Sunday Arts Magazine

You’re invited to Jim & Barb’s golden wedding anniversary!

After 50 years of marriage, these Baby Boomers from Balwyn annoy one another so much… they literally want to kill each other. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg is on the TV telling them that the world is on fire and it’s all their fault.

Their comedic dissent into the disappointing abyss of unfulfilled dreams and a mounting fear of ‘what’s outside’ is layered with precision timing, nonsensical absurdity and deadpan delivery.

Multi award-winning creators of Die Roten Punkte, Clare Bartholomew and Daniel Tobias are back with a brand new murderously funny physical farce.

Think Beckett meets Wallace and Grommit.

Since 2006, Clare Bartholomew and Daniel Tobias have been touring their award-winning, irreverent brand of theatre and comedy-cabaret to North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. Together they’ve been nominated for thirteen Greenroom Awards, winning 3 of them, and nominated for a Time Out & Soho Theatre Award and a Total Theatre Award in Edinburgh.

MIFF Summer Residency: Australia’s leading film festival lands at Bunjil Place

Friday 5 – Sunday 21 February 2021

Showcasing innovative international and Australian films since 1952, the Melbourne International Film Festival

(MIFF) will be taking over the Plaza at Bunjil Place from Friday 5 – Sunday 21 February for a month of outdoor cinematic

experiences for the local community, families and movie buffs to enjoy this summer.

Tickets are $10, which includes a redeemable item at the candy bar upon arrival. The Plaza brings with it plenty of food

and beverage options available during screenings, and punters can bring their own picnic spread for the perfect night

out under the big screen.

To wrap up MIFF’s summer residency and celebrate the PHOTO 2021 Festival, Bunjil Place will host a special closing

night event called Double Bill – PHOTO 2021 & MIFF on Sunday 21 February to take place before the evening’s showing

of NEON (film still pictured right).

Beginning at 4pm, the night kicks off with The 13 Most Beautiful…

Songs for Andy Warhol Screen Tests, a selection of the hundreds of

screen tests Warhol shot in the 1960s set to a haunting soundtrack

by Dean and Britta. As an appreciation for the iconic video series,

Bunjil Place invites the community to submit their own three minute

‘screen test’ video online, that will be a part of a special presentation

of community screen tests played on the big screen.

Bunjil Place will edit all submissions by applying the same filming

techniques as Warhol did during the series he developed at the

factory in the 1960s. And all video works will be accompanied with a

live music score performed by synth-pop trio Video Video comprised

of Matt Doll (The Mavis’s), Byron St John and Matt Sigley.

The unique Double Bill experience is a finale event not to be missed, and submissions for screen tests must be done

online here and close on Friday 12 February.

The MIFF Summer Residency features MIFF 2020 top picks, live music, a selection of shorts packages and feature

films, including:

Family shorts package

Friday 5 February, 5.00pm-6.30pm

From Ethiopia to Colombia, and weaving through the lands of this very continent, experience tales about ancient

stones, connection to country, and the mesmerising tricks of hula hooping teens. Families will enjoy a selection of

seven award-winning and internationally acclaimed shorts. View the full line-up of family shorts here.

H – is for Happiness (PG)

Friday 5 February, 6.30pm–8.10pm

Miriam Margolyes, Emma Booth, Richard Roxburgh, Deborah Mailman and Joel Jackson star in this delightful

adaptation of the award-winning YA novel My Life as an Alphabet.

Live performance by Alejandro Aguanta and Jungle (M)

Sunday 7 February, 5.30pm–8.00pm

Warm up to the evening’s film screening of Jungle (film still pictured) with a live music performance by Bolivian artist

Alejandro Aguanta beforehand from 5.30pm-6.00pm. In Jungle, Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe joins Wolf Creek director

Greg McLean in the Bolivian rainforest for a gloriously tense survival thriller based on the bestselling real-life story of

adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg.

