Arts

New mini-documentary Premium uncovers the profitable yet NSFW side to Snapchat

It turns out that the popular photo sharing app Snapchat is not all “cute” dog face filters, or even the latest avenue for product placement; rather it has been revealed the app has a decidedly more NSFW alternative use. Los Angeles based Australian artist Jesse Willesee has created Premium, a mini-documentary  investigating the world of Snapchat…

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Smooth Criminals – The Songs of Michael Jackson premiering at the Brisbane Powerhouse in December

Between Luke Kennedy and Joel Turner there has blossomed quite the musical partnership, one that will be making its hyped debut at the Brisbane Powerhouse as part of Wonderland 2016. The duo present Smooth Criminals – The Songs of Michael Jackson this December: an homage to the late Michael Jackson‘s extensive catalogue in a way that hasn’t been seen before….

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Inaugural Arts and Refugees Forum to take place at CPAC this weekend

This coming weekend, artists, art therapists, community development workers, educators, and arts and humanitarian organisations will partake in a special forum at Sydney’s Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, discussing artistic practice by, with, and about refugees. Inspired by the recent number of exhibitions with a focus on refugees, including CPAC’s own Refugees, and the Refugee Art Project,…

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Haneen Martin on remaining true to her own vision & creating within Adelaide’s arts community

What does it mean to be an ‘artist’? What is classified as ‘art’? Living in a creative society where artistic merit is constantly scrutinised and picked apart by observers both within and outside the artistic community, it can be sometimes overwhelming to comprehend that your work, piece/s you’ve become so attached and close to, can…

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Theatre Review: Endgame, QPAC Brisbane (performances until 20th August)

Samuel Beckett might have brushed up against your memory like a shifty cat quickly grazing past your leg before changing its mind and scampering off into the darkness. Or perhaps you’re very familiar with his work that planted him firmly at the forefront of absurdist theatre when it was at its peak of creation. Regardless…

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Josh McConville on getting into the head of a donkey and the darker side of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Next month Sydney Theatre Company will be taking on Shakespeare’s whimsical tale of fairies and magic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But it seems not all will be flittering wings and glittering sparkles in this latest adaption by the company’s interim artistic director Kip Williams. We caught up with STC favourite Josh McConville during rehearsals to discuss this…

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Theatre Review: Aladdin – Capitol Theatre, Sydney (performances until November 20th)

And just like that, the biggest show to open in Australia this year has blown the socks off audiences. Ever since it was announced to make its Australian debut, the hype surrounding Disney’s classic Aladdin has been immense, with industry professionals and theatre lovers alike counting down the days until opening night. Every childhood memory…

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Oliver Burton on Beating the Bard at his Own Game

In 2011, Oliver Burton undertook the ambitious task of building an improvised show in which the actors speak only in Shakespearean-style language. Five years on, the idea remains as fresh as ever, and the Post-Haste Players are now entertaining Sydney audiences with their take on Shakespeare’s History plays. I asked Burton about taking on the…

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The Other Art Fair to return to Sydney in late October

The UK’s largest artist-led contemporary art fair, The Other Art Fair, will return to Sydney at the end of October, setting up for four days in Waterloo space COMMUNE. Launching in 2015, the inaugural fair welcomed some 7,500 visitors during its run, allowing artists to connect with audiences and potential buyers. This year’s Sydney fair…

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Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas to stream events across Australia

On September 3rd, two of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas‘ most anticipated sessions will be streamed lived from the Sydney Opera House to sixteen locations across Australia. Lionel Shriver, author of best-seller We Need To Talk About Kevin, will head up the first session Break A Rule A Day, while journalists Annabel Crab and David Marr take…

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The National Theatre of Parramatta are on the lookout for fresh Australian voices in their new playwriting mentorship program

The National Theatre of Parramatta are on the look out for entrants to their inaugural playwriting program From Page to Stage. Presented in partnership with Playwriting Australia, From Page to Stage is a free program that aims to provide playwrights with an opportunity to hone their skills; whilst also more broadly attempting to facilitate the…

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The Melbourne Fringe 2016 program has been announced and tickets are now on sale.

The 2016 Program for the Melbourne Fringe Festival has now been officially launched this week, and tickets have gone on sale for what is going to the biggest ever edition of the festival. With 463 events, involving over 6,000 artists it’s pretty safe to say there is plenty for festival goers to choose from; and the…

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Theatre Review: On Golden Pond – Pavilion Theatre, Castle Hill (Performances until 20th August 2016)

Most people are familiar with the story of On Golden Pond, with many having seen the 1981 film starring Henry and Jane Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. The story centres around relationships and families, in particular the dynamic which exists between Norman Thayer, JR (Dave Kirkman), his wife Ethel (Carole Grace) and his estranged daughter Chelsea…

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Self-taught pianist Samer Fanek on his debut album “Wishful Thinking” and the power of YouTube for musicians

Having already amassed a large following for his piano covers on Youtube, all of which are arranged by ear alone, Samer Fanek has now released his debut album “Wishful Thinking”. The album features 13 original instrumental tracks- all of which Samer composed, performed and produced in his bedroom studio. It debuted at #12 on the US…

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Five Reasons Why You Should Be In On The (not so mysterious) Mysteries of Squabbalogic’s Mystery Musicals

Last Wednesday the Seymour Centre was alight with the exciting reveal of Squabbalogic’s 4th Mystery Musical- “Kiss Me Kate”! The evening is a brilliant fundraising event that helps bring much needed funds to the company to help support its future and give us more of it’s spectacular productions. It’s a night that has fast become…

