Supported by Salamanca Arts Centre and presented as part of MONA FOMA

Elegy for Australia’s lost video shops, blurring the boundaries of theatre, film and ceremony. Clever technology allows a single performer to act in place of an entire film cast. Microwave popcorn not included.

Coil had it’s World Premiere at Salamanca Arts Centre as part of 2022 MONA FOMA festival 27-29 January 2022. 

Above image courtesy re:group performance collective, photo | Rosie Hastie

Coil went on to have seasons at Next Wave in Melbourne, PACT in Erskineville and at Sydney Opera House as part of their 2022 UnWrapped season.


A must-see live cinema event…miraculously manufactured before our eyes by a mere trio of maker-performers. RealTime Arts

Nostalgic, philosophical and comedic…it’s quite unlike any other use of cameras and screens I’ve seen on a stage. Sydney Morning Herald


RE:GROUP PERFORMANCE COLLECTIVE
re:group performance collective are a group of artists based in Hobart, Wollongong and Sydney, Australia. Inspired by the highs and lows of pop culture, they mash theatre and film together to create live cinema performances. The aim of their work is to turn the typically comfortable, nostalgic and passive movie-going experience into something immersive, irreverent, sweaty and live, and ironic and sincere in equal measure.

Key artists
Steve Wilson-Alexander | Solomon Thomas | Carly Young | Mark Rogers
Producer
Malcolm Whittaker


Note: Auslan interpretation and audio description will be provided for the performance on Friday 28 January, as well as a tactile tour of the stage beforehand for those using the audio description. Please contact ticket support on +61 (3) 6277 9978 or at tickets@mona.net.au to RSVP or for assistance buying tickets.


Supported by Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Tasmania, Creative Partnerships Australia, Next Wave, PACT, Punctum and Merrigong Theatre Company

This venue is wheelchair accessible via an alternate entrance from the courtyard to the stage area. If you need to book an accessible seat, call Ticket Support on +61 (3) 6277 9978.


ATYP and Archipelago Productions present Past the Shallows.
Supported by Salamanca Arts Centre

Keep your eyes on the water

Harry and Miles live with their father, an abalone diver, on the wild and beautiful south coast of Tasmania. With their mum dead and their alcoholic father largely absent, they look after each other as best they can. Over a school holiday while Miles works on the boat, Harry begins an unlikely friendship that will upset the delicate balance holding this unpredictable world together.

Adapted by playwright Julian Larnach from Favel Parrett’s award-winning debut novel, Past The Shallows is an ode to brotherhood and a heart-wrenching, lyrical exploration of mortality, family secrets and the capacity for both brutality and tenderness within contemporary masculinity.

Acclaimed Director Ben Winspear leads a powerhouse cast of three young actors, each of whom play multiple roles. Past the Shallows is a deeply poignant and compelling story which we hope will stay with you long after the theatre lights come up.

Warning: Themes of Alcoholism and Domestic Violence


Meet the Director

Photo: supplied by the artist

Ben Winspear, Director

As a director Ben has steered a number of new productions for Sydney Theatre Company, where he was Resident Director for three years including Morph, These People, This Little Piggy, Metamorphosis and Thyestes.  He also co-directed Victory for STC, ran numerous play readings and developments and judged for the Patrick White Award and Young Writers Award.

Other productions include Saved at NIDA, Insect!, Pantagleize, and Monkey for UNSW, Macbeth, King Lear, The Tempest with STC Education, The Bluebird – Cranbrook School, Silver at Downstairs Belvoir and The Feather in the Web for Griffin Theatre

As Associate Artist for Griffin Theatre he was Associate Director on Gloria, and for three years was responsible for running the artist development programmes there.

As assistant director, Ben has worked with Barrie Kosky (on three productions, Oedipus, Women of Troy and La Grand Macabre), Robyn Nevin (Don Parties On), Howard Davies (The Cherry Orchard), Garry McDonald (Stones in His Pockets), and Jean Piere Mignon (The Miser).

In Tasmania he has directed Monkey for Big Monkey, The Gardens of Paradise with Ten Days on the Island, Twelve Times He Spoke for Blue Cow, and Gruesome Playground Injuries for Tas Theatre Co.

For Archipelago Productions Ben has directed most recently the sellout seasons of The Maids by Jean Genet and Winterreise by Franz Shubert. His production of  The Bleeding Tree by Angus Cerini re-opened The Theatre Royal and Venus and Adonis premiered at St David’s Cathedral during the pandemic and then toured regionally with Ten Days On The Island.


