Teuila Postcards by Polytoxic Dance Company

“a contemporary cabaret of piss take, wicked comedy, theatre and dance… the narrative is clever, and the lines are funny…enjoyable and irreverent” Arts Hub

Perfect. Paradise. Polynesia: imagine a lush, green landscape surrounded by turquoise water with rolling white beaches dotted with bronzed, curvaceous women in coconut-shell bikinis. It all sounds too good to be true. And guess what…it is!

Acclaimed Australian contemporary dance ensemble Polytoxic returns to Sydney with its tongue-in-cheek look at the oppression and evolution of an island, Teuila Postcards.

Premiering to sold-out audiences at Brisbane Powerhouse in 2006, Teuila Postcards holds a satirical eye up to the cultural reality of modern day Polynesia to look behind the glossy tourist brochure facade.

This fusion of traditional Polynesian and contemporary dance theatre unveils the cultural reality of South Pacific island life. A fast-paced, episodic ride through the past and present, the show features historical missionary diary entries, an Elvis-inspired advert, a comedy floorshow and an insight into a Samoan girl’s experience of everyday life.

Mix in gorgeous, bright costumes and frame each image with a clever, ever-changing set, and you have Polytoxic’s holiday postcard from Samoa.

29 April – 2 May
The Studio at Sydney Opera House
Street: Macquarie Street
City/Town: Sydney, Australia

Teuila Postcards
by Polytoxic Dance Company
A Kultour Touring Event
Polytoxic Video: http://www.polytoxiclovesyou.com/video/video_2L.html

The Soft Toy Mafia

Do you really know what your children are watching? The Soft Toy Mafia takes you on a journey to the seedy underbelly of toddler TV, a world of drugs, has been porn stars and bizarre love triangles, what chance have the
children for innocence?

In the world of toddler superstars, none comes bigger than the cast of Freddy Funky Fingers & The Fluffless Followers TV Hour. A children’s show that’s abundance of innocence and frivolity is only surpassed by its supply of cheesy grins, questionable double entendres and over-sized talking fungi.

Behind the scenes, however, the cast is anything but. When you add to the picture a coke fiend, love triangles, retired porn stars and over zealous child photographers – you have yourself a babychino of epic trouble between the colourfully clothed group. Watch the final episode as a fly on the wall, as the show disintegrates into a wickedly funny television nightmare.

The Soft Toy Mafia is a snotty-nosed, comedic theatre piece that pushes the moral compass through the oblong window and into Oscar the Grouch’s humble home. The best reason yet that background checks for children’s work are a mandatory blessing.

Runs from April 3rd to 12th, 2009
<http://www.comedyattrades.com.au/>

NICA presents at First Sight – Melbourne

At First Sight is NICA’s ensemble performance by 3rd year students, directed by Gavin Robins.Star-crossed lovers hover above us. Cupid clowns weave their magic. At First Sight is a daring spectacle that plays with our archetypal ideals of love, hope, trust and betrayal. A 1960s-inspired apartment provides the backdrop for a story about love at first sight in the tradition of Romeo and Juliet, a story that weaves finely tuned circus skills into a dramatic and emotional landscape.
 
Defying gravity, the dynamic cast interact with a projected filmic back drop in a scintillating combination of contemporary circus, theatre, evocative Latin inspired music and the blend of moving image and sound art.
 
March 30 – April 8, 2009
NICA National Circus Centre
Green Street, Prahran
 
Visit http://www.nica.com.au/shows for show times and ticket prices
Or call enquiries at NICA (03) 9214 6975

The Dirty Brothers Sideshow: The Dark Party

These three kamikaze clown princes of sideshow smash conventions, creating inventions that show us what sideshow might become.

Taking inspiration from art-house cinema, they’ve created a new form of extreme theatre. Swords, broken glass, staple guns, singing saws, power tools, car batteries and nipple rings are just some of the co-stars of this dreamscape of deranged delights.

Their pain is your pleasure…
Watch The Dirty Brothers Sideshow on YouTube
Suffer for your art…

The Dirty Brothers ‘Dark Party’ features;

Maestro Shep Huntly, member of the groundbreaking Happy Sideshow and regular guest on the ABC’s Sideshow The Great Gordo Gamsby, who exploded onto the sideshow scene with a desire to push the boundaries of what is humanly possible Pat Bath – writer, director, performer and ex-member of Melbourne music legends ‘The Dead Salesmen’. All three are also members of the hugely successful Melbourne Fringe show The League of Sideshow Superstars.

