It can be assumed that whoever started the old wives' tale warning against pairing whisky and oysters just wanted to keep the secret to themselves. The Wild Rover — and those who have ventured through the bar's green door — know better. The Surry Hills bar is so into oysters it's rolling out an entire week of celebrations dedicated to them. Its famous lamb sausage roll will be forgotten for the week with a special menu that gives oysters the limelight — and from Monday, October 30 through to Thursday, November 2, you'll be able to slurp down some freshly shucked oysters for just $1 each. Get adventurous with po' boys and chowder pie alongside a variety of paired drinks. There will be plenty of action throughout the week. Defy the myth in style with a whisky and oyster masterclass ($50) on Wednesday, November 1, hosted by Laphroaig Whisky Ambassador Michael Nouri. If you're up for working that elbow grease, Shane Buckley from oyster farm Wapengo Rocks is running oyster shucking masterclasses ($35) on Thursday, November 2. You will also receive your very own shucker to impress friends with this newfound skill. Concerned about the extensive oyster shell carnage from the week of celebrations? All shells will be donated to Ocean Watch to sustain Sydney Harbour marine life.
Grief. Asking for forgiveness. Moving forward. Thematically, that's the initial three-season plan for Shrinking, Apple TV+'s Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty)-, Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)- and Jessica Williams (Road House)-starring comedy series about therapists endeavouring to help their patients while rarely having all of the answers to their own problems. Audiences will get to see at least that journey from this kind-hearted gem, which was co-created by TV veteran Bill Lawrence fresh off Ted Lasso's success, teaming up with the soccer-themed hit's Brett Goldstein, aka Roy Kent, as well as Segel. Just as Shrinking's second season started airing in mid-October 2024, the show was renewed for a third season. "That is the beginning, middle and end of this story, without a shadow of a doubt. And I think people know from what I do that there has to be an undercurrent of hope and optimism in there," Lawrence tells Concrete Playground. "I'm not going to say everything would be nicely cut and dried, but I'm not sure people would ever watch my shows again if the end of this was 'Jimmy moved into the mountains and decided to be sad and alone forever'. You know what I mean? 'Don't even bother trying!'." Lawrence, who was also behind Spin City in the 90s, Scrubs and Cougar Town in the 00s, plus 2024 newcomer Bad Monkey, isn't saying that's all there'll be to Shrinking's on-screen journey — there's a way forward if, once season three rolls around, it earns another renewal again from there. "We knew that that was the end of this particular story. I think that's what's fun about television now, is you tell stories with a beginning, middle and end. Doesn't mean that the show can't go on, it just means if we go beyond these three seasons, I treat it like a book," he advises. "Bad Monkey, there's another book by Carl Hiaasen with some of the same characters, at least the ones that aren't dead. It's a completely new story, with a completely new inception point, and I love it just as much as the previous one. So I love the idea of doing that with a TV show like this, hopefully." Since its early 2023 debut, Shrinking has spent its time with Segel's Jimmy Laird, Ford and Williams as his colleagues Paul Rhoades and Gaby Evans, plus Jimmy's teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell, AfrAId), best friend Brian (Michael Urie, Goodrich), patient Sean (Luke Tennie, CSI: Vegas), and neighbours Liz (Christa Miller, Head of the Class) and Derek (Ted McGinley, The Baxters). When the show began its tale, Jimmy was consumed by loss and pain after the death of his wife in a car accident. With Alice, he'd largely been absent since tragedy changed their lives forever, and his friends had been picking up the slack. With the folks paying him for his professional assistance, Jimmy then began trying to push them out of their comfort zones. "I think one of the things that actually was a real breakthrough for me from participating in the show is understanding that one of the real pitfalls of therapy is getting caught in a weekly loop of talking about your problems, but not actually trying to change them. I hadn't really thought of that," Segel explains. "You have people who've been in therapy for years and years and years, but haven't really made any progress. And so I think that that's one of the things that was frustrating Jimmy, is feeling like his patients were caught in a rut — and 'what do I start doing to change your behaviour? What do we do that's actionable today?'. So that's been really cool, and I think it's been cool for the viewers, too, to think about it in that way." Shrinking is another of Lawrence's series with hug-inducing levels of warmth at its core, as Ted Lasso was so welcomely. As with Scrubs, it finds both deep emotion and humour in healthcare's vicinity. And as everything on his resume since Spin City has been, it's about the families that we make not just through the bonds of blood. Vulnerability sits at its heart, too, which Segel appreciates, especially as the Freaks and Geeks, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, How I Met Your Mother star's concept of what that means has evolved over his quarter-century-plus acting career. "I think that my idea of vulnerability has become more sophisticated as I have gotten older," he notes. "When I was a young man, to me the most-vulnerable thing was doing full-frontal nudity during a breakup, and that's just literally vulnerable. But I think that in this show, I've started to realise more and more that real grown-up vulnerability is saying 'I'm afraid' or saying 'I'm struggling and I need help'. Asking for help, what a vulnerable thing. And so I think that you'll see a lot of characters committing real acts of vulnerability and bravery by asking each other for help." Shrinking's 12-episode second season picks up with Jimmy being confronted with consequences from his new strategy for therapy, and Alice — and everyone else — concerned that he'll return to his self-destructive spiral. As it digs into seeking not just assistance but forgiveness, it also brings Goldstein (The Garfield Movie) in front of the camera, and forces its characters to begin reckoning with what it truly means to even think about allowing yourself to forge a path beyond past sorrows, mistakes and fears. How does Lawrence approach his now-trademark mix of emotional complexity and comedy, including while championing kindness? How crucial is Segel's involvement, especially in conveying details that don't need to be written on the page? And how did Ford come to be onboard? What does Segel learn working beside the acting icon — and how does he tackle a project when he's so intricately involved off-screen? We chatted to Lawrence and Segel about all of the above and more. On Making Sitcoms with Emotional Complexity, Including Ted Lasso and Shrinking Both Heroing Kindness, Self-Belief and Asking for Help Bill: "Everybody that you get to talk to that does what I do, they without a doubt had influences and idolised different shows and writers when they grew up. And for me, I grew up on that type of TV. People forget, because they aren't as old as I am, M*A*S*H was this show that was like the biggest show in America — a sitcom that would be broad and silly and goofy, and it would turn on a dime and you would find yourself sobbing about a patient that passes away or a story that you didn't see coming. You'd just get blindsided. And I always gravitated to TV like that. Even The Office, which I think is so brilliant and silly, and Michael Scott is a ridiculous character, they somehow found ways that he could still turn on a switch and hit you emotionally. I like shows like 30 Rock and Veep, which are a testament to amazing joke-writing, and sardonic and satire, and I wish I could do them — I can't. But I got very lucky. I knew with the show Scrubs that I wanted to try and do this, and see if you could do shows with big comedy that then would maybe sometimes have hairpin curves into emotional depth. And I remember when I tried to sell Scrubs, one of the executives that I sell to said 'I'm not sure you can do broad, silly comedies and then make people care — like, a fantasy, and then make people care if a patient lives or dies or not'. And I used to say 'I think you can, if you just turn the lights down and play some indie music'. I was joking, but it turned out to be right. I think there's a lot of people out there that laugh their way through pain, and I think that's why maybe sometimes these shows work, hopefully." On Shrinking's Focus on a Therapist Trying to Help Others While Needing Help Himself Jason: "I think that just on its face, the premise of somebody practising therapy while they themselves are going through a nervous breakdown is an electric idea. That's what comedy is, right? It's setting up these two opposing walls, and comedy is the space in between. Forgetting Sarah Marshall's about a guy trying to get over a breakup and running into his ex and her new boyfriend. It's these things in opposition to each other. So someone trying to help other people get well while they themselves are not well, it's just a great place to start." On the Balancing Act Between Silly Comedic Moments and Deep Emotion That Touches Audiences Bill: "It could be disastrous. I'll tell you right now, the stuff I've done in my career that's failed, have failed because of our inability to navigate those moments, and it just ends up seeming inauthentic. And without patting myself on the back, because I have very little to do with it, there's a chemistry to a TV show. Shows like this work often because the cast, there's actors and actresses top to bottom on Shrinking and on Ted Lasso and on Scrubs that have the ability to be making you laugh and being goofy and silly one second, and then to literally gather themselves and take a breath, and be pulling at your heartstrings the next. It's a special talent for actors and actresses. One of the great gifts of this stage of my career is getting to watch Harrison Ford do that. I knew what a great actor he was. I didn't know how funny he was. And I certainly didn't know how smooth he'd be at making the turn from one spot to another." Jason: "I think that we try to stay, if this makes sense, as true to life as possible, because my experience of life is it's not a whole bunch of hugging and learning. It's clunky and awkward, and the great thing about having friends you really trust and believe in is, yeah, there's some hugging and learning, but there's also a whole lot of 'get off your ass, we're going out to dinner'. There's a lot of 'dump that guy, he's a you-know-what?', as opposed to sitting around moping. 'Let's get revenge on him', you know. This is the way I think we actually behave — we make each other laugh and we hold each other by the hand and drag each other along. And so I actually think it's easier than it might seem, that the more honestly you write, the funnier it is." On Getting Harrison Ford for His First Main Role in a TV Comedy — and Learning From Him Bill: "I gave him my soul. He's a mystical creature and I signed my soul away. No, he's not. It's still crazy. When I was 25, I created the show Spin City with my mentor with Gary Goldberg, and the fact that Michael J Fox was doing it, I couldn't comprehend it. It was the first big job I ever had and he turned out to be exactly the type of person that you would hope he would be being a fan. And I did not expect to have that experience again as a guy in my 50s. And Harrison, to his credit, he's like 'yo, man, I'm trying new stuff. I've never done a TV show. I've never done a comedy'. A couple months ago he's like 'I've never done a Marvel movie'. I'm like 'you work harder than anybody I know, and you're 82'. It makes you almost feel guilty if you're ever complaining about being tired. It's been a career highlight for me that I did not expect to have at this point in my life." Jason: "Harrison and I both want this thing to turn out great, and we both work really hard and do our prep and all that stuff. But one of the things I learned from Harrison is that I really feel a sense of ownership and stress about it turning out well. And I think one of the things that I've learned from Harrison is 'hey kid, you've earned the right to trust knowing that you're good at this, and it's going to be good. You don't have to be scared until it's good. You know it's going to be good. You've done all the work. You know you're good at this. Do your prep. Show up. Nail it. It's going to be good'. That has been really helpful for me, because I'm sort of holding my breath until the finished product comes out and I like it. And I would enjoy myself a lot more in this job and in this life if I just had a little more ease about it always seems to work out. I still haven't bought that lesson yet. 'What if this time it doesn't?', you know." On the Importance of Segel's Casting — and What He Can Convey with His Face That Doesn't Need to Be on the Page Bill: "We talked a little bit about what the prototypes for my shows are. And he's such an inherently likeable actor. I'll tell you something I haven't told everybody. We made it a joke in the writers' room. He's playing some heavy stuff, and the tendency for writers is to overwrite it, to have characters say 'I'm really sad' or to say 'that thing that you did hurt me'. And Jason, one time, one time only, we said 'do we have to write this line or can you do it with your face?' — and he's like 'oh, I can do it with my face'. That has become shorthand in the writers' room. He's so good that we're like 'do we have to, can we go home, or do we have to write something here? It depends whether or not Jason can do it with his face'. But even though it's a joke, I watch some of these stories play out on his face and see what he's doing. Man, he's so good. He's so good and such a talented writer and just a good guy. Don't tell him I said it, but I really like him." On Segel Co-Creating and Co-Writing Shrinking, as Well as Acting Jason: "It's interesting because that's been actually the majority of my career, is writing something and shepherding it from the beginning, and so I'm very comfortable and familiar with that idea. I think that one of the benefits it has, for this show in particular, is that I get to quarterback the scenes when I'm on set that I'm in, knowing what we're trying to accomplish from a more bird's-eye view than you have when you're an actor for hire. I also love just being an actor for hire on projects where I do that. There's something very relaxing about it, because you're like 'most of this is somebody else's problem'. But I think that when I'm on Shrinking, I feel very protective of it. And I want it to be great and I want to help my castmates shine, and I just love it very, very much." On Families of Circumstance Sitting at the Heart of Lawrence's TV Shows, From Spin City and Scrubs to Ted Lasso and Shrinking Bill: "Found family, definitely. Mentorship, definitely. Oh shoot, I just do the same thing over. No, I'm joking. I cherish it in my own life. I was an only child. I built worlds around me of people that I loved and loved spending time with, and a family as well. And I think one of the things that maybe lay people don't know about Hollywood, because Hollywood's got a bad rap — deservedly so in some cases — but the positives are most people got in due to mentorship, and the best experiences people have involved found family and building a community on a show or a play or a movie. I still spend time with the cast and crew of Scrubs, not because we're working together, but because I sincerely love them. And I'm only good at writing what I know. So it's either writing about that or writing about a guy who's deathly afraid of his wife. She's so good. I'm just kidding. I'm just trying to get a laugh. She's awesome, man." On Segel Always Drawing Upon His Personal Life, Whether He's Writing, Acting or Both Jason: "I would say that everything that I participate in the writing process, or act in, is drawn from my personal life. It's the only way I know how to make art. I don't think we manifest it out of nowhere. I think it's more about transmutation. Like, what comes in and then what do you turn it into? I don't think that the kind of grief that we're exploring needs to be specifically about having lost a partner. I think it's the same kind of grief we experience from a big breakup. I think it's the same kind of grief we felt after COVID when there was lost time, when all of a sudden two years of our lives were gone and we'll never get them back. And so, yeah, there are moments in the exploration of Jimmy getting over losing his wife when I think about breakups, or I think about paths of my life that could have been taken that I didn't take, things that will never be that I really believed were going to happen. So I think it's all personal. That's the only way I know how to do it." On Segel's Favourite Shrinking Character Jason: "It may be surprising, but my favourite character is Derek, Ted McGinley's character, because to me, he is the best of us. He represents being unencumbered by doubt. He's just a guy who wants everyone to be having a good time. Don't sweat the small stuff. I wish my life felt more like that. I wish that my life felt more like how Derek feels on a day-to-day basis. Like 'oh hey great, we get to take a drive today? Oh, hot dogs — great!' What a way to live, right?" On What Gets Lawrence Excited About a New Project After Making TV for More Than Three Decades Bill: "I think that the day that I'm not excited to get paid to write stories for a living, I will go teach and hang it up, because I don't need any extra juice to get me going. I'm so lucky to do this. The only other job I ever had was painting the houses, and I wasn't that good at it. And so I hope people know that I'm grateful every day. I think the thing that makes me excited to do it now is I get to work with young people that want to get into this industry. I get to work with people that still show up and are like 'wow, a TV show!', and it's impossible to be cynical and jaded when you get to be around that. I get to talk to people like yourself that, I would argue, would not be doing this unless they grew up as TV and movie nerds like I did, and wanted to talk about all this stuff. I didn't expect to have a career renaissance in my 50s, but I'm going to ride it out as long as I can, and until people realise that they've made a grave mistake, and just keep having fun and working with friends." Shrinking streams via Apple TV+. Read our review of season one.