Meet the cast

Photo: supplied by the artist

Griffin McLaughlin
Born and raised in nipaluna/Hobart, Griffin has previously appeared in Heathers for The Old Nick Company and Medusa Waking for Bad Company Theatre. Griffin has trained with React where he also works as a tutor. He has trained in voice with Jude Elliot and in movement with Bella Young. He recently produced and performed physical theatre work Support Network for The Circus Studio. In 2021, Griffin was a recipient of a John Bell Scholarship.

Photo: supplied by the artist

Meg Clarke was born in London and relocated to Sydney where she attended Newtown High School of the Performing Arts. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) at QUT in Brisbane. She has worked extensively in theatre across Sydney and Queensland recently starring in a one woman show: Iphigenia in Splott, which received 5 star reviews. Meg also works across film and television, she has featured in Home and Away and recently completed principal photography in the lead role of Joseph Sims-Dennet’s next feature film Origin. In 2020, Meg co-founded a Film Production Company; MTM Productions, and is about to release her first film Pearly Gates. Theatre: Judith/Sister Rosa in The Chapel Perilous (Dir Carissa Liccardello, The New Theatre), Smeraldina in Servant of Two Masters (Dir Frankie Savige & George Banders, Sport For Jove), Juliet in Measure for Measure (Dir Lizzie Schebesta, Sport For Jove), Meg in Away (Dir Nicholas Cristo, Lambert House), Jenny in Yen (Dir Lucy Clements, KXT and New Ghosts Theatre Company), Anette in The Divorce Party (Dir Alex Lee Reckers, The Old 505 Theatre), Naz in Mercury Fur (Dir Kim Hardwick, White Box Productions at KXT), Lizzie in Shandys Corner (Dir Lucy Clements, KXT and Ignite Collective), Iphigenia in Splott (Dir Lucy Clements) Film: Five Blind Dates (Amazon Originals), Home and Away, Entanglement (Voices of Women), Moth (Dir Meryl Tankard), Witkacy and Malinowski (Dir John Gillies), All We Have Is Now (Dir Gretel Vella  & Emme Hoy, The Louise Frequency).

A white male looks towards the camera. He wears a brown jacket, a black teeshirt and a gold chain. He has long-ish brown hair to his shoulders and light green eyes.
Photo: Tania Vukicevic

Ryan Hodson

Born in South Africa, before moving to the Gold Coast for high school, Ryan is a graduate of the 2017 class of QUT’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) degree. Ryan’s work on stage includes: Ferdinand in The Tempest as part of Shake and Stir’s QLD Shakefest. At QUT: Little Revolutions, Children of the Sun, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Anna Karenina, Detroit, Eurydice and prior to graduating: Jared in Blackrock at La Boite Theatre Company.

Ryan has since moved to Sydney and was part of New Ghosts Theatre Company’s Yen and bAKEHOUSE’s Coram Boy at KXT, as well as ATYP’s Intersection 2019: Arrival. In 2020 and 2021, he toured Australia as part of Bell Shakespeare’s The Players. Most recently, he performed in Viral Ventures’ The Great Gatsby as Nick Carraway. He is a proud member of MEAA.


Meet the Playwright

Photo: supplied by the artist

Julian Larnach

Julian Larnach is a Sydney-based playwright and screenwriter.  He is Literary Associate at Griffin Theatre.

He is currently under commission with Canberra Youth Theatre for a large-cast political comedy and with Bell Shakespeare for a new cycle of history plays. He is working on a feature-length version of his short film SAFETY NET for Screen NSW/Mischief Media as well as a stage adaptation of Favel Parett’s award-winning novel Past The Shallows for ATYP/Archipelago Productions.

Julian has had seasons of work produced and toured by the Australian Theatre for Young People, Outback Theatre for Young People, Darlinghurst Theatre Company and the National Theatre of Parramatta.

Julian’s plays have been shortlisted for Griffin Theatre Company’s Lysicrates Prize, the Griffin Award for Playwriting, the Edward Albee Scholarship and the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award. He was an Affiliate Writer for Griffin Theatre Company in 2013, Resident Playwright at the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2015 and was a member of Sydney Theatre Company’s inaugural Emerging Writers Group from 2017 – 2019.


Archipelago Productions produce feature films, television, and works for stage and festivals. They aspire to develop and create work in Tasmania, in collaboration with interstate and international partners, bringing the world to them, and the work to the world; projects that are born of place, but which reach far beyond our perceived island isolation.

They endeavour to export artistic and cultural projects that paint Tasmania as a viable and exciting place to create new work, extending ambition, thinking and reach. Through quality and supported work, driven by passion, they simultaneously engage with pressing social issues, nurture new talent and develop stories for everyone. They stand by the assertion that access to and participation in culture is a fundamental human right, and promote this fact at every opportunity.

Archipelago Productions has its sights set on promoting Tasmania as the most exciting corner of the country. A place in which to risk, innovate, and inspire.

