Local artist illuminates Hargreaves Mall to celebrate Festival of Light

Central Victorian artist Aleshia Ng’s colourful lantern installation is on display in Bendigo’s Hargreaves

Mall this week in the lead up to the Festival of Light being held at The Great Stupa, 25 Sandhurst Town

Rd Myers Flat on Saturday 25th May 2013.

Nine brightly coloured lanterns will hang above Hargreaves Mall over the coming weeks, each one

carefully crafted by hand by the local artist. The Vesak lantern is the traditional lantern made at the

time of Vesak, a special day in the Buddhist calendar which marks the birth, death and enlightenment

of Buddha. Lanterns are made at this time as a symbol of peace and enlightenment. A lantern

procession commencing at 5pm will be a feature of the evening at the Festival of Light.

Throughout this term Aleshia has also been running workshops on Vesak lantern-making in local

schools participating in the Lantern Competition being run for the Festival of Light. Local school

children have been invited to submit their own creative Vesak lantern displays to be featured at The

Great Stupa on the day of the festival. The lantern entries will be judged on the night of the event by

special guest judges from the region.

The Vesak lantern installation will be on display from now until Sunday 26th May 2013 in the

Hargreaves Mall Bendigo.

For further information on the artist’s work or the Festival of Light, including a full program of festival

events please contact The Great Stupa by telephoning 03 5446 7568 or emailing info@stupa.org.au or

by visiting the website www.stupa.org.au

ENDS

Contact:

The Great Stupa of Universal Compassion

03 5446 7568

info@stupa.org.au

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

Aftershocks: Castlemaine Theatre Company Production

Aftershocks explores the aftermath of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. The script was developed by Paul Brown, based on interviews with the survivors who were at the Workers Club at the time of the quake. The quake hit hardest at the Newcastle Workers Club, a significant community venue. The famous band Crowded House were supposed to play at the Club on the evening of the day when the earthquake struck. If it had happened a few hours later, two thousand people would have been at the venue. As it was, nine people died at the Club as a result of its dramatic collapse. Director Tricia O’Hara was in Newcastle at the time of the quake. Tricia remembers: “The earthquake roared like a jet taking off, the earth buckled and buildings swayed. It was difficult to stand upright for those seconds. Bricks tumbled and red mortar dust filled the air, covering us like a fine ochre veil.”

Some of the actors reflect on the experience of working on Aftershocks – here’s Laura Hall-Levetan who plays the characters of Elaine and Melba:

“You’re a character in some sense of the word, a story teller in every sense of the word, you interact with others on stage but you address the audience primarily…these are the challenges for the cast of Aftershocks. The lines are truly verbatim, sometimes making them fairly tongue twisting and requiring a reach into meaning that is not always obvious. I’m loving building up this gripping and moving theatre piece with the cast and director Tricia O’Hara, whose eye for detail and insight is wonderful to work with. Getting down to what the story means, how we are linked, how we survived and what we lost form the pivots of this play.”

Kenneth MacLeod, Castlemaine Theatre President, who plays Bob:

“This is theatre of the people, by the people and for the people. These stories are memories of an overwhelming event, recorded on tape through verbal interviews, edited into a script, then retold by actors to an audience. The words of ordinary everyday people whose ordinary everyday world suddenly and violently collapsed around them. The actors have had to enter into these ordinary words to make maps to reconstruct, to reimagine extraordinary journeys.”

Tickets for Aftershocks are available at Maine Shoes and Accessories.

174 Barker Street, 5472 1136.

Opens Friday 24 May

Dates: 24, 25, 26, 31 May; 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 June

The Phee Broadway Theatre, Mechanics Lane, Castlemaine.

If you would like to get involved in the activities of the Castlemaine Theatre Company – act, work backstage, front of house, on costumes, set, directing, joining our committee, come along to our ‘Speakeasy’ nights (play reading/theatre sports) – contact our secretary at castlemainetheatreco@gmail.com or visit us on facebook.

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

The Jazz Jammers @ The Comma

As Louis Armstrong sang in one of his movie roles: “Now you has jazz!” Old Satchmo could have been describing the first Mainstream Jazz Jam at The Comma in Castlemaine on May 5.
Amateur musos lined up with seasoned professionals to explore the swing, harmony, counterpoint and sheer excitement of the jazz genre. Ted, Ruby and Doug motored up the Calder to contribute perfect piano, soulful singing and bonus bass.