Our traveller's impulse to escape hordes of obnoxious tourists often sends us on wild goose chases in search of untouched, undiscovered beauty. We crave the chance to find the real heart and soul of a new land and not just the sanitised, postcard version. This is the great joy of seeing the world by train. With their routes often built to service even the most remote of locations, train travel allows tourists to see a side of the world that often remains unseen to your average Lonely Planet traveller. So in the interests of getting off the well-beaten track - and for people who know that the journey is always greater than the destination - here are eight of the world's most spectacular train journeys. Glacier Express Route: St Moritz to Zermatt, Swiss AlpsDuration: 7.5 hourswww.glacierexpress.ch While the Glacier Express holds the title as the world's slowest express train, it's hard to complain when the views are this spectacular. Connecting two major Swiss Alps resorts, the Glacier Express reaches a whopping altitude of 6,670 feet travelling across 291 bridges and weaving through 91 tunnels in its ascent through one of the world's most stunning winter wonderlands. The Flam Railway Route: Flam to Myrdal, NorwayDuration: 1 hourwww.visitflam.com This trip takes you into the very heart of the world's longest fjord and one of Scandinavia's great wonders, the Sognefjord. Beginning in a quaint, idyllic village, the Flam Railway mounts the world's steepest non-cog, normal-gauge railroad climb before taking a hair raising turn through raging rapids and waterfalls. With its perilously narrow passages and the sound of crashing water on all sides, the Flam Railway is as enthralling as it is beautiful. Pride of Africa Route: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and TanzaniaDuration: 14 dayswww.rovos.com If the majesty and mystery of the African plains entices you but your idea of a safari doesn't involve chasing wildebeest and constantly swatting flies then you can hardly do better than The Pride of Africa. The epic expedition takes you across some of the most awe-inspiring parts of Southern and Central Africa, revealing the hidden, often untouched beauty of the world's poorest continent. And the train itself? Pure luxury. The sumptuous interior has been painstakingly created to resemble an exclusive Victorian-era train, boasting the world's most spacious sleeping quarters, handsome wood panelling and first-class dining. Trans-Siberian Railway Route: Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia Duration: 19 dayswww.trans-siberia.com The big kahuna of rail journeys, the Trans-Siberian Railway is already engraved in travel folklore due primarily to its bewildering length. The 10,000 kilometre trip from the Russian capital to the Pacific Ocean crosses eight time zones coming to a distance just shy of one-third of the planet. While it takes a brave traveller to tackle the Cold War capital from side-to-side, those that do are richly rewarded not only by the great variety of beauty Russia has to offer but also by the famous hospitality of the Trans-Siberian commuters, who are always more than happy to share a shot of $3/litre vodka with you. Eastern & Oriental Express Route: Singapore, Malaysia and ThailandDuration: 3 dayswww.orient-express.com The Eastern & Oriental Express stretches from Singapore to Bangkok and provides a whirlwind tour of the range of tropical beauty that South-East Asia has to offer. The bustling modernity of Singapore soon gives way to the natural wonders of Malaysia and Thailand with the train zigzagging through dense rainforests, towering mountains and fields of frangipanis and sunflowers. The rich tapestry of South East Asian life can also be seen at the various stops the train takes, giving travellers the chance to explore golden temples and fascinating farm villages. The Eastern & Oriental Express is also reputed as one of the world's premiere luxury trains with fine dining and cocktails in the open-air observation car; this trip is perfect for those that like the finer things in life. Narrow Gauge Railroad Route: Durango to Silverton, ColoradoDuration: 3.5 Hourswww.durangotrain.com The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad twists and turns up winding canyons through the stunning and secluded wilderness of the San Juan National Forest - and all on narrow rails a mere three feet apart. The 45 mile track traverses upwards 3000 feet, eliciting breathtaking views of the surrounding scenery. The 1920s coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive was originally built to transport gold and silver ore and thus travels at the leisurely pace of 18 miles per hour, making the magnificent views all the more easier to take in. West Coast Wilderness Railway Route: Strahan to Queenstown, TasmaniaDuration: 4.5 hourswww.puretasmania.com.au The rich history of the West Coast Wilderness Railway in Tasmania is only the beginning of this mystifying and alluring adventure. Running from the port of Strahan to the mining town of Queenstown, this magnificent railway right here on our own turf provides a gateway to the untouched wilderness of Tasmania's heritage listed area. It acts as a window back to the year of 1896 when the pioneers laboured arduously through rain and mud to create this unique track and pinion system. The 35km journey travels through a number of stations of the past, crosses waters of the renowned King River and spans jaw-dropping rainforest gorges. Machu Picchu Train Route: Cusco to Machu Picchu, PeruDuration: 3.5 hourswww.machupicchutrain.com Departing from Cusco and passing through the ancient stone-built Incan village of Ollantaytambo, the Machu Picchu train then only goes up from there - both figuratively and literally. The three-foot wide track wraps around the steep gorges of the valley and wanders over the torrents of the marvellous Rio Urubamba. Originally constructed as a commercial line to exploit the lumber, cacao and coffee of the valley, the train is today used as a highly popular tourist trip to reach the extraordinary peaks of the infamous ancient Incan site, Machu Picchu.
For many Australian restaurants, February 14 represents the most pressurised nights of the year — when dining rooms are taken over by loved-up tables of two trying to impress. But next Valentine's Day, A Table to End Hunger will let food-loving couples skip at least one stressful part of the planning the evening, allowing them to skip the queue and score a VIP table at some of the country's most in-demand restaurants where bookings are usually snapped up days (or weeks) in advance. And they'll be donating to charity at the same time. Returning for its second year in 2017, the initiative is the work of The Hunger Project, an Aussie non-profit on a mission to end world hunger by the year 2030. The event offers punters the chance to bid on often hard to get Valentine's Day reservations, each with a meal for two and a bottle of wine. Participating restaurants include culinary hotspots like Ester, The Apollo and Cho Cho San in Sydney, Urbane and Ecco Bistro in Brisbane and Minimishima and Toko in Melbourne. A coveted dinner reservation and the chance to help fight poverty? Now that's what we call a V-Day win. As all proceeds generated through the A Table to End Hunger eBay bidding site go towards supporting The Hunger Project's global work, you can expect the bookings to go for a little more cash than usual — last year, someone bid $5k for one. The funds raised will help to empower people in Africa, India and Bangladesh to end their own hunger, helping to break the cycle of poverty and nudge communities towards self-reliance. Bidding for 'A Table To End Hunger' kicks off on January 23 here.
Home of arty and romantic sleepovers in Australia's capital city since 2013, Canberra's Hotel Hotel has been sold. Owners Molonglo Group recently handed over the keys to Ovolo, an independent hotel company with digs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hong Kong. The Sydney outpost occupies a sizeable chunk of Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, where designer rooms overlook the Harbour. If you're a fan of Hotel Hotel and its steady program of experimental cultural happenings, you'll be pleased to know that the staff won't be going anywhere when the venue officially becomes an Ovolo on 1 March. Unless, of course, they're keen to work for the company in another city. "We are proud to bring our signature concept to the Australian capital," said Ovolo Hotels CEO Girish Jhunjhnuwala. "We believe this venture is the perfect alignment and are delighted to be associated with this property." Meanwhile, the Molonglo Group — which is both a property developer and a production house — has a bunch of Australian and international adventures coming up, involving architecture, design and culture. "We wanted to do something special in both Canberra and Australia; I think we've achieved that," said Molonglo Group director Nectar Efkarpidis,. "Hotel Hotel was the physical manifestation of ideas that we had been exploring for several years about architecture, design, objects and furniture, and how they can help us to evolve and expand Canberra's civic sense of itself with others." Back in August 2017, several of Australia's other arty hotels fell under the ownership of a major international company, when Mantra bought the Art Series for a cool $52 million. Images: John Gollings / Tom Roe.
In a city where coffee reigns supreme, launching a specialty hot chocolate brand could've easily flown under the radar. But in 2012, the team behind Mörk Chocolate, husband and wife duo Kiril Shaginov and Josefin Zernell, saw a gap in the market. "Back then, Melbourne's attention was firmly on specialty coffee," Kiril tells Concrete Playground. "But specialty hot chocolate was still overlooked. We set out to change that." What began as a niche wholesale business-to-business operation supplying chocolate powder to cafés and restaurants has grown (quietly and organically) into five Melbourne venues and a strong, local business. In partnership with the business solution experts at Square, we sat down with Mörk Chocolate's co-founder and director, Kiril, to learn more about how they scaled a retail brand into a booming hospitality business. [caption id="attachment_1024588" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Mörk Chocolate Centre Place[/caption] From little things While it may be surprising to hear, Mörk Chocolate never set out to have brick-and-mortar cafés. "The core of the business has always been wholesale," says Kiril. "We sell our blends to cafés and restaurants. That's what we set out to do." Mörk Chocolate's first store opened in North Melbourne a decade ago and quickly became a destination for sweet tooths across the city. However, the ensuing venues in the CBD, Queen Victoria Market, and Chadstone weren't the result of any intentional expansion strategy. "They kind of just happened by accident," Kiril says. "We don't have investors. We don't go and borrow lots of money. All the expansion comes from cash flow, and so for us to [launch] a venue, it's a big deal, it doesn't matter how small or big. That's why it happens with time naturally and organically." The challenges Of course, organic growth doesn't equal easy. With five venues in four different suburbs (two are in the CBD), Kiril notes that anticipating what each customer needs is a big part of the work. "Each venue reflects different concepts, archetypes, and customer habits, which means anticipating customer responses and needs is always part of the journey. Each of our locations is tailored to its market; no two stores look or feel the same. Our focus remains firmly on quality and on sharing knowledge about chocolate. We've found that Mörk Chocolate customers truly value this approach," Kiril says. Across every location, the brand's focus remains clear: offer an exceptional hot chocolate experience, without overcomplicating it. "We specialise in hot chocolate — that's what we do. We just focus on that and we don't try to do lots of other things." [caption id="attachment_1024589" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Mörk Chocolate Queen Victoria Market[/caption] Advice for new business owners Kiril notes that having that "pure vision" of knowing what you believe in and excelling at the one thing is really important. "I think a lot of new businesses try to do too many things to capture a bigger part of the market, but then the concept gets diluted a little bit." When asked if good products or good service take priority, Kiril says that both are equally important. "One cannot exist without the other. The key message is maintaining consistency across both." One way that Mörk Chocolate maintains this service consistency is through Square. "Consistency and customer experience are our priorities. We're streamlining POS systems to improve reporting and create a more seamless back-end operation," Kiril says. In the end, Kiril recommends focusing on what you love and believe in. The café side was born from Kiril, and the specialty chocolate side from Josefin. As a business, Mörk Chocolate has proven that focusing your efforts on one well-made product can compound over time. And maybe, a decade later, your business-to-business brand will become a hospitality legend. Square empowers local businesses to thrive by making it easier to run, manage, and grow their operations. Find out how Square can help your business grow.
