Arts and Entertainment

I watched The Duke of Burgundy. The film was perturbing, but supplied a great example of nominative determinism.

We came to the end of Oh, What a Lovely War, so here are some photos from front and back stage, including a couple of the posters displayed on the Proscenium Arch. 

 

This sculpture appeals to me. Donated by Cuba, it is called Patria es Humanidad, meaning 'Our Country is Humanity'. Rising from its base of gravel and stone, the peg symbolises the connections, unity and solidarity of the human family. Supported by the peg is a planet where ethnicities, cultures and religions, despite their differences, merge together in the essence of our human existence.

Patria es Humanidad (Our Country is Humanity) by Nelson Dominguez Cedeno

I like this sculpture too. It is simply called Kangaroos.

Kangaroos by Jan Brown

Post-show breakfast bruschetta at Rocksalt in Hawker - feeling pretty healthy all things considered (a bottle of bubbles and three hours sleep).

Breakfast Bruschetta

In the evening I went to the Canberra Symphony Orchestra concert in the park, made free to all with the support of the ACT Government as part of the Canberra Day celebrations. We arrived early and spread out a rug, then sat watching the sunset and the bats until the music began. 

 

Calamity Sue and Me being photobombed by the Minister for the Arts and Community Events

The CSO Killer Queen Concert featured the tribute band Killer Queen Experience. They were entertaining and fairly polished - they looked the part but no one has the energy and charisma of Freddie. Everyone had a good singalong, however, and a few tears were shed during the Under Pressure video montage/ homage to David Bowie.

Mr and Mrs Lovely Bonkers

Are we having fun yet?

Healthy Break

The lovely violinist in the Oh, What a Lovely War! band brought in some summer squash, so I made an alarmingly healthy salad with them, green beans, chick peas, red onion, Kalamata olives and coriander. It was delicious, especially served with pan-seared salmon steaks.

Healthy dinner

This image is the result of playing around with the cork picture I took last week. 

Cork board

And this isn't taken by me at all. It is the picture for March on the Joe Cornish calendar that Scarey Sis gave me. I love bringing the memory of English woodlands into my home.

Wild Daffodils, Farndale by Joe Cornish

A hearty breakfast is required to get me through a full day. I tried to make an omelette... I am aware of the expression 'you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs', but it seems that I just can't make an omelette. The scrambled eggs, however, were very tasty.

Scrambled eggs and beans

The white clown-face make-up we wear for the show is neither becoming nor good for the skin. Also, applying make-up cannot be considered one of my artistic talents.

Dressing room selfie

But after a week of work and performances, this was my Sunday night reward.

Suffragettes and gin

What Have I Done with My Life?

During Production Week for Oh, What a Lovely War!  we had a couple of full day rehearsals, with lunch laid on. Here's the cast and crew taking a well-deserved break from the stifling temperatures inside the theatre, followed by a picture of the cast on-stage on Preview Night.

Cast and crew relax

The Merry Roosters!

I took time out to go and see a film at the local Hoyts Cinema, to find this emblazoned on the walls. I was hoping it was a commentary on the insidious way that women are taught to project a socially acceptable facade, by reinforcing patronising messages about how they 'should' behave, but I suspect not.

Smile and Wave

This is some of the first release of 3 Sons' Champagne Méthode Traditionelle Cider. At 8% it packs a punch and is full of vibrancy and elegance. The apples used are Kingston Black, Sweet Coppin, Somerset Redstreak, Michelin, Bulmer's Norman, Frequin Rouge and The Sutton.

3 Sons' Champagne Méthode Traditionelle

A friend posted this on her Facebook post, which amused me, partly because my father also has jars full of screws in the utility room that he will probably never use:

So I replied with an image of a pot full of corks - I have several boxes of these - which I believe indicates precisely what I have done with my life. 

What I Have Done with My Life

This is what I do

Things are about to get really intense as we move into production week and then we commence performances. I tried to cram in some sunshine and fresh air on a few bike rides and runs in the great outdoors before I am tucked away in the theatre for a month.

Drake Brockman Drive

Shepherd's Lookout

The Pinnacles

Exercise companions

I met a friend for coffee at the National Library and we admired some of the artwork while there. The Australia for Tomorrow poster was part of an immigration campaign in the 1940s. The rural setting is vibrant and spacious with a European Alpine feel, aiming to evoke feelings of cheerfulness and optimism among those refugees who would recognise such scenery - there is not a koala, kangaroo or desert in sight. There is an interesting article about this artefact here.

Australia, Land of Tomorrow by Joe Greenberg

Hanging in the foyer are Three Tapestries by Mathieu Matégot from 1968. For some reason, I only took pictures of two of them. In the second tapestry, there are depictions of Australian flora and fauna.The middle tapestry depicts Australian flora and fauna. The two-metre parrot represents ‘Terra Psittacorum’ or ‘Land of Parrots’—a name given to the Australian region in early navigational charts.

The other one has a multitude of themes. Starting from the top, it shows a blue area symbolising the Great Barrier Reef. The pineapple evokes tropical Australia and the riverboat and the outline of the Sydney Opera House represent urban life. The ram’s head stands for wool, Australia’s major export at the time, with the brown area at the bottom representing the land.

One of Three Tapestries by Mathieu Matégot

Another of Three Tapestries by Mathieu Matégot 

Fountains outside the National Library of Australia

And the rest of the time I have been in Theatre 3, working on this:

The Pierrot puppet scene from Oh, What a Lovely War!

The cast of Oh, What a Lovely War!

And some photos from the dressing room.

Meanwhile, I'm still working - managing the bottle shop - and hosting tastings from the likes of Hamish Young with his newly released Mada wines. I thoroughly recommend the Sagrantino - a grape originally grown in Umbria with one of the highest tannic levels of any variety in the world; this expression is elegant and earthy with hints of plum and cinnamon.

Hamish Young with Mada Wines

And after all this work and play, it is wonderful to come home to a rare night off and find that Him Outdoors has cooked me a delicious roast lamb, even if it does mess with my mind a little to have a Sunday roast on a Saturday.

Roast dinner with Him Outdoors