Summerstage sunset sets
Don’t forget to get your tickets to the last Byron Summerstage. Featuring The Beautiful Girls and Loonaloop at Red Devils Park on Sunday 28 Feb at 3pm. The Beautiful Girls features the sublime talents of lead singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Mat McHugh. They’ve toured the world and pioneered a sound that’s totally their own.
Tickets from summerstagebyronbay.com.au.
NORPA takes theatre to Federal youth
NORPA is offering a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn acting with some of the best in the biz, including NORPA Artistic Director Julian Louis and leading professionals from the region. A pop-up Introduction to Acting course will be held over a four-week block of Saturday mornings at Federal Church, Jasper Corner (9.30–11.30am, Sat 20 Feb–Sat 13 March). The $100 Creative Kids vouchers from the NSW Government made available to all children can be used for this program. The short course will introduce the students to some fundamental skills in acting and performance including: improvisation, scene work, character, and movement skills for stage.
Strictly limited numbers (15 max).
Register at www.norpa.org.au or call NORPA on 1300 066 772
Uke is back
If you’ve been sitting at home clutching your little uke with tears in your eyes and a song in your heart then I have good news! The monthly Uke Night is back on at the Mullumbimby Ex-Services. They will be going ahead on Wednesday 3 March, playing songs by artists who begin with the letter A (I’m sensing a theme here), and thereafter strumming along sweetly on the first Wednesday of each month. Stay tuned for more details!
For the love of Mullum
Local artist Edwin Wilson takes Mullumbimby to Artarmon with a solo show of 71 paintings created over a period of 60 years. It is Edwin’s intense enthusiasm for the natural world of the Mullumbimby mountains, the plants and sky that introduces us to the magical world of colour and texture in his paintings. When he paints the human form he applies character traits that challenge or inform us to understand what evoked that vision. It is true that the kaleidoscopic range of his oeuvre has many whimsical elements, but these will endure through time and taste.
On show at Artarmon Galleries, with the opening on Tuesday 23 February at 7pm to be launched by John McDonald the art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald. www.artarmongalleries.com
Comedy led recovery
The Ballina RSL have been leading the way with their comedy led recovery! It’s sustainable, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for your mental health!
The Big Gig has been going now for over 14 years, it has been a regular feature on the calendar for hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the region who line up for a coveted chair at the best comedy gig on the coast. Hosted monthly by Mandy Nolan, punters are assured that every month the acts are top-shelf. This month Mandy invites her colleague and Women Like Us co-host Ellen Briggs to the stage. A natural born storyteller, Ellen has been called the funniest woman alive by Trevor Hendy, she got the call to be on Hughesy’s We Have a Problem and she recently featured on Chezzi and Grant Denyer’s podcast It’s All True.
Catch Ellen when she comes out swinging – truly one of the most engaging and entertaining comics on the circuit. She is supported by Matty B; a dry-as-unbuttered toast Sydney comic who has decided to call our region home. Thursday 25 February at 8pm. Free. Get in early as it’s first in gets in. ballinarsl.com.au
The Flickerfest best in show
Flickerfest returns to the Northern Rivers from this Thursday through to Saturday, for its 24th year screening a smorgasbord of the best short films from the Byron region, Australia and the world, across three short-film-packed days at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall.
Celebrating 30 years in 2021 Flickerfest remains Australia’s only Academy® Qualifying and BAFTA recognised short film festival, ensuring that we continue to present A-list short film programs recognised amongst the best in the world. Flickerfest remains a platform for celebrating the most entertaining and innovative short filmmaking from Australia and around the world.
The Flickerfest program includes:
• Opening Night Drinks & Best of International Shorts on Thursday with arrival drinks from 7pm and films from 8pm.
• The Best of Australian Shorts are on Friday from 8pm and are curated from the Flickerfest International & Australian programs in competition at Bondi.
• Short Laughs Comedy is on Saturday at 8pm and showcases an off-kilter selection of clever comedy shorts from across the world. This is a one-off chance to see these amazing short films before they continue their journey around the world; expect to experience the best in short filmmaking that Australia – and the world – has on offer.
• Also showing are the Best of Northern Rivers Shorts with the Byron All Shorts on Saturday at 4pm.
At Flickerfest Mullumbimby, over three nights, they will be screening three highlight programs of an entertaining, inspiring and award winning range of over 30 Flickerfest short films, many of which are world or Australian premieres.
Tix and program info on iQ.org.au.
Docos on double
If you like your docos, then The Regent in Murwillumbah is offering a double bill doco – with dinner on the rooftop – at the newly refurbished Regent Cinema. Wednesday 24 Feb at 5.15pm it’s Zappa! With the help of more than 10,000 dedicated Zappa fans, this is the long-awaited definitive documentary project of Alex Winter on the life and career of enigmatic, ground-breaking rock star, Frank Zappa.
Alex utilizes thousands of hours of painstakingly digitized videos, photos, audio, and writing, from Zappa’s private archives. This is the first time these chronicles have been brought to a public audience. Then, at 8pm, it’s Wild Things by Sally Ingleton; a film that takes you to the frontline with environmental activists hell-bent on saving their futures from the ravages of climate change. Armed only with mobile phones, this growing army of eco-warriors are mobilising against forces more powerful than themselves and saying, ‘Enough!’. From chaining themselves to coal trains, to sitting high in the canopy of threatened rainforest or locking-on to bulldozers, their non-violent tactics are designed to generate mass action with one finger tap. the-regent.com.au
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