While Sydney is not exactly short on options for midweek fun and frivolity, a surprising new entrant has joined the city's lineup of hump day deal masters, tempting you off the couch and out of the house. Announced today, the Sydney Opera House has kickstarted a new Wednesday night offering, featuring a weekly changing swag of two-for-one ticket deals, and some tidy food and drink specials to match. Each week's theatre and event deals will remain under wraps until the Tuesday night, riffing on similar last-minute ticket programs offered by the likes of London's West End theatre set and on Broadway in New York. There'll be specials on shows presented by the Sydney Opera House and its resident companies, eats and drinks from onsite venues like Opera Kitchen and Portside Sydney, and even cheap parking at the Sydney Opera House Wilson Carpark. To give you a hint of what to expect, this Wednesday's lineup could see you score two-for-one tickets to Sydney Theatre Company's hilarious political farce Accidental Death of an Anarchist, for example, or a production of Molière's comedy of manners The Misanthrope. There will also be two-for-one specials on Opera Kitchen's crispy chicken, matched with a wine or Sydney Lager. While the deal itself is great, the accompanying campaign name and video are a little cringeworthy. The Sydney Opera House has dubbed it Make Wednesday Great Again, a 'satirical' riff on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign slogan (which was used by Ronald Reagan in 1980, too). It feels a little too soon to turn the presidential campaign into a marketing exercise — but, still, if it means feasting on theatre for less, this hump day treat is sure to find its fair share of fans. The two-for-one Wednesday deals will be made available to email subscribers each Tuesday night at 5pm. To sign up, head to the Sydney Opera House website. Image: Letícia Almeida
In a normal year, the Sydney Film Festival doesn't just host the huge city-wide event that it's best known for, but also takes a touring program around the country via its Travelling Film Festival. We all know that there's little that's normal about 2020, of course, so the fest has been adapting accordingly — firstly, by going virtual for its big attraction; and now, by launching a new film event designed to encourage movie buffs to head back to the nation's independent cinemas. Running across November and December, My Cinema My Film Festival is a collaboration between SFF's Travelling Film Festival and Independent Cinemas Australia — and it's hitting up 19 picture palaces across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT. Crucially, the event is heading to both cities and regional locations, with different programs and timeframes for each. So, whether you're a cinephile in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Bunbury or Mt Gambier, you'll be able to head to the flicks and check out new indie and arthouse movies. When the mini film fest arrives in regional and rural cinemas from November 19–30, and then metropolitan cinemas from November 27–December 10, viewers will be able to check out Adam, a moving Casablanca-set drama about a pregnant woman and the single mother who helps her; documentary The Painter and the Thief, which picked up a prize at Sundance; and Descent, a doco about free diver Kiki Bosch. Max Richter's Sleep peeks behind the scenes of Richter's eight-hour Sleep performance, while drama Charlatan steps inside the Nazi Occupation of Czechoslovakia — and, in regional areas only, powerful Aussie western High Ground is also on the bill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yJ4r7ON974 Across both legs of the event, 12 features will screen in total, as will five Australian short films. Announcing My Cinema My Film Festival, SFF CEO Leigh Small noted that "Australian cinemas everywhere have been struggling under the weight of COVID-19 factors such as lockdowns, reduced audience capacities, or access to films due to delayed and limited theatrical film releases globally". She continued, "this is one step we can take together to help bring audiences back to the cinemas responsibly, with outstanding films they are unlikely to see anywhere on streaming platforms". MY CINEMA MY FILM FESTIVAL LOCATIONS: New South Wales: Dendy Newtown, Forum Cinema Wagga, Scotty's Cinema Raymond Terrace, Picture Showman Merimbula, Forum 6 Cinema Tamworth, Odeon 5 Cinema Orange, Gala Cinema Warrawong Queensland: Dendy Coorparoo, Dendy Portside, Big Screen Cinemas Hervey Bay, Gympie Cinema, Gladstone Cinema Western Australia: Bunbury Grand Cinemas, Grand Cinemas Armadale, Grand Cinemas Joondalup South Australia: Oatmill Cinema Mt Gambier, Wallis Mt Barker, Wallis Mitcham ACT: Dendy Canberra My Cinema My Film Festival screens in regional and rural cinemas from November 19–30, and in metropolitan cinemas from November 27–December 10. Head to the festival website for further details, session times and to buy tickets.
June is here, so is the cold weather — and usually the Sydney Film Festival also would be in full swing right about now. But in 2021, SFF is unleashing its cinematic wonders a little later than normal. That doesn't mean that you can't spend its traditional time slot thinking about all the things that you're going to watch between Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29, though. Also a bit later than usual, SFF has just announced its first program sneak peek for 2021, ahead of the full lineup drop in July. The short version: even based on the list revealed already, your eyeballs are going to be busy at this year's 12-day fest. So far, the event has named 22 movies that'll help it make its proper return to cinemas after a two-year gap. The 2020 event moved online due to the pandemic — and when a summer season brought cinephiles back to the glorious State Theatre in January, it only screened a handful of movies. If these first 2021 titles are anything to go by, film buffs are in for quite the treat come August. Leading the charge: New Zealand's The Justice of Bunny King, which stars Essie Davis (Babyteeth) and Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit); Riders of Justice, a revenge-fuelled Danish comedy led by the inimitable Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round); 2020 Sundance hit Zola, which is based on a lengthy 148-tweet Twitter thread; 2020 Berlinale Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil, a searing Iranian drama about the death penalty; and Undine, the alluring and beguiling latest film from German auteur Christian Petzold. Festival director Nashen Moodley has also programmed documentary The Kids, which sees Australian filmmaker Eddie Martin (All This Mayhem) explore Larry Clark's 1995 film Kids; climate change doco The Magnitude of All Things, which includes Greta Thunberg chatting about the topic; Shoplifters of the World, a drama about a fan of The Smiths trying to cope with the band's breakup; and three-time Sundance 2021 winner Hive, the first film to ever win the fest's Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Directing Award. Or there's also the tense and engaging Night of the Kings, which takes place in a rough Côte d'Ivoire prison; The Beta Test, a Hollywood-set horror flick that's been getting comparisons to The Twilight Zone; and the Taika Waititi-executive produced sci-fi film Night Raiders. And, on the local front, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow hones its focus on Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter, following the couple as they prepare for 2004's Kura Tungar — Songs from the River — a collaboration between the First Nation artists, Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra. Plus, Step into Paradise explores the collaboration and friendship between Aussie fashion designers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson. The 2021 Sydney Film Festival will run between Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29. Check out the event's just-announced titles by heading to the festival website. The full program will be released on Wednesday, July 22. Top image: Zola. Anna Kooris / A24 Films.
Public art festival Art & About is usually laid out across town in order, not unlike stations of the cross. You follow its trail from one neat alleyway to the next, watching the best of local and overseas art laid out in an orderly fashion from the CBD down to the harbour's edge. This year's festival, though, is spread out more like a series of quiet hollows, tempting you to slow down and notice nooks and crannies of the CBD you hadn't chanced to chance upon before. With so many things on, and with so much of the city covered in newly applied art, it can be a little intimidating working out which work to check out, and in what order to do it. To help you, Concrete Playground has put together this list of the ten best things to start with as you go about checking out this year's offerings at Sydney's best spring festival of creativity. 1. Laneway Art To be an alley you need to be a narrow street surrounded by buildings, but to be a lane just narrow will do. There's no specific word for a narrow space packed with weather-proof art, but Sydney may need one soon. With today's internet all about bringing a mix of curation and serendipity to the cascade of interesting stuff in life, Laneway Art takes this same aesthetic to the streets, gathering art from around Sydney and beyond, compressing it into an angular mix of narrow streets. This year's selection includes a whole staircase covered in the guerrilla knitting from the 'mother' of yarn-bombing, Magda Sayeg, urban periscopes with mirrors that look further across the city than you'd imagine and a series of mobile film screenings descending on a series of Sydney streets Thursday nights, using the side of a rickshaw as its screen. Where: Skittle Lane, Bridge Lane, Mullins Street & Market Row, Tank Stream Way, Bulletin Place and on a rickshaw. 2. Acts of Kindness Michael Landy's latest artwork is a puzzle. Behind the cenotaph in Martin Place, Landy has laid out a giant map of Sydney's CBD, seemingly hand drawn on a giant white jigsaw. Each piece owns a counterpart somewhere around the city that has a story stuck onto it. The stories are about moments where kindness barged itself small or large into sombody's life. Most of the stories happened where the pieces sit, so you have the choice of replicating them in a chain of life imitating art, borrowing from life. Landy spent months recceing his urban canvas by collecting stories from Sydney to fix to the pieces. He'd taken the same approach to London's Underground, joining Tube art like the antiquities plastered on Holbourn Station and mosiacs by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. His approach is as crowd-sourced as Wikipedia's editing system, but with his last dramatic step from abstract geocoordinates to tangible places, he steps from the aesthetic into a connection with a city you'd thought you already known. Where: Martin Place and Sydney's streets. 3. Sydney Life Dominating Hyde Park's Central Walkway like a series of errant movie-screens strung through the foliage, the canvases of Sydney Life take a high-contrast lens to the ins and outs of the city. Each glossy image tells a story of the city, filtered by the lens of one of the 22 finalists' piercing eye for detail. Fluttering ethereally in mid-air, their choices give you an unreal window onto the everyday. Julie Sundberg found hat headed TAFE students, Peter Morgan captured cabbies dining streetlit out of the back of a cab and John Fryz posed a life-size gnome. These are pictures of the everyday, but caught at rare moments. Where: Central Walkway, Hyde Park (Image: Australia Square by Brent M V Wintstone). 4. Little Sydney Lives The circular rotunda of Sandrigham Gardens is a royal memorial dating to the fifties, and hosts Sydney Life's younger counterpart Little Sydney Lives. The younger photographers have competed in two categories, their ages ranging from 3-11. The pictures they've taken are often as good or better than their adult counterparts. What they lack in complex post processing and well-chosen captions, they make up with the starkness of their images and the way their clear focus brings their subjects front and centre. Where adults find the clarity of a moment, children find focus in simple things themselves. Where: Sandringham Gardens, Hyde Park (Image: Seal by Amy Skinstad). 