So now we have a teensy break in proceedings before I have to start promoting our next show, Motherhood the Musical – which I have to say would make a great Mothers Day present, hint, hint!

I figured this week I could actually focus on the other things that are happening around the community which need to be shamelessly promoted to you lovely people.

Next Saturday we have Harmony Day, an amazing event which is rapidly becoming one of the highlights of the year.  Starting at 4pm down at theRiversidePark, it is going to be an awesome day.  With food from every part of the planet, entertainers of both local and national renown and fireworks to cap of the day, it really is a great way to spend an afternoon.  So bring your rug, chair, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife and relax under the sun for a few hours and eat some great food.

The other thing you may notice over the next few months are some young locals asking you for money.  Nine young people from Swan Hill and Koondrook as well as their two leaders are trying to fundraise over $23,000 so they can travel to theCzechRepublicand take part in an international theatre project. All they have to do is raise the money for flights; once they arrive absolutely everything else is taken care of.  So please, if you see a little waif looking up at you with pitiful eyes begging for some money, don’t ignore them, look them straight in the eyes and unload some of those heavy $100 notes into their tender little hands.  This once in a lifetime opportunity really is too good to miss.

Which leads quite nicely into the 2012 Fairfax Festival, which after 16 years is just getting bigger and bigger.  Already we have groups coming from Mildura to Mt Eliza, Birchip to Bendigo, we literally cannot fit any more, so, instead we are holding the first ever YESFest (Young Entertainers in the Street Festival) as well.

Local bands, street performers and community groups will be taking over a street in Swan Hill and partying like it’s 1989.  Well not really 1989, cause most of the participants would not have been born yet (Now there’s a scary thought!).  Now while I can’t tell you which street, I can tell you that the headline act for the first ever YESFest will be Stonefield; not only are they a TripleJ Unearthed winner but they have also performed at the MCG and internationally. So, keep your eyeballs peeled as we release more information about what is shaping to be the biggest free underage street party Swan Hill has ever seen.

All these are events are happening alongside the shows we have programmed – Motherhood the Musical, April’s Fool, Comedy Festival, Orchestra Victoria and Peter Rabbit and I can guarantee that this list is going to grow as the year progresses.

So enjoy your respite while you can, ‘cause its going to be a wild ride: Plus wait ‘til you see what I am inflicting on you in the second half of the year! (*Insert maniacal laugh here*)

See you in the theatre.

There were those moments when the light bulb clicks on and the children finally understand something you have been teaching, or walking through the school yard and hearing the laughter of kids enjoying the freedom of being young and free of care.

Then there are the other memories.   Sitting on a bus with a bucket in my lap holding a childs hair back as they regurgitate their lunch into my lap; or a child suddenly putting their hand up to announce they feel sick only to projectile vomit across the 2 students in front of them, who in turn start throwing up until you have fountains of green goo dancing across the room like synchronised liquid fireworks.

Of course my favourite has to be the one handed, hopping dance.  The young child who doesn’t quite have ‘control’ yet who slinks sheepishly up to you with one hand firmly pinching their pants, only to stand there smiling as they water your carpet.

I remember having parents quite calmly sitting there in parent teacher interviews telling me there was no way they could do what I did… were they serious?  I at least had the pleasure of returning them home at 3.30, and if I may bastardise an RSPCA advert

A baby is not just for Christmas, a baby is for life!

 This segues, as always quite nicely into our next two shows – Motherhood the Musical and April’s Fool, two very different but equally amazing performances.

Motherhood the Musical is from the same company who gave you Menopause the Musical and follows four women at various stages of life and family, educating young mother to be Amy.  Simply put, it is good fun and has great songs which every parent no matter which sex, will identify with – sleepless nights, weight gain, dirty nappies and tears, so many tears.

If you want to have a fun night out, then grab your parents and bring them along to this, it will be an absolute hoot.

After this we have the other end of the spectrum with the touching April’s Fool.

In April 2009, two weeks short of his nineteenth birthday Toowoomba teenager Kristjan Terauds died due to complications from illicit drug use.  Over the next five days this play follows his friends and family as they deal with the decisions that must be made. It is also a true story.

This may be an odd confession considering my job, but I find it difficult to pass judgement on a script alone, I am a visual person, and I need to see a play before I can truly appreciate it, but this script is simply amazing.  So much so that I broke my cardinal rule and programmed three performances; two for schools and one for the general public, and with the support of Freeza and Youth Inc am offering it free to school students, this means that over 500 secondary aged students will get the opportunity to learn from Kristjan’s mistakes.

