The Perth International Arts Festival has been announced and we are stoked. This year’s festival is a bounty of captivating and eclectic performances and acts which will be sure to whet anybody’s appetite. So here are just some of the acts we think you might like to see.
Men
Brooklyn disco-punk outfit Men (pictured) is coming with its potent take on dance music and radical live performance. Former Le Tigre member (and the former girlfriend of Australian singer Sia) JD Samson and her collective will be performing tracks from their debut album, Talk About Body. If you like a little bit of anarchy, this sounds like a gig not to miss. (25 February – Cultural Centre)
Tomboy
This beautiful French film follows 10-year-old Laurie, a tomboy with short blonde hair and a thorough dislike of dresses. When Laurie moves away one summer to the outskirts of Paris, she is mistaken for a boy – a ploy she continues. But after a tussle with her sister, her identity is revealed, even to her admirer, Lisa. French director Céline Sciamma received critical acclaim for this new movie which took out the best film with LGBT themes at the Berlin Film Festival. (6-11 December – Joondalup Pines)
Elektra
Western Australia’s Matthew Lutton has directed this dark and gripping opera to the powerful, stirring music of Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal. The story of Elektra is a Hellenic tale, made up of love and revenge and justice. Elektra witnesses the murder of her father and lives in a cursed city. Conducted by Richard Mills AM with the WA Opera Chorus and WA Symphony Orchestra, catch this World Premier when it arrives in Perth in February. (February 8-14 – His Majesty’s Theatre)
Justice Michael Kirby
Not much has been released about the Perth Writers Festival just yet but what we are excited about is the return of openly gay and Australia’s longest serving judge, Justice Michael Kirby. Kirby is on the bill for the February festival along with a wide range of authors including with two controversial female writers, Germaine Greer and Marieke Hardy. Kirby retired from the High Court of Australia in 2009 but has routinely spoken out in favour of gay rights. (Details available in January)
OIP Staff
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