5. What If? When Sydney's street banners first went in they seemed very plush and high-rent. And while they're still very trim, familiarity seems to breed forgetfulness. What If? brings a sense ownership back for the banners, having sought out bon mots from across Sydney to fill the banners with ideas, suggestions and meditation. Anyone was able to get their ideas up there, with the threaded mottos artfully assembled by talented designer Suzanne Boccalatte. Getting concrete-walking pedestrians' words up into the first floor gives a good sense of writing it big across the storied streetscape in crayon. The banners are spread out across the CBD, so to get a look at this outdoor gallery the main thing to do in most places is look skyward. Where: George Street, Alfred Street, College Street, Elizabeth Street, Park Street, Oxford Street, William Street, Redfern Street and Glebe Point Road. 6. Happy Talk The Sydney Festival has its now annual Spiegeltent in the corner of Hyde Park. Heidi Dokulil and Liane Rossler took inspiration from the Pacific to compete with it in the same location by raising the roof of the Happy Talk House. The house itself is sustainable, recycled and recyclable and decorated by Cook Island artistry, but its main appeal lies in the workshops to be hosted inside it. Throughout September and October, the hut will be hosting a knot of workshops on age old crafts — like weaving or bookmaking — where you can make yourself something brand new. Attendance takes careful attention to their calendar, but between organised moments you can drop in to their materials draped long-table to put together a something of your own design. If the feeling of making things in the deft mesh of your own two hands is what takes you to your happy place, Happy Talk is for you. Where: Sandringham Gardens, Hyde Park. 7. Unguarded Moments Back in 2008, Sarah Barns helped the ABC put together a tour of the Sydney that was called Sidetracks using the then cutting-edge technology of putting a tour on your mobile phone. Though phone technology has moved on somewhat, Barns has returned to offer another glimpse into the city's earlier lives. Unguarded Moments takes old images and returns them to Miller's Point and Walsh Bay, with a string of projectors around the area shooting original photos up onto the walls of the neighbourhood they were once taken in. And if you find the faces of the past grabbing you, you can look up their stories online as you walk around with your now ubiquitous, modern smartphone. Where: Around Miller's Point and Walsh Bay (Map). 8. Contested Lanscapes Gallery, meeting place and occasional bakery, Contested Landscapes brings ideas from the world of art and science together under its canvas. Setting itself up as a walk-in space in front of the Customs House Library, it's flush with paintings on the walls, plush furniture and visiting speakers eager to get their ideas on art and environment out to the public. For the week of September 26 through 29 the series will walk you through topics like Urban Sydney and Food Security. Where: Customs House Forecourt, Circular Quay (Painting: A View of the Artist's Garden by Leo Robba). 9. Streetware 2011 A sideline to the Laneway Art program, Streetware is mostly centred around the old Mark Foys building off Hyde Park. The show is in its second year of getting emerging street artists to put their work on walls, operating under legal detente with the City's governing authorities. Wandering around alleys south of Hyde Park you find yourself twisting around right-angles covered in fresh paint and new stencils. Penelope Cain's Cubicle Farm posters urban wildlife in its natural environment, while Beastman's nearby organic mosaic style will be familiar to most Sydneysiders, even if they weren't able to put a name to it before. The art is well slotted into the minutae of South Sydney's laneways, so if you're not working off Art & About's iPhone-sized app you might want to print out a map to help you navigate its nooks and crannies. Where: South Sydney alleys. 10. Primavera Sheltering under the umbrella of Art & About's 'associated events', Primavera's calendar overlapping the festival's gives you the unique opportunity to explore Art & About, Primavera and the Rocks Pop-Up Project all in the one epic, foot-wearying afternoon. With the MCA in the throes of renovation, it's put its annual spring show out on the Rocks' stone streets. With this last station of the journey, for one strange month there really is art all over the streets on Sydney. Where: The Rocks (Images: Brown Council and Tom O'Hern).
UPDATE, October 23, 2020: On the Rocks is available to stream via Apple TV+. Not once, not twice, but three times now, Sofia Coppola has given the Bill Murray-loving world exactly what it wants. One of the great comedic talents of the past half-century, the Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day star is also a greatly charismatic talent — and, understandably, viewers want to spend more time in his inimitable company. In Lost in Translation, Coppola found a way to take this idea literally, in a fashion. With Scarlett Johansson's unhappy twenty-something doubling as the audience's on-screen surrogate, everyone watching was able to vicariously pal around with Murray's character, a high-profile actor, while taking in quite the tour of Tokyo. In 2015 Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas, the filmmaker let Murray play himself, get jovial and ooze charm. And now in On the Rocks, he steps into the shoes of a debonair playboy art dealer who is determined to help his New York-dwelling adult daughter discover if her husband is being unfaithful. On the Rocks' premise really isn't far removed from Lost in Translation. The film's female protagonist is a decade older this time, her romantic troubles are complicated by both marriage and children, and another bustling city provides the backdrop, but the basic idea remains mostly the same. With Murray as the lively Felix and Rashida Jones as his overstressed offspring Laura, the movie takes them hopping around NYC as they endeavour to ascertain if the latter's workaholic other half, Dean (Marlon Wayans), is cosying up to his attractive young colleague (Jessica Henwick) while Laura is raising their two young daughters. In the process, Felix and Laura chat about anything and everything, covering topics both important and trivial. They eat and drink, and do so in luxe spaces while Felix naturally captivates everyone in his orbit and turns everything into an adventure. Over the course of their investigative escapade, Felix helps Laura work through her struggles, too — although here, their own complicated relationship is actually one of them. There's an immense sense of joy to Murray and Jones' pairing, and not just for Parks and Recreation fans pleased to see the sitcom's Ann Perkins and Mayor Gunderson share screentime (Jones also featured in A Very Murray Christmas as well). Felix and Laura's father-daughter bond has endured years of ups and downs, and nothing between them is perfect, but the actors' rapport makes every warm exchange and awkward moment feel authentic. That's one of the key aspects of On the Rocks, a film that serves up an instant-classic Murray performance on a platter, but never forgets that its story actually belongs to its female protagonist. Viewers spend time with Felix, and therefore Murray, because the movie's main character does — and enjoying the ebbs and flows of the duo's time together, whether cracking open caviar on a stakeout in a convertible or downing cocktails where Humphrey Bogart once proposed to Lauren Bacall, is all the more engaging because it's a back-and-forth tête-à-tête rather than a one-man show. Another way to describe the central dynamic here: lived-in. As proved the case with Lost in Translation, that's as much a credit to Coppola as not only a screenwriter, but as a perceptive creative willing to strip bare her own life experiences, fictionalise them, and create something both thoughtful and moving. The daughter of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now's Francis Ford Coppola, she clearly knows a thing or two about flitting around town with a father with the world at his feet, and it shows — and she's not afraid to admit that she's been cast in her own dad's shadow. When Laura watches on as Felix is pulled over by the police, sweet-talks his way out of a ticket and even enlists their help giving his vintage Alfa Romeo a push-start, in fact, it's easy to imagine the real-life Coppola family equivalent. Of course, this isn't the first time that the younger Coppola has drawn upon what she knows. Lost in Translation took ample cues from her experiences, including time spent feeling listless in Japan, plus the strain with her then-husband Spike Jonze. And, the Los Angeles-set Somewhere's focus on a Hollywood star and his pre-teen daughter found inspiration in her own childhood. Accordingly, On the Rocks follows their lead by tapping into rich personal depths. It may initially seem to tell a slight story, but that appearance is deceptive. The filmmaker is famously fond of relaying tales about comfortable lives and their corresponding problems — see also: Marie Antoinette and The Bling Ring — but she has always been savvy to the ways that women are forced to respond to the men and the world around them. The Virgin Suicides and The Beguiled make this point more forcefully; however, even with a wavering ending, it still lingers here as well. On the Rocks is a film with layers of resonance and insight, but it is also a caper — and a sparkling, banter-filled, often screwball one at that. In other words, it's a delight that blends intimate truths with entertaining moments, and finds poignancy and comedy in daily routines, idle chats with other mothers (including with fellow Parks and Rec alum Jenny Slate), low-key spy antics and sudden getaways to Mexico alike. Murray's general Bill Murray-ness and all-round presence is crucial, obviously. So is the affectionate, glimmering lensing by Philippe Le Sourd (The Beguiled) that makes New York seem like a playground, and the upbeat but still contemplative soundtrack by Phoenix. Indeed, combine all of the above, and this is a Sofia Coppola movie through and through. It's a big call, but if she was ever going to remake the great German father-daughter film Toni Erdmann, this just might be the end result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4p0vjj_C8s
Missed out on a Euro summer trip this year? Don't drown your sorrows in sangria just yet — Spanish car brand CUPRA is bringing Barcelona to Sydney with the fiery Obsession event series. Inspired by the brand's ethos of style, performance and passion — which will see creative collaborators take over the CUPRA Sydney City Garage in the CBD to showcase their "obsessions." In the second event of this obsessive series, Brisbane-born musician, beatboxer and human lyrebird Tom Thum is taking to CUPRA's Sydney City Garage on Thursday, November 28 for an evening of musical obsession. Since the early 2000s, Thum has been making a name for himself with the power of his voice — rising to internet stardom with a viral 15-minute performance at TEDx Sydney in 2013. He's sold out shows with Gordon Hamilton and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and worked with Disney and Audi, but he's bringing his talents to this far more personal experience here. As well as a performance on the night, Thum will talk about obsession in his obscure medium and encourage some audience interaction if anyone is brave enough to beatbox with the master. Want to win a double pass to attend? You can head to the CUPRA website and share your obsession in 25 words or less to claim a ticket. The CUPRA Sydney City Garage is located at 68 Pitt Street, Sydney. For more information about CUPRA or to get behind the wheel on a test drive, visit the website.
