Sydney Festival Blog

DAWN CHORUS FUNDRAISER FOR VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES

2009-02-11T16:59:00.000-08:00

Come support the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal on Sunday February 15 at 6am on The Monumental Stairs, Sydney Opera House where the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs will be presenting a special performance of Dawn Chorus.

As part of the 2009 Sydney Festival program, Dawn Chorus performed new and existing choral works for more than 13,500 people. This Sunday, the choir will sing a selection of a capella works in one of Australia’s most iconic settings. The power of Dawn Chorus lies not only in the music, but in the hour of both reflection and quiet hope.Festival volunteers will be on hand at the event to collect donations. All donations will go to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.

For more information on this special Dawn Chorus fundraising event, click here.

FESTIVAL FACTS AND FIGURES

2009-02-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

The 2009 program included events across a range of genres including theatre, contemporary music, classical music, jazz, dance, circus, comedy, film and talks.

We've done some more number crunching and have come up with a few facts and figures that might interest you about this year's Festival.

- Number of performances: more than 245 events, 45 of which were free
- Number of free events: 40, including Festival First Night, the concerts at The Domain, outdoor films at Darling Harbour and The Overflow, and 30 pianos placed in public places in Sydney and Parramatta.
- Number of venues across Sydney and Parramatta: 20
- Number of radio interviews that took place: 196
- Number of artists and company members: over 1000 from more than 20 countries including UK, France, Canada, USA, Germany, Bosnia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Russia, France, Argentina, India and Ireland.
- Number of tireless Festival volunteers: 224 (125 alone for Festival First Night)
- Number of hours volunteered during Festival: 2815 hours
- Number of choristers in Dawn Chorus at Bondi Beach: 280
- Number of performances of The Smile Off Your Face in a day: 50
- Number of pianos placed on the streets of Sydney and Parramatta during January: 30
- Amount of gold foil confetti that falls onto the stage per performance of The War of the Roses Part 1: 200 kilos
- Number of Sydney Festival staff in January: 415 employees made up of 20 full time, 104 contractors and 290 casuals
- Number of attendants at Festival First Night: approx 300 000
- Number of tickets sold: 128 000
- Number of tickets sold at the Tix for Next to Nix booth: 4163
- Number of airport pick ups and drop offs: 123
- Number of nights booked for rooms in hotels and apartments: 3603
- Number of Sydney Festival flags across the city: 687
- Number of coffees consumed by Festival staff during the month of January: approx 12 000

BEST OF IMAGES

2009-02-05T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a selection of some of the best images from Sydney Festival 2009. A big thank you to our wonderful Festival photographers Prue Upton and Trent O'Donnell for their tireless work capturing the Festival through their lenses - night and day, rain or shine.

Photo 1. After the success of his debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver enchants the audience with his soulful voice and atmospheric instrumentation at City Recital Hall Angel Place. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 2. The splendour of Clifton Gardens at sunrise matches the beautiful voices of the Philharmonia Choirs during Dawn Chorus. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 3. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds delight the masses at All Tomorrow's Parties on Cockatoo Island. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 4. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds rock Cockatoo Island. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 5. Quirky Parisian chanteuse Camille entertains with her high energy performance. Image: Trent O'Donnell. Photo 6. Hayley McElhinney, Pamela Rabe and Luke Mullins passionately take the stage in Sydney Theatre Company's The War of the Roses. Image: Tania Kelley

Photo 7. Sydney enjoys a night under the stars at Samsung Mobile Festival Garden. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 8. Movers & Shakers kicks off Sydney Festival 2009 with a myriad of unique dances in Martin Place during Festival First Night. Image: Jamie Williams

Photo 9. Martin Hayes leads the Masters of Tradition at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 10. Many dedicated fans queue outside the Tix for Next to Nix booth in Martin Place every morning during the Festival. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 11. A performance by The Fondue Set as part of Movers & Shakers. Image: Jamie Williams. Photo 12. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová perform their heartfelt songs in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 13. Sporting the sculptural hats of Philip Treacey, Grace Jones blows the crowd away with her grand theatrics on Festival First Night. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 14. St. Vincent fills The Famous Spiegeltent with her swirling indie-pop sounds. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 15. Fanfare Ciocărlia and the Gypsy Queens & Kings at the State Theatre gets the crowd up and dancing. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 16. The Gypsy Queens & Kings liven up the crowd on the Hyde Park Fountain Stage during Festival First Night. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 17. The huge audience watching iiNet Films Afloat's screening of Run Lola Run with a live soundtrack by The Bays in Darling Harbour. Image: Trent O'Donnell. Photo 18. A scene from Budapest's Katona Jozsef Theatre's production of Ivanov. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 19. Kristin Hersh performs Paradoxical Undressing in the intimate Bosco Theater. Image: Trent O'Donnell. Photo 20. A scene from Robert LePage's Lipsynch. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 21. Marawa in La Clique thrills audiences at The Famous Spiegeltent. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 22. There was much fun to be had making elaborate tribal headdresses during Kids in the Garden. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 23. Eska Mtungwazi sings for Matthew Herbert Big Band. Image: Trent O'Donnell. Photo 24. The crowd performs 'The Sydney' during Festival First Night. Image: Jamie Williams.

Photo 25. The dancers from Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses strike intricate poses during their performance of Commedia. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 26. Moscow Art Trio performing at The Famous Spiegeltent. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 27. A scene from Nature Theater of Oklahoma's No Dice. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 28. A scene from the Australian premiere of Being Harold Pinter. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 29. The crowd enjoys Aron Ottignon's performance on the piano at Harry's Café de Wheels as part of the Play Me, I'm Yours project. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 30. Reggie Watts outside the Bosco Theater, his "home" for the Festival. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 31. The crowd relaxes with a drink in the Domain before The Gypsy Queens & Kings fire up at Festival Jazz. Image: Jamie Williams. Photo 32. The magical world of Patricia Wrightson's novel comes to life on stage in Erth's The Nargun and the Stars. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 33. A Festival intern experiencing the strange sensory journey of The Smile Off Your Face. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 34. The Flying Fruit Flies Circus cast wows audiences in their performance of The Promise. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 35. A view of the crowd in The Domain during Festival First Night. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 36. Risteárd Cooper & Rebecca O'Mara star in Brian Friel's The Yalta Game. Image: Trent O'Donnell.

Photo 37. Edgar Allen Poe's haunting short story comes to life with Barrie Kosky's The Tell-Tale Heart. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 38. Dawn Chorus at Balmoral Beach. Image: Prudence Upton.

Photo 39. Fresh from his Big Band performance at Sydney Opera House, Matthew Herbert mixes up a storm at The Famous Spiegeltent with a booty-shaking, genre-defying DJ set. Image: Prudence Upton. Photo 40. Wendy Houstoun incorporates dance and spoken word in her performance of Desert Island Dances. Image: Prudence Upton.

STAFF HIGHLIGHTS OF SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2009

2009-02-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

The past three weeks have been jam-packed full of Festival highlights. We opened with a bang on January 10 with Festival First Night and saved some of the best til last with Dawn Chorus at Bondi Beach on January 31.

We asked Sydney Festival staff for their favourite 'Festival moment', here are some of their responses:

Watching the glow of hundreds of headlights weave down the hill to Balmoral Beach at 4:30am in a silent pilgrimage to Dawn Chorus. The satisfaction of seeing the thousands of people gathered to listen to the gentle and beautiful voices as the tide came in, the sun lifted its head and the birds woke up for another day was a soul-nourishing moment.

Seeing people queuing up to play pianos while they were being installed for Play Me, I’m Yours!

