Tuggeranong Arts Centre Turns 25

Come and share TAC’s story, as we step back through 25 years of community art making by lake Tuggeranong. Your entry ticket will get you a glass of bubbles on arrival, a ticket to the variety show and the after party – with live music by The Fuelers, a piece of birthday cake and gelato! Wood fired pizza and alcohol will be available for purchase.

TAC25 Variety show: 6:15 pm – 7:45 pm

Enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbles on arrival, then make your way into the theatre for a spectacular showcase of music, comedy, dance, drag, choirs and more. The TAC25 variety show will showcase the creative work of many artists who have been part of the TAC story, with a dazzling lineup including comedian Chris Ryan, Drag artists Venus Mantrap, Singer Jess Gowing, Dancer Max Burgess, Belly-up Belly Dance, musicians Tim and Nath Bevitt, the Sing with Toby choir and a selection of senior dancers from Fresh Funk. A short documentary and a digital story book featuring stories from the community will also be presented on the night. After the variety show, guests will be invited to join us for the TAC25 after party.

TAC25 after party: 7:45 pm – 9:30 pm

After the variety show, guests will be invited to join us for the TAC25 after party. The party vibe will be rocking with live music from The Fuelers and complimentary birthday cake & gelato. Wood fired piazza and bevies will be available for purchase.

The details

What: Variety show and after party with The Fuelers
When: Saturday 18 November 2023, 6 pm to 9:30 pm
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre
Cost: $35 / $40, tickets available

The Fuelers

The Fuelers take the TAC25 stage with a unique high energy blast if fun! Once these guys get going, the only thing that’ll stop them is a parachute. The Fuelers, while being called many things, are usually branded country by their city-folk audiences. That means songs about trucks, heartbreak and powertools…and a complete ban on playing without a hat. A rich visual and theatrical experience, the Fuelers present a skewed take on gameshow themes, using painted props such as “The Wheel of Fate” ,“The Beer Cactus” or “The Chicken Pump”. This bizarre, vaudevillian world of their own comes complete with its own advertisements for the strange merchandise available only in “Fueler County”. The Fuelers tour nationally, taking their show to the Woodford Festival, The National Folk Festival, The Great Southern Blues Festival, Gympie Muster, Tamworth, The Adelaide Fringe, Circus of the Air, Wintersun, Greazefest, Garterbelts and Gasoline and more.

Chris Ryan – MC and host for the evening

Chris Ryan’s remarkable association with TAC has included being host and organiser of stand-up comedy nights, and short courses and performance opportunities for budding comedians. TAC was also proud to support the production of the second season of her popular digital animation Chats with Mum. We are delighted that Chris has agreed to host and perform as part of TAC25. A journalist, a Mum and now one of the most exciting new voices on the Australian comedy scene, Chris Ryan won Best Newcomer at the Sydney Comedy Festival in 2019 and a Best Newcomer Nomination at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2021. Her laconic take on everything from romance to passive aggressive co-workers earned Chris spots in Galas such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Oxfam Gala (2022) televised on ABC, Just For Laughs Gala (2022) on Network 10, Sydney Comedy Festival (2019, 2021 & 2022), and many more… Click here to read Chris’ full bio.

Max Burgess (they/them)

Max Burgess (they/them) is a queer artist based between Naarm (Melbourne) and Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Canberra), whose practice spans the realms of contemporary dance, poetry, and dramaturgy. Max’s love for dance grew from training in street styles and commercial choreography as a child and adolescent through the Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s Fresh Funk dance program. Max spent 10 years at the program under the nurturing eye of Caroline ‘Leena’ Wall, having many opportunities to dance, compete, and create. Max acknowledges their time at Fresh Funk as the catalyst for their creative career, as it instilled a love of gathering, creating, and exchanging. At the age of 20, Max pursued full-time training in contemporary dance and ballet at Ev & Bow Full-time Dance Training Centre in Dharawal Country (Kirawee NSW) attaining a Certificate IV in Dance and then a Diploma in Dance Performance in 2021 from The New Zealand School of Dance in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand). At the heart of Max’s practice lies queerness. Please click here to see Max’s full bio.

VenusMantrap – Drag

Venus Mantrap is an androgynous construct whose roots are firmly planted in the world of drag. Exploring aspects of cabaret, performance-art and comedy during live shows, Mantrap has produced the one-person-shows Life, Love and Lip Syncing and Valley of the Molls. Venus is the host of the monthly cult film night, Fright Night, is the producer of Six Degrees of Separation and has been a featured artist at Glitterbox, LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club, Drag Cabaret and Finucane and Smith’s touring show Dancehall. Follow them on Instagram at @the_venus_mantrap.

Tim and Nath Bevitt

Tim and Nathalie Bevitt bring out the best in people. They have worked with TAC for over six years, producing four children’s musicals and several mini musicals. They created with the participants and produced “Zoobarooba- The Emporium of Wow” in January this year, and ‘Don’t mess with the stereo-tapes!” in September. Their most recent full-length musical, “The Age of the Pinedemic – the Musical” was a huge success! Professional musicians and teachers with over 25 years’ experience in the field, they are highly sought after as entertainers, performing arts specialists, teachers, and composers, renowned for their unique programs that motivate, empower and engage both children and adults alike. They have just completed a Churchill Fellowship investigating intergenerational play and creativity for building cohesive communities and are building more family workshops. They will be performing some of their ‘Grown up’ tunes that explain a little more about who they are and give an insight into their rather romantic encounter.

Jessica Gowing

Jessica Gowing has been a part of the Fresh Funk program at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre since she was 9 years old, and the Funky Fairy Tales drama program for several years while growing up. Now a tutor for Fresh Funk, Jess also assists as a tutor in TAC drama programs such as the Make a Mini Musical program with Tim and Nath Bevitt. Her most recent professional performances include performing as Bombalurina in 2023 Canberra Philharmonic Society’s production of CATS and the Free Rain Theatre Company production of Mamma Mia! in 2021 (as Sophie and Lisa) and as the Mother in their production of Wicked in 2016. Jessica toured internationally with Hi-5 from 2016 to 2017, serving as the Swing and puppeteering for the beloved character “Chats”. For the Variety show Jessica will be singing with a good friend, Alex Unikowski accompanying her on piano. Alex is a well established Musical Director and composer for shows all across Canberra.

Sing with Toby – Tuggeranong Community Choir

Established at the beginning of 2023, Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s Sing with Toby community choir explores the art of singing, through rounds, vocal exercises, and a diverse selection of music. Under the direction of opera singer and choir conductor extraordinaire Tobias Cole, participants focus on developing their ability to ‘hearken,’ or actively listen, applying their learning to free improvisation and the joy of tapping into intuition and resonating together. They performed at the TAC-taser Family Fun Day in July and look forward to opening the Spring Wonderland Picnic Concert at Lanyon in October. For the TAC25 variety show, the choir will perform a unique birthday song or two!

Bellyup Bellydance

Bellyup Bellydance are excited to be part of TAC25 to help celebrate the Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s 25th birthday celebration! They have had a long association with TAC and have been delighted to be based there for the last thirteen years. Bellyup offers classes for beginners and experienced dancers in traditional/Oriental style bellydance and in the modern improvisational Tribal style. They are the only dance school in the ACT that offers beginner classes in this style. At Bellyup they feel it is important to give back to the community and their students are nurtured and given opportunities to perform at local events and festivals. Their Troupe will be performing Oriental style bellydance at TAC25. There are 5 classes happening each week, based on the traditional Oriental and FCBD Tribal styles of belly dance. Find out more on their website.