Happy me

“An imaginative musical that explores that elusive beast we call happiness” Marcus Bower The Examiner

You want it, but you can’t get it.
You get it, but you don’t know it.
You know it, but you can’t keep it
You keep it … and then it just walks away.

It’s the best thing in the world and you can never have enough … although sometimes maybe you can have too much
HAPPINESS.

Rich in tunes and memorable characters, Happy Me is funny (of course!), sad, hopeful and inspirational.

Four Tasmanians face crucial moments in their lives. A young woman at the beginning of her career, too busy to fall in love, and an office worker facing retirement, knowing that happiness is only days away. A worker who doesn’t even realise he may have already lost what happiness he had, and a politician
juggling career, baby, and partner … who has time to be happy?!

Event Details

Touring Dates

QUEENSTOWN
Tues 2 Sept at 7.30pm
Queenstown Memorial Hall
Tickets $20 Adult / $15 Concession
Tickets available at your local Post Office

STANLEY
Thurs 4 Sept at 7.30pm
Stanley Town Hall
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession
Tickets available from Smithton Lizzie’s This ‘n That - Phone: 6452 1393 and Stanley Post Office - Phone: 6458 1109  

BURNIE
Fri 5 Sept at 7.30pm
Burnie Civic Centre
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession
Tickets available from The Burnie Civic Centre Wilmot Street Phone: 6430 5850

DELORAINE
Sat 6 Sept at 7.30pm
Little Theatre
Tickets $20 Adult / $15 Concession
Tickets available from Artifakt Gallery on Emu Bay Rd - Phone: 6362 2088 Annie Robinson - Phone: 63681151 Diana Tulejah - Phone: 63695126

DEVONPORT
Tues 9 Sept at 7.30pm
Devonport Entertainment Centre
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession
For tickets Phone: 6420 2900 or visit: www.decc.net.au

OUSE
Thurs 11 Sept at 7.00pm
Ouse Hall
Tickets $23 Adult / $15 Concession
Phone Mary, Tracey or Lana at Regional Health Service on 6287 2001 to find out where you can buy tickets in your town

PONTVILLE
Fri 12 Sept at 7.00pm
Pontville Hall
Tickets $15 Adult / $10 Concession
Tickets available from Brighton Council and Bridgewater/Brighton Online Centre on Greenpoint Road

FRANKLIN
Sat 13 Sept at 7.30pm
Palais Theatre
Tickets $20 Adult / $15 Concession
Tickets available at The Franklin Post Office Phone: 6266 3151

SWANSEA
Tues 16 Sept at 7.30pm
Swansea Town Hall
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession
Tickets available from Bear Cottage Crafts on Franklin St - Phone: 6257 8091

SCOTTSDALE
Fri 19 Sept 7.30pm
Scottsdale High School
Performing Arts Centre
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession / $10 Student up to Year 10
Tickets available from Rose’s Newsagents on King St

GEORGE TOWN
Sat 20 Sept at 7.30pm
George Town Memorial Hall
Tickets $23 Adult / $18 Concession
/ $10 Students and TRA members
Tickets available at George Town Dry Cleaners, 93 Macquarie St - Phone: 6382 1268

ST MARY’S
Wed 17 Sept at 7.00pm
St Mary’s Hall

ST HELENS
Thurs 18 Sept at 7.00pm
Portland Hall

Tickets $24 Adult / $18 Concession
St Mary’s Tickets: Purple Possum Wholefoods at 5 Storey St - Phone: 6372 2655 St Helens Tickets: Visitor and Information Centre at 61 Cecilia St - opposite the Post Office, entry from car park ]]> http://livetasmania.com/2008/07/16/happy-me/feed/ http://livetasmania.com/2008/07/16/dontsaythewords/ http://livetasmania.com/2008/07/16/dontsaythewords/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:33:47 +0000 LIVE Tas http://livetasmania.com/2008/07/16/dontsaythewords/

Don't Say the Words

The Tasmanian State Final of Storm the Stage will be held on August 2nd at Hobart’s Theatre Royal. Join host, Christopher Lawrence, and some of Tasmania’s freshest young talents in a unique national performing arts competition for 16 to 19 year olds.

Competitors take part in two categories, Drama and Musical Theatre, presenting monologues and song in a dazzling showcase of Tasmania’s top young performers as they compete for positions in the National Grand Final of Storm the Stage.

Storm the Stage promises to be an electrifying afternoon’s entertainment where the nation’s future stars of stage and screen come out to play.

Adult $25, concession & groups of 6 or more, $21 each. Book at the Theatre Royal Box Office on 6233 2299.

On the 27th of May, the Tasmanian Arts landscape changed.

On the stage of the Theatre Royal, Tasmania’s Deputy Premier, the Hon. Lara Giddings MHA and internationally regarded star of stage and screen, Essie Davis, launched the new Tasmanian Theatre Company.

This new company is expected to fill a void that has existed in Tasmania’s performing arts scene since its last professional theatre company, Zootango, closed in 1997.

Artistic Director of the new TTC, Charles Parkinson, is heading up this new venture which he describes as a “flagship company” for Tasmania, that will sit compliment existing cultural products.

