What’s on in Melbourne Victoria – Melbourne Festival 2011

From the 6th to the 22nd of October, the well-renowned, multi-faceted Melbourne Festival is back.
This international arts festival will be dishing up a mixture of visual arts, dance, theatre, music, multimedia and outdoor events. It’s a collaboration of all that’s creative and unites the colourful, the experimental and the down-right bizarre.
They will be showcasing not only local Melbournites but also other Australian and international artists too.
Sarah Wilk from BBM has trawled through the comprehensive guide to find the best pick of the bunch…

MUSIC at the Melbourne Festival

What: Notes from the Hard Road And Beyond
Where: Sidney Myer Music Bowl
When: Saturday 22nd October
Why: It’s been described as the musical event of the year with its host of musicians and performers including gospel singer Mavis Staples, Grammy award-winning Joss Stone and Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Paul Dempsey singing songs from all the greats including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Green Day. The Melbourne Festival quotes this musical collaboration as being “a unique and joyous testament to the indomitable nature of the human spirit through music.” It’s a 2 and a half hour event that is a must-see for all you music buffs out there.

THEATRE at the Melbourne Festival

What: Half-Real
Where: Malthouse Theatre, Tower Theatre
When: Friday 28th – Saturday 15th October
Why: The Border Project is bringing Half-Real to The Melbourne Festival. Half-Real is a new kind of interactive theatre that lets the audience take control of the narrative. The spectators become investigators into a murder mystery that takes place before their eyes and they use a handheld controller to input their choice. This experimental performance really pushes the boundaries of what theatre can do and is sure to be a sell-out.

DANCE at the Melbourne Festival

What: Tom Tom Crew
Where: Forum Theatre
When: Tuesday 4th – Sunday 22nd October
Why: Tom Tom Crew is an all-male Australian urban-styled acrobatic troop that combines street cultures such as beat-boxing and break dancing with their gravity-defying dance moves. This is all driven by percussionist Ben Walsh who drums up the crowd while the boys perform high-velocity moves that are not for the faint-hearted. Gone are the days of the Waltz and the Tango, this is adrenaline-fuelled modern dance at its best.

ART at the Melbourne Festival

What: Power to the People: Contemporary Conceptualism and the Object in Art
Where: Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
When: Thursday 6th October – Sunday 24th November
Why: If an exhibition poster has ‘Warning: Occasional full-frontal nudity’ on it then that’s it, I’m sold. Bring on the full-frontal nudity. But apart from that, this exhibition has no less than eighteen artists exhibiting contemporary work on artistic landscapes, dynamic situations and installations. Inspired by the power of the people, this exhibition sounds like one definitely worth seeing. Artists include Peter Friedl, Olaf Nicolai, Dora Garcia and Seth Price.

https://www.melbournefestival.com.au/