Austentatious Solo. Photo: Richard Davenport ©
Plenty of theatre, festivals and sport to entertain you this weekend. Improvention is on at the Street Theatre, the Design Canberra and SpringOUT festivals continue, and the Iranian Film Festival is on at the National Film and Sound Archive. Women’s Big Bash cricket comes to the Manuka Oval as Australia takes on England in two games: one Sunday afternoon, the other Tuesday evening. The Canberra Style market is back for its second outing at the Old Bus Depot Markets this Saturday, and it must be almost summer because the outdoor cinema at the Botanic Gardens starts this weekend.
All weekend
Improvention 2017
Where: The Street Theatre
When: Friday – Tuesday
Improvention is Canberra’s annual international festival of unscripted theatre and comedy. It starts this Friday and runs for five days with workshops to attend during the day, and performances to see at night. The opening night features Big Bang, a show directed and conducted by Argentinian artist, Omar Galvan. It involves a choir that sings, talks, moves around, dances and even perform theatre scenes. Saturday night’s line-up includes Austen & Such, a heartwarmingly polite show from the UK, directed by Charlotte Gittins, that taps into the rich sources of comedy to be found in Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, and Poldark. The ‘Canberra Impro Challenge’ is also on throughout the festival. The heats are on at 6 pm, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and the grand final is on Sunday at 7:30 pm. For more details on all the shows, and to buy tickets, click here.
Design Canberra Festival
Where: Various venues
When: Various events
The Canberra Design Festival continues, and this week it’s all about women in design. On Saturday at 3:30 pm, Mary Featherston is talking at the National Portrait Gallery. Mary is an Interior Designer and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame. She was the life and design partner of Grant Featherston and collaborated with Australian mid-century architects Robin Boyd and Roy Grounds. Mary is also an influential designer of child-centred learning environments and advocates for well-designed spaces for kids. Tickets are $20, book here. Also on Saturday, Smith’s Alternative is hosting an Alternate Threads Clothes Swap Party between 3:30 – 5 pm. Bring up to ten items of clothing to swap, and fashion stylist Nina Gbor will take you through how to be fashionable and sustainable. Then on Sunday, explore beautiful living rooms designed by female architects:
- 10 – 11:30 am: 55 Peter Cullen Way, Wright — designed by Sarah Lebner of Light House Architecture & Science;
- 11:3 0am – 1 pm: 4 Redshaw Street, Coombs — designed by Shannon Battisson of The Mill: Architecture + Design;
- 1 — 2:30 pm: 52 Haines Street, Curtin — designed by Joanna Nelson; and
- 2:30 – 4 pm: 10 Hart Street, O’Connor — designed by Janet Thomson.
Also on Sunday, Martin Miles’ Mid-Century Modernist Bus Tour takes in the buildings of Robin Boyd and friends. Meet at 12:45 pm at Watson Street in Turner, which at 3 pm will also be the venue for this week’s Sunday Session hosted by the Pop Inn wine bar.
SpringOUT Festival
Where: Various venues
When: Various sessions
The SpringOUT parade and party are on this Saturday and there couldn’t be a better weekend to celebrate Canberra’s LGBTIQ community. The parade starts at the ACT Legislative Assembly at 11 am, winds its way through the city, and ends up at Glebe Park where the party that started Wednesday morning continues! The theme for this year’s parade is LOVE. Very appropriate given that here in the ACT more of us filled in our survey forms, and more of us voted YES than in any other state or territory. Also on Saturday, join Andrew Barr at Muse in Kingston to ask him any burning questions you have at Question Time. This event starts at 3 pm. Then on Sunday the Big Gay Breakfast is on from 9 am at Tilley’s. Wash down your poached eggs and smashed avo with a free glass of champagne. For a full rundown of SpringOUT events, check the program here.
Sunset Cinema
Where: National Botanic Gardens
When: Friday & Saturday 6:30 pm
With summer almost here the outdoor pools and cinemas are opening again for another year. Sunset Cinema at the Botanic Gardens starts this Thursday — with a screening of Patti Cake$ — and will run until 23 December. The cinema opens at 6:30 pm, so you can find a spot, unpack your picnic, or gather food from the food stalls before the movie starts at around 8:15 pm. This weekend Captain Underpants is on Friday night and Battle of the Sexes Saturday night. Check out the full season of movies here. Put on your superhero cape for the Captain Underpants screening because there will be prizes for the best costume! Tickets are $19 for adults, $15 for concession and $12 for kids 12 and under. You can also hire bean bags and bag rests or check-in to the Citroen Lawn Lounge for a bit more comfort.
Saturday
Korea Day
Where: Embassy of the Republic of Korea, 113 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla
When: 10:30 am – 4 pm
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea is inviting Canberra to celebrate Korea Day with them this Saturday. There will be plenty of delicious Korean food to eat; cultural performances including Taekwondo, K-POP and traditional dancing to enjoy; and opportunities to learn how to prepare delicious Bibimbap, and find out all about the 2018 Winter Olympics which will be held in PyeonChang. Entry is free.
Canberra Style Market
Where: Old Bus Depot Markets, Kingston
When: 10 am – 3 pm
After a successful first outing in October, the Canberra Style market is back this Saturday at the Old Bus Depot in Kingston. This market is all about looking great, and feeling great because you’re supporting local businesses by doing so. There will be stalls selling quality pre-loved and vintage clothes; the wares of local designers; beauty products and services; cakes, coffees and even champagne, as the Pop Inn Bar will be setting-up outside. If you need some help deciding what to buy, you can book in to attend a Style Workshop presented by Kimberley from The Style Side. The workshop will be on from 1–2 pm, tickets are $25, book here. There is a $2 entry fee for the market, with the money raised going to charity. This time the money will be donated to Project Didi Australia—a small Canberra charity working to improve the lives of women and girls in Nepal by helping them access formal education, job training, life skills and positive psychology programs. Last time the market raised over $1,000 for the Tara Costigan Foundation.
Sunday
CommBank Women’s Ashes Series, T20 match
Where: Manuka Oval
When: From 2:30 pm
See Australia take on England when women’s Big Bash cricket comes to the Manuka Oval. Two games of this 3-game series will be played here; one this Sunday afternoon, and the other on Tuesday night starting at 7:10 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for concession and kids under 16 are free. Book here. Two dollars from each ticket sold will be donated to the ACT chapter of the Lord’s Taverners charity, which works towards giving the young and disadvantaged a sporting chance through cricket-related initiatives.
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