WHEN WE WAKE.
Survival brings out the best and worst in human nature. Fairly dismal but that hasn’t stopped the Clap Your Hands Collective from exploring this unsettling topic with When We Wake at the Blue Room Theatre this month. The premise is simple: the world is ending. Five writers were then asked to juggle this terrific idea of Armageddon and the ensuing piece was created. The five stories are intertwined and looped again in this oddly-humorous piece about the last moments of existence. Apparently marmalade and feathers are part of the apocalypse? When We Wake is on at the Blue Room from September 13 to October 1.
STADIUM is the new work by Tarryn Gill and Pillar Mata Dupont at PICA this month. The exhibition will see the normally hollow space transformed into stadium-styled venue – complete with bleachers and suspended ropes. The works are made up of highly stylised prints and films from familiar 20th century cultural reference points from Hollywood to bushrangers. There is a performance piece, Ever Higher that is performed in conjunction with the exhibition, adding a live element to the installation. The Perth Angels cheerleaders and a female rope-aerialist make up the live show so check PICA’s website for dates. STADIUM is on from September 3 to October 30 at PICA.
Semi-Permanent is more than just a meeting of the visually creative minds. It is a leading design forum, drawing the expertise of various specialists to share their knowledge with the public. So far renowned Sydney typographer Gemma O’Brien, Melbourne artist Ken Taylor and design company Supervixen are set to speak at the Perth Conference. Semi-Permanent is a global conference, travelling not only around Australia but to design capitals like Berlin, Hong Kong and Auckland. For Perth, two more speakers are yet to be announced but you can bet this will be an event not to miss this year. Semi-Permanent arrives in Perth on September 27 at the Bakery.
The taming of the shrew. Here’s a free tip: don’t mess with women. Shakespeare knew this all too well which is evident from his comedy, The Taming of the Shrew. The Western Australian Ballet has taken this clever and ever humorous classic to His Majesty’s Theatre this month for an unforgettable experience. The tale follows Kate, a head-strong woman of her era and wife of the sly Petruchio, who has married Kate for her money. But the bullish Kate puts up a surprising fight against the boastful Petruchio who sets out to calm his fierce bride and tame the shrew. The Taming of the Shrew runs from September 9 – 24 at His Majesty’s Theatre.
Benn Dorrington
***
