What's On – 217

The mother of all journeys

Premiering at the King St Theatre, Lifeforce is the latest musical offering by Joanna Weinberg, known for this year’s feel-good film Goddess and The Piano Diaries show, now in it’s third year of touring Australia.

Lifeforce follows the story of Ruth, a 40-year-old woman who realises that it’s now or never for her to be a mother, while simultaneously dreaming of the biological mother she has never met. This contemporary story promises to be both funny and dramatic and will feature 23 original songs performed acoustically by the cast of six. Natalie Lotkin, who was the original inspiration for the musical about a would-be mother, will play the lead role in her Sydney debut.

The piece became fully formed after Joanna befriended a woman in Queensland who was searching for her birth mother. These two ideas were combined to create this tale about longing and desire for family. Lifeforce will be running from September 6th to 21st with tickets priced at $30 ($25 concession).

• Ciao is giving away a double pass to the opening night of the show (Sept 6th at 7.30pm). See our Giveaways page for details on how to enter.

 

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Heading underground in Marrickville

Hitting Marrickville’s Factory Theatre from September 5th, the Sydney Underground Film Festival promises to showcase this year’s most subversive, underground and cult films…

Alejandro Jodorowsky, known for such films as El Topo and The Rainbow Thief, will open this year’s festival with his latest film The Dance of Reality. Originally premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, this “psycho-magical imaginary autobiography is set to take audiences on a psychedelic trip they won’t forget.” Other highlights include Sebastian Silva’s Magic Magic starring Michael Cera, Rob Zombie’s latest horror flick The Lords of Salem, a remake of Andy Warhol’s Poor Little Rich Girl starring Gracie Otto in the role of Edie Sedgwick and, for the first time ever, the Best Worst Films Bingo! This event will include all of your favourite love-to-hate cinematic disasters and bring a bit of zany fun to the festival. For more information and bookings, visit www.suff.com.au.

• Ciao is giving away five double passes to see The Dance of Reality on opening night. See our Giveaways page for details on how to enter.

 

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Sunday 25th August

Unity Walk & Run

Join the fight against Parkinson’s disease by joining the Unity Walk this weekend at the Cathy Freeman Park (inside Sydney Olympic Park). The run kicks off at 7am with entry costing $30 for adults, $20 for children aged 6 to 15 years, and $10 for dogs! Bring the whole gang along and raise money for a good cause. Walkers can choose the 4km route, which takes about an hour, or the short course around the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. The walk ends at 12.30pm with fun, food and entertainment at the finish line!

• More info and registration at www.unitywalk.com.au.

 

Saturday 24th August

Round She Goes Markets

Round She Goes pre-loved fashion market is returning to Marrickville this month, from 10am to 3pm at Marrickville Town Hall (located at 303 Marrickville Road). Pop in and find designer label treasures at fantastic prices – entry is only $2 and the quality of stalls is unbelievable. Stallholders will be selling preloved labels including Bally, Salvatore Ferragamo, YSL, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, Gucci, Lanvin, Mimco, Dior, Guess, Kate Spade, Fendi, Marc Jacobs, Prada, Karen Millen, sass & bide, Chloe, Alannah Hill, Pierre Cardin, Alice McCall, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Camilla, Zimmerman and Lisa Ho Vintage. Join in on market day shopping and giveaways! Plus, there’s some great coffee on offer too.

• More info at www.roundshegoes.com.au.

 

Sunday 25th August

Drummoyne Spring Fete

Spring is in the air and Drummoyne Public School is celebrating with their annual Spring Fete, held from 10am to 3pm on August 25th. Don’t miss this popular event with stalls galore offering everything from crafts to vintage clothing, produce and plants. Plus the kids will love the rides, farm animals, balloon animals and delicious food – there’s really something for the whole family! So come along, enter the raffle competition or join the silent auction and support the school.

• For more info visit drummoyne.mypandc.com.au/fete/index.htm.

 

Thurs 29th Aug & Thurs 5th Sept

Newtown is Fashion

To coincide with the Sydney is Fashion festival, Dendy Newtown will be showing a series of weekly films that local fashionistas will love! On August 29th settle in for an evening with the scariest woman in fashion – Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, with a screening of The September Issue. Bill Cunningham New York will be the final film in the program, screening on September 5th, chronicling New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham – a bicycle-riding cultural anthropologist who has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the Times style section for decades. Both movies start at 8.45pm and tickets are available at www.dendy.com.au for $12.

• Where: King Street, Newtown.

 

From Thursday 29th August

1000 Leaves

Falling at Centennial Park from August 29th to September 15th, don’t miss Parish Stapleton’s solo show ‘1000 Leaves’, featuring 1000 solvent drawings created from 1000 original photographs of 1000 individual leaves on 1000 pieces of hand deckled paper. Opening night will kick off from 7pm to 9.30pm, and the exhibition will be open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Entry is free but each leaf is $40 and available to fall when purchased. The sale of each leaf contributes to the living legacy of the Parklands.

• Where: Superintendents Cottage, Paddington Gates Centennial.

 

Fri 30th Aug to Sun 1st Sept

Brandling Painters Exhibition

After forming over 40 years ago, the Brandling Painters group is still active in Marrickville and Newtown and will be holding their annual group exhibition at the Watch House Gallery. Launching on Friday night from 6pm to 9pm and continuing from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September, the exhibition will feature a wide variety of work including landscape, portraiture and works on paper. Both traditional and contemporary styles will be included in the exhibition and most works will be for sale. For more information visit www.balmainassociation.org.au.

• Where: 179 Darling Street, Balmain.

 

Until Saturday 31st August

No News Is Good News

The Newsagency Gallery will be hosting an exciting group exhibition, featuring work from media photographers Sean Davey, Quentin Jones, Jon Reid and Peter Solness. What do you do when your talent is your livelihood? The exhibition answers this question and gives a little insight into the lives of talented, professional news-shooters; showing us what they get up to when they are not at their day job. More info at newsagencygallery.com.au.

• Where: 332 Stanmore Rd, Petersham.

 

Sunday 8th September

History Week at Callan Park

Friends of Callan Park will be presenting this afternoon at the NSW Writers Centre, with guest speakers, an exhibition and even special tours of the Kirkbride underground tunnels at 3.30pm. From 2pm to 3.30pm hear Tony Griffiths talk about the life of Douglas Grant, a Ngadjonji man, Digger and draughtsman who designed and constructed the Sydney Harbour Bridge War Memorial; a talk about Peta Longhurst’s research into the archaeology of mental institutions in NSW and see a photographic exhibition of Ella Condon’s haunting work, which looks at the lingering presence in the spaces of the former lunatic asylum. Entry is $20 and includes the talks and tours. Or just pop in for afternoon tea by gold coin donation.

• Bookings essential: email focp.admin@gmail.com, or visit www.callanpark.com for more info.