CW brings you the latest in arts and entertainment news from around the Canberra region. Highlights this week: Winners of the People’s Choice Awards for portrait prizes are announced, and a documentary offers an intimate insight into the aftermath of China’s one-child policy.

Bell Shakespeare’s 2023 Season

2023 marks 400years since Shakespeare’s First Folio. To celebrate the milestone, the Bell Shakespeare theatre company will hit the stage with a contemporary retelling of two plays from the folio.

One of Shakespeare’s most beloved works, Macbeth opens the season in Sydney from 1 March. Logie Award winner Hazem Shammas stars as Macbeth in the production, taking the audience back to the 1920s, post-WWI. The story follows a journey of moral collapse in a bleak time, as we uncover the darker side of humanity. The season hits the capital on 15-21 April at Canberra Theatre Centre.

The second work to be reimagined from the folio is a lighter one. The Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy telling a story of unrequited loves, hidden identities, and shows us how to find the light in dark times. Featuring music from ARIA award-winning recording artist Sarah Blasko, the show hits the stage at Canberra Theatre in mid-October next year.

To find out more about the company or upcoming productions, vist bellshakespeare.com.au

Insight into China’s one-child policy

This month’s Stronger Than Fiction screening offers viewers an intimate understanding of what life was like for daughters being born at the height of China’s one-child policy. Dendy will screen the documentary on 16 and 21 October.

All About My Sisters dives into the psychological damage that comes with the choices made when restrictions on the number of children a family can have are in place, especially when one gender is seen as more desirable.

Director Wang Qiong’s parents were desperate for a boy; when they found out they were expecting another daughter, they made decisions that continue to haunt the family. Filmed over the course of seven years, the documentary shows the fractured family with unwavering honesty and raw emotional detail.

At the centre is Jin, the daughter who was abandoned at birth. Viewers hear the story of her birth, a subject that the family has been avoiding for many years, and learn about the toll it has taken on the family unit in the years since. The documentary highlights the universal desire to be loved and to belong, with moments of vulnerability, heartbreak, and joy.

See All About My Sisters at Dendy, 16 and 21 October; strongerdocs.com

People’s portrait winners announced

The National Portrait Gallery has announced the winners of the 2022 People’s Choice Awards for this year’s prize season.

Taking home $10,000 in cash and the title of 2022 People’s Choice Award for the 2022 Darling Portrait Prize is Tony Sowersby with his portrait Sabine Desrondaux, Woman of Letters 2021. The colourful image captures Desrondaux at work on her postie bike; she was one of the few people the artist interacted with throughout the pandemic lockdowns. Sowersby says the work is a tribute to the courage and determination of all those who kept society going.

Luther Cora took out the People’s Choice Award for the 2022 National Photographic Portrait Prize with his portrait Flora and Fauna, Giara: White Cockatoo. The striking photo is of the artist’s daughter, Giara, in a makeshift studio in their Gold Coast home, also captured during a lockdown. Cora, a Yugambeh/Bundalung man, says the image reflects his own thoughts about First Nation People, and if they are ‘still classed as flora and fauna’.  Cora’s win also sees him awarded $5,000 in cash.

Find the portraits at the National Portrait Gallery until 9 October; portrait.gov.au

Colour and light on show

Canberra Glassworks showcases two exhibitions from 5 October: Consuelo Cavaniglia, and Hannah Gason’s Arranging Light.

Consuelo Cavaniglia’s eponymous exhibition has been developed through a residency held at the Glassworks throughout 2022. Exploring handmade glass for the first time, the artist has created the showcase in response to the facility’s Smokestack gallery. Sheets of coloured glass float in the space to challenge our understanding of space and sight through an immersive experience.

Hannah Gason has been supported by artsACT in her newest exhibition that continues her series of works that explore the use of light, colour, and pattern. The Canberra-based artist has created various wall and floor works, using many small flat tiles. Through thoughtful arrangement, each unique piece has been arranged to create a sense of depth on a surface that appears to be continuously in motion.

Immerse yourself in the exhibitions at Canberra Glassworks until 27 November; canberraglassworks.com

Who owns your story?

ACT Hub and Chaika Theatre Company present Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories at ACT Hub, Kingston, 27 October-12 November.

Margulies wrote Collected Stories after hearing about a real-life case of plagiarism that a prominent poet took out against a novelist. He came up with the idea to examine the life of a professional writer and what happens when one writer shares their story with another. Is the story then only that of the first writer, or does it now belong to both?

The two female characters develop a strong bond as one mentors the other, with problems arising from shifting acclaim and professional status. Played by mother and daughter duo Karen and Natasha Vickery in this production, the play explores a struggle between two women who love each other.

See the events unfold in Collected Stories at ACT Hub, Kingston, 27 October-12 November; acthub.com.au

Love docks at The Q  

Community theatre group Queanbeyan Players brings their third production for the year to life at The Q – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre on 14-23 October.

Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore or The Lass that Loved a Sailor, is a comedic opera that tells a tale of love on board a ship. The captain’s daughter, Josephine, has fallen in love with a seaman, something she wants to pursue; however, she is promised to a lord, something her father wants. The lord and his family come on board to ensure the engagement goes ahead. From there, we see stories of love transcending rank and status.

The theatre group has been entertaining people in our region for over 50 years, first forming in 1965. They are proud to have members from all backgrounds, ages, and all levels of experience on board while delivering outstanding musical productions.  

Jump on board HMS Pinafore at The Q, Queanbeyan, 14-23 October; theq.net.au

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