Whilst the wearing of masks is not mandatory it is recommended in certain situations by Tasmanian Public Health.  Masks will be available upon entering the venue for those patrons who would like one.  

If you’re unwell, it is recommended that you stay at home, and we look forward to welcoming you at Salamanca Arts Centre another time.


A live, prologue performance by Justy Phillips and Maria Lurighi towards Ringed by Language. And Yet., a book by Justy Phillips. Published by Upswell.

Ringed by Language. And Yet., is a new book by Justy Phillips and Upswell Publishing. This event is a live, prologue performance by Justy Phillips and Maria Lurighi with visuals by James Newitt.

Prose. Memoir. Essay. Other. For so many years, I did not know how to say what is now, carefully held in this book. Then my heart began to fail. And when I finally sat down to write about the precarious experience of one thing, the other just tumbled out.

No doubt my whole life, my work as an artist, has been its own process of recovery. And now, through this body, a book—part creature, part ocean, part mouthfuls of air—I have been able to surface an unlikely chronicle of heart failure.

Where do failures of the heart begin? How do they move? Accumulate, mutate, oscillate back and forth between us? These faltering organs. It is terrifying. And yet so important to bring into language such things.


This event is part of Winter Light 2022 and is presented by Salamanca Arts Centre

This event is supported by the Commonwealth Government’s Regional Arts Fund

This event has been rescheduled to
Saturday 3 September
7:30-9pm
Doors open at 7pm

This concert, performed by Ensemble Mania, is the second in the String Quartet # 1 Project (which was launched at Salamanca Arts Centre in August 2021). Hear four composers first String Quartet – some performed for the first time in over 40 years – as part of Winter Light 2022.

Ensemble Mania comprise:
Peter Tanfield | 1st violin
Josh Farner | 2nd violin 
Damien Holloway | viola
James Anderson | ‘cello

This concert program showcases the first string quartets by four Tasmanian composers.

Hellgart Mahler         Icknield (quartet version)
Russell Gilmour        Five Reasons to Stay Home
Don Kay                   String Quartet: Opus Zero
Dominic Flynn          Mill

14 August 2022
6pm – 7.30pm
Doors at 5.30pm


Whilst the wearing of masks is not mandatory it is recommended in certain situations by Tasmanian Public Health.  Masks will be available upon entering the venue for those patrons who would like one.  

If you’re unwell, it is recommended that you stay at home, and we look forward to welcoming you at Salamanca Arts Centre another time.


About the composers

Hellgart Mahler lives near Devonport, Tasmania, but was born in Vienna. Her father, Hillel Mahler, came from a small village on the Polish-Czechoslovakian border, but his family soon moved to Vienna, then the cultural Mecca of Europe. In his grandfather’s family one older brother became the father of Gustav Mahler (who is Hellgart’s great-uncle), but her musical antecedents go right back to 16th and 17th century Italy, where the Maler family (the H was added later) were brilliant lute makers and players; sought after and vied for by dukes and princes.


Photo: Ingrid Rosenberg

Russell Gilmour was born in 1956 and received his early musical training at Guildford Grammar School, WA. Since graduating from the University of New England in the early 1980s, he has worked as a teacher, lecturer and arts administrator. Gilmour is best known for his short, quirky, humorous compositions (Dark on Bach, 2003) and sometimes melancholic, brooding work (Seven Things I’ll Do Tomorrow, 2005). His musical style has developed from a brief flirtation with neo-romanticism in the 1980s (A Peaceable Kingdom, 1985; Host Of The Air, 1984) to a more direct highly melodic style which the composer describes as ‘the art of post classical drivetime’


Photo: Dominic Flynn

Don Kay

Don Kay’s musical language has its roots in the tradition of Western art music but has been significantly shaped by his experience of Tasmania’s environment and history. Kay identifies Hastings Bay (1986) as the first mature piece that was a direct, conscious response to a specific personal experience of a specific place, acknowledged by the title. Two works, amongst a number important to him for reflecting this influence, are: Tasmania Symphony – the Legend of Moinee for cello and orchestra (1988), and Piano Trio, The Edge of Remoteness (1996).


Photo: Saxon Hornett

Dominic Fynn

Born in Hobart in 1997, Dominic Fynn grew up playing the drums in local bands before shifting focus to composition. Dominic’s music has been performed both locally and overseas, and he has collaborated with the Decibel New Music Ensemble, Hobart Wind Symphony, L’ Ensemble de Musique Contemporaine du Conservatoire de Musique de Rimouski, pianist Michael Kieran Harvey, and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.  In 2021 he received a grant to compose a string quartet inspired by convict folk music, and was selected to be a part of one of Australia’s largest commissioning projects, the ANAM Set. He has studied in Australia with Don Kay, Russell Gilmour, and Maria Grenfell, and in the United Kingdom with Michael Finnissy.


