MARCH
Nigel Kennedy and Sydney Symphony Orchestra
www.sydneysymphony.com/seasons/2010/productions/
1st March
No one ever expects ordinary music-making at a Nigel Kennedy concert. He’s a serious musician who takes his fun seriously and breaks down the barriers at every turn.
On this visit Nigel and his friends will be putting the jazz into Bach and the art into the standards of Duke Ellington. Sure, he’ll stomp about the stage and he’ll talk to you like the others don’t, and you can be sure the concert won’t come out till late. But you can also bet on great music and great artistry all night long. Wicked. A unique mix of highlights from the music of Johann Sebastian BACH and Duke ELLINGTON
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Orestes 2.0
Written by Charles Mee, Directed by Kate Revz
www.griffintheatre.com.au
17 Feb-13 Mar
A thrilling channel surf between the ancient Greeks and American pop culture, Orestes 2.0 is a radical response to Euripides’ post-war tragedy.It is six days after the murder of Clytemnestra at the hands of her children, Orestes and Electra. The Furies haunt Orestes. Electra is in damage control. Veterans returned from the Trojan War find the nightmares, disorder and ruin of battle have followed them home. Charles Mee’s electrifying play slices together verbatim material from court transcripts, the poetry of Apollinaire, the TV Guide, autopsy reports and pop song lyrics to create a unique and blistering examination of State, Fate, War and Love.
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FEBRUARY
B-SHARP 2010 LAUNCH| Belvoir St Theatre
www.belvoir.com.au
1 February 2010
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GRIFFIN INDEPENDENT LAUNCH|Stables Theatre
www.griffintheatre.com.au
3 February 2010
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THAT FACE| Company B
www.belvoir.com.au
6 Feb- 14 March
Written by Polly Stenham
Directed by Lee Lewis
That Face is Gen Y’s revenge on the Baby Boomers. Stenham was 19 when she wrote it and 20 when it wowed audiences at London’s acclaimed Royal Court Theatre in 2007. She’s created a mesmerising eruption of humour and cruelty, wisdom and insolence. There’s a touch of the classic about this play – the age-old battle between parents and their children to own the future. And in Martha, the mother of the family, Stenham has written a captivating theatrical monster to compete with the best of them.
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FAITH NO MORE| Hordern Pavillion
22 February 2010
Faith No More has always stood out as a unique beast; part dog, part cat—its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members. Their chemistry is undeniable. 11 years after famously calling it a day in April 1998, Faith No More stunned the music world by announcing their reformation earlier this year. Their comeback shows have been met with unanimous rapture from fans and critics alike. A statement from Faith No More confirmed that they are “still young and strong enough to deliver a kickass set, with enthusiasm to not only revisit our past but possibly add something to the present. And so with this we’ve decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff…. BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!”
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JANUARY
THE PITCH | Darlinghurst Theatre
www.darlinghursttheatre.com
8-30 January
Written and performed by Peter Houghton
Directed by Anne Browning
The Pitch is a hilarious satire about the trials and tribulations of an Aussie trying to crack the big time in Hollywood. We watch as aspiring screenwriter Watler Weinerman desperately practices pitching his film concept to an all powerful Hollywood flim industry panel. In this hilarious panic stricken and desperate effort Walter demonstrates all the roles that he hopes will be played by Hollywood’s A-list actors, including a clenched teeth Clint Eastwood, a debonair Sir Anthony Hopkins and a scintillating Catherine Zeta Jones.
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SHOOT THE PLAYER LAUNCH | Carriageworks
www.shoottheplayer.com
8-30 January 2010
Shoot The Player is Amelia Tovey, Jonathan Wald and their friends.
