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Showing posts with label What's on Sydney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What's on Sydney. Show all posts

Wednesday 14 December 2011

New Year's Eve 2011



 New Year's Eve In Sydney

New Year's Eve in Sydney is the highlight of the Year, what are you going to do? If you still have no idea here are our suggestions for this year.

Public transport is the best way to travel. Visit the 131500 website for details of how to get into the city.

The Fireworks and the Harbour

Every year there is a theme to the night, this year it is Time to Dream. Marc Newson designed this year's theme and logo. The theme encapsulates Sydneysiders' hopes and aspirations and at the stroke of midnight the canvas will be bare, what will you dream of for 2012? A four colours endless rainbow logo represents the broad range of people from different cultures and backgrounds. The rainbow includes violet to represent community, peace, social stability and connectedness; blue to symbolise the harbour, sky and future aspirations; green for the environment, nurturing and growing; and yellow, which epitomises optimism, happiness and a sunny attitude.
The official charity of 2011 Sydney New Year’s Eve is CARE Australia, an international humanitarian aid organisation defending dignity and fighting global poverty. www.care.org.au
Line up -
6pm - Pre-show entertainment
8pm - Acknowledgement of country
9pm - Family Fireworks
9:15pm - 11:30pm - Harbour of Light Parade
12am - Fireworks

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Interview with Sarah Giles, director of The Ugly One

Hear an amazing insight into The Ugly One. Sarah is an accomplished director, you will want to see this production after hearing this interview.

Click here to listen

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

Interview with Julia Baar

Julia is a very talented young Irish dancer. She has been competing for many years. Currently ranked 40th in the world for her age, she hopes to improve her ranking at the World Championships in March.

Find out more, listen here 

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

Friday 2 December 2011

An Interview with Donte

Listen to a great interview with Donte (Comedy in the Raw), why did he come to Australia? What shows are happening? Why is he organising a Dance-a-thon, that's not comedy? Find out the answers to all these and more ...

Click to Listen

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

An Interview with Zizi Charinda

Listen to Zizi from the Benevolent Society give an insight into the tours and why they run them. This is a fascinating interview and it certainly makes you want to book a tour, possibly even your own private group tour.

Click here to listen

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Interview with Bernadette Summers organiser of the Coogee Family Fun Day

Bernadette has been organising the Coogee Family Fun Day for 16 years. Hear how it has grown over the years and why she started it. Bernadette was interviewed on the radio The Hubbub on Triple H 100.1 fm.

Click here to listen

(please note the link will become inactive in about 3 months time, call 02 99403649 if you would like to listen)

Radio interviews with Stephen from the Organic Food Markets

Listen to one of this week's interviews from The Hubbub show on Triple H 100.1fm. Stephen and Elizabeth started the Organic Farmers Markets almost 20 years ago. Here how they started and how they have changed over the years.


Click here to listen

Gasping by Ben Elton

Gasping is playing at the New Theatre until 10 December. It is directed by the very talented Helen Tonkin.
It is an amazing production and if you have the pre-Christmas blues you should see it, as it will have you giggling for a full hour or so. Ben Elton is a very talented writer most of you will know him for Blackadder and The Young Ones. However, what he writes is not easy on the actors and Alan Faulkner who plays Sir Chifley Lockheart and Oliver Wenn who plays Philip both have very challenging roles, both played the parts extremely well; all the actors did.
Ben wrote this play many years ago but the topic is still very relevant today and sadly will be for many years to come. Basically it is about company greed. Sir Chifley Lockheart is the owner of the Lockheart empire, very rich, but wants more! He is looking for the next 'pot noodle', something that nobody has thought of yet; but is simple and everyone will want it. "Hold all my calls I think we have a Pot Noodle in the building!" Yes, Philip (one of Sir Chifley Lockhearts yes men) comes in with the idea - Suck and Blow. The machine that cleans and stores oxygen so you never  have to breathe second hand air again. Julia Kennedy Scott plays Kirsten the marketing expert. She pulls together a series of campaigns that launches Suck and Blow onto the market. For anybody into advertising you will particularly enjoy her scenes. Of course it all gets out of control and before you know it air is being sucked from Africa and burnt off in England to keep the prices inflated. Bob Geldof is running Air Aid to help the people in Africa who have no air, yes it is all very clever and really brings to the fore what a mad world we live in.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Interview with Dominique Matus from Capoeira Angola

Listen to this amazing interview with Dominique Matus learn all about Capoeira Angola and the 5th International Encounter. The interview took place on The Hubbub on Triple H 100.1 fm between Dominique and Philippa Bird from What's on Sydney.

