Fortyfivedownstairs Receives Nominations at The Helpmann Awards

fortyfivedownstairs announces that they and Finucane & Smith have each received 2 nominations for the prestigious Helpmann Awards for 2011.

The Helpmann Awards are Australia's equivalent of Broadway's Tonys or Britain's Olivier Awards. So congratulations to Moira Finucane and Jackie Smith (creators of The Burlesque Hour) for Carnival of Mysteries, presented at fortyfivedownstairs during the Melbourne Arts Festival 2010. Carnival of Mysteries is nominated in the Best New Australian Work category! (news of our own nominations at the end of this newsletter.)

Theatre: The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne
Finucane & Smith

This week's special guest is Pamela Rabe one of Australia's finest actors, who has fallen under the spell of The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne, with its mix of wild subversion and glamour.

Pamela's erotic monologue has electrified audiences as she stalks the stage in black leather like a Demon Goddess! fortyfivedownstairs is now housing some of the most outrageous, hilarious and sexy women in town. Pamela Rabe is performing with the company until Sunday 10 July.

From 14 - 17 July the special guests are internationally acclaimed Phillip Adams' BalletLab (double Helpmann Awards nominee this year for Best Choreography and also Best Ballet or Dance Work) who will bring their unique brand of edgy contemporary dance to the catwalk. In other exciting news, special guest star Meow Meow has just announced she will be performing for an exrta week, and will now be with us from the 21 - 31 July.

See our website for all the details and more special guests, and if you can't make up your mind what to do, call us for the special deal for two or more shows!

Season Friday 17 June - Sunday 14 August
Times: Thursday & Sunday 7pm, Friday & Saturday 7pm & 9:30pm
Tickets: Catwalk Full $65, Catwalk Conc $55, General Full $55, General Conc $45

Book online here or call 9662 9966
Large Gallery: Tony Tuckson
Figurative Paintings
Until 5pm Sat 9 July

Leading Sydney gallery, Watters, which has represented Tony Tuckson since the early 1970s has brought an exhibition of early works by this highly regarded artist. These are early figurative paintings, many of which have not been exhibited before.

Tuckson was a curator at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and felt it was inappropriate for him to exhibit his work while he held such a position. As a result, he exhibited very few times before his premature death at the age of 53.

These works of the 1950s depict portraits of his wife and child, and clearly show the influences of European modernist painters. These are the precursors to the painterly abstractions for which he is so well known.

Small Gallery: Reg Mombassa
Coloured In
until 5pm Sat 9 July

Another outstanding exhibition brought to us by Watters Gallery. Here is a vibrant and inventive imagination at work - both romantic and surreal with fantasy creatures and realistic landscape. The domestic and the untamed together in flights of fancy... Only to be expected from the painter, musician (Mental as Anything) and Mambo designer.

If you don't make it in before 9 July, Reg and his brother, Peter also have an upcoming exhibition at The Australian Print Workshop in Fitzroy this August.

ExtendEd Gallery hours for these exhibitions, 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 11am to 5pm Saturday.

Coming up in the Gallery: Bronwyn Raven Purrula
Painting
Tue 12 to Sat 23 July

Bronwyn Raven Purrula started to paint fifteen years ago while she was living and working in Yulara and Mutitjulu in the Northern Territory. She was taught by her Anangu elders, and now paints her own experiences, using ancient iconography, ochres and contemporary colour. This is a major exhibition from an artist who has distilled her life experiences into a powerful show.

Coming up in the Theatre : Café Scheherazade
A fortyfivedownstairs production
Sat 20 August to Sun 11 September

Café Scheherazade returns to fortyfivedownstairs on Saturday 20 August. Popular demand has brought back a production that thrilled over 3000 people earlier this year. The play, by Thérèse Radic, is based on the powerful stories first brought to public notice in the 2001 novel by Arnold Zable. The close knit team of director and performers have brought the characters who survived so much to vivid life, and delighted sell out audiences earlier this year.

Dates: Sat 20 August - Sun 11 September*
Times: Tue - Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm, Matinee Wed 24 & 31 Aug 2pm, Matinee Sat 27 Aug & 3 Sep 4pm.
Tickets: Full $45, Seniors $40, Conc $37.50, Group(10+) $40
*No performance on Sunday 21 August

Book online here or call 03 9662 9966.

More Congratulations!

On Monday night, Do not go gentle... was shortlisted in the Helpmann Awards 2011 in the category Best Play and we have great pleasure and pride in announcing the nomination of Anne Phelan (Best Supporting Actress) for Do not go gentle... The Helpmann Awards will be broadcast live on the pay tv channel Studio on 1 August.

Bookings for all fortyfivedownstairs shows: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com tel 9662 9966

Since 2002 fortyfivedownstairs, a not-for-profit organisation, has offered an evocative urban space and a personalised service to an eclectic mix of artists for theatre, visual arts, forum, music and dance .