THE LITTLE RED DRESS: Waiting By The Wireless

In war time, love, laughter and loss are all the fashion…

A colourful new cabaret debuts at The Butterfly Club this month – and it all began with a little red dress.

Young dynamic Melbourne artist Jenny Patrone is still tapping her toes after winning the Popular Choice award for Short+Sweet Dance 2009 recently, but is now taking a walk in someone’s shoes with her own cabaret show of WWII-style songs, based on amazing real-life stories of women in wartimes.

When Jenny started the Creating Solo Cabaret course earlier this year, she began investigating a period of history and music that had always fascinated her.   She soon uncovered real letters and private stories from the lives of British girls whose fun-loving, light-hearted teen years changed abruptly when their sweethearts, neighbours and brothers were called to enlist.

The Little Red Dress marks the moment when the world went back to war, and dance, song and laughter were needed to get daughters, sisters and lovers through long weeks of waiting by the wireless - hoping their boys come home soon, and fearing the worst every time a telegram arrived.   Starring Jenny Partrone, accompanied by Adrian Portell, guest-starring Adam Nunn and directed by Kim Edwards, The Little Red Dress opens at The Butterfly Club on Thursday November 26 until November 29.

 

The Little Red Dress

Tickets www.thebutterflyclub.com $17/22

Thurs-Sat 7pm, Sun 6pm

The Butterfly Club, 204 Bank St, Sth Melbourne

Enquiries 9690 2000

CREATING SOLO CABARET COURSE: Summer Classes

Are you going to be starved for a creative outlet over the Christmas break?   Will you desperately need some envigorating theatre experience?!

By request, there will be a final series of 2009 classes for the Creating Solo Cabaret course – this is your chance to escape the Christmas carols (thank goodness!) and make the most of that stagnant performance-less period (hooray!), so you can get your own solo showcase up and running for 2010.

Give yourself and your theatre career an early Christmas present, and get creative with cabaret this summer!

The six-week course at The Butterfly Club in South Melbourne includes a cabaret ‘Starter Pack’ and ‘What Next?’ information kits, week-by-week worksheets, three two-hour workshops of intensive cabaret developing, writing and editing, a two-hour song masterclass and a three-hour rehearsal session.  

The curriculum culminates in two Performance Nights (with lighting technician and accompanist provided) where participating artists sell tickets and perform a fifteen-minute extract from their developing show as part of a professional paid cabaret experience, followed by a feedback session and discussion class.

Dates:

Workshops (2 hrs)
Session 1      7.30-9.30pm Mon Nov 30
Session 2      7.30-9.30pm Mon Jan 7
Session 3      7.30-9.30pm Mon Jan 14

Masterclass (2 hrs)
Session 4      7.30-9.30pm Mon Dec 21

Rehearsal (3 hrs)
Session 5      7:30-10:30pm Mon Jan 4

Performance Nights (2 one-hr performances + follow-up discussion)
Session 6       8-11:00pm Tue/Wed Jan 12/13

Total Cost: $480 inclusive.

Contact: Course Co-ordinator Dr. Kim Edwards at playright@optusnet.com.au for your application form, more information or the next round dates for 2010

Theatre People
In Focus: Kim Edwards
http://theatrepeople.com.au/feature_articles/2009/may/20090524_tp_infocus_kimedwards.htm

Arts Hub
Creating Solo Cabaret
http://www.artshub.com.au/

Facebook Group
Creating Solo Cabaret
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=793560557#/group.php?gid=60549178072

Mum’s The Word: FROM HERE TO MATERNITY

This long weekend, how about celebrating with something a bit different?

Why not treat yourself to a fun night out with the girls for the return season of this hilarious show?!

Here’s what the lovely lady herself has to say about it…

Dear Mums,

My name is Lizzie Matjacic and I’d like to tell you about my cabaret show!  

It’s a fun look at the trials and tribulations of being a mum, right from pregnancy through to mothering a toddler and beyond – with some great show tunes thrown in!   I am a mum with a 4 year-old son and am about to do it all again in February with my second, so this is my personal story and something I am hoping you will enjoy and relate to as a mother’s group.   So, grab your girlfriends and a babysitter for the night and come and have a relaxed and fun night of entertainment with me!

Love, Lizzie xxx

From Here To Maternity is a funny and nostalgic look at the joys of motherhood – from pregnancy tests and parenting tips to teething toddlers and tipsy teddy bears…

Lizzie has learnt that Mother doesn’t always know best, but it can sometimes be fun finding out!

Mum’s the word!

Written and performed by Lizzie Matjacic
Accompanied by Adeline Han
Directed by Kim Edwards

Thur-Sat 7pm 29-31 Oct, Sun 6pm 1 Nov

The Butterfly Club
204 Bank St, South Melbourne

Tickets $22/17
Bookings: www.thebutterflyclub.com
Enquiries: 03 9690 2000

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=162777573072&index=1