Top 10 Australia Culture On this week 26/04/2020 (COVID-19 EDITION)

The history of the world, my love, is those below serving those up above. And that’s pretty much the future of it too.

 

10) ‘Broken Places’ Zoom Film Screening

27th April

What: Experience an online showing of the documentary Broken Places which follows subjects for 40 years to explore the various outcomes of early adversity. Broken Places poses the complex question of why some children are permanently damaged by early adversity while others are able to thrive. To help answer this question, 40 years of film archives were used to update stories of children growing up in difficult circumstances that were filmed decades ago. Viewers are given a unique time-lapse perspective that spans decades, witnessing how a few of these troubled children have processed their experiences.

Why: They’ve had the f***ing gall to raise toilet paper prices thirty per cent, those sick, gouging, money-hungry maniacs. Also child abuse still exists.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=572de780-859c-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

9) Art in the Time of COVID

30th April

What: Art in the Time of COVID-19 is a panel discussion that explores how we value art and artists during a time of crisis. Even though many artists are increasingly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re finding new and innovative ways to share their work for our collective well-being. Join a stellar panel of arts innovators and reflect on the intersectional vulnerabilities presented by COVID-19, and what engagement with the arts during this time can tell us about the value arts and culture in our society.

Why: As of the moment we’re writing this, Keith Urban’s terrible haircut and “How Small Of A Hole Can My Cat Fit Through” were the top two trending topics. We’re quite sure art remains as valued now as it has been since 2005.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=ecc4f840-859e-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

8) Silkroad Home Sessions with Preeti Vasudevan

30th April

What: Award-winning Indian choreographer and performer Preeti Vasudevan is an exponent of classical Indian dance (Bharatanatyam), creating new provocative contemporary works from the Indian tradition. Original works performed by her New York-based company, Thresh, have earned international acclaim for their fresh juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary voices.

Why: Expand your cultural horizons beyond Judi Dench and Richard Gere dancing around the Slumdog Millionaire guy.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=acb404e0-859d-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

7) Vienna State Opera: Live

26th April-1st May

What: The Vienna State Opera is sharing past performances via free daily online streams. Experience the majesty of the Viennese opera alongside a worldwide audience. This week’s performances will feature Fidelio, Hänsel und Gretel, Madama Butterfly, Le Corsaire, and Les Troyens.

Why: There’s nothing like blasting early 19th Century German opera to remind yourself that there are far worse things to fight over than a square of toilet paper. The only casualty of the 2020 Quilton wars was your anus.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=195e0580-6af7-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

6) SPACE’s Blue Monday with Dave Specter and John Kattke

28th April

What: SPACE will be hosting an live-streamed concert of a couple of the most talented experimental blues artists in Chicago. American blues and jazz guitarist Dave Specter and blues and rock pianist, guitarist and singer John Kattke will each be performing a set.

Why: An hour of experimental jazz to provide an elegant, intellectual counterpoint to the two hours you spent experimenting with Doritos cereal.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=c7180450-8596-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

5) Silkroad Home Sessions with Balla Kouyaté

28th April

What: Born in Mali, Balla Kouyaté’s knowledge of his traditional repertoire is unparalleled. Today, the first balafon (a variant of the xylophone), over 1000 years old, remains in his family, guarded by his father, El Hadji Sekou Kouyaté. Balla has toured extensively with artists, like Sekouba Bambino and Kassé Madi Diabaté, in Europe and Africa. Since coming to the US in 2000, his collaborations with Western artists in a variety of musical styles brought the need for innovation. He thus created a chromatic instrument, using two balafons. Balla is currently working on a second album of his original music featuring members of his family. Experience his unique, virtuosic talent in a live-streamed performance.

Why: At least four of the words in the above description will earn you clout at any post-COVID cocktail party.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=38b58000-859d-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

4) Live Concert: Moondog by François Mardirossian

30th April

What: To celebrate International Jazz Day, the Bullukian Foundation and Jazz Day Lyon are offering an exceptional concert by pianist François Mardirossian to enjoy from your living room! Pianist François Mardirossian, co-artistic director of the Superspectives festival, will perform Moondog’s piano works presented on his new album Moondog Piano Works (awarded with a Choc Classica and several rave reviews).

Why: A Frenchman named Francois interprets the work of a blind, virtuosic, viking, vagrant, polymath from Kansas. Live. What’s there left to say?

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=995c78d0-859f-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

3) Through the Looking Glass: Wonderland in Quarantine

27th April

What: Wonderland In Quarantine is an unprecedented, 3-hour interactive live-streaming experience for longtime fans and first-time viewers of Verlaine & McCann’s Through The Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice In Wonderland. The experience begins with a 30-minute peek backstage to observe some of the artists’ pre-show rituals, then you’ll be whisked into the theatre for a full screening of Through The Looking Glass with live-streamed commentary from the performers. At Intermission, enjoy a jazz performance by The Aces & 8’s! After the show, gather in the lounge for a virtual cocktail party Q & A with the Producers and Performers. This unique experience at The Looking Glass will provide a fascinating look into the minds of the artists who bring the show to life.

Why: The least viscerally invasive manifestation of a beloved children’s story; no one will ever knock Disney off that throne.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=49623000-859e-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

2) Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

27th April

What: In celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 90th Birthday, “Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration” will feature performances from many of the artists who appeared in his shows, including Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin, Christine Baranski, Donna Murphy, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Aaron Tveit, Maria Friedman, Iain Armitage, Katrina Lenk, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth Stanley, Chip Zien, Alexander Gemignani and, from the cast of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company, Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma.

Why: Next up, a Hollywood multi-millionaire sings a song about a couple of pale British maniacs, an ego-maniacal rapist in high office who’s hot for his daughter and an unregulated source of questionable meat being distributed in a society in which the masses are facing a devastating economic depression. Swing your razor wide! Here’s to Sondheim!

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=869e35a0-8598-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536

 

1) 320 Festival and Femme Fatale Productions present Gender Empowerment Week

2nd-8th May

What: 320 has announced the partnership with LA-based production company, Femme Fatale for Gender Empowerment Week. Experience a week full of daily online educational sessions and panels, drag make-up tutorials, and special guest performances to further the conversation on gender fluidity, the queer community, and mental health. Anyone around the world can tune into the virtual program via Twitch and Instagram Live. Gender Empowerment week will feature performances by Ka5sh, Holander, Vitakari, Summer Speck, Wils, and Sadgirlism. The educational sessions include topics on Allies and the Queer Community, Art Escapism, Creating From Within, Drag Make-Up Tutorials, Elemental Movement, Gender Possibilities, Mindful Creativity, Queer Stigma, and Women in Live: Mental Health in the Workplace.

Why: A healthy reminder that the logic, “I don’t have to take the time to intellectually improve myself or explore complex perspectives because we’re in a global crisis and I’m stressed and exhausted” is exactly the same lasting logic behind your least favourite older relative’s favourable attitude towards the One Nation party.

https://on.com.au/search/search?parentId=96b18bd0-8599-11ea-96b7-b132cf2a7536