Name a season — there are only four, so it isn't hard — and, in Australia, it's likely that the weather will be hotter than average. The nation experiences toastier than usual summers, warmer than normal autumns and hotter than average winters every year, or so it seems. And, in news that will come as zero surprise, winter 2021 is expected to continue the trend. That's according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which releases an updated climate outlook every week — something that, with winter so close to arriving, is definitely worth a look. Much of the country is in for both warmer and wetter conditions than normal over the coming months, although exactly how that'll affect you obviously depends on where you live. If you reside in Australia's northern tropics, along New South Wales' coast, in southeastern Australia in general and in southwest of Western Australia, expect toastier winter temperatures this year, with a more than 80-percent chance that that'll be the case between June and August. Folks pretty much everywhere else except central Australia can also expect above average winter days, with a 60-percent likelihood. Nights in particular are also expected to be warmer over the same period, covering most of the country — with only parts of western WA expected to experience average or cooler conditions. To give an idea of exactly what that all means, the average daily maximum temperature for June sits at around 17 in Sydney, 14.1 degrees in Melbourne, 20.9 in Brisbane, 19.5 in Perth and 15.8 in Adelaide. In July, it's around 16.4 in Sydney, 13.5 degrees in Melbourne, 20.4 in Brisbane, 18.5 in Perth and 15 in Adelaide. And, come August, the figures usually come in at 17.9 in Sydney, 15 degrees in Melbourne, 21.8 in Brisbane, 19.1 in Perth and 16.1 in Adelaide. In good news for farmers, plenty of the nation east looks set for more rain, too. That's predicted to be the case in inland areas especially, with a 60-percent possibility. Along much the east coast, it could go either way — and in northern Queensland, which enters its dry season at this time of year, there's less than a 40-percent chance of more rain than usual. If you're wondering how BOM comes up with its models for the next few months, it draws upon the physics of our atmosphere, oceans, ice and land surface, as well a heap of observations — from satellites, as well as on land and sea. And, it also incorporates the effects of the climate change, with Australia's temperatures rising by around 1.44 degrees between 1910–2019. For more information about forecast weather conditions between this winter, keep an eye on the Bureau of Meteorology's climate outlook.
smart ARTS has had its season, but its not going to shuffle off without a party. The Red Rattler is opening its arms, stage and roller door to a bevy of artists, performers and musicians to lure you out onto Marrickville's murky streets one last time before the festival slips away into next year. smart ARTS is run out of the City of Sydney's Pine Street Creative Arts Studio, which ordinarily manufactures artists young and old. Its festival shows off the talent of young people in music, art and performance, and there's no shortage of that at the closing night party at the Rattler Friday night. The Divine Knights will show off their synth-pop, while the Looks Good cover post-punk poppiness and Alice Spacedoll brings her distant psychadelia to the stage. Defender Sound System DJs, and Melbourne-based Vancouver escapee UN-1 hosts for the night. As well as the music on show, Christina Bou will be showing her collection and Punk Monk Propaganda will be performing liquid projections live on screen. You're smart, you're arty, you may even by young. Why aren't you there? The Closing Party is an all-ages, alcohol-free event. Image by Divine Knights.
Award-winning playwright Jamila Main is bringing their immersive theatre piece Benched to the Darlinghurst Theatre Company for its NSW premiere. Running for four nights in May at the beloved theatre company's Eternity Playhouse, Benched was featured at Midsumma Festival earlier this year after sold-out debut seasons in South Australia in 2021. The intimate and immensely honest play is centred around Main who sits on a bench on stage alongside a ball, a frisbee and a shoe — all of which have their own unique story. Six audience members join Main on the bench throughout the show, selecting an item and engaging in a dialogue on the relationship between athleticism and disability. "I have a dynamic disability, my mobility and pain changes from day to day, hour to hour. I wanted to create an intimate show that feels epic in its emotional proportions; a chance where I can sit on the bench and share truths about disability we rarely have the opportunity to tell or hear," said Main. "I was originally commissioned to make a performance work for a couple of hundred bucks for a one-off night of experimental art in Adelaide, commissioned by FELTspace Gallery. At the time, I was going through a horrible flare-up. I made Benched in my bathtub, meditating on my true childhood memories of sport and athleticism, in contrast to my current declining mobility." There are a few different types of tickets available for Benched. Firstly, you can purchase a General Admission ticket ($32) which means you'll get to sit in the audience and enjoy the show. You can also join Main on the bench ($42) for ten minutes during the show before watching the remainder with the GA audience. Or, you can book in an intimate one-on-one session on the bench during a special session with no observers that'll be happening from 2pm on Thursday, May 26. There are also live stream tickets available for $10. Alongside the play, mixed media artist Ruby Allegra will be transforming the theatre's foyer into an exhibition space with works that compliment and reflect the themes of Benched. "I am exploring the joyful and painful moments of disabled childhood through the curation of works by disabled artists as they consider their younger self, or their inner child," said Allegra. [caption id="attachment_853749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lily Drummond[/caption] Top image: Ren Williams
A bustling mahjong club with food from one of Sydney's best chefs is opening for one night in the middle of this year's Lunar New Year celebrations. Dan Hong (Mr Wong, Ms G's, MuMu) and actor Remy Hii (Crazy Rich Asians, Blaze) have teamed up to transform Merivale's CBD institution Est. into the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Mahjong Club on Saturday, February 17. Arriving on level one of Establishment, the limited-time venue will have seatings from 1.30–9pm featuring fast-paced games of mahjong as well as a snack flight created by Hong. King crab and scallop dumplings, rock lobster bao and a next-level prawn toast made with otoro tuna belly and finger lime will all feature on the menu, alongside wagyu skewers, chilled truffled noodles paired with caviar, and warm Hong Kong-style egg tarts. Merivale mixologist Jonathan Liu will be spotlighting Johnnie Walker Blue Label through a trio of bespoke cocktails. The Hi-Prosperity will infuse ginger, yuzu, and chrysanthemum; the Blue Wishes will be an apple and rose honey combo topped with champagne; and Peace and Peaches will pair the scotch with clarified coconut milk, peach and pandan. "I have vivid memories of growing up watching my friend's mum play mahjong and spending Lunar New Year with my family, surrounded by food," says Hong. "The menu I've created for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Mahjong Club pays homage to those memories and traditions, and the ingredients that have important cultural symbolism around Lunar New Year, but each with a fresh new twist — a modern makeover and a few extra extravagant touches." Spots are $170 with three packages available: advanced mahjong players, mahjong newcomers and spectators. These all include a four-dish meal and a cocktail. Plus, there's a $60 package for those who want to experience the pop-up with a cocktail and a complimentary snack.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo is back for another year of out-of-the-city footstomping. Taking the large-scale music festival out of CBDs and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on the ANZAC Day long weekend and travel through Oakbank, Bunbury, Bendigo, Canberra, Maitland, and Townsville. This year's lineup sees syper-hyped internationals like the legendary Peaches, 'Boom Clap'-per Charli XCX, A$AP Mob's A$AP Ferg US trap king RL Grime, UK indie-gazers Peace and NZ festival favourites Broods alongside one of the most Aussie-heavy lineups GTM has seen in recent years. High-fiveworthy locals like Flight Facilities, The Preatures, Sticky Fingers, Hermitude, DMAs, Tkay Maidza, Ball Park Music, Meg Mac and more will also make their way to the Moo. So enough lowing, here's that lineup you're after. GROOVIN THE MOO 2015 LINEUP: A$AP FERG (USA) BALL PARK MUSIC BROODS (NZ) CARMADA CHARLI XCX (UK) THE DELTA RIGGS DMAs FLIGHT FACILITIES HERMITUDE HILLTOP HOODS HOT DUB TIME MACHINE MEG MAC NORTHLANE ONE DAY PEACHES (CAN) PEACE (UK) THE PREATURES RL GRIME (USA) SAN CISCO SASKWATCH STICKY FINGERS TKAY MAIDZA WOLFMOTHER YOU ME AT SIX (UK) GROOVIN THE MOO 2015 DATES & VENUES: Saturday, April 25 – Oakbank Sunday, April 26 – Bunbury Saturday, May 2 – Bendigo Sunday, May 3 – Canberra Saturday, May 9 – Maitland Sunday, May 10 – Townsville For more info, head to GTM's website. Image: Joseph Mayers, GTM.
Giant of the design and art market world, Finders Keepers will blow back into Sydney the last weekend of November. Running over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday at The Cutaway in Barangaroo, Finders Keepers will bring with it over 200 stalls — and a lot of very nice things that you can splash your emergency dosh on. What's an emergency if not needing to treat yourself to some fancy new threads, jewellery or homewares, stat? It's called 'retail therapy', look it up. As well as supporting local designers, the market will house a smorgasbord of talented folk from around the country. Plus, all these artisanal wares are coming to town just in time for you to tackle your Christmas shopping list early. To avoid aimless wandering (though there are plenty of food trucks, coffee pit stops and even bars to keep you sustained during your visit), here's a handy list of the five stalls you should scope out first. FOR ETHICAL FASHION: THE SOCIAL OUTFIT The Social Outfit does more than just providing you with a snazzy Christmas Day outfit: the Newtown-based brand, which will make its Finders Keepers debut this season, provides employment and training to refugees and new migrants. Focusing on helping its employees build their skills and providing a support network, The Social Outfit is giving back to the community while also creating really cute shirts. And, those shirts are made from organic, end-of-roll and remnant fabrics donated to it, which has so far saved more than four tonnes of textile waste since the team began in 2014. FOR ARTWORK: EGGPICNIC Design studio Eggpicnic creates illustrations of birds and other wild animals that toe the line between sketch, digital art and cartoon. And the friendly little critters are all designed in the name of wildlife conservation. Set up by Camila De Gregorio and Christopher Macaluso, both designers, the illustrations are simple, colourful and meaningful. Working with not-for-profit partners, Eggpicnic supports conservation efforts through its sales — including protecting endangered species and action on climate change. Once you've seen these amazing designs, we bet you'll start spotting them everywhere, with large-scale public art pieces installed all around the city. FOR YOUR BAG: MEMOBOTTLE There's nothing more convenient than a water bottle that fits in every bag you have, right? Memobottle sees your ratty old Pump bottle and raises you its slim, flat pack-design. Available in either A5 (750 millilitre) or A6 (375 millilitre) sizes, choose whichever fits best with your daily bag situation and off you go. It's stylish and contributes to the reduction of single use plastics. The A6 is even slender enough to fit into a pocket, so dehydration is a thing of the past even if you don't generally carry bags. FOR HOMEWARES: HOME BY HARLEQUIN If you're in search of a fancy vessel to house whatever it is you like to put inside your canisters (there's something comforting and grown-up about storing your dried pasta in them, surely), then this is a go-to for you. Home by Harlequin creates many a stylish, hand-crafted vessel made from casting stone. Finished with resin and oil, they have the vibe of ceramics without the use of a kiln. Coloured oxides pepper the canisters with both bright and neutral colours, so there'll be something to please everyone and their preferred aesthetic. Started by Lauren Eaton, a Sydney-based creative and maker, she'll brighten up your house with her wares (whether they're holding flowers, pasta or your M&M stash). FOR A BITE TO EAT: MISS LILLY'S KITCHEN Fact: there's nobody in the world who hates pie. But if we're mistaken, and you do, turn away now. Sweet, savoury, shared or all to yourself, pie time is every time (breakfast, lunch and dinner are all A-plus pie opportunities). If you're catching on to the fact that we're into pie, pick up what we're putting down and swing by Miss Lilly's Kitchen: purveyors of pies and pastries all made with spelt flour, free-range eggs and meat. Those who normally stay away from pies because of wheat will be pleased to know there are gluten-free options, too. For more information about the Sydney's Finders Keepers Spring/Summer 2018 market and for the full list of vendors, head to the website. Images: Eggpicnic/Memo Bottle, Samee Lapham, Finders Keepers Sydney Autumn/Winter 2018.