Radio Interview with Sam Atwell

Sam Atwell is the writer and director of Bondi Dreaming. Originally written in 2008 hear how it has changed. Bondi Dreaming is currently playing at Bondi Pavilion Theatre.
Hear Sam's interview from The Hubbub recorded on Triple H 100.1 fm with Philippa Bird from What's on Sydney.

Radio Interview with Nick Coyle

Nick Coyle is one of three actors performing at the State Library of NSW in Acting on Ink. Nick has an established career in writing and directing and is a co-founder of Pig Island.

Listen to what Nick had to say on The Hubbub on Triple H 100.1fm interviewed by Philippa Bird, What's on Sydney

Friday 11 November 2011

Interview with Helen Tonkin

Helen Tonkin is currently directing Gasping by Ben Elton. It opens at the New Theatre on 16 November.
Helen has had an extensive acting career as well as being a director. Hear which she prefers and what Gasping is all about.
The interview was recorded on Triple H 100.1fm on The Hubbub, hosted by Philippa Bird

Click here to listen

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Radio interview with Cale Bain

7 November 2011 on The Hubbub Triple H 100.1fm, Cale Bain producer of this years Cranston Cup. What is it? And what is Theatresports?

Click here to listen

Warning: Explicit Material by Geoffrey Atherden

First up, this has to be the most intellectual play I have seen this year. You can tell it is written by an award winning writer.  This is a world premiere and I wouldn't be at all surprised it if doesn't go on to win many international prizes.  It has to tick all the boxes of what makes an outstanding play and one that I believe will stand the test of time. It is funny, it is shocking, it is entertaining but most of all you go out knowing perhaps a little more about art and humanity, even questioning your own beliefs.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Sam Simmons - the Precise History of Things

What makes a good comedian?

Funny? Check.

Truthful and observant? Check.

A little toilet humour? Check. (An oldie but a goodie).

How about one who begins by lecturing you on the rules of the show; namely, no ‘yellow’, no running with scissors and no looking like flight centre attendants; and who ends by forcing you to query the never-ending meaninglessness of this somewhat existential life?

Throw in some unnerving audience participation, sound effects, talking Llamas, lonely pinecones and most importantly – a chubby bald man wearing (rather short) pyjamas and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, and you have Sam Simmons – The Precise History of Things.

I placed a lot of trust in this bald, sweaty, cursing man as he repeatedly told us there was a point to his random yelling, abnormal props and sing-songs. He asked us to bear with him and that it would all make sense in the end.

And it did.

My thoughts varied from wondering why so many people were laughing at his crude, nonsensical humour when I was about to walk out (no, I probably wouldn’t have for fear he would make a scene!), to cheering, clapping and praising this man – not because he was finished – but because he had me pondering the meaning of 45 minutes of self deprecation, brilliant facial spasms, musings and a shopping trolley full of groceries. And I got it!

Watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

Well, that’s not entirely true, but you won’t leave feeling disappointed by the performance or cheated out of $30 and that’s the most important thing.

Reviewed by Lana Hilton http://thefirsttimer.com

Friday 28 October 2011

Short Stack

It was very amusing going to the launch of the Short Stack documentary about their rise to musical stardom. Being old enough to be their mum, almost ..... maybe! Being surrounded by young girls, screaming their lungs out was an experience I don't wish to repeat too often.  I admit, I didn't really know too much about them, though I had heard their music. I have since come to understand that 1. they don't have many boy fans and 2. girls seem to love them or hate them.  I have to say that if you hate them, I don't believe you. To hate something, to really hate something you have to know them. You might not like their music or the way they look, but to say you hate them is .... just wrong.
I was very impressed with their story, they proved that even in the music industry, if you believe in what you are doing, you are passionate about it and you never give up, you will get there.  Their passion for the music and their commitment to their fans really came through on the film, plus just how hard they worked. (I think they need a long holiday I was exhausted for them)  I was also glad that they stayed as true to themselves as they could. They didn't give out to the pressure of others, though it did seem like the media did have some influence over the way they looked.  It is a great film, even us oldies enjoyed it. Three young lads having the times of their lives, making some great music and making people happy what was there not to like about it?
So to Short Stack congratulations, keep having fun, keep true to your beliefs and keep making us smile!