Biographies

Ensemble Mania was created with the goal to provide a unique listening experience in Tasmania, showcasing music that would otherwise not be heard on the island, while exemplifying the possibilities of a richer, more diverse music scene. This music includes the latest, most exciting composers, to the pillars of Australian modernism and lost masterpieces.


Photo: supplied by the artist

Peter Tanfield
Born in England in 1961, Peter Tanfield started the violin aged four. He studied in Germany, Israel, Switzerland and Holland where his teachers were Igor Ozim, Felix Andrievski, Alberto Lysy, Herman Krebbers and Yehudi Menuhin. As soloist and chamber musician Tanfield has performed throughout Europe, China, Japan, India, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, USA and USSR. He was a prize-winner at The Carl Flesh International Competition, International Mozart Competition and International Bach Competition. He has recorded solo and chamber works for television and radio as well as CD. He has played for Chairman Deng Xiaoping in China and the Sultan of Oman. Tanfield led the Australian String Quartet from 1998 until 2001. As a soloist Tanfield has appeared with many orchestras; the Philharmonia, City of London Sinfonia, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Rome. As concertmaster he has worked with the BBC Philharmonic, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has performed with Astor Piazolla, Charlie Watts, Pinchas Zukerman, Yehudi Menuhin, Charles Wuorinen, Arvo Pärt, Graeme Koehne, Gary Carr, Carlo Maria Giulini, Mark Gasser and Itzhak Perlman.


Joshua Farner is from Hobart, Tasmania, and began playing the violin at the age of nine. Following completion of a Bachelor of Engineering with 1st class Honours, he was awarded a University of Tasmania String Scholarship and commenced a Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Susan Collins. Josh has performed with the Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra and the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute (AISOI), and regularly performs as section leader and concertino player with the Hobart Chamber Orchestra. In 2018 Josh was awarded the D & MV McDonald Scholarship in Music from the University of Tasmania, allowing him to travel to London to study under renowned pedagogues Simon Fischer and David Takeno.


Damien Holloway studied viola in Hobart with Keith Crellin, Simon Oswell and Jan Sedivka, followed by postgraduate studies in Brisbane with Elizabeth Morgan. He played viola with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and was a founding member of Camerata of St Johns (Brisbane). He is principal viola of the Hobart Chamber Orchestra, and regularly fosters the performance of new music


James Anderson is currently studying a Master of Teaching at the University of Tasmania, having completed his Bachelor of Music in 2018 studying under Sue-Ellen Paulsen. James has previously performed in the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute, the Jan Sedivka Camerata, and the Tasmanian Discovery Orchestra. In 2018 James worked with the ensemble Musik Fabrik in Cologne, while also spending time at the Royal Conservatory of Den Hague in the Netherlands.


Program notes

Mahler | Icknield
The Icknield quartet, and the quintet that followed, were both written for an English group of that name, who, although experts in the playing of early polyphonic music, were inexperienced in atonal music and contemporary rhythms. I tried to write firstly, a very short, straightforward, logical, polyphonic piece of music, avoiding difficulties in rhythmic coordination.

Gilmour | Five Reasons to Stay Home: [ pandemics notwithstanding ]

Kay | String Quartet: Opus Zero
String Quartet: Opus Zero was composed in 1961 during a few years of fairly exclusive use of the 12 tone technique advised and guided by Malcolm Williamson, my private and only teacher of composition, in London from 1959-1964. It was never performed, although my friend, John Cale, then a music student at Goldsmith College and later co-founder of the famous Velvet Underground rock band in New York, couldn’t find a second violinist to make up a quartet to try it out. It is only now being premiered because of the enterprise of Dominic Flynn (assisted by Nathan Meurant) in putting the pencilled score together and typesetting it 59 years later. I very recently subtitled it “Opus Zero” to distinguish it from the six later numbered string quartets starting in 1971. It is in four movements and applied 12-tone serial techniques, although not as strictly as in later works of that London period.

Flynn | Mill
This piece alludes to the fiddle music of Tasmanian convict composer Alexander Laing (1792-1868), specifically three tunes Laing composed while living in Sorell in the 1810s-’20s which exemplified his climbing of the social ladder in the town. This string quartet is an attempt to wrestle with our perception of such historical figures, given the grim history of colonial towns like Sorell. The subtitle ‘Mill’ is not only a reference to one of Laing’s tunes, but is also an apt metaphor of the ways in which the tunes have been processed in order to create the material for this string quartet. The piece has been composed in three movements, though the edges of these have been muddied with material leeching from one movement into the next.

