Emerging Sydney artist, Claire Cassey, lived the first six years of her life as a child of domestic violence, often having to hide from her physically and emotionally abusive father. The imprint from that relationship followed her into adulthood and Claire lived through hell for over three years battling with the trauma inflicted by an…
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The supportive best friend. The tragic sad girl. We’ve seen characters from marginalised communities delivered straight from the production line, neatly packaged within these stereotypes for moral convenience. But Annie Easton, heroine of Shrill, proves something different is possible: a character who is equally flawed and inspiring. Watching Annie grow at a rate of fits…
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The stark divergence between the left and the right is growing, with party leaders continually pushing boundaries further to the edges. This extremist divide causes unjust and inhumane policies, such as the recent Manus Island standoff. As someone with left-winged ideologies, it is bewildering to see why and how politicians make the personal choice to…
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Jean Tong is an emerging Melbourne playwright, who recently wrote and directed Romeo Is Not the Only Fruit, now playing at the Butterfly Club. The play aims to address the startling lack of inclusive media representation through dissecting queer and straight rom-com tropes. Lip had the pleasure of interviewing Tong about her recent work and…
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Madame Nightshade’s Poison Garden left the audience waiting in their seats, while a path between Twistees, cream rice and Mars Bars became our exit. This show had the messiest ending I had ever seen in a theatre performance. Anna, or ‘Madame Nightshade’ put on a spectacular show, utilising physical comedy to make the audience both…
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David McAllister’s production of The Sleeping Beauty first premiered in 2015. Although it has made slight changes to content since then, it is still a lavish and extravagant production. As the most expensive production in the company’s history, no cent was wasted to create a stunning set design and exorbitant costumes. The aesthetics of the…
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The Flappaganza is the latest and boldest evolution of Tara Dowler and Lou Mapleston’s musical comedy act, Pink Flappy Bits. This sex-positive, feminist comedy showcases a plethora of talented performers in a style that is both daring and charmingly self-deprecating. Unlike previous shows by Pink Flappy Bits, The Flappaganza is a collaborative act that features…
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Ilana Charnelle: A Class Act What: This show is a visual album with a difference. The visual elements are played out on stage, weaving together Charnelle’s stunning music with unspoken narratives and beautiful imagery. When: 19–23 October, 7pm. Where: The Butterfly Club, Carson Place, Melbourne. Cost: $25-$32 IMA Annual Party and Opening, Nicholas Mangan, Limits to Growth What: The…
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Walking through ‘Material Poetics’, I feel as if one hand is brushing silk, stone, water, melted butter and sandpaper, the other catching a breeze infused with ideas and emotion. In literary terms, poetics give intensity to the expression of feelings or ideas. For these artists, everything material has poetic potential. This exhibition explores the…
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If you’re in Sydney and you don’t have anything to do this coming Saturday night (23rd July) then why not tickle your cultural and artistic sensibilities with a little bit of inspirational poetry? Award-winning writer, poet, performer and teacher Desireé Dallagiacomo is coming to Sydney as part of Word Travels for a workshop and performance at…
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Lucky enough to spy tickets to Bjork Digital Dj set for the 2016 Vivid Festival just minutes after their announcement via the Carriageworks Twitter feed, I was tapping away at the ticketing page quicker than you can say ‘no you have bills to pay.’ It’s Bjork; to hell with the financial repercussions. Thus I flew…
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Australian photographer Kelly Hammond is stepping outside ‘the system’ and quite literally, into the wild unknown. With her project ‘Women Of the Wild,’ she is exploring what it means to reconnect with the feminine energy of the natural world, and is doing so by traversing the lines between male and female, natural and constructed, and by challenging…
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Artist Rani Pramesti is adamant about inspiring conversations, self-reflection and social change through intimate and insightful stories by and with culturally diverse women. She is also keen to create a safe space to discuss seemingly taboo subjects and brings this up frequently in the conversation about her new performance installation titled Sedih // Sunno (‘sadness’…
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In the front window of Smith’s Alternative, a person is being eaten – or coughed out – by typewriters of varied vintage. I recognise the face of artist Nicci Haynes, eyes closed, contorted into expressions of fear or outrage. She spits binary code as she is rolled into existence by these machines. Uneasy indeed, these…
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