‘The Dark Party’ is surreal, sublime, absurd and just plain funny; think Beckett mugged by the Jackass crew turned into a silent movie. You’ll wince, you’ll scream, you’ll watch through the gaps between your fingers. You’ll never look at a satay skewer the same way again…

“The air is sucked into a vacuum of gasps. Stomachs leap and hands fly up to cover faces as audience members squirm in anticipation. The performers approach each act of masochism with zen-like calm. And the payoff is worth it. The Dirty Brothers is a suave sideshow by three men who will eat, step on or hang from their nipples just about anything.” The Age

BOOK ONLINE

Extremely funny theatre of pain
Start Time: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 at 9:30pm
End Time: Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 9:30pm
Location: The Studio at Sydney Opera House
Street: Macquarie Street
City/Town: Sydney, Australia

The Attack of the forty foot wedge – Melbourne show

It’s Devil Wears Prada meets Shirley Valentine.

Written & performed by Nikki Aitkens, The Attack of the 40 Foot Wedge debuts in Melbourne this March at The Butterfly Club fresh from it’s season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Nearing 30, Nikki, having spent her entire life in Adelaide, goes to London to find something …hopefully a husband. On her way, she visits her family in Greece. Three big fat Greek weddings and numerous fraught visits to the passport office later, she is armed with the only thing any self-respecting antipodean needs when heading off to “find themselves” – a EU passport. What happened next will make you reconsider “next big things” as Nikki, fuelled by a life crisis and a cab ride to Athens, works out what she really wants from the rest of her life. Nikki’s classic tales from the Big Smoke are punctuated by the best of the West End show tunes including hits from Wicked, Sweet Charity, City of Angels and Boy from Oz.

Nikki Aitken has worked as a performer, singing teacher, vocal director, writer and recording artist. She recently performed in the Off West End production of ‘Permanently Temporary’ a comedy cabaret and was nominated for Best Actress during the Sydney Short and Sweet Festival.

Nikki studied Drama at Flinders University, Singing at the Elder Conservatorium of Music and graduated from the University of New South Wales with a Music degree majoring in Vocal Performance and Theatre Studies. For more information http://web.mac.com/nikki.aitken

Venue: The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank Street, South Melbourne
Dates: Wed 18th to Saturday 21 March (four performances)
Times: Preview night at 8.30 pm Wed; then 9.00 pm Thurs to Sat (60mins)
Tickets: $22:00 Full / $17:00 Concession or Group of 8+
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com

Hoipolloi present Floating

Hoipolloi in association with Hugh Hughes Productions …

‘Mesmerising an extraordinary sight, hilarious yet touching in the human fragility it conveys.’
The Guardian

Arts House presents internationally acclaimed UK theatre company, Hoipolloi with Floating, a clever and comic tale of the island that floated away.

1 April 1982. The Isle of Anglesey is hit by an earthquake, the Menai Bridge collapses and the island is torn from the mainland of Wales and swept into the terrible storms of the north Atlantic. Trapped on board is Hugh Hughes, desperate to escape and discover life outside his small island.

Created and performed by Hugh Hughes and his collaborative partner, Sioned Rowlands, Floating was a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2006, winning the coveted Total Theatre Prize. It returned to Edinburgh in 2007 before appearing at London’s Barbican, off-Broadway and across the United Kingdom.

Floating amuses and delights with a combination of old-fashioned innocence, great humour and low-fi technology. Hugh and Sioned, assisted by overhead video projection, dry ice and a never-ending collection of instructional props, present a quirky collection of sights and sounds and strange little stories told with plenty of humour and imagination.

Floating is the first in a series of Hoipolloi shows developed with the comic creation Hugh Hughes. Hugh’s work is warm-hearted and intimate, creating a connection with audiences by focussing on sharing experiences. Floating has been supported by the British Council and is presented by Arts House in
association with Ten Days on the Island and Sydney Opera House.

hoipolloi.org.uk

Venue: Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall
Address: 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Dates: Wednesday 18 – Sunday 22 March
Times: 7.30pm
Tickets: $25 / $18
Bookings: artshouse.com.au or 03 9639 0096
More info: www.artshouse.com.au

Sweet Work – Next Wave at Mildura

Next Wave presents its popular free artist workshop program, titled SWEET WORK, in Mildura this March, and they are looking for participants.
 
SWEET WORK is Next Wave’s free series of workshops for young artists designed to promote new ideas, collaborations and projects. Outcomes in Mildura will happen as part of the 2009 Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival.
 
SWEET WORK is open to artists aged 30 and under from all art form backgrounds including visual arts, theatre, dance, new media and beyond, with a view to generating an idea or a proposal for a new collaborative artwork, performance or intervention for the 2009 Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival.
 
Workshops: 28 February & 7 March 10-5pm
Church of Christ Hall, 125 Deakin Avenue, Mildura, Victoria
Results of your work will be presented at the Perry Sandhills, Mildura, Sunday 8 March, as part of the 2009 Mildura Wentworth Arts Festival.
 