Watching The Domain fill up like a time-lapse camera moment during Festival First Night and being amazed how happy everyone was.

Hearing a capacity crowd of 1300 people singing “What might have been lost” during Bon Iver’s set at the City Recital Hall. Acoustically and spine-tinglingly amazing.

Seeing 150 eager children beating away on African drums inside The Famous Spiegeltent during a Kids in the Garden workshop. Thunderously load, sweaty, chaotic and joyous.

Watching Grace Jones’ audience explode with applause when she appeared in a bejewelled, mirrored Bowler hat to sing Love is the Drug. Then looking up at the ceiling of the Enmore Theatre as it was transformed to a swirling, whirling blizzard of green reflecting laser lights.

Watching Reggie Watts and Camille do an impromptu beat box jam on stage together at the Beck’s Festival Bar – a truly unforgettable Festival moment.

Watching some fantastic dance at Movers & Shakers in Martin Place on Festival First Night, including the hugely mixed audience doing ‘The Sydney’. What a great moment.

Dancing in the Bosco Theater to the sounds of gypsy three-piece band Kaloome at the first Samsung Mobile Secret Show.

A toy falling off its bed mid-performance in Fluff and a very little audience member getting up to put it back.

Glen Hansard opening his set to a full house at the Sydney Opera House, unplugged, with a broken guitar and no mike, and absolutely knocking everyone for six with his compelling passion and talent.

Having to leave Lipsynch after the first hour (just too dang busy!) A wrenching moment filled with pride for the quality of the work we do.

Watching St. Vincent in The Famous Spiegeltent at dusk and wishing I could be as cool as her.

Holding my breath with a whole room of people as the dark literally wrapped around us during the first few minutes of The Tell-Tale Heart.

“I’m a sexy robot!” - No Dice. Best line in a theatre show EVER.

Seeing the queue of hundreds of people outside the Samsung Mobile Festival Garden at midnight to see Matthew Herbert’s Secret DJ set and thinking… I guess we got the word out!

Listening to a couple of thousand feet softly tapping away in unison to Masters of Tradition in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Seeing people kiss at the Play Me, I’m Yours pianos… me being one of them!

Standing backstage at The Domain during Grace Jones’ set as her paper confetti cannon made it snow for at least a minute. It was magic.

The stillness of the crowd as The Bays blasted their sensational score to Run Lola Run under the stars at Darling Harbour.

Watching my god daughter's face light up and hearing her squeal with delight when she first saw the set of Fluff. Then, listening to 100 kids making frog and chicken noises during the show!

Sunset on Cockatoo Island on the beautiful Barracks Stage of All Tomorrow’s Parties, surrounded by friends and listening to James Blood Ulmer.

Sitting in the Samsung Mobile Festival Garden with some of the actors from the Gate Theatre, enjoying a drink and their company as well as the whole buzzy atmosphere of the Festival.

The intimacy of fingers on a stranger’s face and feeling theirs on mine during The Smile Off Your Face.

Experiencing Lypsynch with my 10 year old daughter, who was meant to be my excuse to leave early as I was very sleep deprived. The production was so enthralling and the marathon of a show so well devised that we both sat transfixed for 9 hours, sharing this very special show with a theatre full of fellow travellers. Eloquent, inspiring and deeply affecting.

Watching Enter the Dragon with thousands of other fans at Darling Harbour as Karsh Kale provided the soundtrack. Everytime Bruce Lee won a fight the crowd would go crazy. We were all cheering him on. It was really fun and kind of exhilarating.

Being so thankful for Wendy Houstoun’s bravery in letting us laugh out loud about contemporary dance during her show Desert Island Dances.

Bon Iver, Spiegeltent, a beer, sunset… Need I say more?

After such a huge month it has to be said the final day was a bit of a highlight – bit like a plane touching down and the shaky walk to the baggage carousel as we all return to normality.

Watching Grace Jones from the photographer’s pit when she actually pointed to a specific photographer and gave him a down-the-lens pose.

When Reggie Watt’s got up at Martina Topley-Bird’s Samsung Mobile Secret Show and provided a drum solo complete with cymbals!

Driving a golf buggy on Cockatoo Island after midnight filled with happy All Tomorrow’s Parties artists and punters.

After the Artist Party I found myself responsible for ensuring two rather inebriated Hungarian actors found there way to their accommodation. I hailed a taxi and was a little alarmed to discover, when I gave the address to the driver, that firstly he had no idea where the hotel was and secondly that his English was as bad as the two Hungarians. I waved them good bye with a smile of slight trepidation and was greatly relieved to see them on stage the following night.

Watching my daughter dance around The Famous Spiegeltent to Dan Zanes & Friends.

The ham, cheese and mustard sandwich in No Dice. Plus - the Jewish-pirate in the show sweating himself to saturation.

The rumbling drums of Jim White taking me to a tumbleweed strewn desert during Bill Callahan’s set in The Famous Spiegeltent.

When Marketa Irglova picked up her guitar to sing a solo at The Swell Season and a member of the audience shouted out “where’s your hoover?” to which she replied “where’s yours?”. The entire audience erupted in laughter but it also made me realise just how much everybody there had fallen in love with the film ‘Once’ and just how magical it was to be there listening to them perform at the Sydney Opera House!

Glen Hansard covering Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’.

Reggie Watts serenading a bug on the wooden floor of the Bosco Theater as it tried to escape his vibrating beats.

Walking out of the theatre after 9 hours of Lipsynch and feeling so proud that we brought such a special experience to the people of Sydney.

Reading the glowing review for The Promise where the critic had listed every kid’s name (all 21 of them) so they would have a ‘cut-out-and-keep’ memento.

Picking up Grace Jones at 4pm from the hotel for a 5.30pm international departure flight, only for her to say she would like to do some jewelry shopping on the way to the airport! She arrived at the airport at 5.25pm, with jewelry in hand and still managed to get on the flight! Phew!

The fact that at each event we attracted such a range of audiences, all drawn to the magic of Sydney Festival.

Hearing Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova in conversation with Bernard Zuel in Eat Drink Talk Art was a real privilege – who needed to buy a ticket to the concert when one could see and hear them for free? They were both so at ease and so honest and engaging.

Grace Jones hula hooping through an entire song at The Enmore Theatre without dropping a note. Truly impressive!

I was chatting to Misha Alperin and he was telling me how much he loved Australia, the climate, the people etc. but that it was really too far to travel. He suggested, perhaps we could move Australia to where Spain is located and move Spain to where Australia is. Everyone in Europe would be overjoyed to have Australia so close and no-one actually living in Spain would know the difference!

Running into Fergus Linehan’s familiar face in the crowd on Festival First Night and receiving a comforting hug from the mastermind behind it all, before continuing through the craziness!

“Comfort is overrated!” – a quote from Pavol Liska (No Dice Director), after the audience had sat through 4 hours of No Dice in 40 degree heat, without air conditioning.

Having one of the Smile Off Your Face guys show me how he cries on demand after a few drinks in the Samsung Mobile Festival Garden.

THE WAR OF THE ROSES - $25 TICKETS

2009-01-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Although the Festival officially wraps up this weekend, one of our major events, The War of the Roses - Part 1 & Part 2, continues at Sydney Theatre until 14 February.

Sydney Theatre Company is extending the Tix for Next to Nix concept and taking matters into their own hands, by offering a limited number of $25 (front row!) tickets for all remaining performances. That's a saving of up to $65.

Tickets are available to be purchased online now and sales close once sold out or at 10am on the day of performance. A $7 transaction fee will apply.

Click here to book your $25 tickets.