One of Erskineville's favourite venues is throwing a huge party to say 'Thank U, Next' to 2019. With a little help from promoters Girlthing/Boything, The Imperial Hotel's NYE Thing: 2020 Vision has a bunch of different options to suit your mood and budget this New Year's Eve. For those with a taste for the high life, you can sip bubbles and watch the sunset on the Imperial UP! rooftop, at an exclusive pre-party from 7–10pm. VIP tickets ($150) will get you a glass of champagne on arrival, two hours of bottomless bubbles and roaming canapes and grazing boards to nibble from, before you can head downstairs with all venue access for the rest of the night. If a sit down meal and a show is more your style, resident queens Dammit Janet, Ruby Slippers and special guest Saggitaria will delight crowds with a 2019 rewind production of Drag N' Dine, paired with a seven-course vegan feast and bottomless bubbles, followed by full venue access so you can party into 2020. That's $80 per person. If all you're really after is a good boogie, the ground floor bonanza and basement bash are for you. There'll be live music, performances and DJs all the way through until 4am — and tickets start at just $25.
When a music festival takes place in a winery, it already has two of the three fest essentials taken care of before it even announces its lineup: an ace location and booze. But, that doesn't mean that Grapevine Gathering slouches on talent. The acts hitting its stages around the country are always chosen to impress, and the just-dropped 2023 roster of folks is no different. Leading the charge: Spacey Jane, King Stingray and Vanessa Amorosi, with the latter meaning that 'Absolutely Everybody' will be stuck in your head for weeks afterwards. The Wombats and Hayden James are also on the bill, both doing Australian-exclusive shows at the wine-fuelled festival. [caption id="attachment_905845" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Hendel[/caption] Rounding out the list: Cannons, The Rions, Teenage Joans and Bella Amor, plus podcast duo Lucy and Nikki on hosting duties. Grapevine Gathering's lineup announcement comes after the fest locked in its 2023 dates and venues earlier in June, with a five-state tour with stops in Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales on the way this October. Its destinations: Sirromet Wines at Mount Cotton, Serafino Wines in McLaren Vale, Sandalford Wines in Swan Valley, Rochford Estate in the Yarra Valley and Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, respectively. Victoria will play host to the first gig of the tour on Saturday, October 7, with Grapevine Gathering then pinballing up to Queensland on Sunday, October 8. The next weekend, it heads west on Saturday, October 14, then does NSW on Saturday, October 21 and SA on Sunday, October 22. Naturally, sipping wine is a huge part of the attraction. As always, attendees will have access to a heap of vino given the fest's locations, as well as an array of food options. GRAPEVINE GATHERING 2023 DATES: Saturday, October 7 — Rochford Estate, Victoria Sunday, October 8 — Sirromet Wines, Queensland Saturday, October 14 — Sandalford Wines, Western Australia Saturday, October 21 — Hope Estate, New South Wales Sunday, October 22 — Serafino Wines, South Australia GRAPEVINE GATHERING 2023 LINEUP: Spacey Jane The Wombats Hayden James King Stingray Vanessa Amorosi Cannons The Rions Teenage Joans Bella Amor Hosted by Lucy and Nikki Grapevine Gathering will tour Australia in October 2023. Pre-sale registrations are open now via the festival's website, for tickets from 6pm AEST on Wednesday, June 21 — and all remaining tickets will go on sale at 6pm on Thursday, June 22. Top images: Jordan Munns / Jess Gleeson.
A big patch of Sydney could be set to undergo a makeover, giving the city's residents more green space. While Moore Park is currently home to an 18-hole golf course, the City of Sydney is proposing to reduce the site down to nine holes — reclaiming the area occupied for the other nine holes for the general public. That'd almost halve Moore Park Golf Course, which presently sprawls across 45 hectares. That's a hefty area in the middle of the city that's used for one type of recreation, has been earmarked for that purpose since 1913, and accommodates 80 golfers at any one time. So, the City of Sydney is pondering taking back either 18 or 20 hectares of the public land, with two designs floated. Both options under consideration cut down the size of the golf course — but how the course looks afterwards changes in each reconfiguration. The first reclaims 18 hectares, adding new parkland to the western side of the golf course north of Dacey Avenue. In the second, 20 hectares of land would be taken back by the city, but along the western edge of the golf course, as well as south of Dacey Avenue. In both designs, the driving range facility, club house and maintenance depot all stay put. New public paths would be added around the perimeter of the course, too, which would improve access to other parts of Moore Park and Centennial Park. The idea: to "provide more equitable access to this significant open space," the City of Sydney notes. Obviously, Sydney looks rather different now than it did 107 years ago, as does Moore Park. It's also far more dense, population-wise. Accordingly, giving residents of the area access to green space is a continuing priority. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Clover Moore (@clovermoore) The proposed move has received some backlash; however, the City of Sydney is currently asking for community feedback, so you can offer your thoughts online — but only until the end of Tuesday, December 22. After the consultation process, it'll provide details to the New South Wales Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, which'll help drive the decision about what to do with the public land that Moore Park Golf Course sits on. The move isn't unprecedented; in Queensland, the Brisbane City Council is turning the Victoria Park Golf Course in Brissie's inner city into a huge new public park, for instance. It'll take over 64 hectares of land, and include a huge lake, a tree house lookout and rainforest mountain-bike trails. To provide your feedback about the plan to reconfigure the Moore Park Golf Course before the end of Tuesday, December 22 — or for further details about the proposal — head to the City of Sydney website. Top image: Google Maps.
Returning to Sydney Festival following a sold-out performance in 2020, leading didgeridoo player and composer William Barton and acclaimed violinist Véronique Serret are performing meditative music together in two shows at the Seymour Centre. At the time of writing, both performances are already operating a waitlist for tickets — and understandably so. The collaboration of two powerhouse performers results in soaring vocals and distinctly Australian sounds that are reminiscent of our country's vast and diverse landscape. Heartland brings in traditional songlines and modern storytelling via Barton's mother, Aunty Delmae Barton, who wrote the show's poetry especially for these performances.
When a show is named after a space battleship, it's instantly worth paying attention to. And when it tracks a war between humanity and an android race known as the Cylons, it isn't going to be short on intrigue. That's especially true when the flesh-and-blood side of the equation hail from a distant star system, and originally live across a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies — and their very survival is at stake. That's the tale that Battlestar Galactica tells, and has in multiple shapes and forms since 1978. With no disrespect meant to the original series and its 1980 sequel, the reimagining that first hit screens in 2003 has become the version of record. The latter started as a miniseries, then served up four seasons of sci-fi drama, political battles, space-set adventures and all-round entertaining television until 2009, making stars out Katee Sackhoff and Jamie Bamber in the process.
If there's one thing that you can count on at MONA's arts festivals, it's that they never deliver the exact same experience twice. That's doubly true of next year's Mona Foma, which is making the huge move to Launceston — and doing so with a seriously noteworthy lineup. After hosting part of the 2018 event, the entirety of 2019's Mona Foma will take place across the Tasmanian city, shifting from its previous home of Hobart. Arriving in town from January 13–20, it'll bring everything from music legends to thumping beats to new Aussie heroes to the stage. Attendees can also expect a sensory blend of music, theatre and art, an exhibition that combines creativity with scientific specimens, and oh-so-many onesies. Of course, the list goes on. Headlining this year's bill are Swedish star Neneh Cherry and Welsh electronic music icons Underworld, so prepare to get in a buffalo stance and get born slippy. They'll be joined by Mona Foma's big Aussie premiere and exclusive: a four-part performance by producer and composer Oneohtrix Point Never and the MYRIAD ensemble. Also called Myriad, it's framed from the perspective of an alien intelligence that has absorbed earth's entire history, and mixes the seemingly unlikely combination of medieval folk, dance music, R&B, and sci-fi imagery. Music-wise, Mona Foma-goers can also catch Courtney Barnett on her return to Tassie, as well as Mulatu Astatke and the Black Jesus Experience as they blend Ethiopian music with jazz and Afro-Latin. Or, there's Finland's Satu Vänskä playing her 292-year-old violin with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Aussie stoner rockers Bansheeland doing their psychedelic grunge thing and Central Niger's all-female Les Filles de Illighadad with their inimitable brand psychedelic Saharan desert rock. On the arts side of things, Art of the Body: Health, Beauty and Desire brings together a heap of artists to respond to medical body part specimens — and the actual body parts will be on display as well. Then there's Onesie World 2.0, a new iteration of Adele Varcoe and Self-Assembly's onesie extravaganza, with the designer and label whipping up 2000 DIY all-in-ones. Other highlights include morning meditation sessions in Cataract Gorge, endurance performance artist Ben Landau's 24-hour attempt to keep humming non-stop, as well as a rather curious inclusion from British composer artist Nick Ryan: a machine that tracks the position of 27,000 pieces of space junk, then transforms them into sound as they pass overhead. And, with Mona Foma committed to inviting a new audience to experience the festival each year, they're focusing on the Amish of Lancaster County for 2019 — which means putting up a bunch of billboards around Pennsylvania and letting the local Amish into the festival for free. For everyone else, tickets go on sale from midday on Monday, October 15. Mona Foma runs from January 13–20, 2019, in Launceston, Tasmania. For more information or to grab tickets from midday on Monday, October 15, head to mofo.net.au
Taylor Swift is inviting fans around the world to step inside her new era with Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, an 89-minute cinematic event celebrating the launch of her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl. The feature offers a mix of firsts — including the debut of the 'The Fate of Ophelia' music video, new lyric videos, behind-the-scenes footage and personal reflections from Swift herself. The global release kicks off at 3pm US time on Friday, October 3, which translates to early morning on Saturday, October 4 in Australia. Screenings will run nationwide across the long weekend, from Saturday through Monday, October 6. Australian Swifties can catch the film at Event Cinemas, Hoyts, Dendy, Village Cinemas and Palace Cinemas, with both city and regional locations taking part. Demand has been so high that Event Cinemas has already added extra sessions. "We've got our Swifties covered with screenings of Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl across our Event Cinemas in both Australia and New Zealand this coming weekend," a spokesperson said. "Tickets are flying faster than a Reputation track drop, with presale numbers already at number one for the upcoming long weekend." It follows the blockbuster success of The Eras Tour film, which became the highest-grossing concert film of all time after earning more than £260 million globally. Find your nearest screening and tickets to Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl Images: Getty Images
Sydney Festival has revealed its massive 2017 program, with a renewed focus on dance and theatre along with bold new works from Australian artists. Running from January 7-29, the lineup is comprised of 150 events, almost half of which are free. From sensory installations to shows in Parramatta Lebanese restaurants and performances by iconic musicians, your dose of summertime culture is basically sorted. Most visually, the city will also play host to a number of major installations, including The Beach by Snarkitecture at Barangaroo — a ball pit made up of 1.1 million recyclable polyethylene balls that you can jump into — and House of Mirrors in Hyde Park, which comes from Hobart's Dark MOFO (and most recently Brisbane), and and is more or less what it sounds like. Treading the boards at this year's festival are some of the country's most celebrated stage companies, including Brisbane's La Boite Theatre Company — who'll present the four-time Helpmann nominated play Prize Fighter — and Australia's longest running Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre company, who've teamed with writer-performer Katie Beckett on her play Which Way Home. They'll be joined by an impressive international contingent, including the London-based Complicite company, whose play The Encounter arrives direct from Broadway; Pushkin Theatre Moscow, whose co-production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure with the UK's Cheek by Jowl also stands out as another surefire festival highlight. Immersing you further in this year's festivities are a number of works that play upon the senses. Cat Jones' Scent of Sydney is a free immersive exhibition based on — you guessed it — smell, while Imagined Touch, by deafblind artists Heather Lawson and Michelle Stevens, lets audiences experience the world without vision or sound. Musical highlights include live performances from PJ Harvey and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, as well as an Opera House performance of 1967 Music in the Key of Yes, a concert of remembrance on the 50 year anniversary of the Indigenous rights referendum. You'll also be able to catch free tunes every night at the Meriton Festival Village in Hyde Park. Sydney Festival also revealed its complete program for Western Sydney last night, which includes an interactive 'Circus City' and the first posthumous exhibition of works by Myuran Sukumaran. Sydney Festival will run from January 7-29, 2017. For more information visit sydneyfestival.org.au. Image: The Beach, Snarkitecture. Shot by Noah Kalina.