Ahh, The Rocks, Sydney’s keystone of heritage, history and architecture. A bustling hub of seaside restaurants, charming sandstone pubs and colourful tourist markets. However, prior to this glossy gentrification, it was the city's seedy underbelly, rife with crime, debauchery and disease. During the 1970s, it was the heart of the Green Bans movement, a revolutionary thrust towards heritage protection and environmental activism. Curated by Janice Muller, Quay to the City is a walking tour studded with theatrical performances by The Australian Theatre for Young People engaging with the richly layered history of The Rocks. Under the direction of six acclaimed professional artists and produced together with Sydney Living Museums, it is a fun feat of site-specific theatre. From the brutal colonial origins of nationhood, this tour will resurrect the gritty working-class characters that once traversed these narrow, cobblestoned streets. Grab your ticket and a map from the starting point at the MCA and delve deeper into Sydney’s oldest and most fascinating suburb.
Turning your phone off during a movie is cinema etiquette 101. Not kicking the seat in front of you, or talking during the film, or taking in food with aromas so pungent they stink out the whole theatre — they're all on the list as well. Usually, so is wearing clothes; however, the returning Fantastic Film Festival Australia is making attire optional for some of its 2022 sessions. One of Australia's film fests dedicated to weird and wonderful cinema — a tranche of flicks so glorious that several events celebrate them — FFFA is back for another year, screening at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick in Sydney and Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn in Melbourne from Thursday, April 21–Friday, May 6. It has just unveiled its full 2022 lineup, too, and its naked screening certainly deserves attention. The fest debuted the concept last year, and it's bringing it back this year. Even better: you'll be getting your kit off to mark the 25th anniversary of The Full Monty. Stripping off while seeing a classic movie about men stripping isn't the only highlight of this year's program, of course — and yes, if you want to see Robert Carlyle and company while remaining dressed, you can leave your hat on (and the rest of your clothing as well). The attire-optional session sits alongside other standouts such as opening night's viking epic The Northman, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman, and directed by The Witch and The Lighthouse's Robert Eggers; closing night's New York Ninja, which was shot in 1984, only finished in 2021 and follows a vigilante tale; and a 4K restoration of the inimitable 1981 great Possession starring a young Sam Neill and always-wonderful Isabelle Adjani (The World Is Yours). In total, 22 features and eight shorts and special events sit on this lineup of strange, surreal, out-there and purposely offbeat flicks. We're All Going to the World's Fair arrives from Sundance, combining psychological horror with a coming-of-age story — and a storyline about an online roleplaying game — while French film After Blue is a sci-fi western fantasy about a mother and daughter tracking a killer in toxic forests. There's also indie animation Absolute Denial, which has been compared to Frankenstein but in a digital world; Agnes, which explores a case of demonic possession in a convent; Japan's Dreams on Fire, featuring acclaimed dancer Bambi Naka in her first lead role; Norwegian nightmare The Innocents, as directed by The Worst Person in the World co-writer Eskil Vogt; and The Timekeepers of Eternity, which is adapted from Stephen King novella The Langoliers. On the events bill, FFFA is hosting Music Video Blind Date, to connect Melbourne musos with filmmakers in the hopes of making music video magic — and, thanks to an evening called Cinema 1 Nightclub, it's getting DJ Female Wizard to spin tunes inside a theatre while artist Baben Shin provides the visuals. And if you're keen to celebrate the launch of the program, the fest is also hosting a sneak-preview session of Michelle Yeoh-starring multiverse gem Everything Everywhere All At Once in advance — on Saturday, March 26. Fantastic Film Festival Australia runs from Thursday, April 21–Friday, May 6 at Ritz Cinema, Randwick in Sydney and Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn in Melbourne. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the FFFA website.
Each year, two of our city's most dynamic arts organisations, Carriageworks and Sydney Dance Company, join forces to give up-and-coming choreographers a platform to showcase their work. This exciting initiative, New Breed, is supported by philanthropic organisation The Balnaves Foundation. It shows an ongoing commitment from all groups to nurture the talent of the next generation of performers and artists. Now in its fifth year, it boasts a successful track record of recipients going on to do national and global tours with their work, picking up many awards along the way. This year's program features a powerhouse lineup of independent female choreographers: Prue Lang (Melbourne), Katina Olsen (Sydney/Sunshine Coast), Holly Doyle (Sydney) and Janessa Dufty (Yamba). These four dancers, who have decades of training and dozen of accolades between them already, were selected to create original works and were also given the opportunity to work at Sydney Dance Company's studios with some of Australia's best contemporary dancers to bring these creative pieces to life. And now, you get to enjoy the fruits of the labour with an evening of stunning performances. New Breed 2018 is set to run nightly at Carriageworks from Friday, November 29 to Saturday, December 12. Tickets cost $35 per person and can be purchased here.
Everyone has had the James Bond fantasy. No, not that fantasy. We're talking about imagining you're a secret agent who thwarts global plots and has a pen that doubles as a parachute (or something). It's a job we've all wished we had — but our intelligence services never seem to be advertising vacancies. Fortunately, cabaret matriarch Anya Anastasia is launching a public campaign for the position in Cabaret Star for Hire. In her new show, Anastasia announces she is calling time on her wildly successful career as a performer, setting out her prospects for the future and cataloguing in detail the abject failures in her past. Billed as 'part performance art, part Aussie opera, part physical and musical comedy extravaganza', Anastasia's swansong takes a hammer to the façade she created on social media before stepping us through her plans to take the espionage world by storm. Cynics might consider a public cabaret extravaganza an ill-judged medium for announcing one's entry into the spy game. But Anastasia's too damn good — this was never going to stay secret for long. Anya Anastasia: Cabaret Star for Hire is showing on Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13 as part of Bondi Feast 2019. For more information and to purchase tickets, head this way.
Forget what your eight-year-old self knows about collages and abandon your trusty Clag glue pot. The newest exhibition at the Anna Schwartz Gallery gives sleek insight into the art form using images from Hollywood's golden era. British artist John Stezaker has been making collages and photomontages for decades but has only very recently turned heads in the art sphere. In some collages, Stezaker creates interesting and often creepy contrasts by cutting and reassembling mid-20th century cinema memorabilia and agency head-shots of unknown actors. In others, the artist cleverly and purposefully places picturesque postcards over the expressions of failed movie stars, to unsettling effect. Although recognition was belated, Stezaker is certainly receiving attention for his artwork now; he won the 2012 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize (even though he is technically not a photographer) and held an exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art as part of the 19th Biennale of Sydney earlier this year. If you think all collages are the same, be prepared to be proven wrong.
Because it’s kind of a big deal, you’ve probably already heard about artist Tatzu Nishi’s (alias Tazro Niscino alias Tatsurou Bashi alias Tatzu Oozu) War and peace and in between. You have right? The Kaldor project enclosing Gilbert Bayes’ two equestrian sculptures outside the Art Gallery of New South Wales? Yeh, cool, thought so. Awesome.Nishi has a habit of altering public monuments. Using the addition of domestic spaces, he re-contextualises the familiar and in doing so affects the way we look at objects and spaces we’ve encountered so many times before that their details have become no longer apparent – street light for a reading lamp anyone? Nishi’s work cuts through the apathetic haze that comes with over-familiarity. So it’s a little bit exciting to find out he actually has two Sydney projects opening in October. In addition to War and peace and in between, Nishi has a self-titled show at Roslyn Oxley9 from October 3. Double yes.But wait there's more ... you can also hear the artist discuss his work at a free public talk at the AGNSW on October 2 from 1-2.30pm.
While in lockdown, you've probably been battling with your hairstyle a little. Should you attempt to trim your bangs? Shave your head? Dye it blue a la Hilary Duff? Well, if you decide to cut yourself a mullet, you'll score some free beer courtesy of the folk over at Melbourne's Moon Dog Craft Brewery. The team behind Abbotsford's OG Moon Dog and Preston's OTT Moon Dog World is celebrating the launch of its new strawberry sour ale, Jean-Strawb Van Damme, by giving away four-packs of the brew to everyone who takes on the mullet challenge. To prove you've gotten your new 'do in iso, you'll need to post a before and after photo and tag both @moondogbrewing and @beefsbarbers. And not only will you score yourself a four-pack, you'll also go into the running to win a year's supply of beer. The 365 days of brews — plus and epic prize pack — will go to the best/worst mullet, so go all out. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_EcsWFjDXs/ If you need some inspo, we suggest heading on over to the Mulletfest website. Held every year in the regional NSW town of Kurri Kurri, the festival awards prizes to the best mullet hairstyle in a heap of categories, from 'grubby' to 'extreme' and 'everyday'. Those who don't want to look like Patrick Swayze in Point Break (or Road House), can still try the tasty sour ale. Moon Dog is delivering it across Australia ($20 a four-pack or $100 a 24-pack) and it's available at select bottle-os across the country, too. To score yourself a free four-pack of Jean-Strawb Van Damme — and go into the running to win a year's supply of beer — you'll need to post a before and after photo and tag both @moondogbrewing and @beefsbarbers. To buy the beer, head to the Moon Dog website.