Shoot the Player are a Sydney-based cult DIY film project. Their films feature well-known Australian and International artists in unpredictable and spontaneous performance scenarios. In every Shoot the Player film, the movements of both musician and filmmaker are raw and unplanned, with Sydney itself playing a key role as the musician interacts with the ever-changing city surrounds. Film and music come together to create a unique visual soundtrack of great music performed live on Sydney streets. Shoot the Player encourages audiences to see and hear in a completely new way, by putting great musicians in iconic locations where you’d never expect them to be-
Sarah Blasko in a tattoo parlour.
Amanda Palmer in her pyjamas.
Ben Lee at Rushcutters Bay.
Bob Evans at Bourke St Bakery.
Beach House at Tamarama.
Jack Ladder at the dog track.
Kaki King at the War Memorial.
Megan Washington at Woolloomooloo.
Reggie Watts at Harry’s Cafe de Wheels.
Cloud Control at Taylor Square.
St Vincent in an empty Spielgeltent.
Andrew Bird at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. And many more…
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MIDNITE | New Theatre
www.newtheatre.org.au
9 – 23 January 2010
Adapted by Richard Tulloch from the book by Randolph Stow:
“The Story of a Wild Colonial Boy’’
Directors Jennifer Monk and Jodine Muir
Midnite is a young, brave, not very handsome and not very bright 17 year old colonial boy. When his father dies, his five animal friends decide to look after him. Khat, his sleek, brave, very handsome and very bright Siamese, suggests he becomes a bushranger, and his proud and noble horse, Red Ned, offers to help. But bushranging isn’t very easy, especially when Trooper O’Grady keeps putting you in the great gray gaol by the sea …
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HAMLET| Schaubühne Berlin & Sydney Festival
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Theatre/Hamlet
8-16 January
By William Shakespeare
Director: Thomas Ostermeier
Translator: Marius von Mayenburg
Director Thomas Ostermeier’s audacious production finds new human revelations and fresh political insights in the centuries-old story of Denmark’s corrupt court – a system that has become a paranoid maze for Hamlet. Murder, betrayal, manipulation and sexuality are just some of the weapons he uses in his fight to preserve power.
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TROLLEY BOYS | TRS & Old Fitzroy Theatre
www.rocksurfers.org/trolleyboys
8-30 January
Written by Alex Cullen/ Directed by Michael Dahlstrom
Four trolley collectors embark on a life-changing journey across a suburban swamp filled with zombies and hepatitis. They discover that beyond the safety of the shopping centre car park lies a murderous, spleen-sucking world of terror and delight. BMX bandits, puppy-love, hocus-pocus and mums in Land Rovers, all in a days work for the Trolley Boys.
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THE FENCE| Urban Theatre Projects & Sydney Festival
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Theatre/The-Fence
January 14-30 at 8.30pm
Directed by Alicia Talbot
The Fence is an explosive story of love, belonging and dispossession. The performance takes place in a purpose-built family home in western Sydney. The story is of the resilience and wisdom of five middle-aged Australians, four of whom grew up in care as part of the Stolen Generations and Forgotten Australians.
Director Alicia Talbot, renowned for her collaborative and dialogue-driven approach, delivers a raw and poetic portrait of contemporary life.
The Fence was devised by a team of artists working in consultation with Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members with related experiences.
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SMOKE & MIRRORS | Sydney Festival
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Theatre/Smoke-Mirrors
13-31 January 2010
Director Craig Illot
In 2010, Sydney Festival and the producers of La Clique unveil a brand new show – Smoke & Mirrors. Leave everyday life behind, enter the seductive world of The Famous Spiegeltent and abandon yourself to a lavish and lyrical adventure of the fantastical kind. Part vaudeville, part fantasy, Smoke & Mirrors takes you on a journey across an illusory landscape, accompanied by some dangerously charismatic strangers and the extraordinary talents of iOTA (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
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YAK RESIDENCY SHOWCASE | Shopfront Theatre
www.shopfront.org.au
16th January 2010
YAK Events is supporting groups and individuals the opportunity to develop new or existing work during a two week residency at Shopfront Contemporary Arts Centre. There are no restrictions on the style, genre or nature of the work you want to make. The YAK Summer
Residency is about giving artists the freedom to do as they please.
