7 June 2023

Things to do in Canberra this week (9 to 15 June)

| Travis Radford
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six dancers on stage

Australia’s leading lady Rhonda Burchmore stars in Cabaret de Paris, coming to Canberra Theatre Centre this week. Photo: Cabaret de Paris.

Legendary showgirl and singer Rhonda Burchmore comes to town this June as the star of touring Parisian-themed burlesque extravaganza Cabaret de Paris.

Sounds of classical music can also be heard in the capital this week with pianist Garrick Ohlsson and guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan performing.

Plus, there are new exhibitions about how cities work and Australia’s sporting history, talks by former politician Cathy McGowan and much more.

Friday

Exhibition: Grit & Gold - Tales from a Sporting Nation. Image: Supplied.

Grit & Gold canvasses Australia’s rich sporting heritage and its effect on our culture. Image: Supplied.

Grit & Gold: Tales from a Sporting Nation

When: Friday 9 June to Sunday 5 November, 9 am to 5 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Canberra
Cost: Free; no booking required.

This Canberra-exclusive exhibition celebrates Australia’s rich sporting heritage and explores its effect on our culture. From local sporting carnivals to worldwide events, the collection includes the portrait of champion swimmer Dawn Fraser, the iconic Shane Warne at the MCG during the 2006 Ashes series and Betty Cuthbert’s ‘golden girl’ moment at the 1956 Olympics.

Saturday

Girl in hard hat next to buildings

How Cities Work brings to life James Gulliver-Hancock’s best-selling book of the same name. Photo: CMAG.

How Cities Work

When: Saturday 10 June to Sunday 8 October, various times
Where: Canberra Museum & Gallery, 176 London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: Free to $32; book here.

This interactive family exhibition reveals the secret workings of the world’s busy urban centres, from sewers to skyscrapers. The exhibition brings to life the best-selling book of the same name, with visitors big and small able to traverse a two-metre-high cityscape full of bustling sounds and tactile and sensory activities, including a hands-on construction site and futuristic design station.

two men holding guitars

ARIA-award-winning classical guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan will perform in Canberra for one night only. Photo: NMA.

This Is Us: A Musical Reflection of Australia

When: Saturday 10 June, 6:30 pm to 9 pm
Where: National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton
Cost: From $41.02; book here.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the National Museum, ARIA-award-winning classical guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan have composed 18 original works inspired by objects from the museum’s collection. The concert guides audiences on a musical journey through Australia’s unique history and heritage, from the Kimberley spearpoints to Donald Bradman’s cricket bat.

Sunday

ice hockey player

Catch all the action this weekend as Caribou CBR Brave face Melbourne Mustangs. Photo: Paul Furness.

Caribou CBR Brave v Melbourne Mustangs

When: Sunday 11 June, from 4:30 pm
Where: Phillip Ice Skating Centre, 1 Irving Street, Phillip
Cost: From $15; book here.

Defending Goodall Cup champions Caribou CBR Brave hope to continue their winning streak when they take on the Melbourne Mustangs this Sunday, days after their 7 – 2 victory over Brisbane Lightning. Also this month, CBR Brave will take on the Newcastle Northstars (17 June) and Melbourne Ice (18 June), with a packed schedule continuing through to August.

Tuesday

Cathy McGowan

Cathy McGowan and Adam Davids will appear in conversation at the National Museum as part of the Australia Speaks series. Photo: NMA.

Australia Speaks: Cathy McGowan

When: Tuesday 13 June, from 6 pm to 8 pm
Where: National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton
Cost: From $11.90; book here.

Join former politician and ‘godmother’ of the independents’ movement Cathy McGowan in conversation with Fulbright Scholar, board member of Social Ventures Australia, and managing partner of First Nations Equity Partners Adam Davids. The pair will discuss working with marginalised people to build sustainable and high-impact movements for positive social change.

Thursday

Musica Viva Australia: Garrick Ohlsson

When: Thursday 15 June, from 7 pm
Where: Llewellyn Hall, Building 100, William Herbert Place, Canberra
Cost: $15 to $109; book here.

Renowned American classical pianist Garrick Ohlsson comes to the capital this Thursday on his Australian tour. Famed for his upset win of the 1970 Chopin Competition in Warsaw at just 22 (becoming the only American to achieve such a feat), Ohlsson’s new program traverses Debussy, Liszt, a new commission from Australian composer Thomas Misson and, of course, Chopin.

Shredded image

Systems and Sanity travels through lands of trauma and distress, navigates social systems, and uncovers survivors’ powerful resilience and unique bonds. Photo: Rebus Theatre.

Systems and Sanity

When: Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 June, various times
Where: Ralph Wilson Theatre, Batman Street, Braddon
Cost: $10 to $25; book here.

Ticketed as a theatrical journey through the mental health system, replete with pathos, poetry, music and laughter, the show is the culmination of a two-year program called Systems of Sanity. The program used theatre games and exercises to explore how people with lived experience of mental ill-health thought and communicated about mental health and the mental health system.

A magazine cover detail with a woman in a warm coat

Join Dr Lorinda Cramer for her lecture on the material history of Australian wool. Image: Supplied.

From shoddy to superfine: a material history of Australian wool

When: Thursday 15 June, 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Where: National Library of Australia, Parkes Place West, Canberra
Cost: Free; book here.

Join 2023 National Library of Australia fellow and social and cultural historian Dr Lorinda Cramer for her lecture on the material history of Australian wool. The lecture will canvas the challenge woollen waste reconditioned into cheap cloth, known as shoddy, posed to Australian wool and the ensuing campaigns launched to educate consumers and promote Australia’s fine merino.

Cabaret de Paris. image

Australia’s leading lady Rhonda Burchmore stars in Cabaret de Paris, coming to Canberra Theatre Centre this week. Photo: Canberra Theatre Centre.

Cabaret de Paris

When: Thursday 15 and Friday 16 June, from 7:30 pm
Where: Canberra Theatre Centre, Civic Square, London Circuit, Canberra
Cost: $71 to $199 plus booking fee; book here.

Fall under the charm of legendary showgirl and singer Rhonda Burchmore, from West End, Broadway and Sydney Opera House fame. Australia’s leading lady stars alongside acclaimed illusionist and Australia’s Got Talent finalist Michael Boyd in a burlesque extravaganza, which pays tribute to the most famous cabarets in France all rolled into one dazzling Parisian-themed revue.

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