This is the play to see with your children, and really, really should not be missed.

So there we have it, 2 amazing plays in 2 busy months.

Hope to see you at the

Level One:  Exchange Partner $3000+

- naming rights to the Program
- no other business of your type will be approached
- have three children acknowledged as being solely sponsored by your company
- they will wear your company shirt/hat at all media calls, fundraising events, presentations, photo shoots, Harmony Day, 10×10 Czech Fest
- You will receive custom made posters acknowledging your support and the child you have supported
- Your logo/mascot/catalogue will be photographed travelling the world every two days.  This will be placed on all social media websites and tagged along with the children your company has sponsored.
- Large Logo placementonall advertising material including correspondence, Swan Hill Performing Arts website, and local community newspaper
- Large logo placement in Exchange Facebook page gallery
- Local, national and international acknowledgement of your contribution through signage and promotional material
- 6 tickets to all performances in Swan Hill, London and Zlín for members of your company or group

Level Two:  Exchange Hero $1000+

- you will have one child acknowledged as being solely sponsored by your company
-  they will wear your shirts/hats at all media calls, fundraising events, presentations, photo shoots, Harmony Day, 10×10 Czech Fest
- You will receive custom made posters acknowledging your support and the child you have supported
- Your logo/mascot/catalogue will be photographed travelling the world twice a week.  This will be placedonsocial media websites and tagged along with the child your company has sponsored
- Logo placementonall advertising material including correspondence, Swan Hill Performing Arts website, and local community newspaper
- Logo placement in Exchange Facebook page gallery
- Local, national and international acknowledgement of your contribution
- 2 tickets to the performances in Swan Hill, London and Zlín for members of your company or group

Level Three:  Exchange Supporter $500+

- Receive custom made posters acknowledging your support and the child you have supported
- Your logo/mascot/catalogue will be photographed travelling the worldonce a week.  This will be placed on social media websites and tagged along withone of the participants.
- Logo placement in Exchange Facebook page gallery
- Local, national and international acknowledgement of your contribution
- 2 tickets to the performances in Swan Hill,London and Zlín for members of your company or group

 
CONTACTS:

To discuss ways in which you can help make this life changing event for regional and remote Australians happen, please contact us for more information or to arrange a meeting to discuss your involvement.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Adrian Corbett
Mob: 0407 853 167
Ph:  03 5036 2384
acorbett@swanhill.vic.gov.au

Claire Glenn
Mob:  0433 185 139
director@fairfaxfestival.com.au

Matt Osborn
Mob:  0400 625118
mattginko@yahoo.co.uk

On a local level, the project is open to 15 – 20 year old people from the Murray-Mallee region but will be centred around SHYTE, a youth theatre ensemble based in Swan Hill. Swan Hill Youth Theatre Ensemble (SHYTE) was formed in 2009 by a group of young people who met as part of the Fairfax Festival, a youth festival of theatre creation which is held annually in Swan Hill. Their wish was to provide an alternative to the sports culture which pervades this region and provide an alternative form of recreation and skill development to the young people of Swan Hill.

Membership numbers and ages have varied over the years as young people leave school and pursue higher education, but SHYTE currently has 8 active members aged between 14 and 19 years old. Since its inception SHYTE participants have travelled to Melbourne to participate in workshops at the Malthouse Theatre and Next Wave, travelled to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, written and performed new work under the guidance of the Swan Hill Performing Arts department and performed twice for the community and as part of the Fairfax Festival.

The exchange program will also be open to other young people who are not yet active members of SHYTE. With suitable funding we hope to invite young people from the Aboriginal Health Services who just recently had over 60 young people of various ages perform in the Marruk-Marruk project, a theatre piece written and performed by the members of the local aboriginal community which ran concurrently with the 2011 Fairfax Festival and Go North Arts Festival, as well as other young people from outlying regions of the Murray-Mallee region.

WHO WILL BE INVOLVED ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL:
Mala Scena – Zlín, Czech Republic.
www.malascenaZlin.cz
Mala scena was established in 1969 by Antonin Navratil who set up an amateur theatre group at a drama section of the Art school in Zlín. Since 1978 it has actively collaborated with theatre companies in Germany and England – even during the Communist era it was involved in travelling to these countries and developing collaborative works between these very different cultures.

G.L.Y.P.T. – Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre.
www.glypt.co.uk
G.L.Y.P.T. has been creating theatre with & for young people, throughout London, for over 40 years. It has been involved in working with Mala Scena on numerous occasions throughout its history both hosting artists and sending artists to Zlín to work together.

