and time for this event.

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ONE NIGHT THE MOON

SEPTEMBER 11 – OCTOBER 3 2009 at THE C.U.B. MALTHOUSE, MERLYN THEATRE.

Prices: $22.50 – $42.50

Presented by MALTHOUSE THEATRE

ADAPTED BY JOHN ROMERIL
FROM AN ORIGINAL FILM BY KEV CARMODY, MAIREAD HANNAN, PAUL KELLY, RACHEL PERKINS
& JOHN ROMERIL
DIRECTOR WESLEY ENOCH
COMPOSERS KEV CARMODY, MAIREAD HANNAN, PAUL KELLY
MUSICAL DIRECTOR MAIREAD HANNAN
SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER ANNA CORDINGLEY
LIGHTING DESIGNER NIKLAS PAJANTI
SOUND DESIGNER KELLY RYALL
DRAMATURGE MARYANNE LYNCH

CAST
NATALIE O’DONNELL
KIRK PAGE
MARK SEYMOUR
URSULA YOVICH

WITH MUSIC PERFORMED LIVE BY
DEIRDRE HANNAN, MAIREAD HANNAN, BEN HENDRY, NICK TSIAVOS, RENS VAN DER ZALM

One evening in 1932 a young girl climbed from the window of her outback home and wandered off in search of the moon. Her grief- stricken parents searched the landscape in vain, but small-minded bigotry kept them from turning to the one man who could retrace the footsteps of this child, snatched up by the night.

One Night the Moon, the true story of Aboriginal tracker Sergeant Alexander Riley, first soared onto the big screen in 2001 to win AFI Awards for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. The film, directed by Rachel Perkins and featuring Paul Kelly, who co-wrote the songs with Kev Carmody and Mairead Hannan, became a cult classic. Tales of the outback swallowing up young innocents have long served white Australia’s fear of the land. One Night The Moon crystallises the perils of a society trapped by its twin fears of a bedevilled landscape and its unholy prejudice.

Now, in this Malthouse Theatre commission, original screen co-writer, John Romeril, and director, Wesley Enoch (Black Medea, Yibiyung) have created a bold and evocative stage adaptation of this landmark work. Mark Seymour, of Hunters and Collectors fame, Kirk Page (Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Bangarra Dance Theatre), Natalie O’Donnell (Mamma Mia!) and Ursula Yovich (Australia) will be accompanied by a live ensemble to realise this powerful story of loss and redemption.

Link to my EVENTS CALENDAR for specific date and time for this event.

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6th – 13th September at the MTC Theatre!

Rockabye

by Joanna Murray-Smith

Dates: 8 August 2009 – 20 September 2009

Venue: MTC Theatre, Sumner Theatre

Price:  $30 – $75.10

‘Murray-Smith has Oscar Wilde’s gift for one-liners.’ – Daily Mail

Sidney Jones was – briefly – a pop sensation in the 1980’s. Now, she’s forty, facing bankruptcy and heading towards pop oblivion. But armed with a promising new album and a household of flunkies, including her toy-boy, personal assistant and desparate manager, Sidney thinks she has one last chance at A-list glory … but she’s also attempting to adopt a baby from Africa to fulfil her passionate desire for motherhood.

Baby hunger. Returning to the feisty mood of her hit The Female of the Species, Joanna Murray-Smith in Rockabye gives our self-involved, celebrity-obsessed culture a satirical duff-up.

Cast
Kate Atkinson
Betty Bobbitt
Daniel Frederiksen
Zahra Newman
Richard Piper
Nicki Wendt
Pacharo Mzembe

Creative
Director – Simon Phillips
Set Designer – Brian Thomson
Lighting Designer – Philip Lethlean
Costume Designer – Esther Marie Hayes
Composer/Sound Designer – Peter Farnan

Link to my Event Calendar for Specific dates and time.

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The Colours

Date: 26 August 2009 – 12 September 2009

Venue: MTC Theatre, Lawler Studio.

Prices: $20 – $35

written and performed by Peter Houghton

‘Houghton is pure theatrical genius and the funniest man alive’ – Joanna Murray-Smith

1946. Darkest Africa. Colour Sergeant Atkins – British Army – has been left to guard the barracks … alone. It’s time to pull down the flag (his beloved Colours) and the natives are getting restless for independence – but Atkins has other ideas!

From the creators of the award winning hit comedy The Pitch, comes a comic tale of one soldier’s steadfast refusal to accept change in a world that no longer wants him.

