News:
· Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happenin in Adelaide this fortnight.
· Industry
The latest from the music industry.
· Puffio
Theatre news.
· Dance
Dance and electronica news.
· Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Puffio Theatro.
Following the reported great success of 'GAS 05', the recent glass arts conference held in Adelaide, Puffio reports that a great many gallerys took a bit of a breather - or a break - after hosting lavish exhibitions of glasswork, and both dB Magazine visual arts reviewers Nerina Dunt and Sera Waters were seen scurrying around the city looking for an exhibition up in time to meet their deadlines. Luckily, just such an excellent exhibition was found - at Tandanya - and the review can be found in this very magazine. Elsewhere in the city, 'Paintings & Prints' is an exhibition of contemporary artists, both emerging and established, at Pepper St Gallery from Fri 3 June.
Recently nominated by The National Theatre, London's Board of
Review as one of the 25 most significant plays of the 20th Century,
Brian Friel's 'Translations' is set in Gaelic speaking County
Donegal, Ireland in the mid nineteenth century and tells the
urgent and moving story of a small community on the brink of
irrevocable change. 'Translations' will be Directed and Produced
by David Mealor (of Brink Productions, and Adelaide Critics
Circle 2004 Nominee for Outstanding Individual Achievement)
and will feature an all star South Australian cast including
Bill Allert, Michaela Cantwell, Elena Carapetis, Lizzy Falkland,
Patrick Frost, John Kelly, Andrew Martin, Justin Moore, Geoff
Revell, Stephen Sheehan and Rory Walker; with music from The
Audreys, with Set and Costume by Kerry Reid and Lighting by
leading Australian Designer, Geoff Cobham. 'Translations' is
looking for volunteers: carpenters, stage managers, front of
house staff, painters, technicians etc. Contact Director/Producer
David Mealor on 8216 8729 or email david.mealor@afct.org.au
Benjamin Martin, one of Australia's finest young pianists and composers, returns to Adelaide to give a solo piano recital on Fri 24 June at 8.00pm at Pilgrim Uniting Church, in Flinders Street Adelaide. Hot on the heels of his acclaimed Australian tour with the Australian String Quartet, Martin heads back to town, performing a program of unusual but highly captivating works by Chopin, Handel and yes, himself. Martin has composed music for many years, for pianists such as his late Julliard School piano teacher John Browning, and Kristjan Jarvi's hip American new-music ensemble, the Absolute Ensemble.
Sad to say, the rather newly appointed General Manager of Windmill
Performing Arts, Suzanna Conway, has resigned after only about
five months in the job. She is returning to Queensland to rejoin
her family, and will become executive director of the Museums
and Galleries Services of Queensland. Must be she couldn't handle
the (perfect) weather down hereabouts.
Puffio hears that Budgie Lung Theatre were planning a theatre piece dealing with the institutional abuse of children for later this year, but have had to change their plans, even though their theatre piece could be considered both timely and topical. Apparently some government and non-government organizations were not in the least bit interested in helping their research, or in the nature of their planned performance. Instead, it seems the young company is looking at a movement based piece of dance theatre which still makes its point but is less likely to ruffle any feathers... budgie or otherwise.
For those who like their stage shows a little on the 'weirder'
side of things, comes news that Unseen Theatre will be mounting
a version of English writer Ben Elton's 'Silly Cow' at Bakehouse
Theatre from Fri 24 June. This production will be directed by
Robert Andrews. Elton, of course, has a patchy history when
it comes to drama and writing, having been responsible for the
awe-inspiringly dreadful 'Gridlock', as well as a good number
of entertaining shows, starting with the madly enjoyable 'Young
Ones' something over twenty years ago.
Television alert: this is reality TV, but screened years after the actual event. 'Miles Electric' is a documentary of Miles Davis' performance at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival, and it's screening on SBS TV on Tues 7 June at 10pm (it might be 9.30pm cause SBS are worse than Puffio at doing the time translation thing). Anyway, you get Tony Williams on drums, Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Ron Carter on bass and Wayne Shorter on sax. This is the classic quintet for jazz, really! Get down!
The Art Gallery of South Australia extends its current displays
of contemporary art with a free display that broadly explores
the themes of 'Identity And Desire' in contemporary Australian
art. It's still on display, and it features paintings, photography,
sculpture, installation and new media works by contemporary
Australian artists including: Hayley Arjona, John Barbour, Kate
Beynon, Zhong Chen, James Cochran, Adam Cullen, Dale Frank,
David Haines, David Keeling, Shaun Kirby, Tracey Moffat, Rose
Nolan, Mike Parr, Patricia Piccinini, Scott Redford, David Rosetzky,
Julie Rrap, Darren Siwes and Anne Zahalka. You have until Sat
3 July to catch this exhibition, but please note that Associate
Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs Jane Messenger will
present a free lunchtime talk on the display on Tues 21 June
at 12:45pm.
