The White Divers of Broome

The White Divers of Broome

By Hilary Bell

WORLD PREMIERE!

28 January – 16 February 2012

In the boom times of 1912 Broome, Sydney Pigott is a wealthy pearling master looking for a way around the White Australia Policy, anxious to keep his cheap Asian workers – and his high profits.

Webber, Sanders and Beasily are the cream of the British Navy deep sea divers. Hired by Pigott, they arrive in Broome naïvely convinced they’ll prove their skills when they hit the hazardous seas and collect the precious mother-of-pearl. But desperate Asian crews, shadowy alliances and the ruthless environment of Broome are against the white divers from the beginning.

From the brothels to the ballrooms to the deep seas, it’s a cutthroat world and trust is hard to find.

Inspired by the book of the same name by John Bailey, The White Divers of Broome is a celebration of boom time Broome and its exotic clash of cultures. Be captivated by a stirring account of greed, betrayal, loyalty and survival that resonates through the years.

This is the Black Swan State Theatre Company’s first production coming for the 2012 season.

This production also includes all scenes between the Japanese characters Nishi (played by Yutaka Izumihara) and Yukiko (played by Miyuki Lotz) to be spoken in Japanese with English subtitles.

• Venue: Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre of WA
• Director: Kate Cherry
• Featuring: Caitlin Beresford-Ord, Nick Candy, Adriane Daff, Kylie Farmer [Kaarljilba Kaardn], Michelle Fornasier, Stuart Halusz, Sean Hawkins, Yutaka Izumihara, Miyuki Lotz, Greg McNeill, Kenneth Moraleda, Jo Morris, Tom O’Sullivan, Ian Toyne
• Tickets: Standard $69.50 / Concession $54.50 / Previews $52.50 / Family Package $158 / Groups 8+ $53.50 (plus 1 free ticket for every 10 tickets purchased) / Students $29.50
• Warning: Some coarse language and adult themes.
• Bookings: BOCS Ticketing, ph (08) 9484 1133, Groups 8+ ph (08) 9321 6831, online

More info here

Arrietty

Madman Entertainment are releasing the film ARRIETTY on 12 January 2012. It is from Studio Ghibli – creators of other animated masterpieces ‘Spirited Away’, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ and ‘Ponyo’.

The film opens January 12 and here in Perth it will be screening at Luna Leederville, Luna SX, Hoyts Carousel and Event Cinemas Innaloo.

This is a story of a family “little” people.

Beneath the floorboards of a sprawling mansion set in a magical, overgrown garden in the suburbs of Tokyo, tiny 14-year-old Arrietty lives with her equally tiny parents. The house is occupied by two old ladies, who are absolutely unaware of the existence of their miniature tenants. Arrietty and her family live by “borrowing”. Everything they have, they borrow or make from the things they have borrowed. Essentials like gas, water and food. Tables, chairs, cooking utensils. And treats – a sugar cube here, a scrap of material there. But only a little each time, so the ladies do not notice.

A 12-year-old boy, Sho, moves into the mansion while he waits for urgent medical treatment in the city. Arrietty’s parents have always warned her: “Never let humans see you.” Once seen, little people always have to move on. But the adventurous Arrietty doesn’t listen, and Sho discovers her.

The two begin to confide in each other and, before long, a friendship begins to blossom…

We have a few family passes to give away. If you’d like one, please email us via the contact link above and let us know why! Entries due by 20 Jan 2012. Winners will be contacted. Good luck!

Trailer link here.

kaiWA language exchange

会WA for January 2012: Thu 12

The fortnightly Japanese-English conversation exchange 会WA (kaiWA) is back for 2012.

The event is hosted and organised by the JET Program Alumni Association of WA, and is a great chance to practise your English or Japanese, or to learn more about going to teach English in Japan on the JET program.

JETAAWA asks for a gold coin donation for participation (and, as JETAAWA is non-profit, that money all goes back into your body in food form during the evening).

会WA is held at 43 Below (formerly known as the Bar on Barracks) on the corner of Hay and Barrack Sts in Perth city every second Thursday.

It starts from 5:30 pm and will run until everyone gets sick of each other (usually about 8:30/9), so don’t worry if you can’t be there spot on the start time.