LISA THE FESTIVAL BLOGGER

2009-01-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

Lisa the Festival Blogger returns with her final blog entry of Sydney Festival 2009. In this blog, she reviews Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová's show at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall plus Christopher Wheeldon's Morphoses.

"Markéta Irglová, one half of The Swell Season encouraged us to ‘trust our goat’ this week when making decisions about life. I was thinking, clever goat, I want one. Of course what she was talking about was her gut, but her Eastern European accent fused with an Irish burr distorted the word.

At their Eat Drink, Talk Art event, she and Glen Hansard - the other half of The Swell Season - sat stooped in their chairs and talked elegantly about the merry-go-round they have been on since Once, the film, was made two years ago.

A film like Once wasn’t meant to be this successful. It was shot in Dublin in 17 days on a tiny budget and the original idea was for the film to be sold on DVD to fans at gigs (Glen Hansard is lead singer in the band The Frames). But it was hugely successful, charming the indomitable Harvey Weinstein, making millions at the box office and winning them an Oscar for the soundtrack.

Neither Glen nor Markéta had any acting experience when Once was shot in Dublin. They had been friends for a long time, followed their hearts and plunged in. Actors use many methods to create their work, but they relied on instinct and it paid off. Both described the process of acting together like jazz, and creating a mad stormy energy between them – in many ways it’s this quality that makes the film such a success.

As they spun their tales about touring the world playing gigs and finding themselves in the film industry’s spin cycle, the intimacy between them was like the third dimension in the room. Love is contagious and fairytales intoxicating, and in life we’re all drawn to genuine warmth and positivity and I daresay this is a significant element to their success. They both seem intent on finding the truth in every situation and giving back to their audiences - a critical mass of connected individuals whom they create an alchemy with.

Glen, so charming he could have been reading out his shopping list and I wouldn’t have cared, his sentences yolked together with ‘was.. like’ and ‘you know’, doesn’t seem entirely comfortable with fame. When things exploded for them Markéta said to him "this is what you've always wanted. If you're going to flirt with fame, don't be surprised if it turns around and wants to have sex with you."' Rather than be tinged by fame, they seem committed to sharing it, encouraging us to take risks in life and reminding us that we never know what lies around the corner.

Christopher Wheeldon is regarded as one of the world’s top choreographers of classical ballet and is someone else who trusted his goat. Leaving a prestigious role at New York City Ballet to start his own transatlantic company, Morphoses, his instinct paid off. He knew how much fun he should be having with his work, Morphoses was a fine display of his faith in his instincts, and his dancers. I am no expert when it comes to ballet, but most of the reason I enjoyed it so much is because the dancers in Morphoses clearly want to put on a good show and seemed so happy as they did it. Everyone knows that performers perform so much better when they are inspired.

The creative insights I was offered this week were the perfect way to round up the Festival - I’ll trust my goat and follow my heart, and I just might be lucky."

Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová are pictured here playing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in an impromptu performance before their concert on Wednesday evening.

2009-01-27T17:15:00.000-08:00

For all your inside Sydney Festival news click here to read the current edition of Festival Buzz.

LISA THE FESTIVAL BLOGGER

2009-01-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest review from Lisa the Festival Blogger. Today she gives her thoughts on Bon Iver at City Recital Hall and All Tomorrow’s Parties.

Lately, a new generation of musicians are giving folk new meaning and an unexpected lease of life and lots more people are giving a folk - Bon Iver’s gig at City Recital Hall was testament to this fact.

T. S Elliot believed that ‘anxiety is the handmaiden to creativity’, when it comes to Bon Iver, it seems cabin fever works too. Created over a long winter in the wilderness in Wisconsin, he started excavating his broken heart and wrote For Emma, Forever Ago. The album has received blanket critical acclaim since for its dusky beauty and ethereal, dreamy self-examined intensity and the band have played to packed audiences around the world.

The gig I saw fell somewhere between gospel and folk with ghosts swirling around the cathedral like setting and there were lots of reasons to be excited - Bon Iver are evidently a band still enjoying playing together hugely. A band still humbled by their success. A band in no way styled but with a varied but also distinctive following in chequered lumber-jack shirts and - though anticipated – surprisingly no sightings of woollen headwear in 35-degree heat (though I did spot a number of heavily thatched beards on hot faces). When we were kids Mum used to empty the fruit bowl, stick it on our heads and cut around it - there was evidence of a little bit of that, too.

As they played a passage through their repertoire of established and new work, The Wolves became a perfect example of how, when you put your most tender parts on display, it is possible to create heart-rending beauty and be reminded that being in love is a precious, complicated state. Hearts swelled, we all sang along, and the effect was astounding.

Strumming away in a cabin just over a year ago, it must have been impossible for Bon Iver to imagine this kind of stratospheric ascent to notoriety. What it does to your head I can’t imagine, but he seemed to be in pretty good shape and loving every minute of it.

Which leads me to another example of charisma, the elusive quality almost impossible to define accurately. Nick Cave has it in spades. When he performs, purpose seems to occupy very fibre in his body and he moves as if he is threatened by the immediacy of death.

From the moment Cave and the Bad Seeds played their first power chord as the sun sunk at All Tomorrow’s Party, we fell under their spell. To my left, a clutch of 40 something couples wrapped in each other reminiscing. To my right, a gaggle twenty somethings gazing ahead like startled sheep between texting. We all knew the words.

Cave and Bad Seeds were my standout at ATP, but there were dozens more musical touchstones to choose from and the customary dramatics you’d expect at a music festival were on-stage rather than off: I’ve never seen so many people judiciously place their used beer cups in recycling beers. Diligently. Carefully. It was a model mini-society for a day, all of us queuing politely for the toilets with loo paper (!), lazing on the grass with hummus and crackers and – most importantly – there to appreciate various mental musical states from The Saints, Laughing Clowns, James “Blood” Ulmer, Robert Forster to The Necks and Harmonia and many more.

What gets some of these bands onto the stage to play their music after years of absence? I guess the ego is a nest of small distortions and lies about oneself, and getting on stage after all of these years is a passionate defence of this. It’s an opportunity to revisit memories, but also to moult and let a new set of ideas dawn - playing old stuff helps playing the new stuff, even just to flex different muscles.

A week experiencing the examined life has reminded me that there are many forests to fight your way through in this world and many artists break through by sheer force of character and it is worth heading to the hills familiarise yourself with the forests.

REGGIE WATTS ON THE LOOSE

2009-01-21T17:47:00.000-08:00

Sydney Festival 2009: This is our city in summer. Check out our poster-boy Reggie Watts in action around the city. Sydney Festival continues until January 31 - head to sydneyfestival.org.au for all the info.

REGGIE WATTS AT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WITH BAGPIPES

REGGIE WATTS AT HYDE PARK FOUNTAIN

REGGIE WATTS IN CIRCULAR QUAY WITH CHEERLEADERS

REGGIE WATTS AND CENTREPOINT TOWER

REGGIE WATTS IN SURRY HILLS

All Tomorrows Parties- Panorama Photos

2009-01-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

All Tomorrows Parties was an amazing two days last weekend on Cockatoo Island.
Re-live all the excitement of the day by checking out these incredible panorama photos taken by Peter Murphy.

http://www.mediavr.com/atpcockatoo.htm

http://www.mediavr.com/turbinehall.htm

Play Me I'm Yours

2009-01-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sydney Festival's only 24/7 event, Play Me I'm Yours, has made quite the impression on the streets of Sydney and Parramatta. With 30 pianos located all around the city, this public piano project brings the community together and allows passersby to play a tune or appreciate the music of a fellow pianist.