This event is part of Winter Light 2022 and is presented by Salamanca Arts Centre

Three time-travellers from the future have come back to the present to re-write our destiny. They know that in ‘our present’ is a generation of young activists who know the truth and aren’t afraid to do something about it. So they have gone into the community to ask them two questions: ‘What is their vision of a utopian future, and what are they doing NOW to make it happen?’

Young Actors from Salamanca Art Centre’s Ensemble have met, talked with, and filmed interviews with young people, and used these interviews to create a show about how we can create UTOPIA NOW.

The end of the world is nigh!


Extra shows added!
10 – 12 August 2022
1 – 2pm

Supported by Festivals Australia

Whilst the wearing of masks is not mandatory it is recommended in certain situations by Tasmanian Public Health.  Masks will be available upon entering the venue for those patrons who would like one.  

If you’re unwell, it is recommended that you stay at home, and we look forward to welcoming you at Salamanca Arts Centre another time.


Artists

Photo: Nicodemo Luca Lucà

Genevieve Butler | Director

Director- Genevieve Butler is a bilingual performance artist who uses Bouffon, Drag, Circus, and physical comedy to examine the significance of social masks within theatrical frameworks.  Her artistic practice focuses on how audiences connect/relate universally to colloquial stories.

She is an actor, writer, director, circus performer, mask maker, video editor and teacher of circus fundamentals, mask play and devising. She has toured numerous Fringe and Arts Festivals around Australia, and worked with theatre companies across Australia, Italy and Belgium. She has been a working artist for over 10years   

Genevieve has a diploma in Commedia dell’Arte (FAVA, Italy) and Movement Analysis and Theatre Creation (Lassad, Belgium)— and a bachelors in Theatre (QUT).


Photo: Julien Scheffer

Fithawit Hadgu | Actor

Fithawit recently migrated to Australia from Eretria. Since arriving Fithawit has been involved with Students Against Racism (SAR). Through SAR Fithawit has shared her personal story about how she came to Tasmania in schools and workplaces, revealing the realities of what refugees and new arrivals face when they come to this country. Last year Fithawit made her mainstage debut at the Peacock Theatre performing in The Story Behind My Suitcase. Fithawit received a scholarship from Salamanca Arts Centre to attend The Process drama workshops with Ben Winspear, Davina Wright and Lucien Simon.


Photo: Julien Scheffer

Takani Clark | Actor

Emerging filmmaker, performer, artist Takani Clark is a professional dabbler and multidisciplinary creative from lutruwita, exploring and engaging with mediums of filmmaking, visual art and performance. As a First Nations woman, raised within the staunch palawa community, Takani feels a deep responsibility to protect and document the island and its cultural identity and diversity, both environmentally and socially. As a storyteller she strives to use her creative voice to deepen our understanding of each other, the natural world and ourselves. Takani believes that diversity is an integral part of her creative practice, striving to collaborate with people from different artistic practices, any background and all walks of life.


Photo: Julien Scheffer

Bailey Jackson | Actor

Bailey is a Hobartian Thespian whose hit and miss performances will keep you guessing right until the very end — is this entertainment at its finest or is it a train wreck you can’t look away from? After more than a decade in Tasmanian theatre, still he isn’t sure. Nonetheless, Bailey appreciates Salamanca Arts Centre for rolling the dice and he hopes you enjoy the show.


Photo: Carly Young

Jackson Davis | Lighting Designer

Jackson Davis is a theatre maker, writer and performer based in Hobart. Since graduating with Honours from the University of Wollongong in 2012, Jackson has co-founded re:group performance collective and collaborates on new performance works with an emphasis on popular culture and videography. His theatre credits include Lost Boys (Performer, Merrigong Theatre Company, 2018), Route Dash Niner Part 1 & 2 (Director, Merrigong Theatre Company 2016-2017), Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo (Puppeteer, Japan Tour, 2016-2018), Conspiracies (Director, Shopfront, 2017) and LOVELY (Director, PACT, 2014).


Photo:Ruby Austin-Lund

Aiden Cleak | Composer

Aiden Cleak is a bleeps and bloops composer and sound FX nerd, who resides a full lightyear away from Earth making futuristic soundscapes and wonky beats. However, you may also find him closer to Hobart creating circuit bent instruments, surrealist art and video games. Aiden performs under the alias of Gochi, and has recently released his second EP of originals titled Ascent of a Madman.