For beer lovers, the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular is the kind of festival that you plan your calendar around. When one year's fest is over, everyone instantly starts looking forward to the next year's. It was back in May and June that 2023's GABS took place, and you can now lock in your 2024 dates around the same time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Of course, the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland capitals host beer festivals most weekends, but GABS is its own unique beast. It dedicates itself to weird, wild, wonderful and inventive varieties that are made exclusively for the booze-fuelled party. Think of a foodstuff — peanut butter, coffee, earl grey tea, chicken salt, pizza, fairy floss, bubblegum, doughnuts, red frogs and sour gummy bears, for instance — and there's likely been a brew made to taste exactly the same at GABS. Only dates have been confirmed so far, and not venues, the brewers heading along or the beers they'll be whipping up. Still, attendees can look forward to an event that's considered to be one of the best craft beer and cider festivals in the Asia Pacific region. If you're a newcomer to GABS, it started off as a Melbourne-only celebration of ales, lagers, ciders and more. Then it began spreading along Australia's east coast capitals, as well as to New Zealand. Now, in its Aussie stops, it pours at least 120 different types of brews each year. The event surveys both Australian and New Zealand breweries, with more than 60 normally showcasing their wares annually. Also on the bill: other tipples, including non-alcoholic beers, seltzers, whiskey, gin, cocktails and wines. GABS is known for dishing up a hefty lineup of activities to accompanying all that sipping, too, which usually spans a silent disco, roaming bands, circus and sideshow performers, games and panels with industry leaders, plus local food trucks and vendors to line your stomach. Fancy getting in on the GABS fun at home now? Every year, the crew behind the fest also pust together the Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer poll, which is open for votes until Sunday, January 14 for 2023's best brews. GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2024 DATES: Friday, May 17–Sunday, May 19 — Melbourne Friday, May 31–Saturday, June 1 — Sydney Friday, June 14–Saturday, June 15 — Brisbane GABS will take place across Australia's east coast throughout May and June 2024 — head to the event's website for further details.
The Sydney Opera House's groundbreaking Festival of Dangerous Ideas is being replaced in 2017 by ANTIDOTE, a new festival that will not only explore ideas and art — but how we can turn them into action and positive change. The new festival will take place at the Opera House over the weekend of Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3. ANTIDOTE is a replacement for the eight-year-old FoDI, taking it to the next level by celebrating artists, thinkers and doers who have spearheaded change with a program of immersive performances, speeches and workshops. Curated by Danielle Harvey (who was also behind last year's inaugural Bingefest), the new festival responds to the time we live in. Featured in the inaugural program is a performance of Cherophobia by Noëmi Lakmaier, which wowed onlookers in London earlier this year. In the performance, Lakmaier is lifted by 20,000 party balloons over nine hours. The experimental artwork aims to unite the audience in shared suspense while exploring the conflicting emotions of control, desire and restraint. Other international heavyweights include transgender rights activist Janet Mock and the satirists behind The Onion, along with Tamika D. Mallory (national co-chair of the Women's March on Washington) and Reni Eddo-Lodge (author of Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race). The festival also features local change makers such as Indigenous figures Uncle Jack Charles and Archie Roach, as well as LGBTQI+ rights activist Julie McCrossin (Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras '78er), and blogger Celeste Liddle (Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist). A focus on interactive performances will immerse the audiences throughout the two-day festival — these will include sketches by UK interactive theatre groups Kaleider and Blank Placard Dance, as well as a performance by choreographer Anne Collod, who will revisit Anna Halprin's legendary dance movement that took place in 1950s–80s San Francisco. ANTIDOTE is about fostering hope and change in a time when a lot of us are angry and anxious about what's happening in the world. If you want some action point, tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, July 6 and free registrations for Cherophobia open at 9am today. ANTIDOTE will take place at the Sydney Opera House from Saturday, September 2 through Sunday, September 3. Tickets start at $25 and the full program is available through the festival website. Image: Cherophobia, Noemi Lakmaier, shot by Grace Gelde.
We're here today to conduct an experiment: To see if it's possible for me, as a man of 22 years of age and of sound mind and body, to spend a week ordering food from a convenience store without even leaving my home 7-Eleven presented me with this challenge, and who would I be to refuse? Now that the road trip-snack-central convenience store chain has brought its catalogue of food, essentials and treats to Menulog, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to nobly abandon all kitchen duties for a week and instead attempt to exist by only eating meals ordered from my local 7-Eleven through Menulog. I would spend the hours from Monday morning to Friday night eating food exclusively bought from 7-Eleven, with only emergency exceptions permitted. Sunday: Stocking up on Essentials For the Week My week began with planning and preparation, particularly for the most important meal of the day. Breakfast. I take breakfast very seriously, and I like it balanced. For the week ahead, I was going to need the following: Zymil Lactose-Free Milk 1L Carman's Muesli Classic 500g 7-Eleven Maxi Wholemeal Bread 850g Chobani strawberry Greek yoghurt pouches x5 Pace Farm Free Range Eggs 12pk Ben and Jerry's Choc Chip Cookie Dough 450g 7-Eleven Protein Bar Salted Caramel Bread, milk, eggs — the bare essentials. Muesli and yogurt are great for weekday breakfasts since they're quick, easy, and delicious. Eggs are also good if I need something substantial, especially if I want to make my favourite easy but big breakfast: scrambled eggs on toast. I know what you're thinking, but I can explain. Protein bars are for emergency snacking. And the ice cream? Come on, let's stop pretending ice cream isn't an essential. It was ordered and delivered in the one bundle and delivered pretty quickly too, the ice cream probably helped to keep everything else cold. Monday: Starting Simple Day one started with a lovely bowl of muesli and a yoghurt pouch, enough to fuel through the start of the day. I was feeling confident on the way to work and the plan for the day was to keep it simple. Lunch: 7-Eleven Ham, Cheese and Tomato Sandwich, Bundaberg Ginger Beer When lunch rolled around, I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, so I picked the classic convenience store menu item: the sandwich. And what sandwich is more beloved than ham and cheese? Ordering just a sandwich felt like criminal behaviour though, so I added a drink, too. Dinner: 7-Eleven 100% Aussie Beef Pie Speaking of classics, what's more classic than a beef pie? As an Aussie, I love a good pie but my hopes weren't high for the convenience store version. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour, the substantial filling and the flaky crust. A moreish delight that was as easy as it was delicious. Tuesday: Feeling Indulgent Monday was a success. I was feeling good. But, if I wanted to subsist on sandwiches and pies, I'd go back to uni. It's time to level up this challenge. After the same breakfast as the day before (I do love routine), I decided to dive deeper into 7-Eleven's menu. Lunch: 7-Eleven Hot Bites Mac & Cheese, Nobby's Porky Bits When I think of the word 'indulgent', one of the first things that comes to mind is mac and cheese. It's a simple yet beloved dish that never fails to delight, and this is no exception. However, on reflection, I can see that my palate is still tuned to the uni diet, especially since I added the pub snack classic Nobby's Porky Bits as an extra crunch to accompany the bites. Dinner: 7-Eleven Southern Fried Chicken Wrap Emboldened by my urge to enjoy the menu's full extent, I chose to get something with more depth. I chose the southern fried chicken wrap, which, with its combo of chicken, veggies and smokey mayo, proved to be a complete experience of crunch and indulgence that had some of the depth my lunch lacked. At the recommendation of our 7-Eleven contact, I customised it slightly with a spin in the sandwich press, which took it from great to elite. Wednesday: Balance Is Key That was fun (and tasty), but I was starting to feel the effects of the lack of balance in the diet. Just because I'm limited to the meals ordered from 7-Eleven on Menulog doesn't mean I have to limit myself to simple (but delicious) carb-heavy eats. To shake up the muesli monotony for breakfast, I instead went with fried eggs on toast for breakfast, which never disappoints. Lunch: 7-Eleven Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich, Liquid Death Sparkling Water That's why I chose to return to the most sacred of all food forms: the sandwich. This time, a stacked chicken schnitzel sandwich (toasted by my own grand design). It had a lot going for it, with enough veggies to keep my conscience quiet alongside lovely schnitzel. And to feel fancy, a can of Liquid Death that caught my eye by the branding alone and turned out to be the most refreshing and interesting sparkling water I've ever drunk, tasting more like water than the usual mineral flavour. Dinner: My Muscle Chef Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl Remember what I said about balance? By dinnertime, I was hungry for something that put protein first. I'm a carnivore, after all. I opted instead for the always delightful My Muscle Chef Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl, perfect for cosying up on the couch and watching Shōgun, come at me, gym bros. After an episode or two I had room for more, so I enjoyed a date with that tub of Ben and Jerry's before bed. Thursday: The New Normal The home stretch had begun. I was starting to lose interest in the routine elements of my menu, which was making me come to terms with the habits I supposedly loved. So, on Thursday morning, I treated myself to a little treat in the form of a latte and an Original Glazed® Krispy Kreme. Lunch: 7-Eleven Spinach & Ricotta Roll It made sense to return to another Aussie classic today. I started this journey with a beef pie, so why not throw a sausage roll in the mix? One problem. I don't really like sausage rolls, un-Australian, I know. The next best thing for me is a spinach and ricotta roll, which helps eliminate the recurring meat out of the diet, too. It was as hearty as I needed, with a lovely cheesy flavour and a warmth that survived the delivery. Dinner: 7-Eleven Asian Style Chicken Noodle Salad In keeping with my (slightly) healthier choices in these final 48 hours, I decided to come as close as I could to a full-blown salad and opt for the Asian-Style Chicken Noodle Salad. This was the right call. Its zesty hit of sesame chicken goodness carried me through the evening. Friday: A Grand Finale At last, my week of scientific study on the modern convenience diet was coming to an end. I was pleasantly surprised with the week, but soon, I'd return to the joys of preparing my own food rather than waiting for it to arrive with a knock at my door. But I had one day left, so I was going to make the most of it. Starting with, at long last, my specialty (but basic, I'm no gourmet chef) scrambled eggs. Lunch: 7-Eleven Spicy BBQ Beef Brisket Wrap It was a brave swing here, I know, but the idea of anything with beef brisket always catches my attention. My fatal mistake was missing the keyword 'spicy' as I do not handle spice well. Thankfully, it was not immediately as hot as I was worried about, being more of that smokey barbecue spice than actual chilli. Dinner: DIY Charcuterie Board — Nobby's Original Beef Jerky, 7-Eleven Vintage Cheese and Pretzels, 7-Eleven Savoury Snack Mix To me, nothing says 'celebration' quite like a good charcuterie board. So, to celebrate the end of my experiment, I created a board using only the ingredients 7-Eleven could provide me: jerky, vintage cheese pretzels and a savoury snack mix. My presentation didn't look the best, but it tasted good, and it went down well. The saltiness of the pretzels, matched with the creamy vintage cheddar, was pleasantly complemented by every carnivore's favourite trail snack, beef jerky. And like that, it was over. I never expected to take part in an experiment like this, but I genuinely was impressed by the range of options available and the quality of what I found on offer. 7-Eleven is available for delivery through Menulog now. Delivery not available in all areas and product availability may vary per store.
Calling all craft beer lovers. Goose Island Beer Co. has brought its frothy concoctions to Australia. The Chicago Goose brewers have set up shop in Tasmania to brew their Midway and IPA, delivering the award-winning beers to our bars and pubs nationwide. So to celebrate its antipodean landing, the brewery is throwing a Flock Party in Sydney, where you can enjoy a pint (or a couple) of the Chicago-born brew while snacking on American fare to the tunes of Bootleg Rascal. The Goose Island flock takes over Surly's in Surry Hills on July 27, where you know you'll have some stellar American barbecue — and potentially some of those stacked fries (hello cheesy-potato-goodness) and fried chicken. Want to be part of it? We have ten double passes to give away in Sydney, so you and a mate can join the flock in celebration of Goose Island's arrival. Don't be a goose, enter to win below. [competition]628540[/competition]
George Street will be humming with the energy of Latin America, thanks to the ninth annual Sydney Latin American Film Festival. Making the jump to the more centralised Event Cinema location in the CBD, the eight-day event will showcase films from all over Southern and Central America, as well as Caribbean nations including Cuba, Haiti and Puerto Rico. Even better, money raised by the festival will be used to support Latin American charities, including education initiatives in Mexico and Panama. Good cause or not, there's plenty to get excited about on the SLAFF 2014 program. Opening night film Behaviour was a box-office hit in Cuba, and will be following by a party fuelled by Latin music, canapes and plenty of Havana Club rum. Venezuelan drama Bad Hair, meanwhile, was a favourite at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival earlier this year, while Peruvian dark comedy The Mute has earned comparisons to the films of the Coen brothers. 'Shortcuts to Mexico' presents five exciting short films from emerging Mexican filmmakers, and will be preceded by a set of alternative Mexican tunes spun by DJ Senor Bolivar. Sydney's hottest Latin American DJ will also be playing tracks after the screening of Songs of Redemption, a documentary about the reggae program in a Jamaican penitentiary. Image: Bad Hair.
