BellyLaugh in Byron
Think you are funny? Do friends laugh hysterically at your gags and scream, ‘Oh my god you should be a comedian!’ Well guess what, you now have the chance to test your mettle by giving it a run on the open mic. New and aspiring standup comedians are given a claim on Five Minutes of Fame at Byron Brewery’s monthly BellyLaugh comedy night. This month MC is Ellen Briggs. Thursday 18 June at 8pm at the Byron Brewery. FREE.
To register for an open mic spot email [email protected].
The Unforgettable Oliver!
Oliver! is a musical known and loved for its well-remembered songs and its story of downtrodden children, unscrupulous adults and one orphan boy made good. His song Where Is Love? echoes the longing for a loving family of Oliver (Landon Broadley), the orphan who asked for more. Escaping arrest as a pickpocket urchin, Oliver is taken in by the rich and kindly Mr Brownlow (Geoff Marsh). An errand to return some books for his host becomes a test of trust but after serious trials Oliver returns to his benefactor’s household. Mr Brownlow feels strangely drawn towards Oliver.
A photograph and a locket hold the key to the mystery and eventually Oliver finds his longed-for family.
A production of this scale is an ensemble effort, but special credit must be given to the contribution of the children. The performances of ten-year-old Landon Broadley as the innocent Oliver and twelve-year-old Sam Green as the much more worldly Artful Dodger are highlights of Oliver!
The production demonstrates the fact that there are uplifting times of warmth and frivolity in the midst of bleakness and poverty. The cast of fifty-two fills the stage with warmth and energy in production numbers such as Oom Pah Pah and It’s A Fine Life.
Directed by Clem Halpin, Oliver! will be staged at the Players Theatre from Friday till 4 July. Evening performances will commence at 8pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Book online at www.ballinaplayers.com.au or at Just Funkin Music, 6686 2440.
Love, Sex and Ethics
Pulitzer prize-nominated play Becky Shaw is a contemporary comedy of bad manners, love, sex and ethics, and will be coming Mullumbimby’s Drill Hall on 19 June. Georgia Martin directs Kate Foster and Madeleine Lipson from last year’s hit Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Brenda Shero who appeared in several Theatre North productions, as well as the Drill Hall Theatre Company’s A Pint of Pinter, Sam Hemphill (Uncle Vanya, Caldera and Honk if you are Jesus) and newcomer Samuel Peacock, who has just completed a professional tour of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia; this is a strong cast in a very strong play.
Suzanna sets up blind date for Max, her best friend, with Becky Shaw, an anxious, but socially ambitious woman who works with her husband. Their lives go pear-shaped from there – at speed!
Becky seems unsure but shows the overly confident Max that she is a woman to be reckoned with. Funny and confronting, Becky Shaw asks us: What do we owe our loved ones and the strangers who turn up in our lives? A test of loyalty and what we think we know of the people around us.
Opening night 19 June. Performances 8pm. Friday and Saturday, 2pm Sunday. $20 and $15 at the Bookshop, Mullumbimby or online at www.drillhalltheatre.org.au.
IncREDible Art!
The IncREDible Art Exhibition features works from Byron Bay artists in a range of media, from ceramics to paintings and also some Claymation footage. Their vision and range of abilities is expressed beautifully in this stunning range of works. Show opens on Friday at 6pm and runs until 23 June at Byron’s Lone Goat Gallery.
A show about Oz
Helpmann Award-winning director Jonathan Biggins presents Australia Day, a play he has written and directed with Christine Harris and HIT Productions. ‘Biggins wrote Australia Day after several tours of duty as an Australia Day ambassador in regional NSW,’ says writer and director Jonathan Biggins. ‘Initially sceptical about the celebration of the national day, my experiences showed me another side: the warmth, dedication and quiet patriotic pride of the organising committees and the towns they served taught me the value of uniting communities to remember what is good about being an Australian – or, more importantly, of becoming one, for the citizenship ceremony forms the emotional heart of the day’s proceedings.’ Australia Day is a laugh, a jab, a thought-provoking prod at our current political and cultural climate and certainly will be studied in years to come as a piece of theatre that exposes Australia as it is now.
Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24, 7.30pm NORPA at Lismore City Hall. Bookings: 1300 066 772 or norpa.org.au.
Bangalow Gives Nepal A Hand
Residents of Bangalow and beyond are being asked to support efforts to help Langtang Valley Health – An Australian Charity based in Nepal since 2012.
Bangalow local fitness professional Lisa Parkes has organised a fundraiser to support efforts to help Langtang Valley Health – an Australian Charity based in Nepal since 2012. The evening will feature information, traditional Indian-Nepalese food, circus performances, live music, Bollywood dancing, live auction, DJ and MC Mandy Nolan. All funds raised will go towards disaster relief for the people of Langtang Village and surrounds, a popular trekking area that was totally destroyed in the recent earthquakes.
Even in a country that has seen so much devastation and so much personal heartbreak, what happened to the village of Langtang is in a different league. Moments after the initial earthquake struck, a massive expanse of ice fell thousands of feet, creating an avalanche that wiped out a community where 400 people lived and where, at that moment, nearly 100 foreign trekkers are believed to have been. Live auction items, including Splendour In The Grass tickets, Bangalow BBQ & Bluegrass tickets, Moroccan carpets, clothing, furnishings, homewares, treatments, jewellery and much more will be auctioned on the night live by locals Dave Eller and Matt Towner. Bangalow A&I Hall this Saturday from 6.30pm. Tickets available at www.seechangebyronbay.com.au/langtangnepal.
$40 entertainment only; $65 includes full Indian-Nepalese banquet. Children under 14: by donation on the night. Kidz Club provided. To support the event with donations or for more info contact Lisa on 0429 878 902 or [email protected].
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