Luke Jerram, the project's creator, explains to ABC reporter Alice Brennan that "each piano is carefully positioned to really try and engage the public. We've also kind of spray painted them really and this is to kind of make the piano very inviting."

Whether they travel to a specific location to play or happen to randomly stumble across a piano on the street, those who have experienced Play Me I'm Yours universally express excitement for the event. Here's what some have to say…

Centennial Park piano - Sam and Steve wrote, "We went for a jog last night and saw a courier cyclist playing on a piano sitting in amongst the trees on the grass. On our return a teenage girl and her family got out of their car and the girl, sheet music in hand, made her way to the piano. She played beautifully for her family and all of us around. What a brilliant idea."

Circular Quay piano - Adam Crowell said, "I must say that it was indeed a wonderful experience. It was great being able to play your own written piece in public and see an appreciation of music. It was even more wonderful watching others hop on and play…It has really created a great atmosphere to the city, and to show that there is life in Sydney, and that our society have an appreciation of the arts."

Glebe Library piano - Emma and Sam shared, "As you can see a lot of young children love playing the piano. It doesn't matter if you can't play, everyone hits a few keys."

Queen Victoria Building piano - Shirt and Tie said, "Most of the time I only get to play electronic keyboards, so this is great opportunity to play an actual piano."

Victoria Park Pool piano - Simon Fox exclaimed, "What a beautiful concept! Pianos for all! My daughter Meara and I are photographed here at Victoria Pool. We swam and played all afternoon and had such fun! Thanks!!"

Wayside Chapel piano - Neilhoven wrote, "I played here the other day... street was empty, but then I played... instantly people appeared everywhere... I loved being able to connect with all the people. It WAS an amazing experience!"

Wynyard Station Bus Stop piano - Teegan noted, "This is such a great idea! The piano was a lovely surprise on my quick errand out of the office. I'd also like to give a shout out to the guy playing at about 3pm today, it was beautiful!"

Wynyard Station Bus Stop piano - Patrick expressed, "I wish these pianos were a permanent fixtures, it's sad to think that so soon they will be gone from our lovely city. The looks on people's face as they walk by, stop to join in, or simply ask what's going on is something to behold. And of course, we made some new friends this day."

Victoria Park Pool piano - Wally Salinger wrote, "Every day I teach at Victoria Park Pool, and listening to the joy a simple piano brings to so many is a clear reminder of how powerful the arts are in shaping our lives, and how much poorer we are when denied access to them."

Charles Street Warf piano - Zoe exclaimed, "What a nice way to whittle away the time whilst waiting for the ferry to turn up!"

Prince Alfred Park piano - Roger said, "This was our first stop in our quest to find all the Pianos in Parramatta. We managed to attract some audience members but it wouldn't have mattered because it was such fun."

The pianos will be available in their respective locations until 31 January to all who wish to play and/or listen. For a list of each piano's location, and to read more Play Me I'm Yours comments, click here.

Festival Buzz- January Ed. 6

2009-01-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

To view the current edition of Buzz click here.

LISA THE FESTIVAL BLOGGER

2009-01-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here is the next instalment in our series of reviews from Lisa the Festival Blogger. For this edition, she gives her thoughts on Run Lola Run at iiNet Films Afloat, Darling Harbour, Samsung Mobile Secret Shows, Fanfare Ciocarlia at the State Theatre, St Vincent at The Famous Spiegeltent and Kristin Hersh’s Paradoxical Undressing at the Bosco Theater.

“I like surprises. After Run Lola Run at Darling Harbour I was ready to run home but Franke Potente leaves you a bit breathless. The Bays – who apparently never rehearse – cruised out to the floating pontoon at Darling Harbour and settled in front of thousands. Using only a small laptop to reference the film, they relied on their trust and intuition to pull off what was an excellent result. You might have thought that such a large crowd’s attention would wane with German subtitles but no, The Bays collaborated to create tension and humour at all the right moments and the audience undulated with them.

So that was all a bit of surprise, but there was more to come. It’s a generous idea to program surprise shows at the Bosco Theater - it feeds into the spirit generated by the Festival and liberates us to take a punt and properly engage.

I got my first taste of the Gypsy Queens & Kings at a Samsung Mobile Secret Show and went to see them at the State Theatre the next night for Fanfare Ciocarlia. Flying in the face of pressure from the media to downsize and re-sculpt our bodies were two voluptuous flamenco dancers in their forties who oozed sensuality as they jiggled their boobs, wiggled their hips and did wonders for my self-esteem.

The gypsies made me think about the importance of tradition and how it helps tether us to the world and remind us what we belong to. In the isles of the State – from the minute they started playing – people celebrated being Serbian, Macedonian, Bosnian, Hungarian, French. Alive. A brass-heavy ensemble churned out gusty rhythms and was met by some crooners so consumed with passion they awakened souls (quite possibly all the way to Bankstown). Cocky trumpets were a garrulous focal point chasing notes across the stage and creating fountains of sound. Then we were all on our feet and the band was in the audience, taking a procession with them to the foyer like they were disappearing into the desert.

At the Spiegeltent, St Vincent came on stage like a dragonfly in an emerald green dress, all black curls, milky limbs, scarlet lipstick and patterned stockings. She reminded us of a young PJ Harvey as she stamped on her guitar pedals as if she was trying to squash a cockroach. ‘I’m a Libran, I don’t smoke and I love your country’ she cooed. Her drum machine was insubordinate and she joked that it if were human she’d fire it, but at least a machine can’t get drunk like most drummers. Charming, sardonic and super talented.

Kristin Hersh from Throwing Muse’s solo show is a glorious and quirky fusion of spoken word, music and multimedia. Her partner walked on-stage at the Bosco Theatre, placing her notes on the music stand, their young son shadowing each of his footsteps looking a little like Charlie Brown in his pillowy sneakers. They made their way to back of the tent and I watched them as much as I watched her. He absorbed her show as if he were hearing the stories for the first time, explaining some bits to his to keep his jet-lagged son awake. Unadulterated collaboration.

Hersh strummed her way through tales of performing gigs, of goths with knitting needles glinting in the lights at the back of gigs, lasers that might add to the theatricality of a show but have a negative neurological effect on performers, aliens yawning through sex (I’m not entirely certain I’ve remembered that correctly), wandering around songs. Lost. And how ambition is a boring tap dance to watch (which I’m certain I agree with).

Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S Howard’s partner offered encouragement from the stage fringes of the Bosco Theatre – ‘good thought’, ‘maybe not that one’, and she mouthed the words to every song. Another very real moment and yes, a Surprise Show.

Although it may sound trite, I do believe collaboration is what this life is all about and therapy is living in a culture where we connect. We see one another, know one another and – eventually – hope to understand each other. The artist on stage has a peculiar addiction to creativity. By saying what they need to say, or finding out what they are trying to say by saying it, it’s a passion that doesn’t diminish and for an audience it can be like an inoculation.“

iiNET FILMS AFLOAT AT DARLING HARBOUR – THIS WEEKEND

2009-01-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

The first iiNet Films Afloat at Darling Harbour kicked off on Wednesday night featuring improvisational UK band The Bays and the punchy iconic film Run Lola Run. To see a review, click here.

Those who attended and commented on the Sydney Festival website said:

- “Saw this Wednesday night. Always was a great movie and The Bays made it more so. A great marriage of music to the action - gets the blood pumping! Go see it tonight.”

- “Fantastic band. Great Movie. The original soundtrack was very good and I thought hard to beat but this was sensational.”