All of the taste, none of the after effects: it's a cocktail lover's dream, and it's the reason that we have mocktails. Everyone has been in a situation where they're eager for a tasty beverage, but need to keep a clear, booze-free head — and the next solution to this predicament comes from the virtual realm. London may boast a bar that sells virtual reality cocktails (real drinks, but with a virtual reality preamble experienced by strapping on a headset), and Vienna might have a VR bar dedicated to having a bev while hanging out in an intangible space, but the Vocktail makes the tipple, not the experience, virtual. A project stemming from the National University of Singapore under researcher Nimesha Ranasinghe's guidance, it involves a special glass that connects to an app to alter your perception of what you're drinking. Here's how it works: once liquid splashes into the glass, users can customise its colour, smell and taste. The first arrives via LED lights, which sounds straightforward enough. The second comes from bursts of scent that are emitted from the vessel in your hand. And the third? It uses digital taste simulation — or electrical pulses on the tip of the tongue that simulate saltiness, sourness and bitterness. Yep, even though there's no alcohol involved, you'll still be getting a buzz. Basically, if you're sipping on water but want your senses to think that you're consuming something boozy — or if you have a hankering for a sugary beverage but don't want to put your body through the real thing — the Vocktail has the answer. It was just unveiled at the Association for Computing Machinery Multimedia Conference, so don't expect to put one to your lips just yet; however, add drinking to the list of things (booking holidays, reading the news, travelling, touring landmarks, shopping, going to gigs) that are going virtual. Via New Scientist.
Let's change things up this Easter break. Instead of spending the weekend feeding on store-bought chocolates and lamb roast at home, why not go on a little adventure? You can escape the city (and, perhaps, your family) by running away to South Australian wineries to sample the latest vintage or to a Tasmanian farm to delight in world class produce. You can even join the world's first helicopter gin tour around Queenstown to marry your love of epic views with your fondness for gin. The world is your oyster — and you can either have it freshly shucked, served Kilpatrick or battered and fried down in Hobart. Read on to find four exclusive food and wine-filled travel packages that you'll only find on Concrete Playground Trips — each of which will have you spending the Easter break with a full belly and a glass in hand. A WINE LOVERS' LONG WEEKEND IN BAROSSA VALLEY AND MCLAREN VALE Wine tours can be such a hassle to organise. You've got to find a driver, pick the wineries and cellar doors, book lunch and find the best place to stay. That's why we teamed up with some of the best wineries and food producers in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale to create one mighty indulgent food and wine trip. We've done the research, all you have to do is rock up and enjoy this ever-thriving wine region. During this four-day trip, you'll have the opportunity to explore Adelaide's city centre before spending two big days out in wine country. During your big afternoon out in the Barossa Valley, we've organised guided tours and cellar door experiences at a few of our favourite wineries as well as a special tasting at Maggie Beer's Farm Shop and lunch with wine pairings at another vineyard. This will be followed up by an entire day of wine, beer and gin tastings in McLaren Vale — with morning tea and lunch included. It's a packed itinerary made for true wine enthusiasts. BOOK IT NOW. FIVE-DAY FOOD AND WINE ADVENTURE IN HOBART AND ITS SURROUNDS Tassie's culinary scene is booming. Whether you're road tripping around the north or south of the state, you're set to find some of Australia's most brilliant food and drink producers making all sorts of delicious things to eat and drink. To celebrate this, we've created a sensational Hobart travel package that will take you to local farms, wineries, breweries and distilleries — with exclusive tastings and tours at each spot. The package also includes car hire for all five days, so you can explore each of these spots at your own leisure. And lastly, we're putting up guests in the Vibe Hotel Hobart's Harbour View Room. Wake up to stunning water views before going out to explore this amazing part of Australia. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_869501" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] THE ULTIMATE VINEYARD GLAMPING GETAWAY Sanctuary By Sirromet is a sprawling vineyard located in the bucolic hills of Queensland's Mount Cotton and boasts a collection of luxury glamping tents overlooking a lagoon and a bushland home to wallabies and birdlife. It's an idyllic slice of wine country just 40 minutes south of the Brisbane CBD. That's why we teamed up with the Sirromet team on this one-of-a-kind wine-filled weekend getaway package. Guests will be treated to a behind-the-scenes winery tour and tasting, a picnic in its beloved lavender fields (with wine and a packed food hamper included), a three-course dinner with paired wines, and daily breakfast delivered to the door of your glamping tent. The Sanctuary by Sirromet team is throwing in a complimentary bottle of Le Sauvage 'The Wild' to be enjoyed on the tent's private balcony or taken home. Go on, spoil yourself. BOOK IT NOW. THE MOST EPIC QUEENSTOWN ROAD TRIP We've created the ultimate Queenstown holiday, combining the area's famous adventure experiences with its famed culinary scene. You'll go on the world's first heli gin tour — riding from distillery to distillery via helicopter — and visit a series of local wineries during your self-led road-trip around the region. We've even added a scenic flight up to the dramatic mountain ranges, pairing it with a speed boat ride back to your hotel. You're not gonna find a trip like this anywhere else. BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Wake up, Prime Video viewers: come October, your streaming queue is getting nostalgic. If The Wiggles can top the Hottest 100, take their rainbow-hued skivvies to Mardi Gras and motor their big red car to the same Falls Festival as Little Nas X, then of course they can be the subject of a new documentary that'll hit the online service this October. First announced in 2022, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles will tell exactly the tale you think it will, following the group's career over more than three decades, including the new levels of fame and popularity that 2022 sent their way. Sure, Dorothy the Dinosaur mightn't need an origin story, but OG Wiggles Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt are getting one, with Sally Aitken (Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) directing. Also featured: never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage, too. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles will arrive on Prime Video on Tuesday, October 24; however, that isn't the film's first stop. Before that, it'll enjoy its world premiere at the first-ever SXSW Sydney, showing as part of the event's Screen Festival. At the fest, The Wiggles in attendance for this trip down memory lane — their own, and everyone in Australia's as well — including for Q&As and performances. "When we first formed The Wiggles more than three decades ago, our aim was to educate and inspire children through music, and that continues today," said Field back when Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles was first announced. "Looking through the archives has brought back so many incredible and emotional memories, from our first shows for 30 children to touring America and the world, playing to arenas. It's been such an incredible and evolving journey and we can't wait to share our story with everyone." "At first glance, the notion of preschool teachers selling out Madison Square Garden is downright absurd," said Aitken. "What a phenomenal story for a director to unpack: how did a group of teachers become like The Beatles for preschoolers? I have been entertained and moved in making this film, discovering an amazing journey of self-belief and the power of purpose. The Wiggles' story comes with heartache and joy, reinvention and the wisdom of children. So grab your tissues and your smiles, because with intimate interviews and unique, behind-the-scenes moments, I hope you see the individuals behind the iconic sweaters — musicians and artists driven by genuine passion, resilience, reinvention and joy." There's no trailer for Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles — we'll update you when one drops. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles will stream via Prime Video from Tuesday, October 24.
Last decade, when Disney started snapping up companies like Pixar, Marvel and LucasFilm, it clearly had huge plans. Not only is the mouse house now home to many of the biggest movie releases each and every year, but to enormously popular properties that it can spread across multiple avenues — its forthcoming streaming platform, for example, and its theme parks. Both are beginning to ramp up, with Disney+ due to release in America this year and the first Star Wars-themed zone now open at Disneyland in California (with a second due to launch at Florida's Walt Disney World in August). Indeed, in the theme park space, Disney also has both Toy Story and Marvel hotels in the works. And, it's planning to add a dedicated Marvel area to Disneyland as early as 2020. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the company has just received permits to begin the necessary building works to bring its first Marvel area to life — and, like the initial Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction, it'll pop up at Disney's Anaheim site. While few official details have been revealed as yet, it's expected to include a microbrewery, a character meet-and-greet area and a 192-square-metre merchandise store. Plus rides, of course, including a Spider-Man attraction that'll sit alongside the existing Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout ride. [caption id="attachment_726218" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout via Disney Parks Blog[/caption] With a heavy focus on the Avengers, the zones have been in the making for a couple of years, and will also join Disney's other parks, too. Both California's Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris will jump into the Marvel fun in 2020, Florida will suit up in 2021 and Hong Kong Disneyland will unleash its superpowers in 2023. Via Los Angeles Times.
When Super Mario Kart first rolled onto Super Nintendo consoles back in 1992, it came with 20 inventive courses and endless hours of fun. 26 years later, and the game isn't just speeding through desert tracks and rainbow roads — but onto the real-life streets, and now Google Maps. Because zooming Mario Kart-style through Tokyo wasn't enough, or bringing the IRL concept to Australia either, you can now spend the next week getting navigational directions from everyone's favourite cartoon plumber. Plus, he'll not only pop-up on the app, but as you drive along the road, he'll drive along with you on Maps — in celebration of Mario Day, which is March 10 (or MAR 10). [caption id="attachment_659698" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Google Maps[/caption] Anyone keen to take a drive with Mario simply needs to update their Maps app, then look for a question mark-shaped box that resembles a block from Super Mario Brothers. That's all there is to it — and it's not quite as fun as being able to actually play Mario Kart on Google Maps, like their Pac-Man April Fool's Day update a few years back, but it'll probably make you look up directions more often than you actually need over the next seven days. It goes without saying, but you you should still be watching the road as you drive — and not Mario on your phone, as cute as the gimmick may be. How else are you going to keep your eyes peeled for bananas, shells or gold coins? Via Google Maps.
While you might feel decades too old to be partying along with the current cast of The Wiggles, those that grew up in the 90s will be well familiar with the kids band's OG gang: Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and the ever-sleepy Jeff Fatt. And now, you can get ready for a serious dose of nostalgia, when the four entertainers return to the stage for a one-off time-tripping reunion show. Best of all, the adults-only gig is helping to raise crucial funds for those affected by the Aussie bushfires. The bushfire relief concert will see The Original Wiggles hit Castle Hill RSL on Saturday, January 18, inviting you to relive some big childhood memories as you dance up a storm to some favourite old-school tunes. Get grooving to classics like 'Wake Up Jeff!', 'Fruit Salad' and 'Hot Potato', all without a single toddler in sight. The reunion show tickets clock in at $35, with 100 percent of profits going to WIRES and the Australian Red Cross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRqLtxqxmKI Tickets go on sale at 10am on Tuesday, January 7. Image: WikiCommons
Zeus Street Greek has been rolling hot, fulfilling pitas off its spits and into your stomaches since 2014. Providing traditional Greek food with more of a 'healthy nourishing meal' feel than a '3am greasy food' vibe, Zeus cooks up street food that covers several important food bases: meaty pitas, healthy salads and sides, traditional Greek desserts and, of course, chips. The eatery's tag is #foodhonestly, and there's nothing more honest than a big pile of crispy hand-cut fries. To celebrate World Fries Day on Friday, July 13, Zeus Greek Street is offering a very chip-tastic giveaway. Knowing that fries were an integral part of Yia Yia's kitchen has meant that they've ended up a big part of the Zeus menu — and a bonanza of them will be given away. One lucky person can win a year's worth of chips, with 365 vouchers to be redeemed at any store across the country. Zeus offers Yia Yia's fries seasoned simply with rock salt and oregano making them the perfect accompaniment to your pita or Spartan box, or — if you're a big fry fan — on their own. You'll also nab a winner's party at your chosen branch of Zeus Street Greek, with a $100 voucher to share with your hungry pals. Just pause for a moment and think about what this will do to your overall comfort levels throughout winter. To enter, see details below. [competition]674243[/competition] Image: Dominic Loneragan
Dance and classical aren't music genres you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket — unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Synthony — A Generation of Dance Music is here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand. Touring Australia since 2019, the event is returning to Sydney from 7.30pm on Saturday, April 22, 2023. It'll see a live orchestra join forces with a selection of DJs and onstage performers at the Aware Super Theatre, all to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years — think tunes by Disclosure, Eric Prydz, Flume, Calvin Harris, Wilkinson and more. Expect the venue to take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all part of the experience — and a selection of dance floor bangers note-for-note. The lineup of talent includes the Metropolitan Orchestra; conductor Sarah-Grace Williams; and Rogue Traders' Natalie Bassingthwaighte, The Potbelleez' Ilan Kidron, Thandie Phoenix, Cassie McIvor, Greg Gould, Matty O, Mobin Master and host Aroha.
