Cirrus@Austlit

'One perfect life. One disastrous week. The brand-new novel from bestselling, acclaimed and beloved author Toni Jordan

'As the eldest child in a single-parent family, Kylie's always had more important things on her mind than smiling. Controlling her job, her home, her romantic life - and most importantly, her family - takes all her concentration. She's always succeeded, though, because that's who Kylie is.

'Until one Monday morning, when Kylie discovers the local pharmacy where she works is being taken over by a huge corporation, putting her stable job at risk. This leads to a cascade of disasters: her boyfriend is acting suspiciously and she finds herself caring for a high-maintenance Pomeranian.

'When her fiercely independent mother breaks an ankle and needs help, it's up to Kylie, as usual, to fix things. She reluctantly packs her bags, but back in her childhood home, things start to unravel. Could it be that Kylie's carefully curated life is not so perfect after all?

'Prettier if She Smiled More will make you laugh and cry with empathy and recognition and asks the question: when is it too late to start over?' (Publication summary) 

'How did we get here? Are aliens real? And is it possible to lick your elbow?

'Based on interviews with members of the South Australian community aged between 8-102, Creation Creation is a comedy about life’s biggest mysteries.

'We’ve asked two fearless creators to step onto the stage and attempt to unravel the mysteries of the universe using whatever tools they have at their disposal. Cardboard boxes become battleships and ping pong balls become planets in this hilarious explosion of art, sculpture and puppetry.

'A daring and audacious journey to the very edge of the universe and back again. It’s a wild theatrical experiment for the curious among us.'

Source: Windmill Theatre Company.

'The funny, whimsical and quirky new adventure from Australian rising star Kelli Anne Hawkins.

'When seven strangers arrive at a small Australian caravan park to tell Hadley Boggs that her dad is the long-lost heir to the kingdom of Ludrovia, she can hardly believe it.

'Her dad -- the world's most indecisive man, a man who takes the advice of their pet budgie, a man named BARRY -- is king?!

'Soon, Hadley jets off to an exciting new life, where she meets dancing goats, learns of an ancient Ludrovian prophecy and comes face to face with the country's hair-obsessed president.

'Hadley quickly falls in love with her quirky adopted home, so when she and her new friends discover the president's secret deal to sell the country to a cheese-loving billionaire, she knows they must act.

'But can the Birdbrain prophecy help them save Ludrovia before everything turns to fondue?' (Publication summary)

'In 1981, a young Egyptian refugee and choreographer signed up to transform a strip club. Thirty-three years later, he is stepping back from the limelight. It’s time to tell his story.

'Madame: The Story of Joseph Farrugia is a performance work based on the life and times of adult entertainment trailblazer Joseph Farrugia aka Madame Josephine, long time creative director and host of famous Adelaide strip club Crazy Horse Revue/Madame Josephine’s. Crazy Horse has been a place of fascination for many South Australians. Whether it’s been a hen’s night, buck’s show, a search for intimacy or a stolen glance up the stairwell, this venue is iconic in our city’s sexual landscape.' (Production summary)

'Acts of Courage forges immediacy and honesty between a vast range of Australian stories, generating forgiveness and hope in the act. Oades’ unwavering loyalty to the words, sounds and silences of everyday conversations conveys a steadfast loyalty to the experiences and the people from which they come. This trilogy celebrates not only the Australian spirit through times of hardship, but everyday, extraordinary, acts of courage.' (Publication summary)

'Eighteen and eighty: two ages that bookend a life. One represents untold potential; the other, the accumulation of a lifetime of experiences.

'Based on interviews with people experiencing these two very different milestones, Hello, Goodbye & Happy Birthday is the powerful new work from Malthouse Theatre’s 2013 female director-in residence, Roslyn Oades. Playful and affecting in equal measure, this show sees Oades continue her groundbreaking ‘headphone verbatim’ documentary theatre technique, bringing an extraordinary immediacy and vividness to the performances.' (Production summary)

'The more you sweat, the less you bleed.

'For 18 months theatre-maker Roslyn Oades and her trusty tape recorder followed a determined, young boxer from Bankstown through his preparations for a world-title fight. I'm Your Man is the story of who she and her tape recorder met along the way: past legends, up-and-comers and failed contenders whose lives have been irreversibly changed by the fight game.

'This Sydney Festival, Downstairs Belvoir turns boxing gym: place of dreams, of glory, of a better life, where everyone wants to be special and only one thing is certain - that no matter how high you fly you will eventually lose. I'm Your Man is no ordinary slice-of-life. The actors wear earpieces and take their lines directly from the ringsides, gyms and dressing rooms of Oades' recordings. This is fuelled-up, high-stakes, real-deal theatre.'

(Source: Belvior St Theatre website)

'"Stories of Love and Hate" looks at the lives and loves of people directly affected by the 2005 Cronulla riots. Sidestepping the media hype and social outrage surrounding the event, the source material for this unique verbatim theatre show comes from an extensive interview process with the people who were there.

'Based on a two-year interview process in Bankstown and the Sutherland Shire, Stories of Love & Hate explores great loves, broken hearts and an infamous riot. Roslyn Oades takes on verbatim theatre once again with a compelling new examination of Sydney communities and the Australian psyche.'

Source: Bankstown Arts and Crafts Centre website, http://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/
Sighted: 18/11/2008