Meanwhile, down at the Axis Gallery they're having a 'Celebration Of Creativity'... "an inspirational exhibition of mixed media at the Axis Gallery, produced here in our neighbourhood, by our community..." It's the Inner Northern Creative Community Arts Group's Inaugural Art Exhibition, featuring the works of both students and tutors of recently held workshops. Now open at Axis Gallery, Parks Arts & Functions complex.
Matt Byrne Media's revival of Nell Dunn's comedy 'Steaming'
has been so well received by Adelaide audiences that the season
has been extended to the tune of four more shows, now running
until Sat 11 June. A review of the show can be read in this
magazine, and Director Matt Byrne has said, "The response to
the play has been amazing. Audiences are loving the show and
the phone has been running hot for bookings, so we have extended
the season for an extra week to fit everyone in." 'Steaming'
features an outstanding design from young Adelaide designer
Louise Dunn who has recreated a century old East End London
Turkish bath in the intimacy of The Studio at Holden Street
Theatres.
In July Norfolk Island will host their Third Annual Norfolk Jet Writers & Readers Festival. The Festival will see readers, authors and other visitors attend presentations and panel discussions canvassing topics from crime fiction, short stories, poetry and screen writing to travel writing, television, sport and gastronomy; and a gala concert by renowned Covent Garden baritone Robert Bickerstaff and pianist John Martin. Among those attending will be Adelaide writer Kirsty Brooks, who will no doubt be inspired by the rugged scenery and whipping winds through Norfolk's signature pines... perhaps not to recline beneath them as the press release announcing the event suggested. In any event, the festival is from Sun 17 July.
The anecdotes continue to flow in from the City West campus
re its unfinished nature, and some curious design features.
After the photography students pointed out they had no darkrooms,
Puffio was informed that the glass studio windows have no glass!
This was no oversight; they were delibertaely removed as the
students apparently couldn't breathe. The fixed windows allowed
no air flow at all; this is being corrected with(hopefully unfixed)
louvred windows. Then there's the large picture window on street
level in the drawing studio; the life models (ie nude) are apparently
a little concerned at the passing parade?
Seven Things To Do This Fortnight in Adelaide
1.
Stephen House's latest play is 'Miss Blossom Callahann', starring Jacqy Phillips, and it opens at The Bakehouse Theatre in the city from tonight (Wed 1 June). If you heard last year's performance of this work as an ABC National Radio play you'll want to catch the stage version.
2.
The McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival goes hog-wild over the June long weekend - that's Sun 12 and Mon 13 June - with wine, music and culinary indulgence for two long days. Head south to this brilliant wine making region and get stuck in to the festival which is now in its thirteenth year.
3.
Unless it's Adelaide season is completely sold out by the time this magazine goes to print you should grab tickets to 'Influence', in which John Waters stars as shock jock Ziggy Blasco in David Williamson's hard hitting play, on now at the Playhouse. This play ends its run on Sat 4 June, so act now; Williamson has claimed this will be his last major writing for the stage.
4.
You could also - were you to act swiftly enough - catch one of the last performances of 'Get Down: A 70s Funk Odyssey' by local bunch Full Swing Productions, a faux musical featuring some of the coolest music of the seventies, and showing at Mayfair Theatre, Goodwood until Fri 3 June.
5.
Over at Prospect Gallery at Thomas St Nailsworth, 'Cast Off', an exhibition of work by Sonia Donnellan opens on Sun 5 June, and looks to be an intriguing study of the nature of disposable culture in this day and age through the recycling of items of clothing.
6.
If you really do believe the world - and Adelaide - needs another Beatles conference, then you're in luck, as 'Help! I Need Another Beatles Weekend' kicks off from Fri 10 June at the new(ish) Cavern Club in Station Arcade in the city. Station Arcade runs between North Terrace and Hindley St (opposite the casino), and the weekend will offer what appears to be a sensory overload of Beatles cover performers and the screening of films and film clips.
7.
And finally, if you want to look a little further afield for something to do during winter, then now is the time to book your flight and accomodation on lovely Norfolk Island. That's right, the wonderfully windswept and decidedly wacky Third Annual Norfolk Jet Writers and Readers Festival is from Sun 17 to Fri 22 July, when 17 leading authors and publishers, including ABC radio Science Show presenter Robyn Williams, ABC TV Catalyst presenter Dr Jonica Newby, food and wine writer Stephen Downes and best-selling writers Gabrielle Lord, Bessie Bardot, Tim Low and Jenny Pattrick will descend upon the island in a frenzy of self-congratulation. This is the trouble you run into if you don't have a resident population of queue-jumping detainees, as do most of the other islands which enjoy their isolation scattered on the oceans surrounding our country.
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