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Mum's In Stories from Razorhurst

Mum's In is written and performed by Vashti Hughes.
It tells the stories of Kate Leigh, Tilly Devine, Frank Green, Nellie Cameron and Guido Caletti. Blood is spilled right from the start with the death of Guido Caletti followed by the preparation for the funeral and wake. The fighting between Tilly and Kate continues!
If you have been watching Underbelly Razor you will already know the characters and the stories very well.
Vashti gives the show a powerful performance and encourages the audience to join in. Vashti plays all the characters which does prove she is a talented performer and writer; though song writing I would say is not her strongest skill.  From the audience point of view I would have preferred maybe one other actor and a few more props and costume, the odd hat (there was one in the second half) and feather boa would have done. Perhaps I missed the point, but the venue and all the staff looked superb. After the show the bar was raided which was an excellent end.
Many of the audience were in costume and for something fun to do with a few friends it would be a great night out.

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None

Bump in Productions bring their third murder mystery to the Zenith Theatre in Chatswood.  And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel, of course it has been renamed from the original title Ten Little Niggers, for obvious reasons. The novel has sold 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery.
The play is about 10 people who are brought to an island by a mystery guest who isn't there. On the wall is a poem about ten little soldiers and how each of them, one by one die until there were none! Of course all the guests start dying one by one as in the poem and the guests get more and more anxious about their own destiny.   The guests are typical middle class Brits, in the 1940's who are trying to better themselves and live the life of their dreams. Each of them have skeletons in the closet which they would rather leave there.
This production was clean and fluid. All the actors played out there part.  The staging is simple but effective though I did feel that the stage was too spacious for some parts of the play. My only other criticism was that is didn't seem tense enough.  I remember the first time I saw it on stage I must have been in my late teens and it was scary, so much so that my younger cousins and sister couldn't sleep.
However, it was great to see an Agatha Christie, it has stood the test of time very well.

This production is playing until 29 October, so book now to see a great classic.

Monday 24 October 2011

This Year's Ashes by Jane Bodie

This Year's Ashes is a funny play but has a underlying sadness.

There are rules in this city
Never bring them back to your place
Never more than three shags
Never tell them your real name
Never mention the cricket Never (ever) cry


Ellen (Belinda Bromillow) lives alone and generally is going through a difficult time. She isn't happy at work, she is drinking and sleeping with strangers.  Ellen spends most nights propping up bars, drinking alone to the point for numbness, so when she awakes in the morning she has no idea who is in the bed with her, nor does she care.
She returns home to her Elizabeth Bay flat to find her father who has been missing for a couple of years. It is the Ashes and he has returned to listen to it on the radio as they did it the past.
The scenes with her father are touching and sensitive bringing the past and present together.  Ellen gives him a comical speech about everything that she hates about Sydney. He (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) gives Ellen a run down of the out and in rules of cricket. This was very cleverly written and if Tony did make a mistake you would never know!  This is in contrast to the 'morning after' scenes which are very awkward, amusing and a little tense with Nathan Lovejoy. Nathan's part is very amusing, he is the typical bumbling man who knows what has happened and is slightly embarrassed. He would like her to stay and as she isn't talking he fills in the dead air with anything that falls out of his month. The scene with the pillow is hilarious!
At the end I left hoping that there is going to be a sequel. Though the play has a definite ending I want to know whether she gets her life back together and if she does how does she do it.  So, Jane can you please write a life after the Ashes?

Tuesday 18 October 2011

The Complete Package

The Sydney Independent Theatre Company present the world premiere of a new Australian play The Complete Package by Robert Allan.
The Sydney Independent Theatre Company are a new company operating out from 8A/32-60 Alice Street Newtown, it is a brand new space and is a work in progress! The Complete Package is the company's first production. They have been workshopping the show over the past three months and then went into rehearsals with the cast and director Julie Baz for the past month.  It was a brave move, new play, new company and a new space.  It could easily have been a complete disaster but after seeing the show if this one is anything to go by I can't wait for the next one.
The Complete Package is a very moving tale of Joshua (Tennessee Baz-Jeffrey) a ten year old boy in foster care. The writer Robert Allan touches on a number of topics throughout the play from the mundane office politics to the breakdown in communication between the characters and the social services department and common prejudices and believes to foster care.