Lights-out, judgement-free dance party No Lights No Lycra is turning ten this month and celebrating with its biggest bash yet. What started out as a low key Melbourne dance sesh has become a worldwide phenomenon — and, a decade on, its still as popular as ever. The birthday festivities will span eight cities across Australia, including right here in Sydney. And it's absolutely free. The party will take over the St Stephen's Main Hall in Newtown on Saturday, July 27 from 7–8pm. Expect one full hour of eat-your-heart out dancing to go down. And, when all that grooving in the dark makes you hungry, there will be plenty of free eats to snack on. Birthday giveaways are on the docket, too. All fitness levels are welcome, whether you move like a pro or like you have two left feet. So go on, get loose and really dance like no one is watching. While tickets are free, you will need to register.
There is no wrong time of day for devouring Italian food — leftover pasta makes as good a breakfast as dinner, after all. If you agree (which we're sure you do), here's some red-hot intel: Darlinghurst's new bright spot Fortuna has added a bottomless feast to their offering. The diner arrived on Victoria Street from two hospo mainstays, George Nahas and Egon Marzaioli, in late 2021. When it's not treating Sydneysiders to Italian feasts and endless mimosas, it's a breezy all-day eatery pulling from Marzaioli's early years in Naples. And now, from 12pm till 8.30pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you can enjoy a share-style table of treats and 90 minutes of endless Aperol spritzes, negronis, Peronis, mimosas and a selection of vinos for $89. On arrival, expect a slice of warm, housemade focaccia and an array of truly delish antipasti (think Sicilian olives, Princi soppressa mortadella, salami, marinated tomatoes and burrata dressed in a vivid-green herby oil). Then, porchetta with crisp and golden potatoes as a main. All that plus stand-out bevs to wash it down? A delicious bargain. If you want to bolster the meal with some heartier dishes, you can add an additional $10 per person and the table will be treated to two pastas from the menu. Uniquely, and in a move that's sure to keep the vibes merry, staff will present the Wheel of Fortuna for guests to spin. Hope you're feeling lucky, cos you can win or lose. Maybe you'll score a round of shots for the table, or you might be left gifting a round of shots to the staff. Fortuna's bottomless feast is offered from 12–8.30pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Head to the website to make a booking.
A midnight feast, a sensory degustation and a fancy schmancy picnic catered by some of the hottest chefs in town are among the highlights of this year's spectacular Good Food Month program. Taking over Sydney for the whole month of October, this annual culinary cavalcade will once again see the city transformed into the foodie equivalent of Valhalla, with parties, sit-down dinners and everything in-between to satisfying your most extravagant cravings. Clear your calendar and start fasting now. This year they're packing as much as they can into every one of the 31 days in October. Perhaps the most exciting of the bigger events is the Golden Century Midnight Feast. This won't be like all those other post-midnight dumpling stops at the late-night favourite though — starting at midnight, diners can eat alongside the likes of Tetsuya Wakuda, Neil Perry, Mitch Orr and Morgan McGlone, who'll share their favourite kitchen stories over a banquet fit for a king. As always, the program is filled with notable names. Legendary chef Serge Dansereau (of Balmoral's Bathers' Pavilion) will recreate some of his most famous dishes in a special food and wine event, while May Chow (Little Bao) and Neil Perry will join forces for a night of steamed buns and spice. Ten famous chefs, including Biota's James Viles, Bennelong's Rob Cockerill and Firedoor's Lennox Hastie will host ten Kitchen Table Dinners, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to food charity OzHarvest. Whatever you do, don't miss the inaugural Spring Social, which will feature food by Matt Moran, the Three Blue Ducks crew and dessert kings Alistair Wise and Andy Bowdy at Centennial Park. One of Nashville's top barbecue masters Carey Bringle will be heading up an intimate three-course dinner with Morgan McGlone at Harpoon Harry. And of course it wouldn't be Good Food Month without the Night Noodle Market, with the ever popular GF staple returning to Hyde Park once more. Check out our top picks for the festival here.
Back when streaming platforms and digital television were just a futuristic dream, and when every Australian TV network only had one channel, SBS was an Aussie cinephile's go-to source for free international cinema. The public broadcaster has continued to uphold that role over the past decade or so, especially via its online service SBS On Demand. But now it's giving movie buffs what we've always wanted: a new, free-to-air, 24-hour world movies channel. SBS World Movies will launch on Monday, July 1 on channel 32, playing flicks from around the globe all day, every day. Prepare for quite the movie marathon, as more than 700 films will be broadcast each year. The channel will also become the network's third in HD — a far cry from the days when folks at home would record the station's international movies on grainy VHS tapes to watch again later. While the full launch slate hasn't been revealed, a selection of recent high-profile titles will be heading SBS World Movies' way, including Yorgos Lanthimos' dark and twisty The Killing of a Sacred Deer with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman; moving French drama Amanda, which just screened at this year's Alliance Française French Film Festival; and applauded 2018 festival hit Ash is the Purest White, the latest film by acclaimed auteur Jia Zhangke. Norwegian historical drama The 12th Man, French thriller Just A Breath Away and Belgian Cannes winner Girl round out the just-announced first movies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=QT3KlMWHfzw The channel will also showcase women in film via a weekly double focusing on female filmmakers and lead actors, highlight favourites from the international film festival circuit, delve into up-and-coming cinema from far-flung corners of the world, and curate seasons around events like Diwali, Lunar New Year, International Women's Day and Mardi Gras. Along with programming world movies on its existing channels, as well as on SBS On Demand, SBS is no stranger to the dedicated film channel game. For nearly a quarter of a century up until January 2018, World Movies was available via subscription TV services such as Foxtel. When SBS World Movies joins the network's lineup, it'll sit alongside existing channels SBS, SBS VICELAND, SBS Food and NITV. SBS World Movies launches on Monday, July 1 on channel 32.
In summer, a refreshing gin and tonic on a rooftop bar is often a weekend go-to. But bringing the heat to the classic drink this chilly season is The Rook Rooftop Bar and Restaurant, with its bottomless G&Tea parties. Located in the CBD, The Rook is helping you warm up this July and August by inviting you to perhaps the most fun tea party you'll ever attend. The shindig involves endless rounds of warm cocktails served in teapots and all fired by London's Sipsmith gin. Sip your way from the Berry Fruitea, a concoction of Sipsmith London dry gin, hibiscus berry tea, mint, grapefruit and ginger, to the Tea Time, a steamy mix of Sipsmith London dry gin, Sipsmith London cup punch, french earl grey, star anise, cinnamon and orange. A few chilled tea-inspired gin cocktails are also available. Matching your piping hot brews will be a selection of tasty plates — think chicken katsu finger sandwiches with wasabi mayonnaise and wagyu beef sliders. There'll also be wild berry cheesecake, flourless chocolate brownies and mini sweet potato pies topped with coffee cream for dessert. After a recent revamp, The Rook is looking mighty slick now too. You can expect plush new furnishings and blankets to rug up under to complement your G&Tea drinking. Kicking off on Saturday, July 13, The Rook's bottomless G&Tea parties are taking place at midday and 3pm every Saturday this winter. For just $69 a pop, you'll enjoy two hours of snacks and bottomless booziness. Bookings for The Rook's bottomless G&Tea parties are recommended and can be made here.
Now in its 29th year, this popular and highly anticipated event celebrates all things seafood. Held over 36 hours from 5am on Monday, December 23–5pm on Tuesday, December 24, this marathon shopping event offers Sydney's seafood lovers the opportunity to shop for fresh, sustainably sourced produce around the clock, making it perfect for those preparing festive feasts or seeking special holiday ingredients on short notice. Over 350 tonnes of seafood is expected to be sold including 120 tonnes of prawns and almost 70,000 dozen oysters. Punters can also find everything they need for the rest of their Christmas table, including fresh fruit and veggies, fresh bread, quality meat, cheese, wine, dry goods, and sweet treats. And it's not just about shopping. The marathon also features live cooking demonstrations, tastings and special deals from local vendors. The vibrant atmosphere, with its bustling stalls and live entertainment, captures the essence of Sydney's thriving food culture during the holiday season.
Powerhouse Museum's long-awaited Parramatta site is on the way, and the ambitious Western Sydney space is finally beginning to take shape. With an opening date set for 2025, the Powerhouse team has just announced that the museum will have an increased food and drink focus, including exciting themed programs. Powerhouse is currently taking expressions of interest from folks in the hospitality industry to partner with the museum, with the venue seeking collaborators to create unique and adventurous explorations of food when the Parramatta site opens in two years' time. While things are clearly still in the early stages of planning, visitors can expect themed food and beverage offerings that are integrated into the museum's exhibitions, plus a dedicated demonstration kitchen hosting innovative food science programs. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Powerhouse Museum (@powerhousemuseum) "The retail food and beverage program will be concept-driven, collaborative and embedded into the Powerhouse program of exhibitions and programs alongside major events and festivals. It will also truly integrate Powerhouse Parramatta with its surrounds, connecting with the city physically, socially and economically," said Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah. "As a Parramatta resident, I've seen the local hospitality scene transform with an explosion of great new restaurants and local cafes," added Powerhouse Trustee David Borger. "I'm excited to see how this partnership between the museum and leaders in the hospitality scene will take shape and present a new approach that represents the incredible cultural diversity of Western Sydney." Alongside the retail offering, the Vitocco Family Kitchen will reside within the museum, seating 200 people in auditorium-style seating in front of the demonstration area. Powerhouse Parramatta hopes to attract chefs and industry leaders from across Australia and the world to present in the space. [caption id="attachment_755479" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Render of Powerhouse's Parramatta site[/caption] Set to spread across 18,000 square metres of museum exhibition and public space, Powerhouse Parramatta will be located on the banks of the Parramatta River. When it's finished, it's expected that the new venue will attract two million visitors per year, with Powerhouse Board of Trustees President Peter Collins AM QC calling it "Australia's very own Smithsonian". In the meantime, make sure to listen to the Powerhouse Museum's stunning Culinary Archives podcast hosted by Lee Tran Lam — and lock in time to visit some of our favourite Parramatta spots that exemplify Western Sydney's impressive hospitality scene, including Circa Espresso, Lilymu, Fratelli Pulcinella, Misc, Pho Pasteur, Nick & Nora's and Temasek. Powerhouse Museum Parramatta is set to open on Phillip Street in 2025. Head to the venue's website for further details. Images: renders of Powerhouse's Parramatta site.