- “Wednesday night - It wasn't just the film. It was the whole experience. The evening was perfect with Darling Harbour, full of families and friends having fun. Finding somewhere to sit (or stand). Watching the short films with the growing crowd applauding after every one. Then watching Lola run and run, and scream, to the great sound of The Bays. Having the city and its neons on all sides seemed just right.”

To see what others thought of the first iiNet event click here.

At tonight and tomorrow night’s iiNet Films Afloat screening, New York City based composer and multi-instrumentalist Karsh Kale joins forces with New Delhi based electronica producers, The MIDIval Punditz, to perform their incendiary new live score of the 1973 Bruce Lee martial arts classic Enter the Dragon.

On Sunday night at 8.30pm you can see Ben Walsh and The Orkestra of the Underground perform a live soundtrack to the 1973 Cannes French sci-fi animation Fantastic Planet. Hear a musical mashup of horns, sitar, synthesizers, drums, tabla, strings, Indian vocals, guitar, Bosnian Gypsy opera, decks and junk percussion composed and conceived by Ben Walsh.

For more information on iiNet Films Afloat at Darling Harbour, click here.

January Buzz edition 4

2009-01-13T16:52:00.000-08:00

January Buzz edition 4 can be viewed here.

Follow the link to keep up with all our insider news.

DAWN CHORUS

2009-01-12T21:13:00.000-08:00

The first of our series of Dawn Chorus events took place last Saturday at 5.30am on Balmoral Beach. Here is an account of Dawn Chorus from one of the chorister’s perspective.

"As long as we live, there is never enough singing"-Martin Luther

The schools I went to didn't have choirs. And although there was always (pop) music on in my house, I didn't come from a musical family. No one really noticed that, from aged 5, I spent hours and hours in my room experimenting with singing Bananarama and Bangles songs in different keys. No one thought much of the fact that I taught myself to read music (by looking at a 'My First Recorder Book') only shortly after I learnt to read writing.

It wasn't until 3 years into my first degree at the ANU, at aged 22, that I walked into a rehearsal of a choir, namely the ANU Choral Society (SCUNA). I remember that I was handed a score and asked whether I was a Soprano or an Alto. I didn't know what a Soprano or an Alto was. I took a punt and stood with the latter (alas, as it turns out, I am the former). After a few words of welcome the conductor told us to open our scores and counted us in: "...3-4" I remember panicking a little in the milliseconds before his baton came down, wondering how on earth I was supposed to magically make the 'G' that I could read on my score come out of my mouth.

And then I heard it. The first (sung) chord of the Kyrie in Rossini's "Petite Messe Solenelle". I had never in my life heard such an incredible sound as these 100+ people singing together in harmony. It is simply not possible to explain to someone who has sung in (or listened to) choirs from an early age, the magic of that moment. In fact, now that singing is such an important part of my life, I can no longer truly remember exactly how I felt. But certainly my life was forever altered in that instant.

This morning I sung as part of the Sydney Philharmonia Choir in the first event of this year's Sydney Festival: The Dawn Chorus. The rehearsal the morning before had not gone well. The waves and the wind and the general lack of acoustic (and thus inability to hear one another) that comes with singing outside meant that this very skilled choir was horribly out of tune.

Furthermore, and unsurprisingly given the hour, the beach was virtually deserted and, at least when we first arrived, almost pitch black. It was cold. We were warned to be quiet so as not to break noise restrictions and disturb residents. The combination of all of this created an atmosphere in which most of us could not possibly imagine more than a few dozen people turning up the next morning to hear what might possibly be a fairly wretched performance. Indeed, even the Sydney Festival representative at our rehearsal the day before had joked that although the Festival were "very excited about this project", they wondered how many people would turn up at 5:30 in the morning to hear us.

Approximately 5,000 came. Virtually the entire length of the beach was filled with people. On the promenade, the crowd was ten or twelve deep. Some people climbed trees. Others stood in the water and some balanced precariously on the rock shelf behind us.

We were so surprised, excited and grateful. It was warmer and calmer than the morning before and we sang much better. From the outset the audience was very appreciative, listening intently, breathing with us and clapping (and sometimes cheering) enthusiastically after each piece. They joined in the reprise of the Nigerian folk song "O-re-mi" as we walked through their midst at the end of the concert, as our original exit path was now blocked with people. As it turned out, there were so many people in attendance that a great number hadn't been able to hear us from their distant position. So when we had made our way to the opposite end of the beach we sung two of the pieces again, for their benefit.

After the concert was over I was inundated (as, no doubt, were all the choristers and Brett our Musical Director) with people congratulating and above all thanking me for the concert. This continued throughout the morning as I went to get breakfast from a nearby cafe and later as I walked around Balmoral. Perhaps most notable were the two young, male surfers (not our typical audience) who'd happened upon the event whilst on "dawn patrol." They approached me in the line at the cafe to tell me how "outstanding," "amazing" and "fantastic" the singing was. They had paddled around and stood waist deep in water to hear us, and are now planning to come to our performance at Bondi Beach in a few weeks' time.

I have heard Brett talk about the place of live (choral) music in today's society. In an age of Ipods, of music on demand, surely attending (and staging) live concerts is redundant and unnecessary? But Brett argues that the point of live performance is for the audience to be active participants in, rather than passive recipients of, the music. He feels that a choral concert should be a collaboration between the audience and the singers. And a finer example than this morning's performance of that theory put into practice would be difficult to find. The audience were integral to the performance and we were as grateful for them as they were for us.

So today I am reflecting, as I often do, on what a privilege it is to sing in a choir (particularly this choir). It is an entity in which the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. For me: "I don't sing because I'm happy; I'm happy because I sing." (William James)

By Caroline Woollias

To view some pictures of the event, check out the Sydney Festival Flickr stream here.

FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT REVIEW

2009-01-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt of Lisa the Festival Blogger’s first review, documenting her experiences and thoughts on two events on the first day of Sydney Festival 2009 - Dawn Chorus and Festival First Night:

“Festivals are often designed to thrust you out of your rituals and distort time. When imaginatively, cleverly and generously programmed they can also offer us a sense of community.

The alarm went off at 4.30am on Saturday and sleep rather than community bonding was top of mind but we clambered, bleary eyed, into the car and made the pilgrimage to Balmoral Beach for Dawn Chorus. In our time-warped, semi-somnambulant states, the world seemed somehow different and new.

As we snaked towards the beach it became apparent that we weren’t the only people looking to start their Festival waking up to ethereal voices of the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs drifting across the sea as the day unfurled.

There were thousands of people there, some half-asleep, some looking like they’d been up for hours preparing the picnic breakfasts they held onto. Kids in their dressing gowns being tugged along by their parents, dogs cocking their heads in curiosity and canoeists and swimmers bobbing on the water, enjoying the best vantage point: there was a sense of collective joy about the experience. It was the perfect beginning to the Festival (until it dawned on me that I’d still be up 15 hours from now watching Grace Jones at The Domain).

I read somewhere that happiness is best pursued indirectly and often thinking like this makes way for surprises. To me that was what Festival First Night is all about, engaging openly and taking your chances. I sometimes think that Festival directors are like cultural farmers, they provide conditions for growth and understand the dynamic elements required for people and their experiences to blossom. If the conditions are right, then people grow in synergy with those around them and the environment they help to create. Saturday night felt like this as crowds swirled around the city, not always knowing what would greet them on each corner.