The first group will consist of young people from regional/remote Australia, the second from Mala Scena Theatre in the Czech Republic and the third from the Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre (GLYPT) in theUnited Kingdom.  These participants will be exploring the impact of social networking on young people at not only a local level but also on a global scale.

Before leaving their home country each group will create their own performance piece of 20mins in length addressing these two questions
-          How does social networking and the Internet connect young people?
-          How does social networking and the Internet divide young people?

They will then travel to Zlín, in theCzechRepublicand work with drama professionals from three different countries over 2 weeks to create a story together which deals with these questions from a global perspective.  There will then be a public performance of the three individual pieces as well as the collaborative piece in Zlín open to the public as well as performances to young English speakers at holiday camps throughout Zlín.  It is hoped that after these performances all groups will then travel to London to perform their four pieces at GLYPT in London before returning to Australia.

In 2013, it is expected that Mala Scena will travel to Australia to be part of the Youth Arts summit in Canberra and then continue on to Swan Hill to experience life in a regional town and have the opportunity to work with some Australian artists and continue the furthering of their professional acting skills by participating in the Fairfax Festival.

The comedy highlight of the year (council elections not included!)

Book your table, have a drink, have a laugh, do whatever you have to do, just don’t miss one of the funniest nights out this season.

Stuffing the world’s largest comedy festival into the one show is no easy feat, but the Melbourne International Comedy Festival has done just that with Roadshow 2012.

Local and overseas comedians will be travelling across Australia – and Singapore and Hong Kong – with an ‘all killer, no filler’ event.

Roadshow 2012 – is coming…be afraid, be very afraid!

Swan Hill Town Hall PACC
June 28 at 7.30pm

Adults $34.50
Concessions $27.50
Groups of 10 or more $27.50
Visit our Book Tickets page to make your selection

Illustration © Frederick Warne & Co., 2012.

Celebrate the 110th Anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s beloved classic with a mischievous musical about the world’s most loveable bunny.

By the award winning author of My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch and with an original score by Mark Jones (Get Back), this magical tale is designed to delight both children and adults alike.

With Beatrix Potter as the Narrator/Storyteller and Peter Rabbit, Cousin Benjamin Bunny, Old Mr Bunny, Tommy Brock, Mr Tod and (a three-metre high!) Mr McGregor – Happy Birthday Peter Rabbit will be the highlight of children’s theatre in 2012.

“…This captivating musical breathes new life into [Beatrix] Potters familiar friends with a mixture of playfulness and old-worldly charm.”
The Western Australian

Based on the books by Beatrix Potter.

Swan Hill Town Hall PACC
June 25 at 1.00pm

Adults $10.00
Concessions $7.00
Groups of 10 students and the adult goes free!

Visit our Book Tickets page to make your selection

This production is licensed by Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd, 2012.

www.peterrabbit.com.au

Orchestra Victoria is ‘On the mOVe!’ and coming to Swan Hill.

The best young talent within a 100km radius will be joining Orchestra Victoria for a one night only, free community performance.

In partnership with the Swan Hill Rural City Council, Orchestra Victoria is proud to be offering local students the chance to participate in two days of free workshops in preparation for the opportunity to perform alongside some of the best musicians in the state.

This free Community Concert will feature music for all ages, tastes and interests.

‘On the mOVe!’ is supported by Bendigo Bank, Arts Victoria, Swan Hill Performing Arts and the Swan Hill Rural City Council.

Workshops will be held 14 – 15 June 2012, Swan Hill Town Hall PACC
For more information about participating in the workshops phone (03) 9694 3600 or email joel.murray@orchestravictoria.com.au

Performance

Swan Hill Town Hall PACC

Friday 15 June at 6.30pm

No parent should outlive their child.

In April 2009, Toowoomba teenager Kristjan Terauds lay in the intensive care unit at Toowoomba Base Hospital for five days after a succession of seizures.

The 18-year-old had spent a weekend at a Gold Coast music festival, where he had consumed large amounts of alcohol and several tabs of ecstasy.

On the morning of Monday, April 6, he died two weeks short of his nineteenth birthday.

This is not his story. It’s the story of those he left behind and the choices they faced over the following days.

Created from the words of Kristjan’s friends and family, this is a must see for every family in Swan Hill.
A true story of love, family, strength and the choices we make.

Harrison Theatre

May 20 at 7.30pm

Adults $27.50
Concessions $22.50
Groups of 10 or more $22.50