Performing Arts

If you have checked out the Silver Artrage Festival program this year, you would have noticed an explosion of contemporary dance taking hold of Perth. And at the crux of this explosion, pirouetting at its epicentre, is Strut, a dance company who is happy to put in the hard yards in order to create a sustainable contemporary dance culture here in little old Perth. Strut’s general manager, Agnes Michelet, had a chat to OUTinPerth (she has the most delightful French accent, don’t you know) about Strut’s showcase Dyuetto. (more…)

This one is a doozy! Throw in all the macabre charm of Snow White, add some red shoes and a whole heap of all things Grimm and you have the devilishly delightful Murdoch University production The Snow White Conspiracy. It’s full of live music, multimedia visual effects and wonderfully uncompromisingly beautiful language courtesy of Howard Barker. It’s only on for an incredibly short time at Murdoch University’s Nexus Theatre from November 5 to November 8 but is definitely worth catching. Like all fairy tales, it will consume you. www.snowwhiteconspiracy.com

Roy Smiles is a very clever writer. So much so in fact that as a stand up comedian he has quite the rep in England. Now he’s bringing his unique brand of humour down under as he pays tribute to The Goons – England’s iconic radio nonsense makers – with his wry and hilarious show Ying Tong. It transports The Goons post-production and plonks them right into a mental asylum. What’s going on? What are they doing there? And what on earth are those leprechauns all about? Find out when Ying Tong hits the stage of His Majesty’s from November 27 to December 6. www.bocsticketing.com.au

This Is Not Art (TINA) is a festival within a festival within a festival within a festival within a festival. It’s a Babushka Doll of exciting increments, a national treasure which brings together some of the country’s most burgeoning national treasures. And this year TINA turned 10, marking not only a milestone but a darn good reason to put out an anthology celebrating new Australian writing, the beautifully titled Herding Kites. (more…)

What started off in 1983 as a fringe arts festival has now, 25 years later, grown into a veritable institution. This October and November, Western Australia’s longest running not-for-profit arts organisation will celebrate its silver anniversary with the Silver Artrage Festival. Yes, silver is the new black as Artrage ‘come back’ with the strongest and most cohesive program they’ve had in 10 years. (more…)

Steven Dawson is not only one of Australia’s most prolific writers for the stage, he’s quite possibly the dirtiest too. No, seriously! How else do you explain him taking out Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s award for a play with the ‘filthiest sex scene not involving nudity’. Put simply, his new work – Adventures of Buttboy and Tigger – is a raucous rollercoaster ride of ribald humour and dirty, dirty imaginings. What starts as a harmless online flirtation soon turns into an X-rated daydream… and it’s all appearing at this year’s Pride Festival Theatre season. Dawson took time out to talk the filthy talk about Buttboy and Tigger with OUTinPerth’s Scott-Patrick Mitchell. (more…)

Zac Gower is a very dirty boy. A very dirty boy indeed. Or at least that’s the premise in this, his first solo cabaret show. Now Melbourne based, Gower comes home for Pride in his one-man show Confessions of a Lying, Cheating Pervert. This show is crammed full of wit, ribald quips and talk about big… well, you can imagine. It’s so good it comes with a warning about strong language – and anything that comes with a warning label must be good for you! Find out when Gower’s Confessions hits Lazy Susan’s Comedy Den upstairs at The Brisbane Hotel on October 16 and 17. With only two shows you know this is gonna be unmissable, so get in quick. (more…)

It’s time to chuck on some super stylish lounge slacks and take a seat as Season Two of Cabaret Soiree lands with all the grace, aplomb and sophistication of… well, a sophisticated cabaret show! Which is exactly what you can expect from this beautifully assorted selection of shows which will be appearing Downstairs at His Maj. Highlights? Soul Sisters is being dubbed one to watch on October 16, 17 and 18. It features Analisa Bell and Rhoda Lopes, two girls who are soul sisters - proving love can be thicker than blood. A lighthearted, whimsical night out, Soul Sisters is only one of seven shows featuring during Cabaret Soiree. (more…)

There will be many, many highlights this October and November when The Silver Artrage Festival hits our arts quarter with the resounding smack of something outstandingly huge hitting. The Prom, Controlled Riot, Schmigloo, Silent Disco, Limbspeak… the list goes on. It’s no wonder then that, with all the bustle, Artrage have catered for a moment of solitude, a moment of reflection, a moment… to confess. Enter The Booth, a mobile confessional booth which will pop up all over the festival. Yes, anywhere at anytime The Booth could be there. Step inside and confide. The priest and her video camera will be ready to record your every deviant thought. Go on, purge. (more…)

Earlier this year a local group presented a play called Rock Apocalypse. A short while later, an anonymous review was posted which, basically, slammed said show. What followed was a dialogue between reviewer and reviewee, an exploration of online critique and vulnerability. Apocalypse Perth is the document of said dialogue. Yes, get ready to witness a free-for-all verbatim exchange of brutal truths and breaking beliefs. This show is sure to titillate, intrigue and make you wet your seat. No holds barred people, no holds barred. Apocalypse Perth opens October 22 at The Blue Room. (more…)