For me it finished with Grace Jones, who as always gave more than I bargained for with her slashing cheekbones and legs at least twice the length of mine. She strode theatrically through old and new material - Pull up to the Bumper, My Jamaican Guy, Slave to the Rhythm – she hurled them at the crowd, between numbers shouting for her celebrity milliner Philip Treacy to line up her next hat, more aptly called sculptures for the head. I turned to the man I’d been dancing with next to me and said, ‘you know she’s almost 60?’, exuding disbelief that this diva panther was exuding quite so much sexuality and stealth. He was French, put his arm on my back and said ‘darling, life - it begins at 60’.

I discovered a term recently in a book called Dancing in the Streets, by Barbara Eherenreich – ‘collective effervenscence’ -the ritually induced passion or ecstasy that cements social bonds- over 300 000 breathed in the effervenscent bubbles of Sydney Festival on Saturday night.”

FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT SET TIMES ARE UP!

2009-01-08T20:05:00.001-08:00

Get your dancing shoes on for an epic celebration tomorrow night to bring in Sydney Festival 09 in style! It’s set to be a sunny day and we’re expecting some of the stages to reach capacity so get there early to avoid disappointment. See you on the dance floor!

FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT

TOMORROW: JANUARY 10
2PM - 11PM
ACROSS SYDNEY CBD

OVER 600 ARTISTS INCLUDING GRACE JONES, SANTOGOLD, THE CAT EMPIRE, SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS, MOVERS & SHAKERS, BUSY P, THE GYPSY QUEENS & KINGS, MEHDI, BAG RAIDERS, A-TRAK, AJAX, UBER LINGUA, MR SCRUFF, JAVA, DAN ZANES & FRIENDS, EMBER, MISSION CONTROL, JAIME DOOM & GUS DA HOODRATT, ERTH, MIKELANGELO & THE BLACK-SEA GENTLEMEN AND HEAPS MORE!

10 OPEN-AIR STAGES
ALL FREE! VIEW THE MAP HERE. DOWNLOAD THE LINE-UP AND SET TIMES HERE.

Festival First Night Schedule

2009-01-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Check out the Festival First Night Schedule.

You can print it off so you don't miss any of the great acts on this Saturday.

Click here to view the schedule.

FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT THIS SATURDAY

2009-01-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not it is that time of the year again… yes - Sydney Festival 2009 is upon us!

Kicking off 3 weeks of creative celebration this Saturday 10 JAN is Festival First Night, Sydney’s largest and most exciting street party with over 600 artists and 250 000 revellers taking over the CBD – and best of all it’s FREE.

Highlights will include Grace Jones, Santogold, The Cat Empire, The Gypsy Queens & Kings, Ajax, Busy P, A-Trak, Ember, Bag Raiders and HEAPS MORE.

Check out our trailer and while you’re at it don’t forget to watch the Sydney dance video clip here, for your chance to win Qantas A380 flights to London on the night.

Festival First Night TVC from Sydney Festival on Vimeo.

Director's Note - Le Page on Lipsynch

2008-12-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

Lipsynch is one of the most anticipated events this Sydney Festival, taking a new view on theatre. Take a look at what director Robert Le Page has to say about his groundbreaking new work:

“We often confuse voice, speech and language, although they are three very distinct and totally different things. Lipsynch is about the specific signification of all three and their interaction in modern human expression.

Up until now, our work at Ex Machina had focused mainly on telling stories using image, movement, space and music. Voice was rather an afterthought. This time around, we have decided to make it our focal point, and see where the exploration of oral communication in all its forms would take us. This endeavor has led us to unsuspected places, a dizzying trek forcing us, as individuals involved in this artistic project, to delve deeper than ever before into our own selves. The voice is an internal machinery that finds its ultimate expression outside of the body, but in order to examine it and try to understand it properly one needs to pull away from visual stimuli for a while and go where the voice is “seated”. As in our other shows, the form and structure of Lipsynch is baroque and unconstrained, but this time the characters seem to have emerged from a place that is more profound.

I often compare our evolving artistic process to the image of a tree. The audience only sees the trunk, bark, branches and leaves. But the artist should be preoccupied by the growth happening underground, in that unseen network of roots digging erratically yet so expertly that it can hold, sustain and nurture the whole tree.”

Lipsynch is playing at the Theatre Royal, January 11-12, 15, 17-18

For more info or to buy tickets CLICK HERE

Festival First Night

2008-12-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

CLICK HERE TO OPEN E-CARD

COME AND JOIN THE FUN!

SATURDAY 10 JANUARY / OVER 600 ARTISTS

10 OPEN-AIR STAGES / SYDNEY CBD / 2 - 11PM

ALL FREE!

Christmas gift vouchers

2008-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

With Christmas only two sleeps away panic mode is kicking in for you busy bees who have still not got around to finishing the Christmas shopping- but fear not! Sydney Festival has a range of tickets and gift vouchers that will make the perfect gift for any family member or friend.

Still stuck for gift ideas for the older relos? Why not make their Christmas with Sydney Festival gift vouchers, that way they can choose the show they really want to see! Got a fussy sibling who loves a night on the town? Get them the fun and economical gift of some Beck’s Bar tickets and they can bust a move to artists like Mr Scruff, The Throwing Muses or Camille.

No matter who you need to buy for, Sydney Festival can save your Christmas!

Click here for more information on how to buy gift vouchers.

Nick Cave on Cockatoo Island

2008-12-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

Summer’s newest boutique music festival, All Tomorrow’s Parties, is just around the corner. In preparation for the mammoth event Australian music's dark prince, Nick Cave visited Cockatoo Island on Saturday.

Cockatoo Island has a long and mysterious past having been a reformatory, prison and industrial school, and is ready for its next make over as the perfect location for this new exciting festival. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' will unleash their "ultimate mix tape" on January 17 and 18 at the event they were invited to curate as part of Sydney Festival.

The line-up of more than 20 acts includes local punk bands the Saints and the Dirty Three who will be playing in unique locations, Cave gave his seel of approval on Saturday saying "The spaces to play are extraordinary”.

To read the full article from The Sydney Morning Herald click here.

For more info on the event and to buy tickets click here.

Win 1 of 3 Double Passes to Beck's Festival Bar

2008-12-22T17:43:00.000-08:00

We’ve recently released our exciting Beck’s Festival Bar line up on a fancy new e-card... check it out and send it to your friends! For your chance to win 1 of 3 double passes to the Beck’s Festival Bar night of your choice here.

iiNET BANDS FEATURE - THE BAYS

2008-12-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

iiNET BANDS FEATURE - THE BAYS

Over the next few weeks we will be featuring different bands that are playing as part of iiNet Films Afloat at Darling Harbour. This is a series of free events where you can watch cult-classic films on an open-air screen whilst highly acclaimed musicians play live soundtracks.

This week we will be putting the spotlight on UK band The Bays, who will be performing a live improvised soundtrack of Tom Twyker's iconic 1998 film Run Lola Run.

Here are a few facts you may not know about The Bays:
- The band is renowned for improvising every performance and will play different styles of music depending on what they feel fits the atmosphere and the mood - you never know what you're going to get!
- The band first came together for a one-off gig in London in November 1999 - this was a great success and they were booked for more shows immediately.
- A typical set will include several different genres which will meld into each other as a continuous piece of music.
- The Bays have headlined several popular festivals including The Big Chill Festival and the dance tent at the Glastonbury Festival.
- The Bays have no intention of releasing any material in the immediate future, as what they do live is so unique and extraordinary, often feeding off the vibes given from the crowd
- Following on from the success of their sellout one month residency at The Jazz Café in Autumn 2005, The Bays have planned to establish rotating residencies across the UK, running the whole night with their live performances, Bays Soundsystem DJs and special guests.

Check out what inspiration The Bays will take from Run Lola Run at iiNet Films Afloat at Darling Harbour on January 14-15 at 8.30pm, for FREE.

