BMA top ARTS picks!
WHO: Flickerfest
WHAT: Best Of Australian (incl CBR!) Shorts
WHEN: 18 May, 7pm
WHERE: Palace Electric Cinemas
It’s back, it’s brilliant, and it once again champions Canberra filmmakers on a global stage. Celebrating 32 years, Flickerfest remains Australia’s leading Academy® Qualifying and BAFTA Recognised short film festival, from a record pool of 3,200 entries!
CBR highlights include: moving drama The Pleasure Of Meeting Someone, shot in Lyneham and Clear Range with local crew; beautiful animation Marionettes And The Virtue Of A Lotus Flower, a Nepalese grandma’s story of being a child bride; comedy of errors White Lies by Canberra born writer/director/producer Greg Moran; and plenty more! 7pm, $27.50 via flickerfest.com.au
WHO: International Classic Music Series
WHEN: 20 May, 7pm
WHERE: Snow Concert Hall
Classical music lovers: critically acclaimed talent from around the globe is on its way. Opening its doors for the very first time, Snow Concert Hall at Canberra Grammar School is a spectacular new venue for music, purpose-built with world-class acoustics. Experience Ana de la Vega (pictured), one of the world’s best classical flautists, as she kicks off the series with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra on 20 May at 7pm. The series features legendary UK-based pianist Piers Lane (29 June), Spain’s superstar oboist Ramón Ortega Quero (20 July), and a must-see for Australian jazz lovers, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra on 17 and 18 August. Tickets via snowconcerthall.com
WHO: Garry Starr- Greece Lightning
WHAT: Greek Mythology in 60 mins
WHEN: Sun 11 June, 4-5pm
WHERE: Smith’s Alternative
An overzealous idiot attempts to perform all of Greek Mythology in less than 60 minutes in order to save his Hellenic homeland from economic ruin. Lifelong theatre and TV actor, Damien Warren-Smith, brings his alter-ego, Garry Starr, to life in the beautifully intimate setting of Smith’s. Scooping up accolades with every show—including Pick of the Fringe (Adelaide Fringe 2022), Best Comedy (Manchester Fringe 2022), and Best in Fest (Gothenburg Fringe 2022)—a hilarious, high-energy, and very, very silly hour of fun awaits. Tickets $15/$20 via smithsalternative.com/events/greece-lightning
WHO: Apeiron Baroque
WHAT: presents – Too Many Strings
WHEN: Sun 11 June, 5pm
WHERE: Wesley Uniting Church
Apeiron Baroque continues its terrific series with a concert featuring the sonorous alto and tenor registers of the unusual Viola d’amore, and the black sheep of the string family, the viola. Highlights include music depicting a phoenix and a chicken, a duo for the 28 strings of two Viola d’amores, a concerto for four violas stolen from our diva violin cousins, and a melancholy setting by that most famous composer, Anonymous. Music by Telemann, Graupner, Rameau, Huberty, and Anonymous, via guest artists Karina Schmitz, Pippa Newman, and Alex Munro. Tickets $15 – $40 via Trybooking
WHO: Garry Starr Performs Everything
WHAT: Every Genre in 60 Minutes
WHEN: Sat 3 June, 2pm & 7pm
WHERE: The Q, Queanbeyan
Yes, you read that right… One Garry Starr, two completely different shows. Proving himself to be one of the hardest working people in the scene, Damien Warren-Smith aka Garry Starr Performs Everything is the story of a disgraced actor who attempts to save theatre from its inevitable extinction by performing every genre imaginable. Starr tears through artistic genres with little regard for personal safety and, arguably, less regard for art. What ensues is both a satirisation and celebration of many well-known, and lesser-so, genres via a mix of utter stupidity and surprising skill. Tickets $30 – $50 via venue
WHO: Rebus Theatre
WHAT: Systems and Sanity
WHEN: 15 – 17 June
WHERE: Ralph Wilson Theatre
Award-winning inclusive theatre company Rebus Theatre presents a groundbreaking show that challenges traditional thinking about the mental health system. Systems and Sanity is a devised theatre exploration that comes out of nearly two years of discussion, workshopping, writing, and rehearsal by people with mental health challenges. It travels through lands of trauma and distress, navigates social systems that can be rigid and disempowering, and arrives in the resilience of survivors and the unique bonds formed. Expect pathos, poetry, music, and laughter. Tickets $25/$10, rebustheatre.com
Have a fabulous arty month!