UPDATE, November 23, 2020: Human Flow is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Like the renowned artist he is, Ai Weiwei opens Human Flow with a splash of painterly beauty, one of many that'll be seen over the course of the film's 140 minutes. An aerial shot of the sea fills the screen, its texture glistening, its colour shimmering, and a lone white seagull soaring over its scenic expanse. Even when the movie cuts to its next image — of a vessel filled with refugees powering through the gentle waves — it looks like something from a nature documentary. In a way, that's exactly what Human Flow is: a visually striking exploration of the planet's inhabitants migrating en masse across its surface. Of course, the film is also much, much more than that. Ai has never been one to shy away from politics, and is presently exiled from his Chinese homeland as a result. Returning to a topic he has contemplated repeatedly across his particular blend of art and activism (as also seen in his studio in Lesbos, recent series of New York fences and the 60-metre-long inflatable boat now on display in Sydney), he doesn't hide the documentary's strong viewpoint on the subject at hand. Moving between more than 40 refugee camps in 23 countries in total — from Afghanistan and Israel to Germany and the US — Human Flow both depicts and denounces the reality experienced by the 65 million people currently considered displaced. As the movie informs the audience, that's a level last seen during the Second World War. Interviews pop up throughout, flitting between experts, those trying to assist and a number of the displaced themselves. Lines from poets, writers and thinkers also frequently feature on-screen, speaking of humanity's overwhelming desire to simply be treated with dignity. Further slabs of text provide facts about and add context to the film's geographical segments, while a newsfeed intermittently scrolls across the bottom of the frame. Occasionally, Ai himself makes an appearance, chatting to refugees, bearing witness and trying to grapple with the enormity of the struggles before him. He helps people onto the shore from boats, and at one point swaps his own passport with a Syrian asylum seeker. At a wedding, he even dances. As rousing and resonant as all of the above proves, it's the documentary's main imagery, and the cinematography that goes with it, that makes Human Flow such a stunning achievement. Some shots offer breathtaking bird's-eye views of the masses moving across different landscapes. Others are grainy, urgent and shot on mobile phones, immersing viewers in the daily existence of refugees everywhere. The juxtaposition tells its own story: about the ease of seeing things from afar versus the difficulties of truly diving into the details, and the vastness of the problem at hand versus the personal toll for those trying to find a better life. This film is clearly an emphatic condemnation of the refugee crisis. It's also one that knows that reading headlines is one thing, but that seeing it up close — on the ground, all around the world — is something else entirely. The end result is a moving documentary that's mammoth yet intimate in both its scope and impact. Crucially, it's also heartfelt without overtly tugging at the heartstrings. Again, Ai is well aware that his observational, unhurried images (shot with the assistance of 11 other credited cinematographers) speak for themselves. Forget a picture just being worth a thousand words – Human Flow convincingly and compellingly advocates for millions of lives, for action in a world of apathy, and for not only the free movement of people in need, but the flow of humanity towards them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP5F7-RwVgM
If you’re not familiar with Vivian Girls, get acquainted. When the Brooklyn band released their debut album last year, a combination of 60’s girl-group harmonies, scuzzy garage guitar riffs and shoegaze and surf-punk sounds, the music industry went a little berserk. The vinyl-only LP sold out in weeks, leading to a CD reissue through In The Red later in the year and a heap of support slots and festival appearances. Earlier this month the all-girl trio released their new album Everything Goes Wrong through Inertia on September 8th and are celebrating by coming to Australian for the first time with a show at Spectrum. I’ll be there, front-row centre.
One of the most outrageous events on Sydney's cultural calendar is the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, which returns this April. Selling out for the previous six years, the 14th Gala will surely be no different with another surprise comedic lineup set to feature many of the 2018 festival's headline acts. While those performing at the 2018 Gala remains a tightly held secret, last year's event saw 15 comic talents take to the stage and serve up their best bits in five minutes of rapid-fire laughs. A riotous hit, the night featured some great local talent punctuating a lineup of standout international acts — including Stephen K Amos, Mae Martin and Jason Byrne. This year's event kicks off the 2018 Sydney Comedy Festival in style, with two special nights at the Sydney Opera House. With galas also being held at the Enmore Theatre, the Riverside Theatre and The Concourse, there's really no excuse to miss out. Once the Gala is over, don't forget about the 210-plus comedy shows that are part of the full Sydney Comedy Festival. Being held across Sydney, from April 23 until May 20, the festival will be headlined by Ross Noble (UK), David O'Doherty (IRE) and Australia's own Kitty Flanagan just to name a few. To celebrate the return of the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, we're giving away two double passes to the Sydney Opera House event on Tuesday, April 24 at 8pm. To enter, see details below. [competition]663265[/competition]
The Shangri-La is no stranger to high tea. Whether it's a weekly sky-high affair or an OTT festive high tea with a gingerbread carousel, the luxurious Sydney hotel is a fan of impressive daytime spreads. Come July, it's pulling out all the stops for the most magical iteration yet with the Wizardry High Tea Buffet. The Shangri-La Grand Ballroom will be fitted out to resemble a wizard's lair with gilded thrones, candelabras, magical spell books, potion jars, broomsticks and wands scattered throughout to create an immersive space for the high tea. Both the sweet and savoury treats on offer will also be themed. Expect raspberry and chocolate eclairs; chocolate cups with blueberry mousse; and sandwiches filled with turkey and brie, broccolini and pesto, or ham and Swiss cheese — all decked out to look straight out of an enchanted tavern. The spellbinding tea is on offer on the first three weekends in July, with two seating times available on each of the applicable days — 11am–1pm and 2.30–4.30pm. Tickets are $79 or $59 for kids aged 4–11. If you want to really take the experience up a notch, you can book the Magical Wizardry Escape which bundles together a stay at the Shangri-La Sydney with two tickets for the high tea.
If you've spent the past year with your nose buried in a book, that's about to pay off beyond the everyday joys and thrills of reading. Sydney Writers' Festival returns for 2023 with another hefty catalogue of thought-provoking events — 226 of them, with almost 300 writers and thinkers involved. Every writers' festival converges around an annual theme, with Sydney's focusing on 'Stories for the Future' for its 2023 iteration from Monday, May 22–Sunday, May 28 at various venues around the city — and also beamed digitally. Today's most current Booker Prize-winner, plus three from past years as well, top the lineup: Shehan Karunatilaka, who won in 2022 for The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida; The Luminaries' Eleanor Catton; The Narrow Road to The Deep North's Richard Flanagan and Girl Woman Other's Bernardine Evaristo. Still on highly applauded attendees, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist Colson Whitehead — for The Underground Railroad, which was then adapted into a TV series, and for The Nickel Boys — also leads the bill, arriving between Harlem Shuffle's 2021 publication and sequel Crook Manifesto's arrival this July. Among the international names at the Sydney Writers' Festival, the above headliners have ample company. When Trinidad-born UK musician Anthony Joseph isn't talking poetry — he is 2022's TS Eliot Prize for Poetry winner — London restauranteur Asma Khan from Darjeeling Express, and also seen on Chef's Table, will chat about comfort food; Daniel Lavery from Slate, who penned the Dear Prudence column from 2016–21, will run through his best advice; and Vietnamese author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai will introduce her new novel Dust Child. On the local front, get ready for two iconic pairings: former Prime Minister Julia Gillard being interviewed by Indira Naidoo, plus Jurassic Park favourite Sam Neill discussing work, life and writing with his Sweet Country, Dean Spanley, Dirty Deeds and Palm Beach co-star Bryan Brown. Also on the must-attend list: Grace Tame chatting about The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner: A Memoir, Heartbreak High's Chloé Hayden doing the same with Different, Not Less: A neurodivergent's guide to embracing your true self and finding your happily ever after, and Stan Grant on The Queen Is Dead. Also, on Monday, May 15 before the main festival, Tim Winton will discuss writing the ABC TV documentary Love Letter to Ningaloo. And, if your main relationship with the printed word is through recipe books, the 2023 festival is going all in on the topic for one day at Carriageworks Farmers Market. Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer will talk with Adam Liaw, while fixing the food system and family recipes will also nab chats by culinary talent. Capping off the bill will be foodie gala The Dinner That Changed My Life, with everyone from Nat's What I Reckon and Jennifer Wong to Alice Zaslavsky and Colombo Social's Shaun Christie-David involved. As always, free events are a big part of the program as well, with more than 80 on this year. And, also in the same category, the spread of venues is hefty — including Carriageworks, Town Hall, and 25 suburban venues and libraries across Sydney. [caption id="attachment_893385" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Tame by Kishka Jensen[/caption] Images: Prudence Upton.
There are loads of bands popping up on the DIY indie-music scene who can be described as 'young heretics', but there's only one band, who hail from Melbourne’s DIY indie-scene, that you can actually call Young Heretics. The dramatic pop duo are Kitty Hart (she brings the drama) and Matthew Wright (he works on the pop), and although some might label them 'emo', their epic rants and brooding melodies are no different to a Kate Bush classic — and everyone loves those. Hart and Wright live up to their title (somewhat an affirmation) and are traipsing around the country to launch their self-produced and self-released LP, We Are the Lost Loves, which caused a kerfuffle when it was released as a free download for the first month. The album that caused a stir in the industry will cause a stir in your soul with its emotionally charged and a-little-bit eerie lyrics (take 'Bones of a Rabbit' for example: "I deceived the lonely/And in the dark I've grown/I now clench the fists of hands/To limbs that aren’t my own") but their powerful melodies will have you singing along as if you were Kate Bush — and nothing will make you stop.