JOIN THE iiNET FILMS AFLOAT MOVIES AND MUSIC AT DARLING HARBOUR FACEBOOK GROUP AT: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=23564805962#/group.php?gid=40564126174&ref=mf

DO THE SYDNEY AT FESTIVAL FIRST NIGHT

2008-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

THE SYDNEY from Sydney Festival on Vimeo.

The complete line-up for Festival First Night has now been released, and Sydney, you are in for an explosive night.

Last Sydney Festival saw the inaugural Festival First Night take the city by storm. Thousands of pumped Sydneysiders braved the rain and danced day and night as dozens of bands and DJs performed across multiple stages.

Come 10 January, Sydney’s CBD will once again be transformed from a sea of cars, buses and suits, into an open air celebration of music and dance. Some awesome performances will feature by major international artists including Grace Jones, The Cat Empire, Santogold, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, AJAX, A-Trak and so many more, giving you the opportunity to catch some of the biggest names in the Festival FOR FREE.

A specially choreographed dance, ‘The Sydney’ has been devised for everyone to learn, to be performed en mass on Festival First Night. A rehearsal took place this weekend at Hyde Park:

CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS HERE.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE.

THE WAR OF THE ROSES - NOTES FROM THE REHEARSAL ROOM

2008-12-10T17:11:00.001-08:00

“So, when I spit the blood, should it be like a sudden spurt or should this one be like a splatter?”

Rehearsal rooms are strange places; they can be banal, workmanlike and filled with repetition. Actors wander through scenes over and over under fluorescent lights. The rooms can get close, airless, strangely oppressive. But they are also extraordinarily fascinating, particularly when the moments of banality come up against something weird and unearthly.

The rehearsals for The War of the Roses have been going for two months. Such is the scale of the project that sometimes scenes can only be rehearsed once a fortnight; the concentration required of cast, stage management, designers to remember and note their work is prodigious. But this is the STC Actors Company so they are seasoned at works of scale and the needs of rooms like this. I’m in a privileged position, I can come into this room and watch them work. They arrive and all change into crappy old clothes, for good reason; by the end of a session’s work most of their bodies are like a Pollock canvas, drenched in blood, dripping water, dusted in flour.

“This is a very very very very simple murder. The knife should just slide into his ear. Slowly. No emotion.”

The room has an enormous blackboard on one wall. On it Pamela Rabe (who’s playing Richard III) has drawn an elaborate family tree of the kings, queens, dukes, earls who make up this sprawling epic. Every character on stage over the eight hours is a cousin, wife, brother, aunt of someone else. The diagram is so complicated it folds in on itself, like a collapsing spider web. The plays are about history, but actually they feel like a vast family, a tribe, tearing itself apart, from the inside out. The characters lie to each other, kill each other, love each other, often soaring into some impossible poetic height. Then, the spell pops like a bubble, the rehearsal stops. There’s a problem over where a veil should be left. Or someone can’t see because the blood’s clogged their eyes. Or director Benedict Andrews wants a change, from something that seemed perfect already to some other form of perfection.

“No, don’t recite it. Tell us. Make eye contact. Describe it.”

And a speech that was a rarefied, exquisite wisp changes in an actors’ mouth into a report, a testimony. But it has lost none of its grandeur, none of its poetry.

“..and just look at the crown. As if you’re seeing it for the first time: ‘What on earth is this band of gold?’”

No-one can describe the whole of this production at the moment; the saga is too big. But it can be sensed. This isn’t an easy version of these plays. The truncated edit makes it hard work, but it also liberates it from, well, feeling like Shakespeare you’ve seen countless times before. It’s now a condensed quartet of poems about power and death. And at the end of a day’s work, actors shower and rinse the flowers and viscera from their hair, and mull on their odd dreamlike other selves over a beer. And the Stage Managers scrub the blood and flour from the boards, so the whole bizarre rite can begin again tomorrow.

GET YOUR GROOVE ON - MASS DANCE CLASS

2008-12-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

GET YOUR GROOVE ON - MASS DANCE CLASS -
THIS SATURDAY 13 DEC, 11AM, HYDE PARK, ARCHIBALD FOUNTAIN
near St James Road/train station

At Festival First Night on January 10, we are inviting all of Sydney to help us transform the CBD into a mass dance floor – an epic celebration of dance!

In the coming weeks we’ll be teaching Sydney a short dance work – THE SYDNEY, choreographed by Australian Dance Theatre’s Garry Stewart. Then at sunset, on the night, the entertainment on all 10 open air stages will stop and our special guest instructors will teach everyone the dance. That’s an anticipated 250,000 people!

So we all know the moves for the big night, we’re staging a mass dance class in Hyde Park, this Saturday December 13 at the Archibald Fountain. Starting at 11am, the class will run for under an hour, so put on your dancing shoes, get a group of friends together and come along - we need mass crowd for a mass class!

We intend to dance rain or shine and we’ll be inviting the media to cover this class.

So, come, show us your moves and do The Sydney!

We will be posting a video clip of dance over the next few days, so watch this space or the Sydney Festival website, so you can totally get your groove on this weekend and at Festival First Night on January 10!

RSVP: it would be great to know if you plan to come - email an RSVP to Nicole at Festival First Night on FFNHot.Desk2@sydneyfestival.org.au.

WIN THE ULTIMATE ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES PRIZE PACK

2008-12-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

Purchase your ticket to All Tomorrow’s Parties and quote the secret password for your chance to win!

All Tomorrow’s Parties is set to be the boutique festival of your summer. Curated and headlined by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, the festival features performances from an awesome selection of artists including The Reels, Dead Meadow, Afrirampo, The Saints, Laughing Clowns, Robert Forster, Spiritualized, Harmonia, F*** Buttons, James ‘Blood’ Ulmer, Silver Apples, The Necks and Bridezilla.

This Ultimate All Tomorrow’s Parties Prize pack includes:

• Hospitality for you and your friends at the festival including a selection of food and drinks from the wine and cocktail bars, gourmet tapas bars and global cuisine stalls (to the value of $400)
• A huge All Tomorrow’s Parties CD prize pack consisting of: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, The Saints’ Prehistoric Sounds, Dead Meadow’s Old Growth, Laughing Clowns’ Cruel But Fair, James Blood Ulmer’s Birthright and Harmonia’s Live in 1974.
• Entry into the chill-out area with the chance to meet All Tomorrow’s Parties festival artists

• 2 x copies of the Sydney Festival CD including tracks from Bon Iver, Camille, Bill Callahan, The Cinematic Orchestra and more

To go in the draw, purchase tickets to ATP from the Sydney Festival box office. Call 02 9007 0007 and quote ‘BAD SEEDS’ or head to the online Sydney Festival box office here, enter ‘BAD SEEDS’ as the promo code and select the ‘Bad Seeds’ Competition ‘price’ category.

TO DOWNLOAD THE ATP PROGRAM WITH LINE-UP, TIMES, MAPS AND ARTIST INFO, CLICK HERE.

SMAC, SMAC!! SYDNEY FESTIVAL TAKES HOME TWO AWARDS

2008-12-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

Above: Sydney Festival Director Fergus Linehan accepting his SMAC award.

Last night Sydney Festival took home multiple honours at the inaugural Sydney Music, Arts, and Culture (SMAC) Awards, recognising Sydney Festival’s outstanding contribution to summer in Sydney each year, giving us that extra bit of excitement and vibrancy that make Sydney such an exciting place to be!