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SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR
www.sydneyfestival.org.au
20-31 January 2010
By Luigi Pirandello, In a new version by Rupert Goold & Ben Power
Director: Rupert Goold
Six strangers arrive unannounced during the editing of a docu-drama, adamant they are fictional characters in search of an author. As the compelling narrative unfolds, their story is filmed and becomes entwined with the footage already being edited.
Now updated and re-contextualised for the 21st century, Six Characters is a harrowing and witty play where reality and fiction become increasingly blurred. What unfolds is a sinister parable for a media-obsessed age and an exhilarating exploration of how we define ourselves and what we call ‘reality’.
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AUSTRALIAN ROCK SYMPHONY | State Theatre
http://www.zep.net.au/
25 January 2010
January, 2010 will see three of the most iconic rock acts Australia has ever produced come together in a unique, live on-stage event in Australian Rock Symphony! This inaugural phenomenon will see rock legends Chrissy Amphlett, Diesel and the Baby Animals raise the roof in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
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HAPPY AS LARRY | Shaun Parker + Co & Sydney Festival
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Theatre/Happy-as-Larry-Inner-West
27-30 January
What makes us happy? Nine remarkable performers with nine very distinctive personalities explore the elusive nature of human happiness in Shaun Parker’s latest dance theatre work, accompanied by a vibrant electro-acoustic score from Nick Wales and Bree van Reyk. The cast of characters is developed from the Enneagram, a psychological system that maps nine personality types: the Perfectionist, the Seducer, the Performer, the Tragic Romantic, the Observer, the Devil’s Advocate, the Optimist, the Boss and the Mediator – all rich inspiration for Parker’s insightful creativity.
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INDUSTRY SHOWCASE |Drop Bear Theatre
27 February 2010
www.dropbeartheatre.com
FraserStudios, Chippendale
Based across Melbourne and Sydney, we create performance experiences for families that are joyful, innovative, complex and witty.
Company philosophy We believe children are knowledgeable. Given the time to play and wonder, children can be artistic collaborators who explore and test their ideas of the world.
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THE SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL LAUNCH
29 January 2010
www.thesydneyfringe.com.au
The Seymour Centre Courtyard
The Sydney Fringe will be bursting through Newtown from September 10 to 26, 2010. The Sydney Fringe will be over 17 days across the entertainment and live venues in Newtown, Enmore and Marrickville – from theatres such as Carriageworks and the Enmore through to the gallery spaces and the pubs and bars. It will be the large scale alternative arts festival that we feel Sydney really needs, with a range of events and activities to involve the local artists, residents and audiences from throughout Sydney, including concerts and theatre events, visual and digital arts and free outdoor events.
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OEDIPUS REX AND THE SYMPHONY OF PSALMS
www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2010/Music/Oedipus-Rex-Symphony-of-Psalms/
28- 30 January
This rarely-performed double bill of Stravinsky masterworks features an epic staging by internationally acclaimed director Peter Sellars.
Sellars’ production, created for a reconfigured Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, is brutally dramatic, visceral and starkly unadorned apart from seven magnificent thrones, created by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime to represent the main characters in the tragedy.
Last staged in Sydney over 30 years ago, Oedipus Rex is musically dazzling from its first explosive chorus to its violent, predestined conclusion. This telling balances the bleakness of Oedipus’ death with the redemptive chorus of Symphony of Psalms, allowing the myth to end in transfiguration and peace.
In her Australian debut, rising star Joana Carneiro conducts the Sydney Symphony, 120 members of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs and a dynamic American/Australian cast of soloists including Rodrick Dixon, Ryan McKinny and Daniel Montenegro reprising their roles from the LA Philharmonic production, Yvonne Kenny as Jocasta, Paula Arundell as Antigone/Narrator and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Elma Kris as Ismene.