Live performance by Arugula and The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (M)

Sunday 14 February, 5.30pm–8.00pm

Enjoy the beautiful live music of Arugula from 5.30pm-6.30pm before diving deep into the evening’s film of The Death

and Lift of Otto Bloom. Experiencing his life in reverse, Otto Bloom passes through time backwards while remembering

the future. Is he a psychic, a time traveller, a madman or living proof of Einstein’s theory of relativity? A Valentine’s Day

special of an impossible love story through the fabric of time,

Jack and Millie

Written by Alaine Beek

Directed by Nigel Sutton

17 – 27 February, 2021

Saltwater Community Centre Amphitheatre – 153 Saltwater Promenade, Point Cook

Premiering this February, much lauded writer Alaine Beek shares a witty, gritty and important new Australian work based on her personal experience of traversing the mental challenges and funny moments of a cancer diagnosis. Complete with lashings of laughter, Jack and Millie brings together Beek, Phil Cameron-Smith, Green Room Award-winner Jennifer Vuletic and Director Nigel Suttonin the Saltwater Community Centre Amphitheatre to celebrate life, love, and the return of live theatre to Victorian stages and spaces.

Centring on Millie, a fifty-something professional at the peak of her career, Jack and Millie explores how quickly a life can unravel with an unexpected cancer diagnosis. We all respond differently to life changing moments and Millie deals with her shocking news by creating an imaginary friend; Jack. Someone to help her make sense of a world that has been completely turned upside down.

“A good friend asked me how I had remained so positive during my time with breast cancer and I told him I’d given my cancer a name; Jack. And that throughout that time it was like having a problematic, yet oddly comforting, friend sitting on my shoulder.”, explains Writer/Actor Alaine Beek.

A bold new Australian feature film – THE FLOOD comes with an equally bold original motion picture soundtrack by Melbourne based composer Petra Salsjö .

 

The films producer/director Victoria Warfe McIntyre commissioned Petra to do the score knowing the depth of her capabilities as a composer to delve and deliver a striking score to match the impactful content of picture. What proved to  be the greatest challenge for Petra was creating the performances required in the recording process to connect with the power of the story and the performances on screen.

 

Much of what you hear on the soundtrack was created by Petra herself playing piano, vocals and percussion.

Salsjö also enlisted the support of musicians Nicolas Lyon on violin and viola, Nicola Eveleigh on flute, Cameron McKenzie on guitars & bass as well as Petra’s son Roman Knights on viola and keyboards.

 

The result is a soundtrack that can equally be enjoyed as a rollercoaster listening experience as well as being interwoven into the films narrative.

 

The Flood is Petra Salsjö’s first full feature score. Prior to this Petra has done original scores for several short films – gaining notice and awards for her work in particular with the award winning short films ‘The Telegram Man’  and ‘Miro’.

Petra studied improvisation at The Victorian College of Arts (with first class honours), completed Post Graduate Studies in Screen Music at AFTRS, Composition (Melbourne University 2014) and attended the Verbier Music Summer Festival Academy in Switzerland.

 

Petra was born in Sweden and migrated to Australia where she has been resident most of her life since. Apart from her screen music work Petra has composed songs, short piano works and music for interdisciplinary projects.

Petra is also on the board of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.

 

The Flood, Victoria Warfe McIntyre’s debut feature about a female heroine exacting revenge on an unjust Australia, will begin a theatrical release in multiple cinemas in NSW, Victoria and South Australia from January 14th after a successful series of Q & A screenings in December and positive reviews.

Jack Howard is probably best known for his role as Hunters & Collectors’ trumpet man but he has

done so much more over the years and in September 2020, he’s releasing his musical memoirs,

Small Moments Of Glory through Brolga Publishing, to tell us all about it. The book tells an

insightful and illuminating tale of Jack’s lifelong musical journey – from his early classical music

days through the heady days of H & C success; and from his solo career to his work with acts

like Rodriguez, The Living End and Midnight Oil. Authentic, self-deprecating and darkly

humorous, Small Moments Of Glory will take you inside the mind and the music of one of

Australia’s most distinctive voices.

