News
A powerhouse of performance
Based on the Nobel lecture of Nobel Prize Winner Harold Pinter comes this wild anarchic work that exposes real life in Europe’s last dictatorship. The Belarus Free Theatre doesn’t officially exist. It sprang to life in 2005 in response to the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has viciously suppressed freedom of expression and political opposition. Company members have been evicted, beaten and arrested. In August 2007 the entire cast and audience were arrested mid-performance. To see them perform in Belarus you put your name on a secret list and wait for an SMS telling you a time and place on the city outskirts. Then you’re bussed to a makeshift theatre in a basement, a café, even a cemetery. Being Harold Pinter is wild, anarchic theatre at its purest. Extracts from Pinter’s plays and his Nobel Prize speech transform into a harrowing account of artistic and political repression in Europe’s last dictatorship. Funny and menacing, this is a powerful instance of life imitating art. Brisbane Powerhouse and the Sydney Festival are proud to give the Belarus Free Theatre an opportunity to present their work to the people of Brisbane. Wed 21 - Sat 24 January 8pm VISY Theatre $36 (f), $30 (c)
Brisbane Powerhouse and Love Police Touring present Camille MUSIC
Quirky Parisian chanteuse Camille Dalmais is one of the hottest talents to have emerged from the ‘new French chanson’ scene.As a member of the acclaimed Nouvelle Vague, Camille sang and performed Bossa nova-influenced covers of new wave and post-punk classics. It is, however, with her solo projects that her full creative force is felt. Camille’s 2005 release Le Fil commanded worldwide attention. Following its release, she won two Victoires (French equivalent of the Grammy Awards®) for Best New Album and Best Live Performer. On her latest album Music Hole she creates unique rhythms using African and American influenced acappellas and body percussion, delivering her songs with energy, passion and an enigmatic French twist. While likened to Björk, Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson, she stakes out a stylistic ground quite her own with her sophisticated song-writing, stunning vocals and natural charisma. Sat 24 - Sun 25 January 7.30pm Powerhouse Theatre $55 (f), $42 (s/g)
Brisbane Powerhouse and Ride on Theatre presents Fake Porno THEATRE
Welcome to the surreal lives of Belgrade's lost generation, a world scarred by sex, violence and crime. Narrated by a taxi driver who has seen it all in the back seat of his cab, Ride On Theatre's Fake Porno is a wild ride bearing the hearts and souls of a generation both lively and hilarious, passionate and tragic. From the ashes of the recent Balkan conflict, a society of sleaze has sprung up in Belgrade. These larger than life everyday characters, seen through the eyes of a highly opinionated public servant (with some action caught on camera), have emerged from the underbelly of a Serbia searching for intimacy. Known for her acting onscreen (upcoming film with Mel Gibson and AFI Award for ABC mini-series Marking Time), Bojana Novakovic is now highlighted as an up and coming director and has completed a perfect translation, adaptation and direction of the Serbian text. A character driven piece, Fake Porno examines a city crumbling and soulless, capturing an unseen side of Serbian culture and introducing the audience to its inhabitants who toe the delicate line between the laugh-out-loud comedy of the tales they tell, and the distressing drama lurking beneath. Tue 27 January - Sun 1 February 8.30pm Turbine Rehearsal Room $29 (f), $25 (c)
Popfrenzy and Brisbane Powerhouse present Juana Molina MUSIC
Delicate and worldly, Juana Molina’s style is an original blend of folk-ish acoustic sounds, ambient electronic beats and irresistibly warm, expressive vocals. From a career as a comedic television actress to five internationally renowned albums, the unconventional has always defined Argentina’s Juana Molina. Indeed, Juana is one of a growing wave of artists whose music is recorded in ‘unconventional’ ways; those who take liberties with the perceived wisdoms of song writing and song structure, and yet still compose music that is compelling, accessible, addictive and strangely but irresistibly ‘pop’. Her new album, Un Dia, brings all this to the table, propelled by new rhythmic forces, the more elevated and truly joyous “pop†flourishes. Hypnotic grooves alive with rhythms punctuated with coos and sighs, handclaps and murmurs. This is the first opportunity for Australian audiences to experience Juana Molina when she tours Australia January 2009. Thursday 29 January 8pm Powerhouse Theatre $37
TENZIN presents 50 Years in Tibet MUSIC & ARTS
50 Years in Tibet is a three-day festival which engages the senses in a celebration of the unique music and sacred arts of Tibet. An exhibition of Tibetan Thangka paintings will transform the Turbine Platform into a sacred space of stunning buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities. Workshops will offer participation in Tibetan Singing, Healing Sounds and the Art of Sand Mandala. A Discussion Panel will allow a stimulating exchange on the current situation in Tibet and Ven Geshe Tashi Tsering will give a public talk on Compassionate Mind: Path to Happiness. Each day will culminate in a beautiful concert featuring Tenzin Choegyal. On Thursday and Saturday evening Tenzin will perform with Trikaya in …in the between, Meditations and Illuminations on The Tibetan Book of the Dead and on Friday evening with Camerata of St Johns. In Mystical Tibet Concert that will include musical interpretations of love poems written by the controversial 6th Dalai Lama. Please join us to honour the courageous people of Tibet. Thu 29 - Sat 31 January Brisbane Powerhouse Ticketed & Non Ticketed events
The Idea of North presents The Idea of North – Live in concert MUSIC
Kick-start the New Year with a fresh burst of The Idea of North! Australia’s favourite contemporary a cappella group are back at the Powerhouse for one day only. This time they are doing a matinee show as well as an evening show, so there’s a time to suit everyone. With a slew of awards both national and international, these four vocalists push the boundaries of what the human voice can do whilst continuing to astound and engage audiences all over the globe with their warmth, humour and impeccable harmonies. Sat 31 January 4pm & 8pm Powerhouse Theatre $30 (f), $24 (c), $22 (s/g), Groups 10+ $18 (phone only)
LIVE SPARK MUSIC Roz Pappalardo and The Wayward Gentlemen + Brant Ward
Roz Pappalardo has a guilty secret. The Women in Docs singer/guitarist has another pair of boots. With spurs. After seven years of touring around Australia and the world with her femme-folk fraulein-in-crime Chanel Lucas, Roz has decided to indulge her inner cowgirl with a quaint little alt.country side project. With boys. The Wayward Gentlemen involves a floating lineup, cobbled together from some of Brisbane's finest, customised to suit the mood and occasion. Drawing on influences ranging from Lucinda Williams to Bob Dylan, Roz & The Wayward Gentlemen meld Pappalardo's effusive stage presence, endearing songwriting and self-deprecating sense of humour with some good honest country-style secret herbs and spices. And a cheeky little dash of the T-hormone. Sun 1 Feb, 3.30 – 6pm Turbine Platform FREE
More info brisbanepowerhouse.org or 3358 8600