Cast

Peter Houghton

Creative

Director – Anne Browning

Set & Costume Designer – Shaun Gurton

Lighting Designer – Richard Vabre

Composer – David Chesworth

Testimonials for ‘The Pitch’
‘A perfectly observed, fast, furious, hip and hilarious bird’s eye view of the film industry. He’s pure theatrical genius and the funniest man alive.’– Joanna Murray-Smith, Playwright, author of Honour, Female of the Species, Rockabye

‘The Pitch is one of the cleverest and most entertaining pieces of theatre I have seen in years.’ – Julian Burnside QC

‘If I were Prime Minister Peter Houghton would have his own national TV series. The man is a comic genius.’ – Hannie Rayson, Playwright, author of Hotel Sorrento, Life After George, Inheritance

Reviews for ‘The Pitch’

Sell your granny to get a ticket – The West Australian

… stuffed full of running gags, one liners and great physical comedy. Houghton’s performance is a tour de force of acting technique… sure to be a sell out hit. – The Age

‘In it’s glorious entirety this play is and absolute treat’ – Skinny Mag UK

• To download the media release click here.
• Testimonials for ‘The Pitch’
  ‘A perfectly observed, fast, furious, hip and hilarious bird’s eye view of the film industry. He’s pure theatrical genius and the funniest man alive.’– Joanna Murray-Smith, Playwright, author of Honour, Female of the Species, Rockabye ‘The Pitch is one of the cleverest and most entertaining pieces of theatre I have seen in years.’ – Julian Burnside QC ‘If I were Prime Minister Peter Houghton would have his own national TV series. The man is a comic genius.’ – Hannie Rayson, Playwright, author of Hotel Sorrento, Life After George, Inheritance

  Reviews for ‘The Pitch’
  Sell your granny to get a ticket – The West Australian … stuffed full of running gags, one liners and great physical comedy. Houghton’s performance is a tour de force of acting technique… sure to be a sell out hit. – The Age

  ‘In it’s glorious entirety this play is and absolute treat’ – Skinny Mag UK

Warning: The Colours contains occasional coarse language and smoke effect

Link to my Event Calendar for Specific dates and time.

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A Streetcar Named Desire

Tennessee Williams

Date: 3 – 11 September 2009

Venue: MTC Theatre, Sumner Theatre

Duration: 90 Minutes

Prices: Metropolitan school groups: $21 per student
Non-metropolitan school groups: $18 per student
Accompanying teachers: No charge (one teacher per ten students)

Four actors and a director present key scenes from Williams’s tragic play about a fragile Southern belle, who is faced with the brutal realities of life when she loses her Mississippi home and goes to stay with her sister and working-class brother-in-law in New Orleans.

Commentary is incorporated throughout the presentation to discuss the major ideas and arguments offered by the text, and to highlight the structures and features employed by Williams. The director and cast will explore the style and tone of the language, the different points of view of the characters and the imagery used, both in the dialogue and the accompanying stage notes.

Curriculum link:

VCE English Units 3 & 4, Text list 2
Context: Whose Reality?
Also recommended for VCE Theatre Studies and Drama students

Cast: Jay Bowen, Georgina Capper, Stephen Phillips, Katherine Tonkin

Director: Brett Adam

Link to my Event Calendar for Specific dates and time.

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6th – 13th September at the Melbourne Recital Centre!

Holy Melbourne Concert

6 September 2009, 7pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

Presented by Harmony Foundation Victoria.

ARTISTS

Andrew Wailes, Musical Director

Tye Brothers, Didgeridoo

Niggun Collective Directed by Moshe Feiglin, Shofar, Mandolin, Banjo, Harmonica, Guitar, Drum

Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir, Directed by Andrea Khoza

Australian Chinese Music Ensemble lead by Dr Wang Zheng-Ting., Sheng, Erhu, Dizi

Khalil Gudaz, Sitar, Tabla and Tempura

Dya Singh, Harmonium and Tabla

PROGRAM

River People in Canoes Bring Peace –  Koori songline
Shine On Me, One Morning Soon, All Night All Day –  gospels
Avinu Malkenu, Keli Atoh, Niggun Rosh Chodesh –  Jewish sacred songs
Taoist instrumental music –
Don’t Disappear –  lyrics by Rumi, Afghani Muslim song
Dham Mast –  traditional Indian Sikh music
Unity ending with public participation. Bring Your Own Bell! –