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Review: Fracture – Old Fitz Theatre, Sydney (Performances until August 12)

I find Mario Kart so ruthless and stressful that, emotionally, I can’t reach the end of Rainbow Road without shedding some real-life baggage. That’s the game Charlie (Brandon McClelland) is playing with flat-mates Clara (Contessa Treffone) and Tommy (Tel Benjamin), literally and metaphorically, in their rundown Perthian apartment. Whatever he’s trying to shed, they seem…

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Review: The Post-Haste Histories – Kings Cross Theatre, Sydney (Performances until 20th August)

Doth thou speakest true? Not a script betwixt these players yet drama and merriment dost ensue! It’s hard not to get carried away with the language used by the Post-Haste Players in their latest production, The Post-Haste Histories, especially because the Shakespearean-inspired script is developed entirely before your eyes. This is improv theatre at it’s…

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Sydney Fringe Festival releases full 2016 program – tickets now on sale!

Australia’s largest independent arts festival has released details on over 300 productions that will take over Sydney venues this September. Covering theatre, physical theatre and circus, music, comedy, visual art, film, cabaret, musical theatre, dance and spoken word, the Sydney Fringe Festival this year launches with a “call to party”, highlighting and celebrating the city’s…

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Inaugural FLAIR Arts Festival announces arts administrator Michael Lynch as keynote speaker

Filling the spot left by the recently cancelled Melbourne Art Fair, FLAIR will be taking over several Flinders Lane art galleries later this month, with a series of exhibitions, events, and talks. Heading the festival will be Michael Lynch CBE ME, one of Australia’s most experienced, influential, and outspoken arts administrators. After more than 13…

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Carriageworks to present Australian première of Olivier Dubois’ Tragédie

French choreographer Olivier Dubois’ Tragédie will be performed for two nights at Sydney’s Carriageworks in early September. Described by Dubois as “an exploration of the gulf between merely being human and embracing our full humanity“, Tragédie is inspired by Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, and concludes a trilogy centred on themes of resistance and insurrection. A minimalistic dance…

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Theatre Review: The Hanging – Sydney Theatre Company, Wharf Theatre (performances until 10th September)

There’s an overwhelming urge amongst Australian societies to divulge themselves in to the case of missing people – particularly children. Stories that dominate the media also capture us. The case of Daniel Morcombe is a case in point, where the pubic followed it religiously for more than a decade until there was some sort of…

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USyd Vice-Chancellor rejects plans to merge Sydney College of the Arts with UNSW Arts & Design

The heads of agreement regarding a proposed merger between the University of Sydney‘s Sydney College of the Arts and the University of New South Wales Art & Design faculty was terminated by USyd Vice-Chancellor Dr. Michael Spence earlier this week. In an email sent out to students, Dr. Spence said that the “two institutions have a…

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Dance Review: Jump First, Ask Later – Arts Centre, Melbourne (Performances until August 6th)

Here is a dance show that is so much more than just a dance show. What Jump First, Think Later brings to audiences is a poignant and raw tale of six young parkour and urban dancers who represent Australia’s wonderful multiculturalism. The narrative of this 50-minute show is really heartwarming as Joe Carbone, Johnny Do, Justin Kilic, Jimmy James…

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Theatre Review: Three Sisters, Sport For Jove – Seymour Centre, Sydney (performances until 13th August)

Director Kevin Jackson freely admits Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters is his favourite play of the last century and you can certainly feel the love in Sport For Jove’s production of the classic work, now playing at the Seymour Centre, Chippendale. The three sisters are Olga, Masha and Irina, who we follow over a period of five…

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7 Arts Events Not to Miss in Australia This Month (August 2016)

Oh how this year is flying by! August is now here! While it is raining and freaking cold in many places around the country there is a bunch of fascinating shows, exhibitions and other arty stuff around the country for you to peek at. Here are our picks: The Beast Murder! Lies! Cows! The Beast…

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Theatre Review: The Beast by Eddie Perfect – Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House (performances until 21st August)

The Beast that is Eddie Perfect’s debut play had its premiere at the Sydney Opera House on Friday the 29th of July. The playwright joins the endowed cast of seven on stage, bringing to life a tale of three city-slicking partners and their journey through to the Yarra Valley after three mates and their skipper encounter…

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Theatre Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Palace Theatre, London (In Performances Now)

Well. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not going to be the easiest thing to review. Not only was the play itself a complete sensory overload, its plot was so intricate that I almost feel like I can’t reveal anything without giving the die hard fans a clue as to what happens. Suffice to…

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Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra – Sydney Opera House (29.07.16)

This review should probably be premised with the fact that I am a huge fan of the Indiana Jones series (the first three – don’t even get me started on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). These films formed an intrinsic part of my childhood and are potentially where my love of history steamed from. So…

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Singin’ in the Rain’s Jack Chambers on dancing in 12,000 litres of water and favourite dressing room jams

Everyone’s favourite splash hit musical is now in Sydney, singin’ and dancin’ on its way through its Australian tour. We caught up pre-show with Jack Chambers, who plays the blindingly bright ray of sunshine Cosmo Brown, to chat about the production, musical theatre, and jamming to 90s hits in your dressing room. You’ve been in…

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World Press Photo 16 exhibition officially opens at the Brisbane Powerhouse

World Press Photo 16 is now at the Brisbane Powerhouse from 29th July to 21st August. This travelling exhibition showcases the accumulation of journalistic and documentarian photography all around the globe. 2016 marks the 59th year of this travelling cache of insights. 82,951 images were submitted this year. Before we discuss the winner we must…

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