The final countdown to the third New Annual festival is on.
The festival features almost two dozen major events, including world-class offerings from top Australian touring performance companies Circa and Dancenorth, and Australians known around the world like Kate Ceberano, Boy and Bear, and two guys from Newcastle's most famous export - Silverchair.
New Annual senior producer and curator Adrian Burnett reeled off his top five events at the festival to provide insight ahead of the wild 10 days of events, running from Friday, September 22, through to Sunday, October 1.
What Will Have Been
Sept 22 & 23, 7.30pm, Christ Church Cathedral, by Circa
"Circa is going to be pretty special. The location is special, it's a beautiful location. That's one of the things we like doing with the festival - to try to give audience members, participants and attendees somewhere different to work, maybe a slightly different context, a different spin. I think it's an iconic place.
"And the music for Circa's show is Bach, and Philip Glass, and also electronica with a live violinist. I think acoustically it's going to be incredible. For people that love beautiful music, it's going to be great. But also visually, Circa are at the top of their game, they are one of our biggest international exports, both in circus and generally in the arts. So it's an absolute privilege to be able to present them here."
Global Gathering
Sept 30, 1pm to 9pm, Museum Park. Free
"Global Gathering is very exciting. Its got a different approach, which is grassroots, and I mean that with absolute respect. It's very much locally driven. We were lucky enough to apply for funding from Multicultural NSW for significant investment for two years. So this is part of that program. It features performance of different sorts of music and dance, different cultures are explored, there's a makers tent (henna, dance, Chinese lantern making). There's an opportunity for people to participate, making their own things, experiencing new cultures. We really tried to tap into some of those communities within Newcastle that don't often get seen on the main stage, or in such a concentrated way, or on such a high platform. So that's a really nice opportunity. It will be emceed by Yumi Stynes, who is a quite well-known ABC presenter, a very interesting person. I think it's going to be fun. And it's free."
Dance styles include Latin, salsa and Cuban. Food? Afghan, Sudanese and Tibetan. As for music, there's Paco Lara (flamenco), Suara (Indonesian dance), Samba Frog, AFroMBollo (Ugandan hip-hop star Kween G and Senegalese roots musician Yacou Mbaye), and a Yacumama Latin fusion band playing '60s Amazonian psychedelic Cumbia. The dance routine NOISE by Dancenorth with 70 local drummers will also be performed during the gathering.
This Land
Sept 29, 6pm-9pm, Museum Park. Free
"This is another must-see event. It features First Nations music. Becca Hatch is the headliner and Jacob Ridgeway, a local artist, is curator. It's a partnership with the University of Newcastle. NOISE (dance with 70 local drummers) starts the evening."
Other performers include Denni, Maayung, and Blanche.
Becca Hatch is a young R&B pop performer who won triple j Unearthed High's Indigenous Initiative in 2017 and has carved out a name for herself in the R&B scene, including a headline show at Vivid LIVE and tours in support of Spacey Jane and Vera Blue.
Good Mourning
Sept 22 (11am, 7.30pm) & Sept 23 (2.30pm, 7.30pm), Civic Playhouse, by Tantrum Youth Arts
"It's worth giving a shout-out to Good Mourning. We did Back to Back [Theatre] filming of RADIAL last year [with Tantrum]. It was ambitious and beautiful to have a legacy. It's good for us to have partners. This play has a female playwright [Sonia Dodd]. It's a pretty serious subject, but I think it's dealt with in a very sensitive way and a lot of people will be able to relate to it, of all ages."
"It's a new audience, the artists have another chance to work on the material. It may have another life after the festival."
Good Mourning tells the true story of four young siblings and their Dad's cancer diagnosis. While the children come to understand what the "C-word" means, Mum and Dad make themselves busy with appointments, to-do lists and plans for their final three months together. The family embark on a farewell tour through Canberra, Newcastle and the Gold Coast, promising each other to reincarnate as magpies, and building final memories of a man they are only just getting to know.
Rhapsody
Sept 22 & 23, 8pm, Wilson Carpark, The Store, presented by Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, choreographer Omer Backley-Astrachan
"Catapult is the only professional dance company of its kind in the region. And it's going to be a really interesting work. It's going to be good fun to see something in a carpark, releasing an industrial vibe.
"My understanding is it is a brand new work, almost a promenade performance. You're not sitting down static, watching. It sort of moves around the space. I think that's definitely going to be worth seeing."
Rhapsody is described as a radical new dance work. It is performed twice, with different duo casts with varying gender identities, granting viewers the opportunity to relive the work and gain alternative viewpoints on the dynamics and dramaturgy in the works.
OTHER EVENTS
Love & Pain: A live event celebrating the launch of a book, Love & Pain, the inside story of Silverchair, as told by Silverchair bandmates Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou. In conversation with Chit Chat von Loopin Stab (Glenn Dormand). Civic Theatre. September 30, 7pm. $45.
The Just Not Australian art exhibition at Watt Space Gallery, featuring leading Australian art figures showing works on the origins and implications of contemporary Australian nationhood.
Cutting-edge installation Kaleidoscope will be installed at Civic Park and Message from You will push audiences into the world of artificial intelligence.
Atong Atem: This artistic photographer's vibrant palette and beautifully stylised imagery draws the viewer into a narrative that belies its facade. 134 King Street. Free.
Message From Another You: The Parallel Effect's participatory art experience. Spacesuit-clad performers with live theatre, music, interactive interfaces and AI voice-cloning technology. 164 Hunter Street. Every day. $45.
Blanc de Blanc Encore: World-class cabaret produced by Strut & Fret, under the Spiegeltent. Civic Park. $76.
My Life As a Symphony: Kate Ceberano sings her personal favourites with a live orchestra. Civic Theatre. September 22. $109.
Spewy: A newly-commissioned play by Ang Collins. A rom-com set in Newcastle. Earp Distilling, Carrington. September 27-30 (4 shows) $40.
Voices of Joan: Janie Gibson's solo show telling the story of Joan of Arc with wit, humour and costume changes. New Lambton Community Centre. September 27-30. $40.
Boy & Bear: A rare regional tour on the back of their recently released fifth studio album, they are a long-time darling of indie music fans. Civic Theatre. 8pm, September 28. $69.
