Popping Byron
Byron Bay’s Surf Alley comes alive this weekend when a team of Byron’s most talented street artists transform the area off Jonson Street that was once nicknamed ‘spew alley’. This is the first of what is planned to be a series of laneway activations and the vision is to make these places buzz with creativity and community engagement.
The event will encompass live art, street food, bar, music, cool lighting, green walls, bespoke sustainable furniture, Live Ideas Program, and much more. The event creates a platform for emerging artists who would not otherwise have an opportunity to engage with the local community, launching The Fresh Air Gallery: a live street art gallery that will be a game-changer for community engagement with art. Bringing the gallery to the street, Fresh Air Gallery is an innovation born of Byron Bay-based artist Nitsua, promoting accessible arts, sustainability, philanthropy, and performance. Saturday will also see a Live Ideas Program in the style of TED talks where artists and community members share their vision and experience of making art. Popped launches this Friday at 5pm in Surf Alley, Byron Bay CBD.
Tickets are $10 each, per person per session, and can be purchased via www.poppedcreative.com or at the door. Saturday’s Live Ideas runs in the Laneway over 12–3pm.
Unfuck the World
Imagine… a Rockwiz-style event with Mark Swivel as MC (fresh from Melbourne Comedy Festival) rockin’ it with local band Mercy-Mercy, showcasing the innovative ideas from everyday people for positive local actions to ‘unfuck the world’!
Then, imagine you get to vote for your favourite idea and all the profits from the event go to fund that project to make it happen!
Now, imagine that every day people, across the globe, also joined us in creating positive change on the same day. Sheer unfuckery! That day is coming! Come and help us celebrate the fifth annual global Unfuck The World (UTW) Day on 10 June at Mullum Civic, noon till 5pm!
To vote for your favourite ‘unfuck the world’ idea go to unfucktheworldbyronbay.wordpress.com/. Voting closes 31 May.
Comedy in the Sun
Nick Sun emerged from the suburbs of Sydney during 2004 and quickly became one of the hottest comedy prospects on the scene. In a stellar career acceleration Nick made it to the prestigious invite-only ‘Just For Laughs’ comedy festival at Montreal and returned to the UK for a full season of shows at Edinburgh just a year later.
This winner of the RAW Comedy national competition was also the only comic to take out the UK comp for So You Think You’re Funny.Amazingly he took on the best the UK had to offer and went on to become the national champion of that event as well.
This resulted in a unique double for Nick, winning both Australia’s and the UK’s top comedy competitions in the same year – a feat not before achieved. Nick Sun brings his unique, existentialist, sometimes politically incorrect perspective to the stage sharing the unique insights from this very Aussie bloke of Tibetan parentage. Nick Sun is the MC at this month’s Home Crafted Comedy at the Byron Bay Brewery on Thursday at 8pm. Free entry. Come and see the best in show on the local comedy scene!
Creaming it at the Big Gig
More than 400 people celebrated the Ballina RSL Big Gig’s tenth birthday last month with a stellar performance by headline comedians and a pie in the face to MC and co-founder Mandy Nolan. This month sees Steven J Whiteley take the stage as the Big Gig headline. Steve has been performing standup comedy for more than 10 years.
He’s travelled to every corner of the country, and performed at nearly every major festival Australia has to offer. His highly successful Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows, Natural Born Komedian and Natural Born Komedian 2 – Born Again, attracted the attention of Mary Tobin, who asked Steven to compere one of her productions The Best of the Ed Fest, with none other than Stephen K Amos and Ed Byrne. He has been described as ‘the bogan prince of comedy’. Mandy Nolan’s Women Like Us co-star Ellen Briggs jumps up as support and the big cream pie herself, Mandy Nolan, will be there as MC. Don’t miss comedy at the Big Gig on Thursday 25 May at 8pm. Free.
Stars of Dance
The long-awaited Stars of Byron Shire Dance For Cancer is back int its second year after the successful launch to a sell-out crowd in September 2015. Based on the idea of a popular television show, Stars of Byron Shire will once again see high-profile Byron Shire business people teaming up with local dance teachers to learn a choreographed routine.
The local stars are Byron Shire councillor Basil Cameron, Jo O’Connor from Australia Post, Kim Dowling from Ocean Shores Tavern, Amanda Allen from Crossfit Byron and Danny Salfield from Bay FM.
They will be partnering up with Candice Leigh from Pole Catz, Clement Mauira and Joanne Suter from Passed School of Afro Latin Dance, Hayley Sturgess from Dance Lab AU, Issara Ketkul from Funky Moves Dance Studio and Susan Tsicalas from Brunswick Valley Bootscooters. So get ready to watch local stars dance the night away at the upcoming gala charity event on 17 June at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services Club.
Hold that Space
The holder of 43 Guinness World Records, The Space Cowboy leads the frontier of extreme performance. His bizarre demonstration highlights the incredible power of the human mind and the physical body. Making international headlines and performing to sellout crowds, The Space Cowboy returns to Brunswick Picture House with an updated show and a few new surprises and twists.
Friday and Saturday at 7pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm.TICKETS: Adult $25 | Concession $20 | Child (3–15) $15 | Family of 4 $60. Tickets go to brunswickpicturehouse.com.
It’s a Disney Life
Life, Animated is the inspirational story of Owen Suskind, a young man who was unable to speak as a child until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate by immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. This emotional coming-of-age story follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. Owen was a thriving three-year-old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent — and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires.
Evocatively interweaving classic Disney sequences with vérité scenes from Owen’s life, beautiful, original animations offer rich insights into Owen’s fruitful dialogue with the Disney oeuvre as he imagines himself heroically facing adversity as a member in a tribe of sidekicks. Owen’s story is a moving testament to the many ways in which stories can serve as a means of persevering through the dark times, leading us all toward the light.
At the Brunswick Picture House on Wednesday at 7pm.
Spice of Life
Tracey Spicer was always the good girl. Inspired by Jana Wendt, this bogan from the Brisbane backwaters waded through the ‘cruel and shallow money trench’ of television to land a dream role: national news anchor for a major network. But the journalist found that, for women, TV was less about news and more about helmet hair, masses of makeup and fatuous fashion, in an era when bosses told you to ‘stick your tits out’, ‘lose two inches off your arse’, and ‘quit before you’re too long in the tooth’. Still, Tracey plastered on a smile and did what she was told.
But when she was sacked by email after having a baby, this good girl turned ‘bad’, taking legal action against the network for pregnancy discrimination. Tracey will be in conversation with co-founder of the Feminist Writers Festival, Dr Cristy Clark. This is Tracey Spicer full frontal: expect an entertaining, warm, witty and possibly shocking afternoon!
Sunday 4 June for the Big Think at Lismore City Hall.