“Tasmania is recognised internationally for the quality of its orchestra, its dancers, its visual artists and its writers. There is no reason why it can not, and indeed should not, also be recognised for world-class theatre”

In a state that has developed a thriving culture of community theatre, Parkinson believes that it is important that Tasmania is home to a company that is able to pay theatre practitioners for their skills and time.

“Since the closure of Zootango, Tasmanian audiences have thrived on a diet of community and independent productions. Theatre is the most expensive of the performing arts to produce and more often that not, performers themselves have enabled theatre in this state by volunteering their time for productions they have been passionate about. I am pleased that, through the Tasmanian Theatre Company, there will be more paid opportunities for local artists”

Adding a touch of glamor to the recent launch and lending her support to the new company was self proclaimed “Proud Tasmanian” Essie Davis. Davis is one of Tasmania’s best known acting exports and has starred in major feature films including Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Matrix Reloaded and, most recently, Baz Lurhmann’s Australia opposite Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. Essie’s talent was recognised when she was awarded the United Kingdoms 2003 Olivier Award for her portrayal of Stella in Streetcar Named Desire opposite Glenn Close. Essie was also awarded a 2004 Tony Award nomination from the American Theatre Wing for her performance in Jumpers on Broadway.

“Tasmania is an incredibly rich and diverse place, a wonderfully creative place to live and grow up. A new Tasmanian theatre company will make it even richer.

Having a state theatre company, here, will reemploy Tasmania’s bounty of industry professionals and entice fresh Tasmanian graduates home to perform as professionals in their own state, and perhaps become part of a new burgeoning industry… so that not everyone who wants a career in theatre and film has to leave.”

Other News

Tasmania’s Stage Renaissance - The Australian, May 26th 2008
Essie Welcomes Theatre Team - The Mercury, May 28th, 2008
Excitement Over New Theatre Company - ABC Online, May 15th, 2008

Salamanca Arts Centre proudly presents ReelDance, the International Dance on Screen Festival touring nationally throughout 2008. This year is the fifth biennial festival since 2000 and celebrates the point where dance and film meet, showcasing the best of recent work from around the world and across the country.

ReelDance 2008 focuses on dance and movement in everyday life, with dancefilms featuring ballroom and mambo, hip hop and burlesque. ReelDance kicks off with the infectious rhythms of local Hobart swing band, The Red Hot Roosters, playing live in Salamanca Square accompanied by local swing dancers and projected vintage swing footage from the National Film and Sound Archive.

Be sure to drop by the Peacock Theatre from 8pm for the ReelDance Awards featuring the best of Australian and New Zealand dance on film.

Saturday 24 May has a remarkable line up of national and international screen sessions while on Sunday 25 May kids aged from 3 - 11 year are invited to join us for free with their parents ($10 for adults) when ReelDance presents an extraordinary showcase of international short films featuring children dancing in diverse cultural settings.

ReelDance Media and Related Articles

View the ReelDance Program

Watery winner amid films of more earthy themes - Sydney Morning Herald, May 21, 2008

Movers and Shakers - The Australia, May 3, 2008

All the Right Moves - The Age, May 2, 2008

The Backspace Theatre, Sackville St Hobart (behind the Theatre Royal)

Industry Workshop - Friday 23 May 10am – 4pm
Presented for performers or dancers with some performance experience.
Open Workshop - Sunday 25 May 10am - 4pm
Presented as an introduction to performance and ‘likay’.

Makhampom Theatre Group is Thailand’s foremost contemporary theatre company with bases in a purpose built complex (The Living Theatre Centre, Chiang Dao) in Northern Thailand and in Bangkok. Makhampom has a twenty-six year history over four main areas of practice: performance, community, education and international outreach. To complement the context of their theatre practice they have developed a style that combines Thai contemporary and traditional Thai performance styles with community cultural development techniques.

Workshop Information:
The workshops will provide an introduction to Makhampom theatre practices plus an insight into the distinctive Thai theatre form of ‘likay’. Let the Body Talk is an introduction to Makhampom’s intercultural physical performance style utilising theatre games. Thai Gesture and Dance-Drama is an introduction to the basic Thai likay (dance drama) gestures and stylised dance-drama movements.

Facilitators:
Pradit Prasartthong (Tua) is Makhampom’s Artistic Director and an internationally renowned facilitator, director, dancer, actor, and dramaturg. Tua is respected for his work in the fusion of traditional and contemporary theatre styles and was recently recognised as Thailand’s leading national contemporary performing artist.

Duangjai Hirunsri (Phiao) started with Makhampom as a high school volunteer, progressing to perform many lead roles in Makhampom productions while a theatre major at Thammasat University. Phiao is a versatile performer across contemporary and traditional Thai theatre.

Richard Barber was a member of Melbourne-based physical music theatre company Gonghouse for six years, developing skills in ensemble music, design, physical performance and group devising. He has worked in intercultural theatre in Asia for 15 years and recently completed his PhD in Performance Studies at Monash University.

Workshop Details
Let the Body Talk
10.00am-12.30pm
BREAK – 12:30pm – 1pm
Thai Gesture and Dance-Drama
1.00pm-4.00pm

Cost
Full day workshop $80.00 waged, $60.00 unwaged

NB: Bookings Essential.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Workshop is strictly limited to 20 participants. To secure your place payment is required at time of booking. Booking form attached.