- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
A sense of loneliness can confront us even amidst a busy life in Western society surrounded by lots of activity and people, and for some individuals the need to get away is an urgent call. One woman who decided to do just that and go to a remote location to be one with nature was Canadian film maker and director Dianne Whelan, showcased in her latest action packed film called 500 Days in the Wild.
In her fifties at the time, Whelan (of the well known documentary A Road to Patagonia) took off with the rough idea to travel 24,000 km across the Trans Canada Trail, the longest trail in the world which stretches across North America, connecting the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific oceans.
It is indisputably no mean feat and this is testimony to the fact that Whelan is the only person in the world to have conquered this trail in such a manner.
She tackles the trail with a vengeance using whatever modes of travel are on hand, including bike, canoe, skis, snowshoes and on foot. She blitzes her way through many tents as she camps on the trail. The toughest terrain gear gets broken and torn as she faces harsh conditions.
- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a moderately busy Sunday evening in Northbridge, my partner and I headed to the State Theatre Centre – this time to watch Duck Pond by Circa.
Circa are an acrobatic troupe that are based in Brisbane and are currently touring around the world with their various shows including Duck Pond.
Being an avid fan of all things acrobatic – I knew I would be in for a treat. And the Circa Ensemble of 11 fit looking troupe members way exceeded the realms of reality of what a normal person would physically be able to do – flipping, spinning, contorting and hurling themselves through the air – looking as nimble and light as a feather as they were airborne - which leads me to the theme for the evening – which was primarily about feathered creatures!
Duck Pond is Swan Lake cleverly reinvented by creator Yaron Lifschitz – a modern take on the ballet with a bit of Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling thrown in for good measure. But instead of the traditional version which is usually performed as a ballet – Duck Pond is acrobatic in nature and the story line has some surprising twists and turns along the way and some delightful break outs.
- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a Thursday evening, my partner and I headed down to Freo.Social to watch The Jazz Room: Tribute to Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong by Fever.
As we entered the large cavernous room of Freo.Social which used to be the home of the Fly by Night Musicians Club for many decades and earlier was the Artillery Drill Hall in the 1890s, we were greeted by low dimmed lights and candles across the front of the whole stage to create a beautiful ambience. The audience enjoyed pre-show drinks and food from the bar as they chatted in small groups seated cabaret style.
Before long, it was time for the show to begin as members of the Jake Dennis band came on stage consisting of keyboardist Thierryno Gangou “Mr T”, double bassist Benjamin Anderson, saxophonist Tom Grebel and drummer Richard Pooley – then finally the lead singer Jake Dennis.
- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
I was fortunate to preview the movie Calle Málaga which will open at Luna this month.
Having previously watched The Blue Caftan by the same Moroccan director Maryam Touzani and seen the beautiful lens through which Touzani tells her stories, I knew that I would be in for something special with her latest film Calle Málaga.
Calle Málaga tells the story of María Ángeles (Carmen Maura), who is a 79 year old lady living in her family apartment in the Spanish quarter of Tangier. She is delighted when her daughter Clara (Marta Etura) comes to visit, but her happiness is abruptly cut short when Clara informs María of her intention to sell the family apartment where María has lived for the better part of her life.
María fights back against being placed in a retirement home, and in this story we see her beautiful personality and resilient spirit shine through as she fights for her life and her dignity to continue living on her own terms.
- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a pleasant autumn’s evening, I headed to the Subiaco Arts Centre to watch Which Way Home by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company.
Which Way Home is a play about daughter Tash and her father who set out on a road trip from home to Country. Interestingly, the actors for Dad (Derek Nannup - Bindjareb/Wadandi) and Tash (Shaquita Nannup - Bindjareb/Ballardong) are father and daughter in real life!
Writer Katie Beckett (Murriwarri/Yuggerah) explores themes that are dear to everyone’s heart - including the special nature of the father daughter bond, the influence of family upbringing seen from a child (who is now a grown up adult), perspectives on parenthood and the age old question of where exactly is home?
Which Way Home is both lighthearted and deep - the portrayed road trip is fun and we get to understand the synergies of the father daughter duo as they travel to Country on their journey.
There is an affectionate and strong loving bond between Tash and her father, yet underneath all that bantering and teasing there are also some issues that have never been resolved ...
- Details
- Written by: Greg Letts
- Category: Arts & Culture
On a cold and blustery Friday night my partner and I made our way through the uncharacteristically quiet Perth city streets to the State Theatre Centre of WA. Despite the inclement weather, we were not alone as parents, grandparents, family, friends and musical theatre lovers had made their way downstairs to the Studio Underground to watch the award winning musical Renascence, performed by WAAPA’s third year Music Theatre students.
I didn’t know anything about the play, but having been to a couple of other WAAPA productions at the State Theatre Centre, I knew I was in for a professional performance. And what a performance it was, with six of WAAPA’s finest owning the Studio Underground stage for the full two hour show.
Renascence, as it turns out, is a musical based on the early life and achievements of American Pulitzer Prize winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, who was born in 1892 and died in 1950.
- Details
- Written by: Nita Teoh
- Category: Arts & Culture
For some of us, making a cake is a seemingly simple event and we take it for granted. We go to our local supermarket, buy the ingredients, go home, mix the batter, put it in the oven, wait till it’s cooked and voila – we have a delicious cake to eat.
Not so for 9 year old Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) – the main character in the movie The President’s Cake by Iranian film maker Hasan Hadi.
We follow the story of Lamia – who carries her beloved pet rooster Hindi everywhere she goes. She leads a life of poverty by the marshlands in Iraq with her grandmother Bibi (Waheeda Thabet) during the era of Saddam Hussein.
Unluckily, she is chosen amongst the students in her classroom to make a cake for Saddam Hussein’s birthday – an auspicious day – the ingredients for which her elderly and unwell grandmother can ill afford, but if she doesn’t deliver will have consequences.
Despite difficult circumstances, Lamia and her school mate Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem) find simple games to play that find joy in the moment during their tumultuous journey to buy ingredients to make the President’s cake.