Perth Walkabout - The Insider's Guide to Perth Western Australia

What Will People Say at #ScandiFilmFest

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Published: 11 July 2018

Just around the corner, the Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival 2018 will open on the 19th July in Perth.

It will feature 21 contemporary films across the Nordic region – from the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

“What Will People Say” by Director Iram Haq is a top pick and has won multiple awards - Winner of the Audience Award, Special Mention – Best Nordic Film, Göteborg Film Festival 2018 and Winner of the Audience Award at the American Film Institute Fest 2017.

The story revolves around teenager Nisha (Maria Mozhdad) whose family live in Norway, and are originally from Pakistan. Caught between two worlds, she experiences a clash of cultures between growing up and going to school in Norway, and playing the dutiful daughter on the home front.

The Events by Black Swan State Theatre Company

Details: Written by: Lee-Ann Khoh; Published: 23 June 2018

Set in the aftermath of a mass shooting that has rocked a community, The Events follows Claire (played by Catherine McClements), an Anglican priest, as she tries to come to terms with what has unfolded.

Sometime before the play begins, the multicultural choir that Claire leads was targeted by a young man with a gun. The shooter, referred to only as The Boy (Johnny Carr), is now behind bars, while Claire wrestles with her conflicting desires to forgive him and seek revenge.

Throughout the play, Carr seamlessly takes on multiple roles: The Boy; his father; his school friend and fellow outcast; the right-wing politician whose ideologies The Boy identified with; the writer whose book inspired The Boy; Claire’s therapist; and Claire’s partner.

In her quest to understand why The Boy did what he did, Claire finds herself confronting each of these characters.

Assassins by Black Swan State Theatre Company

Details: Written by: Greg Letts; Published: 20 June 2018

Why did they do it? is the question that people ask when discussing the latest of America's all too frequent mass shootings. In a country where the disaffected and mentally unstable have easy access to firearms, is it any surprise that some will aim their sights higher than the common public and instead target the leader of the country?

Who were they? is another common query. Stephen Sondheim's 1991 creation, Assassins, showcases the lives and explores the motives of the USA's successful and failed presidential killers. It is a disturbing juxtaposition considering that modern day America is trending towards suppressing the names of mass shooters to deny them any perceived fame or glory, erasing them from history.

Instead, in Assassins we are treated to 100 minutes of song and dance as the assassins claim that their names will be permanently etched in the American psyche. Perhaps so, but Assassins is far from a celebration of this group, exposing the grudges, derangements and self-serving excuses that led to their tragic actions. Who can say which approach is better?

Shaken at the Ellington Cabaret and Burlesque Weekend

Details: Written by: Greg Letts; Published: 17 June 2018

Having seen my share of Bond movies over the years (Daniel Craig is quite good, but Sean Connery is still THE Bond in my book), I was looking forward to heading to The Ellington Jazz Club to watch Charlie D. Barkle and Erin Hutchison put their own spin on 007 with their production of Shaken: A James Bond Cabaret.

My partner and I were already familiar with Erin from her time in What Doesn't Kill You [blah blah] Stronger at the Perth Fringe Festival, so we came in expecting to be treated to an evening of sharp wit and fabulous singing, and we were not disappointed.

Billed as a competition between all seven James Bond actors, Shaken is the brainchild of Charlie D. Barkle, and combines trivia, humour, a bit of sketch comedy and of course the theme songs from all your favourite Bond movies.

Disobedience at Luna

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Published: 15 June 2018

From the Director of A Fantastic Woman and Gloria, Sebastián Lelio does it again with his latest movie Disobedience.

In a similar vein to his other movies, he explores the themes of love and sexuality from a woman’s perspective, and instead of Santiago as the locale, the movie Disobedience is set within the orthodox Jewish community of London.

Estranged from her family, New Yorker Roni (Rachel Weisz) returns back home after a long absence to pay respects to her rabbi father who has recently died.

In dealing with her loss, she encounters friends from her past including Dovid (Alessandro Nivola) her father’s proposed successor as the new rabbi, and childhood friend Esti (Rachel McAdams) who to her surprise is married to Dovid. Her past is reignited when a passionate romance develops with Esti.

Ellington Burlesque and Cabaret Weekend

Details: Written by: Nita Teoh; Published: 12 June 2018

Cabaret lovers in search of some sizzling hot entertainment will be heading to The Ellington Jazz Club on Beaufort St to get their fix at the Ellington Burlesque and Cabaret Weekend.

The event will run from the 15th to 17th June 2018 and is shaping up to be a fun filled weekend featuring performances by the dynamic duo from The Great Debacle – none other than Carletta the Great and Charlie D Barkle. This time round they will be performing Tease Mania – a creation that has been inspired by Carletta’s time in the US where she spent time at historic music venues and fell in love with the era of the wild 60’s go go scene in Los Angeles.

WA Academy of Performing Arts alumni Charlie D Barkle will also be in action as 007 starring alongside local singer and actress Erin Hutchinson in the James Bond classic “Shaken”.

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What Will People Say at #ScandiFilmFest

The Events by Black Swan State Theatre Company

Assassins by Black Swan State Theatre Company

Shaken at the Ellington Cabaret and Burlesque Weekend

Disobedience at Luna

Ellington Burlesque and Cabaret Weekend