Pride March
Pride March celebrates its 20th Anniversary on Sunday February 1, with the theme of celebrating 20 years. Join over 100 groups and individuals as they march down Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, with all the colour and excitement you’ve come to expect, plus the added flavour of this special anniversary celebration. See the original marchers lead out again and celebrate first timers. It starts on the corner of Lakeside Drive and Fitzroy Street and goes along Fitzroy Street, finishing at Catani Gardens on the St Kilda foreshore. Assembly is at noon and the march starts at 2pm.
The Fastest Clock In The Universe
Presented by Four Letter Word Theatre
Do you like your theatre a tad on the shocking side? We sure as fuck do. And acclaimed theatre company Four Letter Word Theatre certainly know how to bring twisted to the stage. This Midsumma, join Four Letter Word Theatre and prolific Australian director Robert Chuter as they present their latest live offering, Phillip Ridley’s contemporary classic, The Fastest Clock In The Universe. We’re shaking in our seats already.
This truly twisted production focuses the lens on the dark side of the human condition through one man’s startling obsession with youth and beauty. Comedic and horrific, romantic and violent, The Fastest Clock In The Universe centres on the completely conceited 30-year-old Cougar Glass, who is celebrating his ‘19th birthday’ for yet another year, in order to seduce an unwitting young schoolboy. What a catch, right?
The Captain, Cougar’s partner and elderly neighbour Cheetah Bee do everything in their power to keep Cougar calm as he gears up for the party; they know all too well what happens when things don’t go to plan. Foxtrot Darling arrives dressed to impress, with a boyish charm and a twinkle in his eye – the party has got off to a flying start. Everything is running smoothly until a surprise guest arrives. As tensions rise, the game plans shift and Cougar is forced to decide what to do next.
This is a place where human cruelty and blind faithfulness clash, and Cougar Glass’ desires lead everyone around him into his most destructive birthday party yet.
When: Wednesday January 21 – Saturday January 3, 8pm.
Venue: Chapel Off Chapel.
Adolescent
Presented by Michael Griffiths
You’re only as old as you feel, right? Well, acclaimed cabaret singer and Midsumma royalty Michael Griffiths knows this sentiment far too well. Griffiths isn’t going to let turning 40 have any impact on his extended adolescence. This Midsumma, join Griffiths in his performance of Adolescent, where he’ll share an assortment of tales: falling in love, having an identity crisis and how touring in jukebox musicals has kept him maintain his emotional immaturity.
Adolescent features a collection of songs that Griffiths knows just a little too well – songs from Jersey Boys, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and a mountain of hits from his first true love: ‘80s pop.
Griffiths is an acclaimed cabaret performer, who’s been nominated for two Green Room awards, Best Cabaret at Perth Fringeworld and won Best Cabaret Adelaide Fringe 2014. His acclaimed cabaret shows In Vogue: Songs By Madonna and Sweet Dreams: Songs by Annie Lennox have delighted critics and audiences all across Australia and beyond to New York, London, Hong Kong, Auckland and Edinburgh where he received five star reviews and standing ovations.
When: Wednesday January 21 – Sunday February, 7pm.
Venue: Fortyfivedownstairs.
Northcote Town Hall Summer Jamboree
Summer Jamboree returns for its second outing this January in Northcote Town Hall’s Civic Square. Spend seven long lazy sunsets unwinding with a cool beverage while they do all the rest. On the opening weekend of Summer Jamboree (January 23, 24 and 25) the fabulous Tina del Twist (aka Wes Snelling) will be appearing nightly with a special event titled Tina’s Jamboree Jukebox. The event will run in tandem with Yana Alana’s Tears Before Bedtime, which is showing in one of their studios the same weekend as part of Midsumma. Tina’s Jamboree Jukebox will be a sort of musical combination of a lucky dip and Russian Roulette, as the audience randomly select Tina’s set list and our diva struggles to go on with the show, despite the hands of fate and too many martinis thwarting her efforts. Tina’s Jamboree Jukebox kicks off at 6.30pm on Friday January 23 and Saturday January 24, and 5.30pm Sunday January 25 at the Northcote Town Hall, 189 High St.
GoWest
If you’re searching for something to head along to this Midsumma, look no further than GoWest. Initiated by Hobsons Bay City Council, over the years GoWest has developed to become the key Western region collaboration of councils, community organisations and businesses who support our LGBTIQ communities. GoWest unites a bevy of local organisations and artists who represent LGBTIQ communities in the western region of Melbourne, and showcase a mountain of super special Midsumma events. This year, GoWest’s Midsumma events clock in at well over 20, and their scope of events is huge, spanning from author talks, captivating caravan burlesque, roller derby, killer contemporary theatre, visual art exhibitions and a mountain more, guaranteeing the sentiment, ‘west is best’ rings true this Midsumma.