Japanese Design Today 100

Japanese Design Today is on from 17 to 31 May at Gallery Central.

An insight into the nature of contemporary Japanese culture is offered by this unique collection of Japanese designed household items. The exhibition presents designs for domestic objects produced during the 1990s, plus it casts a glance backwards to the roots of contemporary design, from the postwar Japan of the 1950s. There is the world’s smallest radio and TV, the Walkman and other innovative electronic devices, cars, bikes, furniture and solutions for practical clothing and low cost accommodation.

Japanese Design Today 100 celebrates the achievements, past and present, of the country’s design leaders and is presented by The Japan Foundation and the Consulate-General of Japan in Perth. More details here.

Barking Gecko Theatre Company 2011 Workshops

Starting 9th February 2011, Barking Gecko Theatre Company introduces its BGTC Workshop program for children and young people aged between 3 and 18 years at the Subiaco Arts Centre. BGTC Workshops are designed to ignite creativity and unlock the imagination of Perth’s artistic youth.

Each week during school term, budding artists will work with industry trained tutors and guest industry practitioners to accelerate their learning in all areas of the performing arts. BGTC Workshops connect participants directly to people working in the performing arts industry and provide sneak peeks into the development of new works at Barking Gecko Theatre Company.

BGTC Workshops are a supportive environment where young people can explore valuable tools such as role play and body language to encourage creative thinking, problem solving and communication skills.

BGTC Workshops are taught by skilled industry tutors who aim to make time spent at Barking Gecko a fun, rich and rewarding experience for all participants.

There are four workshops available:

• Good Morning Maggie for 3 – 6 year olds – An introduction to the world of children’s literature for young children.

• Acting Up for 7 – 10 year olds – Stimulate imagination and build confidence. This is a great step into the world of performing arts.

• Skilling Up for 11 – 13 year olds – Explore International and Australian scripts to further develop performing arts skills.

• Acting Intensive for 14 – 18 year olds – Work with experienced actors to develop essential skills in acting for stage and screen.

BGTC Workshops commence on Saturday, 12th February at the Subiaco Arts Centre. Good Morning Maggie storytelling workshops, for 3 – 6 year olds, begin on Wednesday, 9th February.

For more information, or to book, visit barking gecko or call 9380 3080.

Zen in Perth

Zen is more than just meditation. Studying Zen we study ourselves and this moment, and study everyday who we are. By doing this we open the way to use all our potential in life.

The Jizoan Rinzai Zen temple in Perth, Western Australia, is established under the Australian Zen Studies Institute. You can look in detail at the temple’s programs here.

Currently the temple has two monks, with public sittings taking place 7 days a week. The head monk trained at Tofukuji Gozan in Kyoto, and is a disciple of Keido Fukushima roshi. To attend zazenkai an email request is necessary. The temple has a full time 5am to 9.30pm schedule.

The temple is located in Hamilton hill.

SHIMURABROS: SEKILALA

PICA is pleased to present the first Australian showing of work by Yuka and Kentaro Shimura, a Japanese brother and sister artistic duo that work together as SHIMURABROS.

Their award winning multi-screen video installation Sekilala will open in the PICA Screen Space on Friday 10 September.

SHIMURABROS are well known in Japan and across Asia and Europe for their inventive and pioneering approach to the motion picture. In the past they have created high-tech installations that allow viewers to imagine what it might have been like to experience the first moving picture over a century ago.

Their much-celebrated work X-Ray Train – Lumiere Bros. to Shimurabros. (2008), which references both the Lumiere Brothers Arrival of a Train at La Coitat and the invention of the x-ray, saw them scan a model locomotive through a medical CT scanner and project the slices onto multiple parallel screens.

With Sekilala (2006-2008), the work to be shown at PICA, the SHIMURABROS have taken their interest in the motion picture into a new realm by extending film beyond its two-dimensional limitations and employing advanced 3D technology and virtual reality programming.

Sekilala, is a three-screen immersive video installation, shot on super 16mm, filmed in Prague and with a storyline inspired by the controversial image of a mouse with what appears to be a human ear growing on its back. A family drama in which the father is obsessed with bio-furniture erratically unfolds in multiple, fractured stories. Projected onto three screens and randomly configured in twenty-six short sequences, the same story is never experienced twice, and the viewer becomes the editor of an infinite and complex film.

