The Tempest hits Byron
Byron Writers Festival is featuring the award-winning poet, rapper, and now author, Kate Tempest, in conversation with local writer and journalist Anneli Knight at the Byron Theatre on 24 May. The Washington Post said of her: ‘Alternating between poetry, spoken word and hip-hop, Kate Tempest is like a 21st-century Patti Smith’.
Festival director Edwina Johnson says Tempest will discuss her debut novel, which takes readers into the beating heart of London in a multi-generational tale of drugs, desire and belonging.
‘We are thrilled to be bringing Kate Tempest to Byron as part of her national tour. She will discuss her novel The Bricks that Built the Houses and will give audiences a taste of her passionate performance work.’
The Bricks that Built the Houses explores contemporary London life with a powerful moral microscope, giving readers irresistible stories of hidden lives, and showing how the best intentions don’t always lead to the right decisions.
‘My internal landscape is as busy and populated as the external landscape that I grew up in,’ says Tempest of writing the novel. ‘I feel like I had to get this out. It’s a kind of love song, an elegy, a howl of complaint, but also a celebration of a place that is changing rapidly.’
The characters in the novel are people she’s introduced before in her songs, poems and her first play, Wasted. Tempest won the Ted Hughes Award in 2013 for her poem Brand New Ancients, and her groove-heavy debut album, Everybody Down, was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2014.
To see Kate Tempest perform live is to be utterly amazed. Her dazzling stream-of-consciousness delivery and unabashed sincerity recall the likes of Billy Bragg and Chuck D – both of whom are self-professed fans. A storyteller of extraordinary power and humanity, Kate Tempest is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting and distinctive voices of her generation.
Tuesday 24 May at 6pm.
Peter and the Wolf and Ravel’s Bolero
Byron Ballet will be presenting a highly entertaining double bill at the Byron Theatre from 20 May. Children will be delighted to see Prokofiev’s famous dance tale of Peter and the Wolf. The extended story also includes a wolf pack and a trip to the circus, where the tamed wolf makes some new friends. The composer Prokofiev created Peter and the Wolf to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra, so the ballet is a perfect introduction to storytelling through music and dance.
This dynamic program finishes with the all-time classic Ravel’s Bolero – one of the most sensual and hypnotic works of all time, building to an irresistible climax. A contemporary work with a flamenco flair – a delight for the senses, not to be missed!
Comedy Roadshow Rides Again
Our travelling band of intrepid funny-makers is taking over Australia, one town at a time, with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow!
For nearly twenty years the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow has home delivered the best of the Festival to towns and cities across Australia. For three months of touring comedy madness, the Roadshow crew travels to more than 80 regional destinations, bringing laughs to all corners of the great brown land!
And the party doesn’t stop there; the Roadshow then takes to the sky for the Asian leg, showcasing the best in Aussie comedy to audiences in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Ballina’s show will feature Dave Callan as MC and the comedy stylings of Becky Lucas, Tommy Dean, Nick Cody and Rhys Nicholson. $30 – Pre-Dinner & Show: $53.50, Ballina RSL Club.
Many exhibitions make art work
Northern Rivers Community Gallery (NRCG) presents four new exhibitions during May that will brighten up the winter chill!
Moose Music Under the Magic Moon by Rachel Stone presents an exploration of the wondrous world of animals. Her paintings hark back to the beloved, magical animal characters in our childhood storybooks – and look forward to the realities of life on Earth for animals in an increasingly human-controlled environment.
Animals, Birds, Figures and Fabric features works by Lesley Ryan, who presents work focusing on animals and birds, placed in unusual fabric landscapes, using antique children’s books as backgrounds; 1950s magazines and cups of tea with Lesley inspired a series of drawings, carborundum prints and sculptures by Melissa Wright.
Dolly by regional collective Julia Curtis, Anthea Moffatt and Jill Runciman looks at dolls – from Babushkas to Barbies and beyond – and their ever-changing uses and representations in culture. Dolls have been around since the beginning of civilisations, and possess a timeless quality to soothe and entertain.
Colours of the Country III is a touring exhibition from The Alice Springs Beanie Festival.
Dive head first into the world of colourful, unique beanies at Colours of the Country III, the third touring exhibition of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival. Presented by Artback NT, the exhibition encapsulates the whimsical essence of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival and includes audio descriptions for those who are visually impaired.
The group of exhibitions opens Thursday and continues until Sunday 19 June 2016. The official launch event is Thursday 12 May from 5.30pm – 7.30pm and all visitors are welcome to attend.