Start prepping your prank calls: Moe’s Tavern is coming to town. From May 23-30, the first floor of the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel will turn into Homer Simpson's favourite drinking den. And, of course, the go-to destination for Krusty Burgers, Duffalo Wings, Lard Lad Donuts and Duff Beer. The pop-up is in honour of the fact that Australia is about to add Duff Beer — the official version — to its bottle shop shelves. You may well have seen fakes masquerading about the place, but this is the real thing. It’s being described as “superbly crafted with a perfect balance of flavour and refreshment featuring a deep golden colour with caramel aromatics and a hint of fruit”. It’s perhaps a more poetic description than Homer might have conjured up. His song of praise went something along the lines of, “I enjoy the great taste of Duff; Yes, Duff is the only beer for me; Smooth, creamy Duff ... Zzzzzzzz.” From May 28, you’ll be able to take it home (and write your own verse), for $17 a six-pack of 355ml cans and/or $45 a case. You’ll find it at BWS or Dan Murphy's. Via 2Day FM.
If there's one thing we grew up hearing from our mothers, it's "don't follow strange men you've just met in Mexico into abandoned churches in the middle of nowhere". Or something like that. In any case, you'll be shaking your head just like your mum within the first half hour of Truth or Dare, as you follow the sordid activities of a group of teenagers on spring break as they become embroiled in a ~deadly~ game. Regardless of how your mother phrased her advice, we're sure it was much more sensible and well-intended than this waste of time of a film. Somehow earning the stripe of being from Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions team (who brought you Get Out, Insidious and Whiplash), we have a feeling this is one movie Blum deigns to forget pretty quickly – as will most people who watch it. The film follows a group of teenagers on spring break (ugh) who, after the standard montage of tequila and bars and hook-ups (uuugh), find themselves playing a game of truth or dare with a stranger who soon gets weird and jumps ship. That leaves Olivia (Lucy Hale) and a bunch of her friends to finish the game, only to realise that the game isn't finished with them. Yeah, that's right – another movie where pretty young people are killed off one by one. This time it would seem a demon curse is the culprit. Unsurprisingly, Truth or Dare is extraordinarily silly, from the setup all the way down to the ridiculous facial effects that look as though they're the result of too many pingers and one of those carnival fun mirrors. It's meant to be scary, and to indicate how dark and terrifying a demon it is we're dealing with here (spoiler alert: not very). More disturbing is how little the characters seem to care when their mates start kicking the bucket. Teens these days, huh? The only semi-interesting story element relates to one character's struggle with how to come out to his strict father. Unfortunately, most everyone is dead before it can really develop into anything worthwhile. Thin in plot, thick in bad acting and dialogue, we dare you to turn your back on this limp sponge of a film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgnk3MLw9TM
It's safe to say Aussies love Nutella. They have days, high teas and food trucks dedicated to the chocolate-hazelnut spread — and no shortage of frankencreations inspired by it. While a gelateria in Melbourne is serving up Nutella ravioli, a Sydney chain has decided to launch Nutella spring rolls. Available at P'Nut Street Noodles stores across the city, the spring rolls are filled with lots of the sweet spread and covered in a golden, crisp exterior. And they're going for just $3.95 a pop. As they are just pastry and Nutella, you could argue that they are fried Nutella-filled pancakes or Nutella cigars, but spring rolls certainly fits with the Thai flavours of P'Nut. The noodle chain has seven stores across the city — including in The Rocks, Baulkam Hills, Balmain, Rouse Hill, Sydney Olympic Park, Zetland and Dee Why — and is serving the dessert spring rolls as part of its new Nuts About Taste menu, which also features popcorn chicken and roti bread with peanut sauce. To find your closest store, head over to the website.
At the heart of 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art's new exhibition is a contradiction. The green glass of the sculptures in Ken + Julia Yonetani's What the Birds Knew is radioactive. Alongside the artist text, you are advised that the uranium glass in this show "is not sufficiently radioactive to pose a health hazard to those viewing the glass." But it's the thought of being so close to such a feared substance that is the thrill of this exhibition. What sets your hair on end, and makes you wonder if the exhibit is safe to visit. If the show is safe— which, no doubt, it is — then what happens to the adventure? And if it isn't, then why are you still standing there? USA from Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nuclear Nations is a ghostly chandelier, reminiscent of the pale holographic ghosts of Disney World's haunted mansion, turning from ghostly bone to a more snot green when it's hit by light from the street as you open the door. It's one of a series of chandeliers made in the Crystal Palace series representing each of the nuclear nations, proportionate to size. The one at 4A, representing the States, is pretty big. The uranium glass beads are illuminated by UV bulbs, stealing the chandelier's thunder with a brilliant fuzzy glow whose border extends well beyond the bulbs' actual edges. Upstairs, a giant green glowing ant is outlined with the beads. The wireframe textures of the ant hover in mid-air, outlining an underlying black chickenwire body. The ant is on a scale that makes you think of B grade film, and its rear gaster is raised dramatically as if to strike, with its cinematic lineage pushing you meditate on the perils of radioactivity. But, if the exhibition has a flaw, it's that its intended subjects (Australia's own uranium mining, and Fukushima) don't spring immediately to mind.
These days, plenty of events have been putting the 'fun' in fun run. Some take you jogging through a winery, then let you sip wine. Others ask you to dress up like your favourite Star Wars character, or as Batman. And, you can can decked out with colour while you put one foot after another, too. They're all well and good — but if you're eager to sprint through foam, tumble down waterslides and make your way through mud pits across a five-kilometre obstacle course, you'll want to head to the 5K Foam Fest. Hitting up the Sydney International Equestrian Centre on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, this event will get you running, sliding, climbing, crawling, bouncing, hurdling, hopping through tyres and slipping over tubes. In total, you'll need to conquer more than 20 obstacles. And, although this should be obvious, you can expect to get wet, muddy and foamy while you're doing so. There's a reason that we keep stressing the foam, with 2.5 million cubic feet of it used across the course. Plus, there'll be some on your beer when you have a few cold ones in the beer garden once you're done. Tickets are on sale for both days for this family-friendly affair. If you'd like to have your entry fee reimbursed, you also have the option of using the event to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation. Image: 5K Foam Fest.
There's something in the water over in Western Australia, with the state producing a myriad of quality bands of the psych-rock genre over the past couple of years. Hailing from Perth, Pond are the latest outfit to make waves in the Australian music landscape. The five-piece are currently touring off the back of their fourth album, Beard, Wives, Denim, and have gradually made a name for themselves nationally and internationally, playing Austin's SXSW and touring extensively around Europe. NME even named them the "hottest new band in the world". Pond began as a collaborative project between musicians from Tame Impala, The Silents, Mink Mussel Creek and more. Led by the charismatic and Jagger-esque frontman, Nick Allbrook, their live shows are notably looser and a little more inebriated than your usual psych-rock show, performing with more people on stage and with a more electrifying presence. Sydney solo artist Melodie Nelson and indie-pop outfit Day Ravies will be taking on supporting duties for the evening. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xNZA9w4gTis
Sydney band The Laurels have finally dropped their long-awaited debut record Plains – a patchwork of gritty riffs, lush pop melodies and fuzzy psychedelic hooks. The four-piece recently supported Band Of Skulls on their Australian tour, and after playing with a myriad of other international acts over the last few months – The Black Angels and A Place To Bury Strangers just to name a couple – they are now hitting the road to showcase their latest offering, stopping over at the Annandale Hotel. The dense walls of sound that they create, further amplified by their shimmering drones, make for a mind-melting live show experience. Always upping the ante in terms of delivery, dynamism and musicianship, they have cemented themselves as one of Sydney's best live bands. Supporting duties for the evening go to Melbourne-based Witch Hats and Sydney's East River. https://youtube.com/watch?v=5nMYUwAi5zw
All the secrets have been revealed. Modular and FBi Radio have teamed up for a stellar night of music, as part of the All Our Friends birthday series for the community radio station's 10th year celebrations. Happening at the Oxford Art Factory on Saturday, July 27, What We Do Is Secret will take over both the main room and Gallery Bar with a smorgasbord of international and local live acts and DJs. Headlining the main room is British indie-dance outfit Klaxons (DJ set) — this show will be their only performance outside of Splendour in the Grass. They'll be joined by new Modular signing Movement, plus Softwar, wordlife, Slow Blow, Otologic and Club Mod DJs. The Gallery Bar line-up rounds off the event with local music legends Kilter, Moonbase Commander and Meare, plus DJs Mike Who, Kato, Kali (Picnic) and Max Gosford. The evening doubles as a fundraiser for FBi Radio, to raise funds for the station's 10th year on air.
Serious food lovers are spoiled for choice in Sydney, but sometimes it's hard to see the wood for the trees with so many great options on the table. There's also the problem of everybody else knowing about them, too, which means looking down the barrel of hour-long (or more) waits to get a seat. And then there's the hole in your wallet some of the city's top bites will burn. Don't despair though, as there are plenty of 'secret' eating spots for those in the know. We've tracked down five of our favourites that are guaranteed to impress — especially any new mates visiting the harbour city for the weekend. These eateries still might be busy and buzzing (it's a big city after all) but each has retained an element of the underground and a focus on innovative, creative deliciousness. And the best part is that none will break the bank.