To apply and for further information, contact nextwave@nextwave.org.au
http://inside.nextwave.org.au/news/next-wave-in-mildura-a-call-out

Quick & Dirty – 3 Queer Nights

Quick & Dirty returns with a queer extravaganza of performance and play, mixing it up across styles, forms, genres and generations.

Quick & Dirty continues Performance Space’s commitment to the evolution of queer performance culture – all that it is, was and shall be. Last year it was a sellout, so get in quick & dirty….

ARTISTS INCLUDE:
Frumpus, Cyndi Pastel, CircXs, Wife, Adonis, Glitta Supernova, Annabel Lines, Dallas Dellaforce, George Tillianakis, Drew Fairley, Sex Intents, Justin Shoulder, Candy Stripe Circus, Norrie mAy-wellby, Celia Curtis, Cake Boy, Dean Walsh, Sarah-Jane Norman, Matthew Stegh, Marty Jay, Simone O’Brien, Mat Hornby, Altar Boy, Pluto Savage, Y and MORE…

Performance Space @ Carriagworks
245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, Sydney
http://www.performancespace.com.au/

THUR–SAT 26–28 FEB 7.30PM
$35/$30/$25 +BF

Heartbreak Club record in Melbourne

Newcastle’s independent punk-infused rock group Heartbreak Club are taking a break from their high-energy, satirical and theatrical live shows to jump into Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios to record a new album.

To celebrate, the ‘ironic and self-deprecating’ outfit are releasing their latest single for free download on the band’s website. ‘Lend Me Your Ears’ is the ‘driest’ track from the recent EP O Tempora! O Mores! and can be considered a precursor to the topicality of the new album as it tackles the issue of ‘cultural cringe’.

Spending a month in Melbourne’s Sing Sing Studios, Heartbreak Club will reunite with US Producer Ed Rose (Motion City Soundtrack, The Get Up Kids), who will be joined by engineer Matt Voigt (The Killers, Midnight Oil, The Living End) at the helm.

Drifting further from the ‘teen angst parody’ of their EP’s, the album promises to be ‘unapologetically melodic, adopting a brutally honest, confessional and grungier tone’ than previous efforts, with the band noting their the influences of Weezer’s ‘Pinkerton’, Regurgitator’s ‘Unit’ and Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’. The album is expected to be released in Australia in August 2009.

In under three years, Heartbreak Club have independently toured the USA and Australia, recorded two EPs, self-managed and booked tours, and have overseen a groundswell of support in their home country and abroad. In a short history that reads like a DIY handbook for the independent band, there was one chapter missing: a full-length album.

“We’re definitely taking a step from the left of field with the album”, says singer Teddy Hernandez. “Whilst happy with our previous two releases, many people did not realise the music was a satire on the angst of post-adolescent youth and dismissed some of the songs as plain ‘emo’ without considering the lyrics properly… the band’s name probably had a lot to do with that”. Still maintaining a socially satirical edge, the new album is centered around
‘impotence’ – as framed by culture, creativity, sexuality, and the media.

Heartbreak Club’s recent EP ‘O Tempora! O Mores!’ received national recognition with radio play around the country, national press coverage and positive reviews. The CD was supported by a 25-date, 6-week-long national tour. Heartbreak Club toured the USA for a month in October 2007 in support of the first EP ‘…lamecore’ which was played on over 300 college and specialty-commercial radio stations in the US and Canada.

FOR INTERVIEWS, REVIEW COPIES, GIVEAWAYS OR
MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT GOODMAN & HART
National Radio, TV, Press: Nick Green heartbreakclubhq@gmail.com 0402 575 042
For media releases, biographies, tour dates and high resolution press photos, please email.
http://www.heartbreakclub.org/ // www.myspace.com/heartbreakclub

Cab Sav presents The Imperial Panda Festival!

Six Minute Soul Mate is a performance work from Brown Council that explores the nature of love and romance within a contemporary quick fix culture. Short performative vignettes are spun into an absurd conveyer belt of images that spiral out of control like a barn dance doped up on cocaine.

Utilising the structure of a real speed-dating night, Brown Council examines modern modes of courtship and investigates how it is that we attempt to perform intimacy in a society obsessed with speed. The audience will find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of speed-dates, clichés and conventions of romance, desire and love, all played out and repeated like an old broken record.

4 SHOWS ONLY. SEATS ARE STRICTLY LIMITED, AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR PRIOR TO THE PERFORMANCE.

Sat Feb 14 9pm, Sun Feb 15- Mon Feb 16 5pm & 9pm
302 Cleveland St, Sydney, Australia
Contact Info Email: theimperialpanda@gmail.com