Multimedia

Bring a bell! A unique annual showcase of sacred/spiritual music, using rare traditional instruments and Federation bells. Audience participation: unity song and bells. Features Gospel, Jewish Nigguns, Afghani and Koori songs, Indian and Chinese music. Andrea Khoza is an acclaimed choir director, singer, songwriter, vocal teacher and workshop tutor. She currently directs the 300 voice Melbourne Millenium Chorus and has previously directed the Woodford Fire Event Choir, Melbourne Schools Sing For Water 500 voice children’s choir and the Boite Schools Chorus. Her particular interest and skill is in the vocal music of South Africa. She has travelled extensively in South African working with schools and communities. Andrea founded and sings with the internationally awarded acapella group Akasa and has collaborated with many of Australia’s top musicians, including masters Bob Sedergreen and Alex Pertout. 1 hour 30 mins concert duration (no interval)

Prices: Adults $20 ($10 concession) Children $5Watch Khalil Gudaz Watch the Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir Watch the Niggun Collective
performers external links Dya Singh Australian Chinese Music Ensemble Andrew Wailes Holy Melbourne Website

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Mendelssohn Concert

9 September 2009, 6pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Salon.

Presented by Melbourne Recital Centre.

ARTISTS

Zoë Knighton, Cello

Amir Farid, Piano

PROGRAM

MENDELSSOHN –  Variations concertantes Op 17
MENDELSSOHN –  Sonata I in B flat major Op 45
MENDELSSOHN –  Sonata II in D major Op 58

Considered one of the most popular composers of the Romantic period, Felix Mendelssohn’s body of work includes symphonies, concerti, oratorios, piano and chamber music. This year marks the bicentenary of his birth in Germany in 1809. This concert includes a sample of his cello works performed by two local rising young stars. Zoë is the cellist with Flinders Quartet and Amir won the prestigious 2006 Australian National Piano Award; together they perform a selection of Mendelssohn’s great music for cello 1 hour concert duration (no interval) Tickets $30 ($20 concession)

Prices: $20 – $30

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Unquiet Hearts 1

10 September 2009, 8pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

Presented by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

ARTISTS

Thomas Zehetmair, conductor/violin

Ruth Killius, viola

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN –  Coriolan: Overture
MOZART –  Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, K.364
BRAHMS –  Symphony No.3

The image of Brahms as the composer of autumnal splendour is shattered by his third symphony, a work that is as rich in melancholy as it is in musical splendour. Brahms had a scholars’ knowledge about the music of the past, and a profound reverence for the music of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart’s greatest string concerto, arguably, is this magnificently varied work featuring the string instrument he most enjoyed playing, the viola. The richness of Mozart’s orchestral imagination works at full power throughout, with the central adagio achieving a pathos almost operatic in intensity. Like his opera Fidelio, the music Beethoven created for the spoken theatre speaks deeply of his commitment to liberty and freedom. Coriolan tells of a Roman general who sacrificed his life to bring peace to his countrymen. Beethoven’s powerful overture is the essence of dramatic conflict in music.

Prices: $70 -$120

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Unquiet Hearts 2

12 September 2009, 6.30pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

Presented by Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

ARTISTS

Thomas Zehetmair, conductor/violin

Ruth Killius, viola

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

PROGRAM

BEETHOVEN –  Coriolan: Overture
MOZART –  Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, K.364
BRAHMS –  Symphony No.3

The image of Brahms as the composer of autumnal splendour is shattered by his third symphony, a work that is as rich in melancholy as it is in musical splendour. Brahms had a scholars’ knowledge about the music of the past, and a profound reverence for the music of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart’s greatest string concerto, arguably, is this magnificently varied work featuring the string instrument he most enjoyed playing, the viola. The richness of Mozart’s orchestral imagination works at full power throughout, with the central adagio achieving a pathos almost operatic in intensity. Like his opera Fidelio, the music Beethoven created for the spoken theatre speaks deeply of his commitment to liberty and freedom. Coriolan tells of a Roman general who sacrificed his life to bring peace to his countrymen. Beethoven’s powerful overture is the essence of dramatic conflict in music.

Prices: $70 – $120

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L’AMOUR

13 September 2009 at 3pm & 7.30pm at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall.

ARTISTS

Dr Jonathon Welch AM, Founding Music Director and Conductor

THECHO!R

PROGRAM

THECHO!R is Melbourne’s newest and most exciting non-auditioned symphonic pop choir for adults. In their first major public performance, “L’amour” is a glorious celebration in music of the love of singing, dancing, life, love and even coffee! Featuring spectacular choral arrangements of some of the best loved songs from the past 5 decades THECHO!R’s first magical performance in the magnificent surrounds of the Melbourne Recital Centre will feature the music of U2, Beatles, ABBA, Bacharach, Mommas and the Poppas, Rodgers and Hammerstein and the Seekers.

Prices: $15 – $30

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