RAW gets Short and Sweet
This Friday at the Byron Brewery RAW Byron Bay bring together 30 plus local emerging artists from fashion, music, visual and performing arts, music, all for a one night extravaganza.
Called Signature, this is the first of two emerging arts showcase to be run in Byron.Doors at 7.30pm with tix $20 online – rawartists.org/byronbay/signature or $25 on the door
Who will be our local comedy hero?
RAW Comedy is Australia’s biggest open-mic competition, and Melbourne International Comedy Festival is looking for the country’s best new comedian. For the past 15 years Byron has had its own RAW heat, proving that for a regional area we are producing some very interesting and enthusiastic new comics! The Byron heat will see 16 comedy hopefuls showcase their finest five minutes in the hope that they will be the chosen one who makes it to the QLD final. If they make it through that, then they are on at the RAW Grand Final at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April, and the winner will pocket the much sought-after prize of a trip to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Judges include past winners Paul McMahon and Ellen Briggs. Almost a decade ago Briggs was a national finalist herself. This year’s guest special judge is performer Mark Swivel who, later in the month, takes his one-man show How Deep is Your Love to the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Comedian, mentor and humour coach Mandy Nolan is the MC – so don’t miss this wild and wondrous event at the Byron Services Club on Monday at 8pm. Tix are $10 at the door.
Knitting Nannas Against Gas film event
Knitting Nannas Against Gas are fundraising to go farther afield now that the northern rivers is gasfield free and to organise their second KNAG Conference. Nannas are driving, flying, travelling by train and by bus all over the countryside to save the land, air and water for the kiddies… and their pensions are dwindling. It costs a small fortune to do the job that the Nannas say we all pay our politicians to do. Join the Nannas for a fabulous film night at the Star Court Theatre on Friday and help them to stock up on wool and needles and fund their quest to support regions in Australia that are threatened or affected by coal seam gas and coal mining. Featuring the stunning new Aussie film The Dressmaker and award-winning shorts: Citizen to Activist, Ocean Music and Seymour the Cross-Dressing Wolf. Friday at Star Court Theatre in Lismore at 7pm. Tix are $20. Viva la Nannalution!
Ethan Hawke learns to Seymour
For anyone involved in music, whether as performer, student or teacher, or simply as devotee, Seymour Bernstein is especially interesting. Now in his 80s, he has had brushes with fame and adventure.
Lavishly praised as a young pianist when he toured Europe and the US as a young man, and serving in Korea in the 1950s where he played for the troops on the front lines, he nevertheless walked away from a solo career, giving his last public performance at 50. Since then, he has devoted himself to teaching, writing and composing although, it must be said, he still plays the piano superbly.
Ethan Hawke is a veteran of more than 50 appearances on screen and he’s had a career as a writer and director as well. But he has never made a documentary. He met Seymour Bernstein at a dinner party and was bowled over by the older man’s enthusiasm and love of life. The film is the result of his curiosity. What is Seymour’s secret? What wisdom informs his teaching and his life?
Seymour is screening at Pighouse Flicks on Wednesday 16 March at 12.30pm and again on Sunday 27 March at 1pm. The tickets are $15, at pighouseflicks.com.au/buy-tickets-online or at the door. The money will cover the hire of the film and the theatre, and any surplus will be donated to the Byron Music Society.