If you're looking to dip into a few fresh literary delights, why not opt for a deep-dive into some of the world's oldest storytelling traditions? That's what you can expect to enjoy when this week's Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival serves up a celebration of First Nations stories and writers, fusing tradition and innovation. Running from Thursday, March 17 until Sunday, March 20, the festival will spotlight over 67 talented storytellers — both emerging and familiar — across a program of conversations, workshops, readings and performances. Most events will be held at Melbourne's Wheeler Centre, with many also streamed online. The festival's launch night kicks off with a Welcome to Country and multi-disciplinary performance piece Solace, as traditional owners and artists Philly, Bryan Andy, James Henry and Steven Rhall explore ideas around men's mental health. During Borrow a Living Book, you'll have the chance to sit down with an elder at Indigenous-owned eatery Big Esso and immerse yourself in the stories of their lived experiences. With Kimmy Lovegrove as MC, Gammon (Aboriginal slang for 'joking' or 'kidding') delivers a serve of Blak comedy, while The Monologues showcases words from celebrated First Nations playwrights including Kodie Bedford, Anita Heiss and Jane Harrison. Elsewhere, you'll catch a series of ten-minute talks by social justice activists, an in-depth exploration of Aboriginal aesthetic within the Australian design landscape, and a group poetry read featuring writers like Jazz Money and Charmaine Papertalk Green. Can't make it in person? A stack of the events will also be available to enjoy streamed online, with various ticketing options on offer. [caption id="attachment_846280" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maurial Spearim, by Tiffany Garvie[/caption] Top Image: Richard Frankland and Stan Yarramunua, by Tiffany Garvie
British singer/producer Ghostpoet, aka Obaro Ejimiwe, is coming Down Under to tour his latest record Some Say I So I Say Light. A record that mystifies listeners with its post-genre electronic production featuring loose and stretched out raps (in his sunken British accent). He captures a dark moodiness that brews amongst contagious hip hop beats. It's a treat to listen to, and hard to compare to anything else, really. Ejimiwe has a way of creating forward-thinking music. His distinct and uncategorised style puts him on his own pedestal. The unique artistry present in his latest record follows on from his debut Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, which received a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2011. He'll be bringing all these sounds and more as he takes a spin around Australia in September. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABkQ96dh0eQ
It isn't hard to find somewhere in Sydney showing movies under the stars over summer. Moonlight Cinema, Westpac Openair Cinema, Laneway Cinema at The Rocks, Mov'In Bed Barangaroo Beach Cinema, Sunset Cinema: they're among your choices. For three film-filled January weekends, so is the Warner Bros Discovery Open Air Cinema at Darling Quarter, which comes with one big point of difference: it's all about flicks from Warner Bros Discovery. The biggest film of 2023 for the studio — and in general — kicks off the pop-up outdoor cinema's 2024 lineup on Thursday, January 11, with the openair picture palace returning after debuting in 2023. That'd be Barbie, continuing its love affair with the Harbour City ever since stars Margot Robbie, Issa Rae and America Ferrara, plus director Greta Gerwig, hit the New South Wales capital on a pre-release promotional tour. Wearing pink is recommended, obviously. Also on the bill until Sunday, January 28, with the cinema running Thursday–Sunday each week across its three weeks on the Darling Quarter North Village Green: four Harry Potter films (The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince and the two Deathly Hallows movies) and all three OG Lord of the Rings flicks. Or, check out The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, both The Lego Batman Movie and the Robert Pattinson-starring The Batman, more superheroes with Shazam! and The Flash, and the remake of The Witches. Happy Feet, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Edge of Tomorrow and The Notebook round out the lineup. As well as focusing on Warner Bros titles, this cinema also comes with an excellent price: $0. Entry to see the films is free, but you will need your wallet if you want a beanbag or picnic rug rather than just a patch of grass to sit on. And, you'll be paying for anything that you eat and drink, including getting click-and-collect pizza from Vesta Italian, Korean chicken from Goobne, Brazilian barbecue from Braza Churrascaria, cakes from Kürtosh and gelato from Gelatissimo. The food range spans Doodee King's Thai cuisine, Ichoume's Japanese bites, Dopa's donburi and Cantonese dishes from MuMian Dining, too. Plus, Archie Rose is setting up a pop-up bar, where beer, wine and soft drink will also be available. While entry is free, you do need to reserve your spot to whichever of the 18 screenings you'd like to attend in advance online.
A new three-week celebration and showcase of cutting-edge, genre-bending theatre and performance is coming to Sydney's Stables Theatre this April. Griffin Theatre Company's inaugural Batch Festival fuses spoken word, comedy, visual arts and music with immersive theatre and cabaret to create a veritable feast of powerful, provocative performance. The festival celebrates an incredible crew of talents, from poets and lyrical storytellers like Omar Musa to comedians and cabaret artists like Mama Alto and Betty Grumble. Expect to see out-of-the-box performances with the world premiere of Cassie Workman, Giantess, which combines music, comedy, storytelling and illustration, as well as at Brown Skin Girl, which brings together visual art, music, spoken word and movement. Festival curator Phil Spencer explains this decision to feature a multitude of arts and performance genres, "this next wave of artists doesn't necessarily write plays, they make hip hop, perform stand-up, write songs, improvise stories, invite audiences to help them make the work and experiment with the theatrical form in vital and important ways." During the festival, guests can also book into special late-night performances, showcasing the funny, the awkward and the fabulous. For those who seek something a bit more interactive, head outside with the Exclusion Zone: Walking Tour on an hour-long 'tour' of Kings Cross. You'll set out to investigate 'recent unaccountable crypto-cartographic activity', but under the guise of a walking tour. Pre- or post-show, visit Glimpse, an ethereal hidden garden where theatregoers can kick off their shoes and explore this otherworldly land in the heart of the city. And there to support your nights of innovative and immersive theatre, Batch Brewing Co. will be slinging craft beers in the foyer of the Stables. The inaugural Batch Festival runs from April 11–28. Discover the full program and purchase tickets here.
The long weekend is here. And, as Monday is a public holiday, some of your regular spots will be shut. So, if you're on the hunt for a caffeine hit, long lunch or a few more beers, we've put together an extensive list of all the bars, cafes and restaurants that'll be open on Monday, January 28. There is something for everybody on this list, too — from Chin Chin's refined Thai fare to A1 Canteen's famed muffuletta and Continental Deli's tinned martinis. And if you're looking for further inspiration on how to spend your days off, head this way for our pick of the best long weekend happenings. [caption id="attachment_700692" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Neptunes, Brighton Le Sands[/caption] RESTAURANTS Belles Hot Chicken, Tramsheds, Barangaroo, Steam Mill Lane: 12pm–10pm Chin Chin, Surry Hills: 11.30am–11pm The Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria: 7.30am–9pm The Grounds of the City, CBD: 9am–5pm Bennelong, CBD: 5.30pm–late Milky Lane, Bondi, Coogee, Cronulla, Parramatta: 12pm–late Mjølner, Redfern: 5pm–late Caffè Bartolo, Surry Hills: 10am–late El Camino, Manly and The Rocks: 12pm–late The Pacific Club, Bondi: 7am–late Salt Meats Cheese, Circular Quay, Cronulla, Broadway and Drummoyne: 11am–late Yulli's, Surry Hills: 5pm–late Neptunes, Brighton Le Sands: 7am–10pm Vecino, Canterbury: 7am–10pm General Chao, Chatswood: 12pm–10pm Da Orazio, Bondi: 5pm–late Cirrus, Barangaroo: 12–6pm Yellow, Potts Point: 5pm–late Monopole, Potts Point: 5pm–late Mister Percy, The Rocks: 5pm–late North Bondi Fish, Bondi: 12–6pm Chiswick, Woollahra: 12pm–late Chiswick at the Gallery, CBD: 12pm–3pm New Shanghai, Westfield Sydney and Chatswood: 11am–9pm [caption id="attachment_691774" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Edition Coffee Roasters, Haymarket. Image: Trent van der Jagt.[/caption] CAFES Nutie Donuts, Surry Hills and Balmain: 8am–5pm Matinee Coffee, Marrickville: 7am–4pm Edition Coffee Roasters, Haymarket: 9am–12pm Devon Cafe, Barangaroo and Surry Hills: 8am–3.30pm A1 Canteen, Chippendale: 7am–3pm Three Blue Ducks, Bronte: 7am–2.30pm Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills: 7am–3pm Brewtown Newtown, Newtown: 8am–4pm Reuben Hills, Surry Hills: 8am–3.30pm Sando Bar, Surry Hills: 8am–3.30pm Bourke Street Bakery, all stores except North Sydney: 7am–4pm Bills, Bondi, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills: 8am–10pm [caption id="attachment_684208" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mary's, Newtown[/caption] BARS Mary's, Newtown: 4pm–late Continental Deli, Newtown: 12pm–late The Toxteth, Glebe: 10am–late The Bucket List, Bondi: 11am–12am The Royal Hotel, Paddington: 11am–late Sauce Brewing Co., Marrickville: 12pm-late The Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills: 11.30am–10pm Bondi Beach Public Bar, Bondi: 11am–late Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Bondi: 12pm–12am Harpoon Harry, Surry Hills: 11am–3am Handpicked Wines Urban Cellar Door: 11am–10pm Barangaroo House: 11am–12am The Glenmore Hotel, The Rocks: 11.30am–late Botany View Hotel, Newtown: 12pm–late Top image: Three Blue Ducks Bronte, Nikki To.
Still working on telling the difference between a Merlot and a Malbec? Wondering how to pronounce Shiraz in a way acceptable to the French? Haven't yet found time to drive 260 kilometres to find out why we reckon Orange is NSW's underrated foodie (and vino) capital? Sate your curiosity this month at a series of Orange-focused wine masterclasses at the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. As part of their Taste Orange Food & Wine Festival, these events will take you on a journey deep into the rural NSW town's winey wonders. A master sommelier will talk — and, most importantly, taste — you through a bunch of the region's finest drops. Being 600 metres above sea level, Orange produces some cracking cool climate wines, like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. Already shaking your head 'cause Chardonnay ain't your thing? We dare you to go and not convert. Masterclasses are running on Tuesday, May 10, Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 26 from 7pm, and cost $45 a pop. If your sweet-talking can't rope in a designated driver, then reserve a room at the hotel — special deals (including extras like complimentary bottles of wine) are on offer throughout the festival.
Aimee Mann’s sweetly critical tones are on their way to the Enmore Theatre in September, with a very chuffed Ben Lee in tow as a special guest to the show. This tour will see Aimee bringing her new album (the beautiful Smilers, out last year), and most importantly her lovely self, to Australia for the first time, to share with us her back catalogue of toe tapping, touching and titillating tunes. Mann might be best known for her Oscar nominated ‘Save Me' from the film Magnolia, or writing the best break up lyrics ("Now that I’ve met you would you object to never seeing each other again" from ‘Deathly’) but she should be known for her lyrical genius across six or so albums and her guest appearance in Buffy. This tour is a first-time-once in-a lifetime-type opportunity, so don’t miss it.https://youtube.com/watch?v=3S7HAvibdvc