The SHIMURABROS recently received the Excellence prize for this work at the 13th Japan Media Arts Festival 2009. Sekilala has also been shown this year at the The National Arts Center Tokyo and at Transgenesis (Czech Academy of Science) as well as at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2007.

SEKILALA will be in the Screen Space at PICA from
11 September–24 October 2010

Talk: Saturday, 2 October, 1pm
Tania Visosevic, Lecturer at Edith Cowan University, will discuss the artists and this controversial work in the context of cinema and Bio Art.

Tokyo Trends

Join PICA Curator Leigh Robb in the PICA bar Tuesday 21st September at 6pm as she talks about her recent Curatorial Residency in Tokyo with the Japan Foundation.

She will share her experiences and encounters with Japanese art and artists, including her visit to the first Setouchi Festival of International Art on seven islands on the Seto inland sea.

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to hear all about the Japanese art scene! The info flyer is here.

Japanese Dance

Are you interested in Japanese culture? Ever seen the dances of Maikos, Geishas and Samurai on TV (or YouTube)? If you feel intrigued by the dance of Zhang Zi Yi as Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha, there is news for you!

Reitoku-Kai school of Nihon Buyo is looking for everyone interested in Japanese Dance. We teach traditional dance (the kind Geishas do as well as male dances relating to Samurai) and folk dance (as seen in street festivals). We welcome people of all ages, both male and female to join us! All that is required is an enthusiasm in learning the art!

Date: 5th June 2010 (Saturday)
Venue: Murdoch University Drama Workshop
Time: 1hr (Morning or Afternoon)
Fee: $50 (excluding rentals)

PLACES ARE STRICTLY LIMITED TO 8 PER CLASS. This is to ensure that all participants get a good amount of attention from the instructor. For all enquiries, please contact Kailin at 0433 177 644 or kailin98@hotmail.com (preferred).

About the Instructor – Naya Reitoku (Suiko Reitoku) has been dancing Nihon Buyo since 1988. In 1994 he was under the tutelage of Ms Hanayagi Momonosato (President of Reisen-Kai) and was awarded the title of Shihan (Master) by the Reisen-Kai school. This is a rare opportunity to be able to learn traditional Japanese dance under an instructor fluent in both Japanese and English language. Reitoku-Kai school is a member of International Organization of Folk Art (IOV), so there will be opportunities for international performances.

Drum-Tao 2010

For those familiar with the universal, primal energy of taiko drumming, you will be pleased to hear that Drum-Tao is back in town (including performances in Mandurah and Bunbury):

SPECIAL NOTE: There is a $10 discount across A and B Reserve for the next 72 hours from today (10 May 2010) when you book with BOCS – see details below.

Following the highly successful and critically acclaimed sell out world tours, and again a No. 1 box-office smash hit of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Japan’s most celebrated and elite company of martial art drummers, Drum-Tao, return to Australia commencing their national tour from Perth with their awe-inspiring and innovative production at the Perth Concert Hall for five performances only from June 22 to 26 inclusive with ‘The Samurai of the Drum’.

Seen by over 3 million worldwide, the incomparable quality and pure unadulterated power and spectacle of their work perfectly blends the ancient traditions of Taiko Drumming with the innovative and flawlessly choreographed production values of contemporary Japanese excellence.

The 16 young drummers beat their huge drums with outstanding precision, vehemence and persistency on their Wadaiko-Drums, which have a circumference of up to 1.70 metres and weighs about 400 kilograms.

The artists sculpt their artistic bodies and express their music with their whole being as they play – the precision and the power of the performance is heightened by their infectious smiles, enthusiasm and burning passion shining in their eyes.

Explosive percussion and timeless rituals are complimented perfectly in this Japanese spectacular featuring unrivalled drumming, martial arts mastery, and with the incorporation of the softer tones of the Japanese flute and horizontal harp the true brilliance of this show is the ability of the performers to balance the thunderous drumming with moments of delicacy and playfulness that create an unforgettable performance.

Tickets are on sale through BOCS (9484 1133; groups on 9321 6831). For the Mandurah & Bunbury shows: Mandurah Performing Arts Centre – June 19 – 9550 3900; Bunbury Entertainment Centre – June 27 – 1 300 661 272.