Photo: supplied by the artist

Megan Kenna | Set Designer

Megan is a theatre and film creative learning, working and living in lutruwita/Tasmania. They are interested in design in regards to performance and production. Recently Megan has been apart of the design team of University of Tasmania’s theatre society PLoT. Designing for Cathouse (2021) and The Rise (2022). Megan has also worked and performed in collaboration on Anemeny (2022) and upcoming Antigo Nick (2022) which will be presented on the Theatre Royal main stage, both directed by Davina Wright. Designing for film sets Megan has worked as art director for many Tasmanian productions including Shake and Dance (2019) and Cold One (2022). 

Megan wants to explore the possibilities between design and performance, and how these two elements effect each other, actors and the audience.

This event is part of Winter Light 2022 and is presented by Salamanca Arts Centre

Every Body Dance!

From the multi-awarded creators of world-famous variety shows Burlesque Hour & Glory Box; the troupe that led the longest Australian tour of variety since the gold rush (Caravan Burlesque’s 8 months of dancing ovations) comes Finucane & Smith’s Travelling Dance Hall! The nationwide tour of the smash-hit, dancing in the aisles, not to be missed community celebration, is coming to town!

Global talent, irresistible music, festoons and fan-dancing, torch songs and hot moves, glittering Indian boylesque, stunning circus & local guests light up the stage! Dance Hall celebrates the beauty of community under twinkling lights, velvet drapes, satin table seating… and disco fever!

After barnstorming 18 countries, playing for 600,000 fans, winning 15 theatre awards, 8 cabaret awards and Cuba’s International Presentation of the Year, Finucane & Smith are careening into town to blow your COVID blues away!

So grab your friends, book a table, throw on your glad-rags, and get ready to get down!  

[18+ Contains full frontal nudity, haze, loud music and ABBA!]

18 – 20 August 2022

8pm – 10pm
with a 15min interval


“Sheer variety and changes of pace ensure there is something to enthral all” ★★★★★Time Out

“Seductive, subversive and bursting at the seams with monstrous talent” ★★★★The Age

“I cannot express how exhilarating and uplifting this show is” ★★★★★ Planet Arts

“All shimmies and wild confidence, humour and brilliance” Theatre Press

“Moira Finucane’s gang of disco-pumping glamazons never cease to impress!” Plus Ones

“Mesmerising, extraordinary, impeccably performed” Australia Arts Review

“An Absolute Blast” Yarck Community


Whilst the wearing of masks is not mandatory it is recommended in certain situations by Tasmanian Public Health.  Masks will be available upon entering the venue for those patrons who would like one.  

If you’re unwell, it is recommended that you stay at home, and we look forward to welcoming you at Salamanca Arts Centre another time.


Finucane & Smith Unlimited

Finucane & Smith Unlimited are Australian legends of Unrealistic Art. With their unique blend of provocation and entertainment, the company works across myriad artforms – from cabaret & burlesque to drama and hybrid and immersive art events; engaging unique and extraordinary artists, and cherishing audiences everywhere as they explore humanity, hope, freedom, power, desire and a shared future. 

Finucane & Smith’s work has been presented in 18 countries, winning acclaim in 13 languages and 15 awards including The Patrick White Playwright Award, 8 Green Room Awards, International Theatre Institute’s CHAMACO Award for International Presentation of the Year 2015 (Cuba), and the Climakaze Award (Miami) for outstanding art in climate justice. Their genre-defining variety works The Burlesque Hour & Glory Box have been seen by 600,000 fans worldwide, becoming the first Australian work invited to major festivals of Latin America, Japan and Europe, and winning awards worldwide. 


The Artists


Photo: supplied by the artist

Lachlan (Aka Iva Rosebud)

Lachlan (Aka Iva Rosebud) is an emerging queer artist, known for bringing an old fashioned flair to the modern world. His work spans Cabaret, Music Theatre, Drag, Burlesque and Performance Art. 

Hailing from the Hunter Valley, Lachlan is a graduate of the Music Theatre course at The Victorian College of the Arts. In 2021 Lachlan made his mark on Melbourne’s cabaret scene, writing and performing his solo shows: ‘And I, In My Chair’ (Melbourne Cabaret Festival) described as “more than earning it’s standing ovation” by the Arts Review, ‘At hand with Iva Rosebud’ (Melbourne Cabaret Showcases) and ‘Iva’s Grand Opening’ (Tusk High Bar).

Lachlan made his Victorian Opera debut in March 2022, in the Happy End at the Arts Centre Playhouse and is thrilled to be apart of the Finucane & Smith family. 


Photo: supplied by the artist

Mama Alto

Mama Alto is a jazz singer, cabaret artiste & gender transcendent diva. She is a transgender & queer person of colour who works with the radical potential of storytelling, strength in softness and power in vulnerability. Best known for her velvet vocals, triumphant cabaret performances and illuminating writing, she is also the co-creator of the highly acclaimed variety cabaret “Gender Euphoria.” She has worked with luminaries such as burlesque production house Finucane & Smith, playwright Declan Greene, visual artist Brook Andrew, and performance artist Taylor Mac. Mama is the 2021 recipient of the Australia Council for the Arts Kirk Robson Award for Community Arts and Cultural Development. 


