Seven things to do around Canberra this weekend (23–25 August)

It’s a weekend packed full of cultural events. The Canberra Writers Festival is on at various venues across town, the Korean Film Festival is screening at Palace Electric, the Street Theatre’s latest production, Metamorphosis continues and the Melbourne Theatre Company is visiting the Canberra Theatre with its production of Shakespeare in Love. On Saturday catch the theatre work, Blood on the Dancefloor at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, created by the recent artist in residence there, Jacob Boehme. Or enjoy a winter festival at Haig Park featuring local musicians, poets and performers.

All weekend

Canberra Writers Festival

Where: Various venues
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday
The Canberra Writers Festival is on this weekend at various venues across town including the National Library, ANU, the National Museum, Old Parliament House, and the National Press Club. It’s a celebration of literature, reading and writing with events featuring journalists, politicians and writers. There will be author talks, literary lunches and dinners, book launches and panel presentations. Check out the program, and book tickets to sessions here.

Korean Film Festival

Where: Palace Electric
When: Friday, Saturday & Sunday
In its tenth year, the Korean Film Festival is on this weekend at Palace Electric with a selection of six films. On Friday, the drama Another Child (2019) is screening at 3 pm, followed by the slapstick comedy Extreme Job (2019) at 6:30 pm. On Saturday the family-friendly animated film Underdog (2019) is screening at 3 pm, followed by another screening of Extreme Job at 6:3o pm. The festival finishes on Sunday with a screening of Innocent Witness (2019) at 3 pm and Parasite (2019) at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for concessions, book here. Check out our story on the festival here.

Canberra’s Spring Antiques and Collectable Fair

Where: The Albert Hall
When: Friday 6–9 pm, Saturday 10 am–5 pm & Sunday 10 am–4 pm
The twice-yearly ACT Antique and Collectables Fair is on this weekend with 25 antique dealers exhibiting and selling furniture, maps, prints, jewellery, dolls, fine books, china, pottery, clocks, watches, glassware and bric-a-brac. Light lunches and refreshments will also be available at the fair. Entry is $10 for adults, $8 for concession and kids under 14 are free. Proceeds from the fair will go to the local chapter of the charity CanTeen, that supports young people aged 12 to 25 years living with cancer.

Metamorphosis

Where: The Street Theatre
When: Friday & Saturday 7:30 pm & Sunday 4 pm
The Street Theatre’s latest production, Metamorphosis continues this weekend and runs until 31 August. Directed by Adam Broinowski, this play has been adapted from Franz Kafka’s seminal novel by Steven Berkoff. It tells the story of Gregor Samsa who is a young man with a bright future. He has served as a soldier, he works hard and is always polite. He plans to support her sister’s violin education and keep his parents in the comfort they have become accustomed to in their retirement. But one day, Gregor oversleeps his alarm and wakes up from unsettling dreams to find himself changed into a gigantic insect! This is a tale of alienation that still remains relevant today. Staring Christopher Samuel Carroll, Stefanie Lekkas, Ruth Pieloor and Dylan Van Den Berg. Tickets are $45 for adults, $42 for concession, $35 for students, book here.

Shakespeare in Love

Where: Canberra Theatre
When: Friday 7:30 pm & Saturday 1:30 pm & 7:30 pm
The Melbourne Theatre Company is bringing its production of Shakespeare in Love to Canberra. Opening this Thursday, the season runs until August 31. The play is based on the 1998 Oscar-winning movie and has been adapted for the stage by Lee Hall. It tells the story of a young Will Shakespeare who has a bad case of writer’s block. His new comedy, Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter, is less than inspiring and he needs to deliver his next masterpiece. Then he meets Viola, and a real-life Romeo and Juliet story starts to take hold. But Viola has a secret, and Shakespeare’s damned Romeo play is turning out to be nothing like the comedy the Queen demanded. Directed by Simon Phillips and starring Michael Wahr as Shakespeare and Claire van der Boom as Viola, this production received rave reviews during its recent Melbourne season for its lavish costumes and depth of comic talent. Tickets range from $69 to $119, book here.

Saturday

Blood on the Dance floor

Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre
When: 5 pm & 8 pm
Choreographer, dancer and writer Jacob Boehme was artist-in-residence at Tuggeranong Arts Centre in July and this weekend he is returning to present his autobiographical theatre piece Blood of the Dance floor. Jacob is from the Narangga and Kaurna nations of South Australia and he was diagnosed with HIV in 1998. His residency focused on engaging with the Ngunnawal community and other Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living in Canberra, particularly those affected by HIV and those identifying as LGBTIQA+. His theatre piece Blood on the Dance Floor explores the legacies of our bloodlines, our need for community, and how blood can unite and divide us. The work blends theatre, images, text and dance. Through the piece, Boehme pays homage to the ceremonies of his ancestors and dissects the politics of gay, black and positive identities. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for concession, book here.

Festival of the Forrest

Where: Haig Park
When: 1–7 pm
Haig Park Experiments are hosting another event in Haig Park this weekend—a festival of light, performance and music curated by Chenoeh Miller. The festival will feature entertainment across three stages including Chris Endrey, Los Chavos and The King Hits on the main stage, DJs on the Fringe Stage and local poets and performers on the third stage. There will also be light installations, roving performers and plenty of food and drink. Check out our story on the festival here.

Original Article published by Zoe Pleasants on The RiotACT.