Festival Director Fergus Linehan (above) was awarded the prestigious SMAC OF THE YEAR AWARD for his visionary leadership. We wave Fergus a sad farewell this year after four fantastic years of leading the Festival, making it bigger and better each year.

BEST MUSIC EVENT was co-awarded to Beck’s Festival Bar and The Famous Speigeltent, two of Sydney Festival’s most loved venues that provide a hub of entertainment and festive activity in Sydney CBD each January.

After tallying over 50 000 online votes, organisers stated that the FBi Radio & Time Out Sydney SMACs were won by “the artists, musicians, venues, promoters, creators and culture-makers who keep Sydney's heart beating”. Thanks to everyone who supported Sydney Festival in this event!

To view photos of the SMAC Awards click here.

ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES – SECOND LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

2008-12-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

Sydney Festival and ATP Australia today announced the second round of acts for the inaugural All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival on Cockatoo Island as part of Sydney Festival 2009.

After much weighing up, curators Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds have finalised their ultimate line up, adding Australian 1980s rock darlings The Reels, US psych-rockers Dead Meadow and the avant-rock freak out Japanese twopiece Afrirampo, alongside former Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S Howard, Melbourne bands, The Stabs and Beaches, Sydney outfits Hunter Dienna and Passenger of S**t, Bad Seed Conway Savage and Greek legend Psarandonis, as well as ATP DJs and the exotic Sounds of Seduction to round off the festivities.

With its carefully curated line-up and attention to detail, All Tomorrow’s Parties is all about a quality experience – the island, the music, the performances, the limited capacity, fine food and plenty of spaces to sit back and soak up the atmosphere. It’s the ultimate antidote to large, commercial music festivals, making it the quintessential Sydney Festival summer experience.

As well as the possibility of surprise collaborations, All Tomorrow’s Parties will be the ONLY chance to see Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Saints, Laughing Clowns, Robert Forster and Psarandonis perform in Sydney in summer 2009. These acts will be joined by an eclectic mix of artists, including international guests Spiritualized, Harmonia, F*** Buttons, James ‘Blood’ Ulmer and Silver Apples, alongside locals The Necks and Bridezilla.

TO DOWNLOAD THE ATP PROGRAM WITH LINE -UP, TIMES, MAPS AND ARTIST INFO, CLICK HERE.

BECK'S FESTIVAL BAR TICKETS NOW ON SALE!

2008-11-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

The complete Beck's Festival Bar was annouced today, including some of the biggest artists from around the world. The artists are ecstatic to play for Sydneysiders at the iconic Hyde Park Barracks Museum this coming January.

Tickets to the Beck's Festival Bar are now on sale here. In addition to the artists already announced, there are five brand new shows to add to your summer wish list, including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Mr. Scruff, Camille, Alice Russell and Uber Lingua.

Beck's Festival Bar is a hands-down favourite part of every Sydney Festival. The historic sandstone courtyard of the Hyde Park Barracks Museum will be transformed for three weeks this coming January into the hottest outdoor summer venue to hit Sydney, starting your 2009 with a bang!

A full 14 nights of funk, nu-disco, house, rock, electro, hip hop and Carioca Funk tunes has been planned, with local acts and international artists from Jamaica, France, Portugal, US,UK and more.

Some exciting highlights include French rap group Java, UK indie dance three-piece Metronomy, Camille, Four Tet, and Portugal's MC/DJ set Buraka Som Sistema.

For more information on these artists and their supporting acts click here.

Click here for a complete program.

THE ENIGMA THAT IS GRACE JONES

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Grace Jones is set to absolutely blitz the Enmore Theatre this January with her explosive live set. Believe us when we say, come January this will be the hottest ticket in town so don’t miss out as her shows are selling fast. Being the enigma, and queen of reinvention that she is, here are some facts about Ms Jones that you may not have known:

-Grace Jones was born Grace Mendoza in Jamaica
- She attended Syracuse University in New York
- She has a twin brother named Christian who is now known as Bishop Noel Jones
- She has one son called Paulo
- Grace Jones has acted alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Destroyer (1984)
- Grace Jones appeared as the Bond girl, May Day, in the James Bond thriller A View to Kill (1985)
- Grace Jones has also spent several years in Paris as a famous and successful model and was ranked #19 in Channel 5's (UK) World's Greatest Supermodel
- She since shared a house in Paris with Jerry Hall and Jessica Lang

WHAT THE PRESS SAID (2008)

“The icon to end them all ... more” -The Guardian
“A sensational return from a unique talent.” - The Times
“Jones is arguably where music and art collided so strikingly.” - The Independent
Plus there is a great review of her live performance at Meltdown Festival here.

Grace Jones' video Corporate Cannibal

HAVE YOUR SAY AND WIIN A FESTIVAL MUSIC PACK

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Sydney Festival is just around the corner and it’s time to plan your summer!

Why not contribute to our blog? Tell us what excites you about this year's festival. Is it Camille hitting the Money Note at City Recital Hall Angel Place? Or is it Santogold sending her funky tunes through Sydney's streets on Festival First Night?

Tell us who you are going to see and why they excite you, and you'll be entered in the draw to win from a huge selection of albums from this years music artists.

Including:

The Cinematic Orchestra Ma Fleur (listen here)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (listen here)
The Bug London Zoo (watch here)
Metronony Nights Out (watch here)
Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (listen here)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 100 Days 100 Nights
Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago (watch here)
The Matthew Herbert Big Band There’s Me And There’s You (watch here)
Camille Music Hole (watch here)
Joe Henry Civilians
Juana Molina Segundo (watch here)
St. Vincent Marry Me
Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová The Swell Season (listen here)
Fanfare Ciocarlia Queens & Kings (listen here)

The 20 best posts will also score a copy of the Sydney Festival 2009 CD, featuring tracks from many of the artists above.
So get cracking – our Blog is waiting to hear from you!

NB: we’ll contact winners privately and ask for addresses to mail prizes.

WHO'S THAT GUY? REGGIE WATTS.

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You may be wondering who the man of mystery is gracing the cover of the 2009 brochure, featured in our television commercial and other Sydney Festival publicity over the summer. Let us introduce the wonderful Reggie Watts.

Sydney Festival 2009 TV ad - Long from Sydney Festival on Vimeo.

Reggie Watts' show mixes improvised music with social commentary on current affairs, political issues and anything else that captures his imagination. Reggie shakes new meaning into what you can do with a microphone and a loop machine. Exploiting a jaw-dropping ten-octave vocal range he creates funky bass lines and soulful diva-esque vocals to underpin hilarious, off-the cuff riffs on everything from ancient history and technology, science and racism, to theology and pop culture.

Broadway World described Reggie as "a tornado on a stage, hypnotizing his audiences with improvised music and absurd comedy" and Chortle called him "…totally original…Watts is, in the best sense, unpredictable and indescribable…'a sonic Salvador Dali'."

Reggie Watts is performing at the Bosco Theater as part of the Samsung Mobile Festival Garden.

Click here for event information and tickets.

WELCOME

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Welcome to the Official Sydney Festival Blog

Over the coming months this will be the spot to immerse yourself in everything Festival 2009. Here you'll find the latest news, reviews, experiences and exclusive content in the lead up to and during Sydney Festival 2009 as it happens.

We'll provide you with special insights into the shows, performances as well as both free and ticketed events. There will be contributions from the Festival organisers and volunteers, videos and photos from Festival performers and events, and guest entries from artists and performers.

Why not get involved and contribute? Send us your thoughts on Sydney Festival, your experiences, reviews and pictures and you'll go in the draw to win Festival prizes including CDs, tickets and money-can't-buy experiences. We look forward to hearing from you.