At 10am Monday morning, the NSW Liberal Party took a vote to confirm their next leader and our newest Premier, following Mike Baird's shock resignation last week. After less than half hour, media favourite Gladys Berejiklian emerged from the meeting as the 45th Premier of NSW. Berejiklian was elected as the member for Willoughby in 2003, after a career with the Commonwealth Bank. Since her election, she has served as the Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Shadow Minister for Transport and Shadow Minister for Citizenship, before being given the Transport portfolio in 2011 following the Liberal victory in the state election in 2011. After Mike Baird's ascent to Premier in 2014, Berejiklian was named Deputy Leader and Treasurer of NSW. The main questions, however, are regarding where Berejiklian will stand in regards to the major issues confronting NSW at the moment. Given the fact that the major transport infrastructure projects that have caused such controversy were initially Berejiklian's projects, it is unlikely that any deviation from the government's current position will arise. That is, WestConnex is probably here to stay, as she was Transport Minister in 2011, when the project got underway. Berejiklian hasn't made her view on Sydney's controversial lockout laws publicly known, which has been the party line within the NSW Liberal Government, so it's hard to gauge how the new Premier will act on an issue that has divided Sydney since Barry O'Farrell introduced the laws. Tyson Koh, the Director of the Keep Sydney Open movement, has called the current government "out of touch", and this opinion is one that it would behoove the new Premier to change. Although, as the reported leader of the more moderate faction of the state Liberals, it's not impossible to imagine that she will approach the lockout laws with a little more diplomatic aplomb than her predecessor. All deliberation aside, Premier Berejiklian was voted in unopposed in the Liberal party room, so it's clear that the government thinks she will do a bang-up job running the state. All that's left to see is if the public thinks the same thing. Berejiklian will be sworn in at 2.30pm this afternoon, with Dominic Perrottet being named as her deputy. Image: NSW Government/YouTube.
The inner west suburb of Newtown may be hipster heaven, but underneath those skinny jeans and almond milk lattes lies a grungy urban core. No need for a walking tour — simply make your way down King Street. You'll pass an eclectic mix of boutiques, colourful local characters and vibrant street art, which turn the grand Victorian facades into a living, breathing gallery. Combine that with trend-setting eateries, good times pubs and funky small bars and it's no wonder that this is the suburb where everyone wants to be.
It's a scientific fact that the only way to survive summer is to get down to a luxurious beach resort and lie still in the shade like a lizard, rising only for an occasional dip in the pool. Bannisters Pavilion also know this, and have built one such luxury resort on NSW's pretty, pretty South Coast. And it looks so good that, honestly, we can't wait for the brutal heat of summer to hit so we can head out to Mollymook Beach and get our lizard on. The Bannisters chain are all set to open their newest boutique hotel in the picturesque beachside town next week, and it's only 100m from the beachfront. The place has been cleverly designed to let you move seamlessly between the best parts of a holiday — between the private lounge, bar and grill and suspended pool, that is. The rooftop is the hub of aforementioned activities and also features a full menu inspired by Mediterranean, Southern Californian and Mexican cuisines (i.e. the most summery places in the world), as well as booze for days. Bannisters Pavilion was crafted by a crack team of designers and blends accents of the Aussie landscape (eucalypt and sea) with a nuance of Scandinavian design. The best part, though, is the size — the whole resort consists of only 33 guest rooms and two penthouse suits, which means you won't be fighting anyone for a recliner or have to navigate through hordes of screaming kiddies in the pool. Thanks team, you know us well. Oh, and did we mention there's a day spa? Yep, summer is coming — and it's gonna be fancy. Bannisters Pavilion will open on Tuesday, December 1 at 191 Mitchell Parade, Mollymook Beach. For more information, visit their website.
The freezing cold weather we are currently experiencing generally means one prefers to stay indoors, but the Winter Festival at Bondi Beach may change your mind. Put your skates on and warm up on the ice rink then afterwards you can reward yourself with a cup of hot chocolate or glass of wine at the Alpine Ski Hut. A toasty fire sets the scene giving off a European ambiance and the perfect way to keep cosy while sipping on your mulled European wine, Glühwein, which is making an exclusive appearance on Australian shores, being sure to warm you from the inside out. This year's festival also offers an abundance of delicious European Alpine cuisine with a bunch of live bands and DJ's to help dance it off. A huge range of exciting events will also be appearing on and around the huge open air ice rink. You may have missed Sk80's Disco Night on Saturday but the sports orientated will be happy to know that they can still enjoy the Skate of Origin on Wednesday 4th July. Cheering the NSW Rugby team to victory whilst watching your own live Ice Hockey game on the ice is set to get the crowd going wild. A ticket will give you a 45 minute ice rink session and a warm Lipton Chai Latte at the end of your session. Concrete Playground has four double passes to give away to the Lipton Chai Latte Winter Festival. To be in the running to win a pair of tickets, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
For us device-addicted youths, consuming content on non-back-lit material (otherwise known as paper) has become somewhat of a novelty. So, Australian publisher Pantera Press has decided to help change that by dedicating themselves to getting the digitised back into analogue. Its newest imprint, Lost the Plot, is aimed at publishing titles by millennials for millennials. Launching with a curated but diverse selection of books, Lost the Plot instils Pantera Press's longstanding mission to support the next generation of writers and readers. And with titles like The Quit Smoking Colouring Book and Space is Cool as Fuck, they've also found that the book series even appeals to those who were way into adulthood when the popularity of books on good ol' fashioned paper began to decline. Along with helping smokers quit mindfully and admiring the amazing 'AF' properties of the next frontier, the series brings writings on being #single: Dating in the 21st Century, as well as the complementary Just the Tip: Sex Tips for Chicks by Gay Dudes. They've got modern 21st-century living covered. To celebrate the series' launch, we're giving away five book sets with all four titles included, so you can get back into the papery-stuff (without forgetting your friends at Concrete Playground, of course) and live your best millennial life. For your chance to win (and give your phone a break), see entry details below. [competition]645082[/competition]
Come 2022, Studio Ghibli's very own theme park will become the most adorable place on earth — but until then, a new Bangkok restaurant is competing for the ultra-cute crown. Called May's Garden House Restaurant, the eatery is not only named after My Neighbour Totoro's protagonist Mei, but also takes its cues from Studio Ghibli's bewitching movie. In fact, it's the first officially licensed restaurant dedicated to the beloved Japanese animation house and its enchanting films. The only other space that comes close is the onsite cafe at the existing Studio Ghibli museum outside of Tokyo; however, the only way to eat at the Japanese site is to nab a ticket to the museum itself, which has to be booked months in advance. [caption id="attachment_677216" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] May's Garden House Restaurant[/caption] In Sukhumvit in Bangkok, Ghibli lovers can enjoy a meal surrounded by Totoros, including a giant, huggable version by the entrance; and tuck into dishes, such as susuwatari-shaped balls in a matcha bath, lattes dusted by Totoro chocolate, mini Totoro steamed buns and a general array of other themed bites. May's Garden House Restaurant also serves up a selection of Thai cuisine, such as crispy chicken wings, soups, curries and fried rice with seafood, should you need something to go with your Catbus cake. Of course, even if you opt for a meal that doesn't immediately reference Ghibli, you'll find an appropriate trinket on your table. [caption id="attachment_677217" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] May's Garden House Restaurant[/caption] While at the Thai spot, you can also wander through the figurine-filled garden, sit beneath gorgeous stained-glass windows, look over the boat pool, peruse the library, walk through two halls and just get spirited away by the restaurant's assorted memorabilia. Or, you can spy two new, exclusive Ghibli-style characters — birds called Colko and Peeko, they were designed by Ghibli producer and co-founder Toshio Suzuki. He helped support the restaurant's creation after reportedly becoming fond of owner May Kanyada's chicken wings. Unsurprisingly, visitors are advised to reserve a table at least two weeks prior to their visit, with tucking into Totoro treats proving rather popular. For more information about May's Garden House Restaurant, visit the eatery's Facebook page or Instagram feed. Via SoraNews24. Images: May's Garden House Restaurant.
Pull out that old Discman, break out the cargo pants and start practising your smoothest 90s and early 00s dance moves — the pop tour of your wildest teenage dreams is hitting Australian shores this summer and it's got more stars than a TV Hits sticker collection. Come Thursday, February 16, the So Pop festival is set to deliver a huge serve of nostalgia to Sydney's Big Top, pulling together a juicy lineup of old-school icons, starting with none other than Vengaboys — celebrating their 25th anniversary, too. Heading up the show, Vengaboys will bring Cowboy Donny, Captain Kim, PartyGirl D'Nice and SailorBoy Robin to sing their party-starting smash hits like 'Boom Boom Boom Boom!!' and 'We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)' from the Netherlands — and yes, you now have both tunes stuck in your head from reading this. They'll be joined by Danish artist and producer Whigfield, who'll break out 'Sexy Eyes'; the UK's N-Trance, which means hearing 'Set You Free', 'Stayin' Alive', 'Do Ya Think I'm Sexy' and 'Forever'; and Reel 2 Real teaming up with The Mad Stuntman, which is where 'I Like To Move It' and 'Go On Move' come in. Dutch trance/pop outfit Alice DJ is also on the lineup, so get ready to hear 'Back in My Life', 'Will I Ever' and 'Better Off Alone'. And, Nick Skitz is on DJing duties — after releasing Skitmix 59 (DJ Mix) in 2021. SO POP 2023 LINEUP: Vengaboys Whigfield Alice DJ N-Trance Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman Nick Skitz
Shut up and take my money: Futurama is continuing its latest return with even more episodes on its way. The animated hit made another comeback this winter, slipping out of stasis to riff on pandemics, vaccines, bitcoin, streaming, cancel culture and life's general chaos. That new stint with the Planet Express team was dubbed season 11, and season 12 was locked in at the same time — but now season 13 and season 14 will officially follow. The Matt Groening-created show about life in the 31st century was in vintage form when it dropped its recent batch of ten episodes, and embraced the fact that anything and everything can and will happen as it always has. When Futurama's return was first announced in 2022, it was for a 20-episode run, which has been doubled with the latest renewal. So, viewers are going back to the future for even longer. Yes, this is good news, everyone! And yes, Futurama will just keep coming back, baby. Streaming Down Under via Disney+, the added seasons will keep audiences saying hello to the 20th-century's Philip J Fry (voiced by Billy West, Spitting Image), distant uncle to Planet Express cargo company Professor Hubert J Farnsworth (also voiced by West), plus the rest of the outfit's crew. That means more antics with one-eyed ship captain Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal, Dead to Me); fellow employees Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr, Craig of the Creek), Amy Wong (Lauren Tom, Dragons: The Nine Realms) and Zoidberg (also West); and everyone from self-obsessed starship captain Zapp Brannigan (West again) and his amphibious 4th Lieutenant Kif Kroker (Maurice LaMarche, Rick and Morty) through to scheming corporation owner Mom (Tress MacNeille, The Simpsons). Bender Bending Rodríguez will be causing more mayhem as well, with John DiMaggio, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts also back with the cast when season 11 arrived. When the revival was first announced, that wasn't the case — but it wouldn't be Futurama without its constantly sauced robot exclaiming "bite my shiny metal ass!". You can put a beloved show into suspended animation, but someone is going to thaw it out one day — and more than once, as fans have experienced for decades now. Initially airing from 1999–2003, the futuristic series then returned from 2008–2013, before now being given another run. Hulu, which is behind the return in the US, called this first new comeback season 11 — even though Futurama spans a past seven seasons and four direct-to-DVD movies so far. Season 12 is expected in 2024, with seasons 13 and 14 after that. There's no trailer yet for Futurama's 12th, 13th and 14th seasons, but check out the sneak peek for Futurama season 11 below: Futurama streams Down Under via Disney+, with season 12 expected in 2024, then seasons 13 and 14 after that. Read our review of season 11.