From Bendigo there was Lee on trumpet, Norm on trombone and flugel horn, and Geoff and Barry on drums. On the local front, Lena, Meg, Jude and Vida were among the stylish vocalists, and young Bren on tenor sax and clarinet showed a maturity that matched his older jam companions. Gillian and Terry popped over from the Newstead district to gobsmack everyone with show-stopping songs and dazzling guitar. Simon on vocals and piano reminded us again of Burt Bacharach’s songwriting skills. There was more musical talent than you could poke a conductor’s baton at, but organisers were having too much of a good time to get all the names — and some of the email addresses were on the quirky side.

The next Mainstream Jazz Jam on Sunday, June 2, promises to be even more of a blast. Instrumentalists, singers and listeners should groove on down to:

The Comma Bar and Bistro, corner of Forest and Hargraves Streets, Castlemaine, at 3.30pm.

Now we has jazz!

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

The Stillsons

Melbourne alt country band The Stillsons are currently touring, showcasing their wares off the back of their brand new single release Break And Keel, the first single lifted from their upcoming album Never Go Your Way. They perform at The Bridge Hotel Castlemaine on Saturday 18^th May.

The band who comprises of two singers – Justin Bernasconi (guitar) and Cat Canteri (drums), along with pedal steel guitarist Ben Franz and bassist Edmondo Ammendola (Augie March) have released two albums to date. Their sophomore release Earnest not only established a solid national reputation, but also an international one, being played widely on BBC Radio 2, BBC Ulster, BBC Scotland, and being play listed on Radio NZ.  It was named ‘Album Of The Week’ by six different radio stations — ABC Radio Australia, ABC DIG, ABC Gold Coast, ABC Bendigo, Coast FM (NSW), and Radio Adelaide, and has been critically praised in the national press, earning “Best Of The Week” by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Whilst the single Break And Keel has all the key elements of a Stillsons recording, (‘zing, boldness and precision’ – Rhythms magazine), the single marks a new shift in the band’s sound. The single has a rich, rockier edge that is a progression from the eclectic folk roots of their two previous albums ‘Earnest’ and ‘Circus’. It is also the first Stillsons single to be written and sung by the band’s drummer Cat Canteri.

Catch them at The Bridge Hotel on Saturday 18^th May. Support is Justin Bernasconi. $10 Entry, doors at 8.30pm.

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

Fourteen Nights at Sea on stage at The Bridge

Full of subtle minimalism, slow builds, and destructive metallic resolutions, reminiscent of formidable contemporaries of the genre – THIS WILL DESTROY YOU, GODSPEED… and the like, Fourteen Nights at Sea make their return to the stage at The Bridge Hotel Castlemaine to perform songs off their newly released and critically appraised album (out now on Hobbledehoy Record Co).

Check them out on the Friday 31st of May at The Bridge Hotel in Castlemaine with support from special guests. $8 Entry. 8.30pm doors.

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

The 24 hour challenge: writing to a deadline with Robyn Annear

This workshop will take place over 2 days. In the first session participants will be given tips and advice on writing non-fiction, then given the resources to go away and write a short and snappy column, with a 24 hour deadline. In the 2nd session participants will share their experiences and work.

Suitable for those with some writing experience – and up for the challenge!

May 18th 1-3pm

May 19th 1-3pm

Word Mine room

Anglican Church Hall

Places are limited; RSVP essential. Secure your place by phoning Ann de

Hugard 5472 2647

For more details see our website

http://castlemainewordmine.wordpress.com

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

The Smallest of Things (2nd Series)

Alexandre Prado

May sees the launch of two distinctly different shows in a continued celebration of the diversity of Australian artistic talents.

Abstraction gives way to representation in Gallery Two, with Alexandre Prado’s playful and evocative manipulations of scale. Drawing on childhood memories of vast and magical worlds, The Smallest of Things (2nd Series) presents images of exquisite and isolated locations. Macro and micro scales combine and compete to reveal sublime nature in the smallest detail of our environments

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

After the dreaming.