The CD, Dog Songs, is a “best of” Jack’s Dog’s Bar residency with his mighty band of Long Lost

Brothers – and sisters. It features some powerful new songs like Reason To Believe and Melbourne

plus ripper versions of some of Jack’s great older tunes like Let Me Live and City Lights. The band

features some of Melbourne’s finest in absolutely stellar form – Ed Bates on pedal steel guitar,

Nick Del Rey on guitar, Cal McAlpine on drums, Rob Walker on bass, Fiona Lee Maynard on

backing vocals and percussion; and Amy Valent Curlis on percussion. Production from Craig

Harnath at Hothouse Audio captures the band’s live energy and power without sacrificing the rich

warmth and depth of a studio recording.

Stephen talks to the team about films.

Melbourne Opera commences

Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle with

Das Rheingold

3, 5, 7 February

The Regent Theatre

191 Collins St, Melbourne

Following a string of major Wagnerian successes (Rienzi, Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, The Flying Dutchman), Melbourne Opera is thrilled to present the pinnacle of operatic excellence, indulgence and excess – Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

Commencing with the first of the Ring’s four operas, Das Rheingold, the company will stage the following three operas progressively over the next three years, culminating with a multi million dollar performance of Wagner’s full Ring Cycle, in 2023. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster, with bookings available online, or via phone 136 100.

“As Melbourne Opera’s productions of Wagner’s sublime work continue to receive acclaim, we couldn’t be more proud to be taking on The Ring. This is the first independent and unsubsidised Ring mounted in Australia since 1913. Melbourne Opera receives no government funding and we are very grateful to our generous sponsors for making this possible,” says Melbourne Opera’s Founding Patron Lady Primrose Potter AC, CMRI.

Mounting a production of Wagner’s epic Der Ring des Nibelungen is regarded as the height of any opera company’s achievement and Melbourne Opera is particularly proud to be mounting four new productions of the epic Ring operas, in addition to a performance of the full Ring Cycle, with an all Australian cast and creative team.

“Given the current problems facing the industry this is a very significant announcement for Victoria. More than 140 Victorian singers, musicians, creatives and technicians will be employed in the production and we can’t wait to see the beloved Regent Theatre spring back to life after months of darkness and lockdown,” says company director Greg Hocking.

The production will be the first major show back on in Melbourne after the lockdown and will feature the beautifully renovated Regent Theatre with appropriate audience social distancing.There is an 80 piece orchestra (including 7 harps) spilling into the front stalls which will also meet social distancing requirements.

He is back for 2021…….. Rohan talks to David and Neil about all the arts gossip.

David and Neil take a tour through this year’s Photo 2021 with Elias Redstone (Artistic Director), Ann Shelton, Jesse Boyd Reid and Amos Gebhart.

For more than 90 years, Melbourne summers have been punctuated by the MSO’s annual free concert series. Join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as they return to play their first city concerts in 10 months across three colourful and vibrant programs, celebrating Australian musicians and music.

Opening the free series is The Faun and The Firebird on Saturday 29 January featuring the soaring music of Debussy, Stravinsky and Australian composer Ross Edwards. Conductor Dane Lam leads the Orchestra with oboe soloist Shefali Pryor performing in Edwards’ mesmerising work Bird Spirit Dreaming.

On Saturday 6 February, the MSO celebrates movement in music across the ages in Mambo! Dancing across the centuries with a program filled with dance music! Experience Paul Stanhope’s Dancing on Clouds and Joe Chindamo’s Concerto for Drumkit and Orchestra featuring David Jones alongside works by Rameau and de Falla, and Bernstein’s legendary Symphonic Dances, conducted by Benjamin Bayl. Melbourne Youth Orchestras will start the show with a special Saturday night curtain-raising performance!

Spanish Harlem is the final event in the series on Wednesday 10 February, and is certainly a concert for cool cats and symphony slickers with conductor Ben Northey at the helm! Duke Ellington’s Harlem will set the scene, followed by Ravel’s Piano Concerto featuring Timothy Young and then Melbourne bandleader Vanessa Perica will step into the spotlight for the world premiere of her Symphonic Suite – Love is a Temporary Madness.