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Published: Wednesday, 24 November 2021 15:11

Written by Greg Letts

On a cool spring night with a fresh breeze blowing around the UWA grounds, the scene was set for Black Swan State Theatre Company's production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. Fortunately the Octagon Theatre proved to be wind-proof, as otherwise the audience would have ended up covered in grit, since we were greeted by the cast prowling a sandy beach and venturing into the uncharted waters of the audience in search of additional props.

As the later arrivals continued to filter in, those of us who were already seated were treated to a few sea-shanties by the cast, who all seemed to be in good humour and poised for action. And then the final stirring notes faded away and the play began in earnest.

As somebody whose exposure to Shakespeare amounts to suffering through Macbeth in high school and recognising a few of his more famous quotations, I wasn't sure how I would go with listening to an hour and forty minutes of old style English.

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Published: Thursday, 11 November 2021 10:57

Written by Nita Teoh

What is it like to be homeless?

One can only imagine its difficulties if you have never been in such a situation.

In Western Australia, according to the organisation Shelter WA:

“ It is estimated that 9000 people experience homelessness on any given night, 1000 of which are sleeping rough and

Nearly 30% of WA’s homeless population are First Nations People with 39% of these people under 18 years of age. “

The making of the movie “Some Happy Day” by director /writer Catherine Hills was inspired by her own twenty years of experience working as a social worker with rough sleepers.

Tina meets Frances over the course of one day.

Tina is homeless and doing it rough whilst looking for her boyfriend, whilst Frances is a social worker who helps others get back on their feet. On the surface, Frances seems to have it all together, but behind the scenes she is facing her own serious relationship challenges.

Some Happy Day is a confronting movie that exposes the harsh realities of homelessness - where the basics of shelter, food and warm clothing cannot be taken for granted.

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Published: Saturday, 16 October 2021 09:18

Written by Nita Teoh

What is so special about dogs ? - their unconditional love for a start and much, much more.

Where do we begin? As avid dog lovers – my partner and I heading off to the Subiaco Arts Centre – with a dog-owning friend in tow to watch “Bite the Hand” by The Last Great Hunt.

In Australia according to the RSPCA nearly 1 in 2 households own dogs and this trend is on the rise. We love our dogs and couldn’t do without them for many and varied reasons.

Human and man’s best friend – our relationships with our beloved dog is an important one – simplex and complex all at once.

The Last Great Hunt takes us on an interesting journey to explore what might happen if our favourite canines had more intelligence, and thus more power and the ability to express and exert their will. Would we be better off in terms of strengthening our bond through greater understanding between human and dog ?

Would the human be better off ? The dog as well? Both parties ?

We often say “If only they could talk to us” - but what are the implications if they really could?

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Published: Wednesday, 06 October 2021 08:52

Written by Lee-Ann Khoh

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one of those classics that many people know about it, regardless of whether or not they’ve read it. It’s a satirical take on the Russian Revolution, the birth of the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin’s rise to power – in which animals revolt against human farmers and set up their own Communist utopia. But as Van Badham’s adaptation shows, there are plenty of parallels to modern day politics in the Western world.

Inspired by prize-winning boar Old Major’s dreams of an egalitarian society, the animals of Manor Farm overthrow Mr Jones and establish their own nation state, Animal Farm, led by pig revolutionaries. As time goes by,

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Published: Friday, 27 August 2021 09:30

Written by Lee-Ann Khoh

Written by playwright Duncan Macmillan and comedian Jonny Donahoe, Every Brilliant Thing has been touted as a funny play about depression – a description that certainly got my attention even before I went to see it. And what I got was… well, a funny play about depression. And so much more.

Every Brilliant Thing has only one cast member – in this case, Luke Hewitt – playing an unnamed character who narrates the story of his life, beginning with his mother’s first suicide attempt. The then-seven-year-old child begins writing a list of the brilliant little things that make life worth living. Over the years, he revisits the list, as he grows into adolescence and adulthood, and his mother makes further suicide attempts.

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Published: Friday, 06 August 2021 08:54

Written by Nita Teoh

It’s a running joke that we often love our dogs more than we love our partners!

Perhaps its their unconditional love that makes us love our dogs more and we do often go to great lengths for our dogs to show our love for them in return.

With their trust and acceptance (as well as many other amazing traits), dogs are indeed special.

The directors of the documentary “We Don’t Deserve Dogs”, Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker, provide an interesting take on what meaning dogs can provide to human lives.

They have provided a wide perspective from a number of people around the world living in a vast range of circumstances: from therapy dogs who provide comfort and assistance to people who have experienced severe trauma, to simple pet dogs that provide a special bond and companionship to their owners.

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