The township of Taradale in Central Victoria may no longer be considered a town according to the ABS, but that fact does not stop the vibrant community from staging some of the most memorable arts events in the Castlemaine area.

On Saturday May 11^th, there will be a one off art performance, called After the dreaming- to be staged over two sites. Starting at 5 pm, the show opens with Battiani’s Place – at 51 Cypress Drive, where the decaying post-goldrush home of the Battaini family, has become the site of an arrangement of work focussing on themes of place and home, and our tenuous hold on these things. It is a collaboration between Alex Panelli, Frank Veldze, Bill Sampson and Annabel Nowlan.

Part two of the show will take place in the Taradale Hall, in the main street, where some of the themes of Battiani’s place will be echoed in Visitation- Ghost Colonial Woman, a performance and installation by Kate Osborne. After moving to Taradale, Kate felt a keen sense of place and a vision has appeared to her, of an unknown woman from another time, who floats silently through the landscape, a cipher perhaps, through which Kate experiences her own life in this timeless land.

Following on, Frank Veldze will present Are You Lying Down? An installation, projection and soundscape that considers birth, sex and death through the primal site of dreams – the mattress.

The finale of the evening will be a vocal performance by the celebrated Meg Corson, who has sung with artists such as James Morrison, Don Burrows, Marcia Hines, Vince Jones, Jose Feliciano and Marina Prior.

$10 entry- kids free.

And in true Taradale fashion, there will be drinks served by the redoubtable team from Taradale Wine and Produce and a BBQ featuring local produce to follow.

Media contact and curator : Suzanne Donisthorpe: donisthorpe.suzanne@abc.net.au 0438358962

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine

Literature in Castlemaine

Castlemaine Word Mine

Castlemaine Word Mine supports and promotes writing and writers in the community of Castlemaine (and surrounds) through opportunities and activities for literary engagement. We provide:- a space for private writing- bi-monthly readings and reader’s salons- networking opportunities- skills based workshops- writers’ groups

The CWM room is available for members for private writing between 10am -2pm Monday to Friday, (subject to availability) and outside these hours by request to the Coordinator.Contact: Ann de Hugard ph 5472 2647.

Writers Groups: If you are interested in joining a writers group please contact Ann de Hugard ph 5472 2647.

Check the website for details of other workshops and opportunities happening throughout the year.

Castlemaine Word Mine in 2013

Readings

Feb 13 – Valentine’s Day – bring along a poem or story on ‘love’ with Ross Donlon

Apr 10 – Writing about teenagers with Elly Marney, Kirsten Krauth, Simmone Howell

Aug 14 – Writing your story with Carmel Bird, Sally Berridge

Oct 9 – Enjoy hearing Jon Bauer, John Flaus

Nov 13 – Script writing with Josie Emery, John Romeril

At our Readings you will hear guest writers read and talk about their work, meet writers and learn more about the craft. Anyone is welcome to read their work as part of the open mic session for a maximum of two minutes. You can also bring along a book to exchange and any work you’d like to sell.

Cost: $5 / $2 (members)
Venue: Anglican Church Hall, Cnr Kennedy and Forest Sts, Castlemaine.
Time: 8 – 10pm

Reader Salons Sunday afternoon ‘Member Salons’ are members-only events. Come and meet writers, read or listen to longer pieces of work in a more relaxed setting.

May 12 - ‘Manuscript in your bottom drawer’ – dig out forgotten work

Jul 14 – Literary games afternoon – enjoy word games with others

Sep 8 – ‘The one that got away’ -bring along work in progress

Venue: Word Mine Room, Cnr Kennedy and Forest Sts, Castlemaine.

Time: 2-5pm

Find out how to become a member here: http://castlemainewordmine.wordpress.com/become-a-member/

May 18-19 – The 24 hour challenge: writing to a deadline, 1-3pm both days, with Robyn Annear.

Jun 14 - Literary Trivia Night – our annual fundraiser

Sep 14 – Workshop with John Bauer

Oct 16 – Bottersnikes and Other Lost Things: A short history of Australian Children’s Literature – a talk by Juliet O’Connor, 8-9pm (This is a joint event with the Children’s Literature Festival.)

Art & Culture Guide to Castlemaine