For the next seven days, renowned Aussie butter producer Pepe Saya is giving us a full-flavoured reminder to keep celebrating and supporting our homegrown food heroes. Heading up the new Aussie Artisan Week, which debuts from Monday, August 17 to Sunday, August 23, it's setting out to raise awareness about the benefits of shopping local, especially during these tough pandemic times. Right across the week, Pepe Saya is spreading the local love and encouraging you to check out some of this country's fine artisan producers. The company's Instagram is featuring stories from a raft of its favourite food businesses — and you'll find a growing directory of artisans over on its website complete with handy links to where to buy their wares. There are plenty of more familiar faces like Crumpets by Merna, Schulz Organic Dairy, Cobb Lane Bakery and Gundowring Ice Cream, alongside others perhaps yet to be discovered — think, cheese from Queensland's Frolicking Goat and hormone-free meat from Linga Longa. What's more, you can share your own food finds on socials via #AussieArtisanWeek. Shop the directory, cook up a storm and tag your creations in support of our hard-working Aussie producers. [caption id="attachment_769323" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cobb Lane Bakery by Armelle Habib[/caption]
In important news for cocktail connoisseurs and budding mixologists, the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards made its grand return to Melbourne Showgrounds' Victoria Pavilion on Wednesday, October 26, celebrating the country's best-distilled spirits, liqueurs, and aromatics. This year saw an especially tight competition, with more than 200 exhibitors entering a record-breaking 863 entries across 11 categories. Never Never Distilling Co took out the top spot as Champion Australian Distiller — the third consecutive win for the South Australian distillers, making them the first distillery team to do so. Earlier in the evening, Never Never also took home the Best New World/Contemporary Gin award for its Southern Strength Gin. It was also a big night for Victorian distilleries, taking out almost a third of the top gongs. Yack Creek claimed Champion Victorian Distiller for the second time, as well as gaining three gold medals for its amber rum, spiced rum, and wheat whisky. Champion Victorian Gin went to Naught Distilling's Sangiovese Gin — an off-court win for the distillery's founder, former professional basketballer Chris Cameron. Now he's swapped his sneakers for distilling tools he's been racking up the wins — last year he earned trophies for Champion Victorian Gin and New World/Contemporary Gin. Gongs were also handed out for exciting flavour combinations: Mornington Peninsula-based distillery Penni Ave won Best Vodka thanks to its wattle seed and burnt honey combination, while Best Liqueur went to Kilderkin Distillery in Mount Pleasant for its Larrikin Bramble and Apple Pie Liqueur. Melbourne Royal CEO Brad Jenkins said in a statement the awards recognise the "long tradition" of distilling in Australia, and "the emergence of the new generation of spirits". Head on over to the Melbourne Royal website to check out the full list of winners — and stock your bar cart accordingly. Top image: Adam Wilson
On the water, near the water and from the water: that's one of the ways to look at the 2024 Sydney Festival lineup, which has just been announced in all of its 150-plus-event glory. When the Harbour City welcomes back its annual arts fest in January, the event will make the absolute most of its setting. So, cue a version of Puccini's opera Il Tabarro onboard the Carpentaria lightship in the harbour, a waterside Walsh Bay Arts Precinct takeover and a towering giant octopus sculpture that you can get closer to via a kayak tour. As proves the case every year, the festival's program will and does go on. In her third year at the helm, Artistic Director Olivia Ansell has compiled a hefty selection of things to see, do and experience — and if you're a fan of getting a snapshot via the numbers, the figures are impressive. Running for 24 days from Friday, January 5–Sunday, January 28, Sydney Festival 2024 will feature more than 1000 artists in bringing its showcase to audiences. Among the events, there'll be 26 world premieres, 29 Australian exclusives and 43 free activities. If seeing Il Tabarro performed on a boat piques your interest, you can catch the free one-act production at the Australian National Maritime Museum without spending a cent — but you do need to book. Or, you can watch from home via the livestream. Keen on hanging out at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct? That part of the program is called The Thirsty Mile. On offer there: theatre and art, cabaret and dance, bars and speakeasies, and also a late-night club Moonshine Bar. This is where you'll marvel at a 46-metre-long installation Hi-Vis, a sculpture by Michael Shaw; enjoy a cabaret tribute to Kate Bush; and watch a Swedish dance double from GöteborgsOperans Danskompani — and that's just for starters. Also joining the bill: dance event SPIN, which is both interactive and guided; sunrise yoga sessions; and art exhibition Talking Posters: Garage Graphix 1981–1998. [caption id="attachment_923479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarah-Louise Young Onstage, Claudio Raschella Photography[/caption] A eight-legged sea creature scurries onto the program thanks to Te Wheke-a-Muturangi: The Adversary by Māori artist Lisa Reihana, which'll make its home in Watermans Cove in Barangaroo — well, once the octopus has been assembled from 1000-plus pieces — to explore the tale of the discovery of Aotearoa New Zealand. Another huge highlight is Summerground a new three-day Tumbalong Park music fest with a lineup that includes King Stingray, Electric Fields, Cimafunk, Queen Omega, The Brand New Heavies, Dem Mob, Beckah Amani, The Teskey Brothers, Full Flower Moon Band and more. Hopping between genres will be a big feature, spanning everything from alt pop and R&B to soul and reggae, all across the first weekend of the broader festival. Sydney Festival's Blak Out program is similarly worth hitting up the event for alone. ILBIJERRI Theatre Company's world-premiere production Big Name, No Blankets will pay tribute to the Warumpi Band; dance performance Mutiara will also make its debut, as set among Broome's early pearling industry; Anita Heiss adapts her own novel Tiddas for the stage; and GURR ERA OP will feature four Torres Strait Islander women who were born on the mainland explore the impact of the rising sea. Other standouts on the full lineup include Courtney Barnett playing a two-part performance at City Recital Hall; Night Songs at Coney Island, which will feature choral tunes at Luna Park; and Encantado, which will tell First Nations tales from Brazil thanks to Lia Rodrigues' choreographer, 11 dances and 140 bright blankets, and heads to Sydney Opera House. Also, Arka Kinari will be hitting the harbour with its music production that's powered by the sun and moved by the wind, and Kate Miller-Heidke's new musical-comedy Bananaland will make its Sydney debut, [caption id="attachment_919319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darren Thomas[/caption] Elsewhere, Dinosaur World Live will continue Australia's fascination with the ancient creatures (see also: Jurassic World: The Exhibition, for example); annual favourite Sydney Symphony Under the Stars: Pictures in the Sky returns to Parramatta Park; theatre production Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World riffs on murder-mystery podcasts; Orpheus & Eurydice gets reimagined in contemporary times by Opera Australia; and the Art Gallery of New South Wales' Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day?, Kandinsky and Tacita Dean exhibitions all link in. And, also on the music roster: everyone from sitarist Anoushka Shankar and Irish folk singer Lisa O'Neill to Joe Camilleri and Deborah Conway paying tribute to Elvis Presley, plus a feast of tunes at the ACO Neilson. [caption id="attachment_923482" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sammi Landweer[/caption] Yes, 2024 is set for a busy start. "Get ready for a blockbuster summer that speaks to the heart and soul of Sydney — the best harbour city in the world," said Ansell. "With an explosive music program and the biggest to date, 2024 also offers spellbinding theatre, exquisite dance, electrifying circus and immersive experiences that lift Sydney's underbelly — see you in January at The Thirsty Mile," [caption id="attachment_923487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lennart Sjoberg[/caption] [caption id="attachment_923488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moritz Kustner[/caption] Sydney Festival 2024 runs from Friday, January 5–Sunday, January 28 at venues across the city. For further details and to buy tickets from 12pm on Thursday, October 26, visit the Sydney Festival website. Top image: Mark Tantrum.
Fancy spending your next coastal getaway in Queensland's far north, splashing in the tree-lined waters of Palm Cove? If so, you'll be swimming in the best beach in the world. That's the verdict of Condé Nast Traveller, which has picked the Sunshine State locale near Cairns as the top patch of sand globally. While plenty of folks Down Under happily trade our own beaches for Hawaii's when it comes to enjoying a tropical holiday, Palm Cove pipped Honopu Beach in Kauai, which came in second. In fact, half of the top ten on the list of 34 beaches hails from Australia and New Zealand. Wategos Beach in Byron Bay took out fourth, Mona Vale Beach in Sydney sits at sixth, Noosa Beach in Queensland ranked eighth and Awaroa in Abel Tasman National Park in Aotearoa came in at ninth. Elsewhere in the top ten, Brekon in Shetland, Scotland placed third; Ora Beach, Maluku, Indonesia sits in fifth spot; Dune du Pilat, France ranked seventh; and Die Plaat, Walker Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa notched up tenth. [caption id="attachment_944619" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] Palm Cove was chosen for being a quieter spot that's "usually free of crowds", although that might change after topping this ranking. "The combination of leaning palm trees on powdery sand makes Palm Cove Beach the epitome of a tropical paradise," said Condé Nast Traveller, also pointing out its proximity to the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as being able to see dolphins and whales from the Palm Cove jetty. Queensland's tourism bodies are already hoping for an influx of visitors thanks to the attention. "The Condé Nast Traveller selection of Palm Cove as the first in this curated list will bring international travellers to its coconut palm-fringed shore to dine in beachfront restaurants and cafes and relax at stunning resorts," said Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen. [caption id="attachment_944618" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] In total, seven Down Under beaches made the cut, with Western Australian beaches getting some love, too. Turquoise Bay in Exmouth placed 22nd and Gantheaume Point in Broome came in at 25. All Australian and NZ destinations included on the list were in the top 25. Palm Cove being named the world's best beach comes shortly after Sydney's Manly Beach was picked as the seventh best beach in the world for 2024 by Tripadvisor, and Victoria's Squeaky Beach was chosen as Australia's best beach for this year by beach expert Brad Farmer AM. Queensland keeps scoring attention as well, with Brisbane named one of the best places to go in 2024 by The New York Times, travel guide Frommer's also selecting the city as one of 2024's best spots to visit, TIME putting it on its world's greatest places list for 2023 and the World's Best 50 Hotels picking The Calile as its only Australian and Oceanic entry in its inaugural countdown in 2023. [caption id="attachment_944621" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove, Emma Shaw[/caption] Condé Nast Traveller's Top 34 Beaches: Palm Cove, Queensland, Australia Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii Brekon, Shetland, Scotland Wategos Beach, New South Wales, Australia Ora Beach, Maluku, Indonesia Mona Vale Beach, New South Wales, Australia Dune du Pilat, France Noosa Beach, Queensland, Australia Awaroa, Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand Die Plaat, Walker Bay Nature Reserve, South Africa Grand Anse, Grenada Keem Bay, Achill Island, Ireland Fakarava, French Polynesia Marathonisi, Zakynthos, Greece Praia do Sancho, Brazil Chesterman Beach, Vancouver Island, Canada Anse Source d'Argent, Seychelles Seagrass Bay, Laucala Island, Fiji Hidden Beach, Palawan, Philippines Ile aux Cerfs, Mauritius Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Turquoise Bay, Western Australia, Australia Pink Sand Beach, Barbuda Playa Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica Gantheaume Point, Western Australia, Australia Dolfynstrand, Namibia Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, North Carolina Rauðasandur Beach, Iceland Jibei Island beach, Taiwan Uig Sands, Isle of Lewis, Scotland Benguerra Island, Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique Al Mughsail, Salalah, Oman Playa Paraiso, Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba Luskentyre, Outer Hebrides [caption id="attachment_651421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mona Vale Beach[/caption] [caption id="attachment_944620" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Palm Cove[/caption] [caption id="attachment_835908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Noosa[/caption] [caption id="attachment_791437" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Awaroa, Kiwi Canary[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844181" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Turquoise Bay, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] [caption id="attachment_897204" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gantheaume Point, Tourism Western Australia[/caption] For more information about Condé Nast Traveller's best beaches, head to the publication's website.
This article is part of our series on the 17 most unique things to have come out of Japan. Check out the other 16. More than 200,000 tourists head to Japan’s Aomori prefecture every year to visit its awe-inspiring rice paddy art. Farmers have been cultivating rice in the area for hundreds and hundreds of years, and in the 1990s, a group of archaeologists found out that some of the strains had been growing continuously for more than 2,000 years. To ensure their protection, the tourism board decided that the farmers needed to attract the attention of visitors. So they came up with the idea of turning the paddies into giant artworks. The farmers create their masterpieces by growing rice strains in a variety of natural colours – from Tsugaru Roman, which is green, to Yukiasobi rice, which is white, to Beniasobi rice, which is red. Once they master basic patterns, they become more sophisticated, adding intricate detail to their works. A vast array of images has been depicted, from impressions of famous people like Napoleon and Marilyn Monroe to Japanese gods and demons. They've also recreated renowned paintings, such as the Mona Lisa and Hokusai Katsushika’s ukiyo-e. Visitors are able to see the works from afar as well as join rice farming tours, during which they experience every aspect of traditional rice cultivation, including planting and harvesting.
Sitting right on the harbour, the Sydney Opera House is arguably one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, then later Peter Hall, the Opera House today holds six performance venues. You'll find large concerts and theatre performances in the large Concert Hall, while small chamber music sessions and lectures take place in the 200-seat Utzon Room. There is more than just the world-class opera productions on stage here, to say the least. Within this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you'll also find four restaurants. There are the two al fresco spots, Opera Bar and Opera Kitchen, both serving up everything from seafood to sirloin alongside harbour views; pre-theatre diner Portside, located on the Western Boardwalk; and lauded fine diner Bennelong under the House's sails, with a menu by one of the country's most celebrated chefs, Peter Gilmore. There are also a selection of theatre bars and an on-site cafe.