Photo: Jodie Hutchinson

Paul Cordeiro

  • Paul is an experienced teacher of 20 years, as well as being a qualified fitness instructor. He trained at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, obtaining a Diploma in Dance. Paul has enjoyed an extensive career as a dancer and choreographer, having performed with One Extra Dance Company, Opera Australia and the Balai ensemble. He has toured nationally with the musicals “The King and I” and “West Side Story”. Paul was the resident choreographer for “The Lion King” from 2003 – 2005 and was also the assistant choreographer for the “Nature and Arrivals” segment of the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in 2000. 
  • A great deal of Paul’s work has been working with artists and themes
    relating to aspects of diverse ethnic communities and cultural production, within the contemporary social and artistic tapestry. This has included a feature role in ‘The House Plus’, created by flamenco artist Antonio Vargas for the Carnivale festival, a guest season with the Odyssey Dance Theatre in Singapore, and as an actor, the role of Rosendo in ‘Tango Masculino’ at the New Theatre in 2007. Recently Paul was the recipient of the Goethe Institute Artist Language Scholarship, which enabled him to spend a month in Berlin learning German.

Photo: supplied by the artist

Maple Rose
Miss Maple Rose, known as the “Queen of Classic Burlesque,” has been described as the unwanted lovechild of Tempest Storm and Lucille Ball. Combining her professional expertise in costume and set design with her foundation in classical dance, Maple guides many a budding performance artist in the art of tease!

She’s here to prove that “classic burlesque” doesn’t have to be boring. Either with feather fans or tapping toes, Maple will take you on a deep dive into burlesque history. Headliner of The Australian Burlesque Festival in 2020 & 2022, winner of the the 1st Runner Up crown at Miss Burlesque Australia 2018, voted number 21 in the 21st Century Burlesque Magazine’s Top 50 Most Influential Artists of 2021, and voted Best Solo Artist and Most Classic at the Australian Burlesque Industry Awards, The Busties, in 2018.

Maple has shown that she’s “Australia’s Classiest Piece of Bacon”
with a tornado of feather fans and couture costumes!

The Peacock Theatre is Salamanca Art Centre’s unique performance space that has been created at the foot of a historic quarry, named after the company that produced jams and juices on the site for half a century.

The Peacock Theatre is the venue of choice for intimate live productions accommodating dance, live art, hybrid music and film. A unique performance and event venue on the ground floor of the Salamanca Arts Centre, with a magnificent natural rock face as its backdrop, maximum Fixed Seating Capacity of 131 (unnumbered) seats.


Venue Hire Rates

Performances & Events
Independent Artists: $348 per Day / $1,570 per Week
Not for Profit / Educational Institutions / Schools: $374 per Day / $1,675 per Week
Commercial / Government Departments: $490 per Day / $2,200 per Week

Bump In / Bump Out / Rehearsals / Creative Developments
Independent Artists: $174 per Day / $780 per Week
Not for Profit / Educational Institutions / Schools: $195 per Day / $875 per Week
Commercial / Government Departments: $374 per day / $1,675 week

Venue Hire Rates do not include all charges (such as additional equipment or a SAC Technician etc.). Please refer to the Peacock Theatre Conditions of Hire for more information and for details on all additional charges.

All prices are inclusive of GST and valid from 1 January 2024.

*Venue Hire Rates will increase as of 1 January 2025.
For details of 2025 Venue Hire Rates, please refer to the Peacock Theatre Venue Hire Pack / Conditions of Hire (PDF)


Applying for the Peacock Theatre : 2025 Calendar REMAINING DATES

Salamanca Arts Centre (SAC) is currently seeking applications for inclusion in the Peacock Theatre 2025 Calendar (January – December 2025). Applications are sought from Arts Organisations and solo artists for performances, concerts, workshops, film events, corporate events and rehearsals /creative developments.

This special Application Round is for REMAINING DATES ONLY.
The majority of the 2025 Calendar was filled in the two Annual Assessments Round in 2024. As a result most months are fully booked and only the dates below remain. 