Daniel Witthaus: Man On A Mission
Join gay rights advocate, education activist and author Daniel Witthaus for a cuppa and chat at the Footscray Library to speak on gay rights and issues. Witthaus is an extraordinary man with an extraordinary mission: to eliminate homophobia in Australia, and change the world, one cuppa at a time. In order to complete this goal, in 2010, Witthaus embarked on a 266-day journey across Australia, visiting rural, regional and urban Australia. His quest was to challenge homophobia in these regional centres, and along the way, he discovered what contemporary life is really like for LGBTIQ people and met an assortment of characters, from foul-mouthed police officers, transgender treasures, a billionaire’s butler, gay jackaroos and straight lumberjacks looking to change. His stories culminated into a published work, Beyond Priscilla: One Gay Man, One Gay Truck, One Big Idea.
When: Thursday February 5, 6pm-7pm.
Venue: Footscray Library.
Finucane & Smith’s Caravan Burlesque…Wilder West!
This Midsumma, Finucane & Smith’s Caravan Burlesque… Wilder West! makes a triumphant returning to The Substation, after a fierce season in 2014.
Direct from amassing five star reviews across five continents, playing to 10,000 people in the streets of Sao Paulo, and boasting sell out seasons in Paris, Sydney Opera House, London, Tokyo and Buenos Aires, the world’s most indefinable divas descend on the velvet ballroom of The Substation to bring you a smoking hot salon like no other.
Expect wild child circus, smouldering songs, live art exotica, demon dance and jaw-dropping, eye-popping, electrifying acts. The legendary house of Finucane & Smith, renowned throughout the world for their creation of extraordinary world’s “so beautiful it hurts to leave them” are unpacking a whole new box of acts and artistes for the wildest show in the west.
When: Thursday February 5 – Saturday February 7, Thursday February 12 – Saturday February 14.
Venue: The Substation.
Walk With Pride
Have you ever wondered what an international pride event may look like? Let us introduce you to Walk with Pride;a breathtaking photographic journey of 32 images of pride events across 14 countries, captured by renowned NYC photographer Charles Meacham.
This premier Midsumma event and stunning exhibition is on display at the Walter Burley Griffin designed arts space at the Incinerator Art Gallery from January 30 – February 22.
In his quest to document the fight for LGBTIQ equality, Meacham travelled to pride events in Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, Lithuania, Belarus, Romania, Russia, Croatia, Turkey, UK, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Israel. Each of Meacham’s captivating images provides tremendous insight into the lives of activists, pride participants and the specific issues faced by LGBTIQ people in their respective countries.
With the aim of offering an international perspective to the 20th anniversary of Melbourne Pride, Walk with Pride isa powerful reminder of how far the LGBTIQ community has come, and how far there is still to go in obtaining equality on a global scale.
When: Friday January 30 – Sunday February 22.
Venue: Incinerator Art Gallery.
Edi Donald And The Transients
Edi Donald and the Transients will journey from the Northern Territory to Footscray Community Arts Centre for their run of Premier Midsumma performances. This six-piece band from Alice Springs formed in late 2013 to bring the songs from Donald’s EP The Endless Shores of the Inland Sea to the stage.
With a body of work that approaches ideas of gender identity, isolation and inclusion, questions of privilege and social responsibility, which are all reflected in the unfathomable enormity of the desert, Edi Donald and the Transients’ huge array of influences span operatic theatricality, delicately woven electronic production, acoustic world roots and gritty alternative influences.
The band showcases the artistry of cellist Isabelle Kirkbride, vocalist and kora player Rebecca Matthews, violinist and vocalist Claire Wieland, percussionist and drummer Shon Klose, bassist, accordionist and ukulele player Svetlana Bunic, and singer/songwriter and guitarist Edi Donald.
Donald’s vivid lyricism is the backbone of Edi Donald and the Transients. Their live performance is a gripping and detailed audio-visual performance, showcasing layered and complex songs set against visual projections of the macro and micro of abstracted landscape and rust.
When: Thursday January 29 – Saturday January 31, 9pm.
Venue: FCAC Basement Theatre.
Transgender Seeking…
Presented by Sunny Drake
Premiering at Footscray Community Arts Centre, Transgender Seeking… is an exposing, funny and tender look at queer and trans relationships, the bold visions we have and our often hilarious struggles to live up to them. Transgender Seeking… features an array of hilarious and tender multimedia confessions of a queer romanc-aholic, who’s trying his very best to give romance the flick, cold turkey.
Transgender Seeking… is an accessible piece of theatre which features visually stunning, highly interactive projections and sound. Run-ins with the anti-monogamy police about jealousy, online dating mishaps and figuring out whether to throw out or reinvent mainstream relationship ideals all combine in a smart, fast-paced take on dating in an age of social media and technology.
When: Tuesday January 27 – Saturday January 31, 7:30pm.
Venue: FCAC Performance Space.