Finally, furious pub debates have some legs. After months of pitching, analysing and suspiciously eyeing off touring schedules, we can rest easy: the 2014 Splendour in the Grass first lineup announcement is out of its cage. After Outkast leaked their own headlining spot this week, attention turned to the remaining Maybe Pile - with every last artist from Massive Attack to Action Bronson pitched with smug confidence. So who's in? Confirmed as headliners after an awkward leaked post by the duo on the Splendour website, Outkast will be taking out the top spot on the first night. After a seven-year hiatus, Big Boi and Andre 3000 made a triumphant return to the stage recently at Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California. Cailfornian festival favourites Foster The People were a 'Pumped Up Kicks'-loving Splendour crowd favourite in 2011 and will return with more material this year. British trio London Grammar will bring their ethereal trip hop to Byron after their billing last year didn't work out due to timing. Two Door Cinema Club and Lily Allen will return to Australia for their first shows here in over a year. But one of the biggest surprises is the addition of Brooklyn's beloved Interpol, who no one really saw coming. After letting tour plans slip on triple j, Sky Ferreira can now officially confirm her spot on the lineup, returning quite soon after a recent Australian tour. Others who couldn't keep away include Danny Brown, Darkside, Parquet Courts and CHVRCHES, all of whom recently played killer shows around these parts. The Australian contingent (lead by deadset legends Hoodoo Gurus) sees Angus and Julia Stone and Spiderbait return to the stage, as well as RÜFÜS, Vance Joy, The Preatures, Sticky Fingers, The Jezabels, Ball Park Music, Courtney Barnett, DZ Deathrays, Violent Soho and more homegrown favourites sure to prompt All The Singalongs. There's a few wildcards sure to stir significant hype closer to the date, including Icelandic melodic folkster Ásgeir, New York punk rockers Skaters and returning eclectic folk-pop queen tUnE-yArDs. Splendour in the Grass 2014 will take place from Friday July 25 through to Sunday July 27, returning to the festival's new home of North Byron Parklands, Yelgun. Full lineup: Outkast (Only Aus Show) Two Door Cinema Club (Only Aus Show) Lily Allen Interpol (Only Aus Show) Foster The People Angus & Julia Stone City And Colour London Grammar Vance Joy Darkside (Only Aus Show) RÜFÜS Ben Howard Kelis Metronomy Hoodoo Gurus Chvrches (Only Aus Show) Grouplove The Jezabels Tune-Yards 360 Wild Beasts Danny Brown (Only Aus Show) Illy First Aid Kit Violent Soho Ásgeir Spiderbait The 1975 Ball Park Music Art Vs Science Buraka Som Sistema (Only Aus Show) The Preatures Parquet Courts (Only Aus Show) Sticky Fingers Peking Duk Sky Ferreira Future Islands Courtney Barnett Phantogram DZ Deathrays Skaters Gossling Jungle The Strypes Hot Dub Time Machine The Kite String Tangle Ry-X Mikhael Paskalev Wave Racer The Acid Saskwatch Kingswood Circa Waves Broods Dustin Tebbutt The Head And The Heart DMA'S Darren Middleton Little May Darlia D.D Dumbo Tkay Maidza The Creases The Wild Feathers Chrome Sparks Fractures Mas Ysa Nick Mulvey Triple J Unearthed Winners Plus DJs & Producers: Nina Las Vegas Yacht Club DJs Motez Touch Sensitive Indian Summer Wordlife L D R U & Yahtzel DJs Cosmos Midnight Sable Kilter Basenji KLP Fishing DJs Paces Charles Murdoch More information and tickets over here at the Splendour website.
Few suburbs sell the ideals of inner city living as well as Surry Hills. The area has everything you'd expect — top-notch coffee spots, trendy boutiques, buzzing watering holes and eateries for every budget. It's very easy to spend an entire day exploring the area, strolling down the main streets and weaving through the laneways. In fact, there's so much to see and so many shops, restaurants, bars and parks to visit, you may need a helping hand on where to check out first. So, we teamed up with City of Sydney to ask Concrete Playground readers what businesses they love to visit and support in Surry Hills. Here are some of the most popular spots. Read on to discover some of the most popular picks to visit during the day. Then, flick the switch above and we'll dim the lights to show your favourite things to do once the sun goes down.
Anyone who has jumped for bacon-loving joy at the announcement of Cuckoo Callay's Bacon Festival the last three years will surely be stoked with the news that the Newtown cafe is once again celebrating the noble pig in 2018. Kicking off on April 4 and running for 12 weeks, the Newtown and Surry Hills cafes are modifying their menu to showcase their best pieces of pork work. There'll be bacon burgers, bacon French toast and even bacon doughnuts in collaboration with Shortstop Coffee & Donuts. New to the fun is the bacon tasting board, which features streaks of triple-smoked bacon, sticky maple bacon, bourbon-fuelled double-smoked bacon and triple-smoked air-dried bacon — yep, that's a lot of bacon — hanging from a miniature clothes line. And in the good ol' favourite camp, the Mac Daddy is back, with the monstrous mix of double smoked bacon, bacon mac 'n' cheese, a poached egg and fried shallots inside a croissant getting super-sized at Surry Hills May 26. Suffice it to say, the Bacon Festival is not vegetarian friendly. Keep your snouts on the Cuckoo Callay Facebook page for the full menu. Images: Steve Woodburn.
With every venue around offering up a set menu brunch with a tipple, it's easy to forget the longstanding tradition of high tea and champagne. And you'd be missing a trick if you hadn't checked out Sheraton Grand Sydney's offering — it's been a top high tea destination for 25 years. This summer, the hotel has taken its high tea game to the next level with the Royal High Tea. You can step into the palatial Royal Suite and experience sweeping views of Hyde Park, St Mary's Cathedral and Sydney Harbour — all while sipping fine champagne, of course. It's the newly released Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2012, to be exact, which will be paired with an elegant menu of high tea treats. You'll be feasting on decadent savoury dishes such as tuna tartar, black caviar and creme fraiche; miso-glazed kingfish with pickled daikon and yuzu gel; wagyu carpaccio with horseradish cream and white truffle vinaigrette; and a lobster, scallop and mango salad. Plus, no high tea would be complete without scones with jam and cream, plus other delicate fruity sweets. The fancy fare and champagne will cost you $250 per couple, or you can opt for a bottle of Dom Pérignon for $495 per couple. [caption id="attachment_755934" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Sadarka via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] The Royal High Tea is available on select Sundays, from 12.30pm. Spaces are limited, so head here to book.
The experimental Old 505 Theatre is putting on Freshworks, their "season within a season" that showcases four shows for a limited run each Wednesday through Sunday in April. The four shows are Dining (Uns)-Table, Machine, Macbeth: 9 Scenes Rehearsed and a work-in-progress collaboration from the minds behind the Old 505 Theatre to be performed April 10-13. Dining (Uns)-Table, Cloe Fournier's first major work, examines the effect family has on our psychological wellbeing. It uses dance-theatre to tell the story of a daughter and father and the lasting, damaging effect this relationship had on the daughter. It runs April 2-6. From April 17-20, Eclective Productions' Machine will have its chance to shine. Machine examines the relationship between a 20-something and her guardian angel. A warning to the claustrophobic: this piece takes place entirely within a shower stall. Actors in Macbeth: 9 Scenes Rehearsed utilise the Suzuki Method of acting in their performances. That is, the actors focus on becoming aware of their body, energy and breath while performing. The group has been training in this method for the past 12 months and will perform nine selected scenes from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Scheduled for April 24-27, it will be the last show to run during Freshworks 2014.
What's creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, has been around for 84 years now, and just keeps scampering around screens big and small like a mischievous severed limb? The Addams Family, of course. What's finally in the hands of Tim Burton, aka the director who could easily be one of the altogether-ooky crew's long-lost relatives, and has spent his entire career channelling their gothic aesthetic? Yep, that'd be The Addams Family again. It's time to get a witch's shawl on and a broomstick you can crawl on, because Netflix — and Burton — are gonna pay a call on popular culture's most famous supernatural brood. The show in question: Wednesday, starring Jenna Ortega as the titular figure. Indeed, it's turning out to be quite the year for the actor, especially when it comes to horror, with this new take on The Addams Family following her roles in Scream, Studio 666 and X already in 2022. Wednesday will clearly focus on its namesake, aka the Addams' eldest child, who plenty of teenage girls with long black hair have been compared to for decades. Wednesday is indeed a teen in the new series — a high schooler, in fact. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for the show, she has been terrorising her way through schools, hopping through eight of them in five years. The sneak peek starts with the plait-wearing figure getting the boot from another, too, with some help from a couple of bags of piranhas, then ending up at Nevermore Academy. Her father Gomez (Luis Guzmán, Hightown) and mother Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Prodigal Son) met at Nevermore, and think that she'll love it — but clearly Wednesday's storyline isn't going to be that straightforward. While she's there, she'll have a monstrous killing spree to stop, and a supernatural mystery linked to her parents a quarter-century ago to solve. Sleuthing, high school antics and all things Addams Family: that's the spell that Wednesday plans to cast when it arrives this spring Down Under (Netflix hasn't announced an exact release date, but you could put money on it dropping in October for obvious reasons). The trailer looks like Burton is filtering his Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands vibes through Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children — so, it looks exactly like a Tim Burton-directed version of The Addams Family was always going to. Wednesday treads in huge footsteps, though, given that this isn't the first time that The Addams Family has made the leap from a beloved cartoon in The New Yorker to the screen. The 1960s TV series is a gem of the era, and 1991's live-action film The Addams Family and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values are two of the best movies of that decade. (The less said about the recent animated flick and its own follow-up, however, the better.) Netflix's eight-part series also stars Isaac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time) as Pugsley and George Burcea (Comrade Detective) as Lurch, while Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie is also set to pop up. And, although exactly who she'll be playing hasn't been revealed, the 90s Wednesday Addams, aka Yellowjackets' Christina Ricci, is also on the cast list. Check out the first teaser trailer for Wednesday below: Wednesday will start streaming via Netflix sometime in spring Down Under — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Images: Matthias Clamer / Vlad Cioplea / Netflix © 2022.
When it comes to Mother's Day, Sydney is spoilt for choice this year. If bubbles are high on the agenda, check out our list of champagne-fuelled adventures (one of which includes a photo booth). Plus, over here, you'll find a slew of standout restaurants, bars and cafes. But are you looking for something a bit different? Funlab has come to your rescue. It's the name behind some of Sydney's most entertaining venues — and, this Mother's Day, it wants to treat your mum to the free adventure she deserves. That might be a round of mini golf at Holey Moley while sipping on colourful cocktails, a game of ten-pin bowling at Strike or Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, or a session in a challenge room at Hijinx Hotel. All you have to do is book an activity for a minimum of two people on Sunday, May 11, and make your reservation online with the code MUMFREE.
A lot can happen in seven years — and, since sketch-comedy series Key and Peele aired its last episode back in 2015, plenty has. Forget all the chaos that's occurred in the world in general; just for Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, life has been hectic. Key has filled his resume with everything from Archer, Veep and Schmiggadoon! to The Predator, The Lion King and The Prom, while Jordan Peele just went and made three instant horror classics called Get Out, Us and Nope (oh, and won an Oscar). The next thing on the pair's agenda: a reunion, with the two voicing scheming demons in new Netflix movie Wendell & Wild. And if that wasn't enough exciting news for just one film, the stop-motion animated flick is directed by Henry Selick, who'll always have a place in every cinephile's heart thanks to The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. In fact, this marks his first feature since the latter, which arrived back in 2009. Unsurprisingly, gorgeously creepy sights fill Wendell & Wild's just-dropped first teaser trailer, because that's exactly what Selick usually serves up. In a picture that he not only directs, but co-wrote with Peele — who also co-produces — the filmmaker focuses on two demon brothers, the titular pair, who want to be summoned into the Land of the Living. To achieve that feat, Wendell (Key) and Wilde (Peele) need the help of teenager Kat Elliot (voiced by Lyric Ross, This Is Us). But, as the movie's first sneak peek shows, that bargain comes with consequences — because Kat isn't just willing to assist without asking for something in return. Wendell & Wild's voice cast also includes other well-known names, such as Angela Bassett (Gunpowder Milkshake), James Hong (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible — Fallout). And, because it's almost that time of year, of course the film is dropping in time for Halloween — hitting streaming on October 28, in fact. Check out the trailer for Wendell & Wild below: Wendell & Wild will be available to stream via Netflix on October 28. Images: Netflix © 2022.
William Blake once said "without contraries, there is no progression," meaning that opposition hones our strengths by giving us a reason to improve. With accusations of intolerance often levelled at both religion and its opponents, religion itself said to be both resurgent and in decline, the spiritual and the sacred must be right about at their best right now. The Blake Prize, celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, invites artists to submit work based on both of these themes or 'human justice', and its finalists appear to be in top form this year. Originally inaugurated by a Jew and a Jesuit, the prize is named after Blake himself — a man who possessed profound spirituality, a yen for human justice, and mixed his own mythology. Among the finalists are reclining deities, a multi-origined nativity by Martin Sharp, Simon McGrath's proposal for alternate transubstantiation, gods in place of fuzzy dice and Paula Gowans' Persephone in the carbon industry. There are also entries from names better-known in other fields, such as novelist Chris Tsiolkas and broadcaster Richard Moorecroft. The prize has incorporated a poetry prize since 2008, and finalists from this newly-minted aspect of the prize are already on show online. Painting 'Persephone of the Illawarra' by Paula Gowans.