Available Dates :

  • Monday 6 – Tuesday 14 January 2025
  • Saturday 18 – Monday 20 January 2025
  • Saturday 25 January 2025
  • Thursday 13 February – Tuesday 4 March 2025
  • Wednesday 12 + Thursday 13 March 2025
  • Monday 17 – Friday 21 March 2025
  • Tuesday 25 – Sunday 30 March 2025
  • Thursday 17 – Friday 25 April 2025
  • Monday 12 – Saturday 17 May 2025
  • Monday 2 & Wednesday 3 June 2025
  • Friday 6 – Monday 23 June 2025
  • Monday 21 – Wednesday 30 July 2025
  • Tuesday 5 & Wednesday 6 August 2025
  • Monday 8 – Wednesday 10 September 2025
  • Tuesday 23 September – Tuesday 30 September 2025
  • Tuesday 2 – Friday 5 December 2025
  • Tuesday 9 – Sunday 21 December 2025

For more information on the hire of the Peacock Theatre, including Venue Hire Rates for 2025, please refer to the Conditions of Hire (PDF) prior to submitting your application. 

Applications can be submitted at any time
Applications will be assessed as received and applicants will be contacted with an outcome within 10 x Working Days. 


Availability

The Peacock Theatre is fully booked for the remainder of 2024.

Application for the limited remaining dates in 2025 are open now.
See above for remaining dates and how to apply.

Salamanca Arts Centre assesses applications for the Peacock Theatre twice annually, with submission dates of 30 April and 30 September each year, and with Special Assessment Rounds as required.

If you would like to be notified when applications open for 2026 dates or if dates become available in 2025 due to a cancellation, please sign up to our Alert List.

This event is part of Winter Light 2022 and is presented by Salamanca Arts Centre

Dummies Corp offers a circus skills workshop to local communities whilst on tour.

Each workshop can cater for up to 30 participants ages 6+ and lasts for an hour. Participants don’t need any prior ability and will leave having learnt some of the moves they have seen in the show, creating a strong connection between the performance, the artists and their own experience. 

Some outcomes we hope to achieve through our workshops are:

  • – Skills and fitness development
  • – Confidence and character building
  • – Verbal and Non verbal communication 
  • – Developing working as a team
  • – Developing critical thinking

The workshop, like the show, places great emphasis on creative play and self empowerment for participants to carry this imaginative embodied experience into their lives beyond the workshop. Once we achieve these outcomes once our company has left the participants can continue creation and play which encourages self sustaining creative communities.

We aim to keep a safe and consistent trainer to participant ratio so each individual gets a specialized amount of attention. All our trainers are highly skilled, professional and passionate people. 

Workshops are for people with little or no experience in circus arts.
Workshops suitable for ages 6+ 


Workshop content

Game and warm up
The workshop will start with a group game followed by a mobility warm up, before beginning the circus skills circuit. 

Circus circuit

Hula hooping
Participants will learn some basic hula hooping manoeuvres including spinning it on their hands, waist, neck and even on their bum. They will also learn some basic manipulation of the hoop.

Poi spinning
Participants will learn Some basic poi spinning tricks including forwards, backwards and changing direction.

Ball Juggling
Participants will increase their hand eye coordination through  learning some 1, 2 and 3 ball tricks. Throwing and catching as well as balancing.

Acro Balance
Participants will learn some basic partner counter balances. They will learn how to attempt some tricks in a safe and controlled manner. (This will be COVID restriction dependent).


The Artists

Dummies Corp

Dummies Corp are the Australian circus-comedy specialists, recognised for creations of quality that are intelligent, theatrical, inventive and resonate across generations. Their productions transcend language barriers and their unique brand of dum and delightful has created treasured experiences for audiences across the globe.

This event is part of Winter Light 2022 and is presented by Salamanca Arts Centre

Set up camp and stampede into the jungle for an outlandish, circus filled extravaganza


Winning Best Children’s Event award at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2021, this is an extraordinary adventure you just can’t miss.

Lions and tigers and Dummies, oh my! Set up camp and stampede into the jungle for an outlandish, circus filled extravaganza that will leave you chuckling like a monkey and roaring for more.

Dummies Corp are also running a circus workshop!


Whilst the wearing of masks is not mandatory it is recommended in certain situations by Tasmanian Public Health.  Masks will be available upon entering the venue for those patrons who would like one.  

If you’re unwell, it is recommended that you stay at home, and we look forward to welcoming you at Salamanca Arts Centre another time.


This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.


This “inspirational all-female troop” (The Wee Review Edinburgh) of strong women, empower and educate young audiences to question gender stereotypes and societal expectations of gender.

Having delighted audiences in thirteen countries and counting, with five-star reviews across the board, this is a crazy adventure sure to “have the children (and adults) in stitches throughout” (One 4 Review Edinburgh).


The Artists

Dummies Corp

Dummies Corp are the Australian circus-comedy specialists, recognised for creations of quality that are intelligent, theatrical, inventive and resonate across generations. Their productions transcend language barriers and their unique brand of dum and delightful has created treasured experiences for audiences across the globe.