fortyfivedownstairs Announces Their Upcoming Shows And Events

February already! This year certainly hasn't started off slowly. However that most fabulously means that our Searchlight Festival is almost here; we're delighted to have this lineup of truly wonderful perfomers, directors and playwrights in our theatre all in one week! Read more about Searchlight, as well as about the exhibitions, theatre, events ... all below:

Gallery: These are the last few days to see two very different, but equally intriguing exhibitions both of which blend art with the political:

Gunns20
Lost and Saved: 21 Reasons to Protect Peaceful Protest
until 4pm Saturday 13 February

These are wonderful photographs which demonstrate just why we have to protect wilderness areas - stunningly beautiful landscapes from photographers Olegas Truchanas, Peter Dombrovskis, Rob Blakers, Wolfgang Glowacki and Senator Bob Brown.

Book Launch: Gagged: The Gunns20 and Other Law Suits
Greg Ogle
11 February, 5.30pm

The inside story of the long running "Gunns 20" lawsuit: Gagged, by Greg Ogle, puts the case in the context of threats to free speech and the right to political protest.

The book is being launched by Brian Walters, SC.

Free entry, all welcome.

Gallery: Giang Nguyen
My paintings are my voice
until 4pm Saturday 13 February

Giang Nguyen is a young Vietnamese artist whose work expresses identity, gender and sexuality as a young gay woman in a culture where homosexuality is a taboo. This is a rare opportunity to see work by a dynamic contemporary artist from an environment we usually associate with a more conservative art practice. Giang Nguyen is represented by Deborah Salter Fine Art.

More information on our website.

Music: Made in China
Presented by Operalab

We celebrate Chinese New Year with a very special musical event
Made in China, a theatrical work for Western opera and Peking Opera, featuring the Australian soprano Xenia Hanusiak, and Yi Zhang, Wang Zheng Ting and Jim Atkins. Made in China has especially conceived for Xenia by China's leading contemporary composer Zhang Xiao, and this is its Australian premiere.

One Night Only: Sunday 14 February, 5pm
Tickets: $23/$17

Theatre: Searchlight Festival
17 - 21 February

Our own exciting festival of new and established works by outstanding independent performers. Opening on Wednesday February 17 with anti-cabaret Intimate Apparel, and continuing until Sunday, we have music, new theatre writing, forums, performance art, an evening with 8 playwrights reading short excerpts from their own work, and much more.

The Searchlight blog also has lots of extra news, interviews, artists' profiles and images.

Wednesday - Sunday, starting times various.
Tickets: $5 - $20
Book online through our website

Gallery: Imogen Barragga Hall
nature as history
16 - 27 February

A series of new and poetic photographs by Imogen - the majority from a recent trip to Japan which influenced her profoundly.

More information on our website.

Gallery: Alf Clark
Unsettling Portraits and Art Furniture
16 - 27 February

A series of highly colored portraits, deliberately quirky, some could even be grotesque. A fascinating and sometimes unsettling exhibition.

More information on our website.

Theatre: The Memory Progressive
Phantom Limbs
24 - 27 February

The Memory Progressive is a new contemporary dance and multi-media work presented by the emerging dance company Phantom Limbs. This is an elegant and sensual work, a collaboration between the company's founders, Amy Macpherson and James Welsby, with composer and animator James P. Brown. They are joined by Lily Paskas and Rennie McDougall.

Four performances only!
Wednesday - Saturday 8pm
Tickets: $23/$18
Book online through our website

Theatre: Men
Straightjacket Productions
4 - 21 March

Men arrives! The long awaited season of Men by Brendan Cowell previews on Thursday March 4.

Sarah Hallam directs an outstanding group of young actors: Samuel Johnson, Jay Bowen, Justin Rosnaik and Georgia Bolton, in this powerful play by Sydney writer and actor Brendan Cowell.

Tuesday - Saturday 8pm, Sunday 6pm
Tickets: $28/$23
Tight Arse Tue (16March) $20/ Early bird preview $18
Book online through our website
fortyfivedownstairs news: Café Scheherezade in St. Kilda is a fond memory for many Melburnians, and Arnold Zable's book of the same name was a runaway best seller in 2003. Now the book has become a play, written by Thérèse Radic. fortyfivedownstairs is proud to be producing this tale of indomitable human spirit, and this week the theatre has been given over to the actors and musicians to work with the director, Bagryana Popov, on the first stage of bringing these great stories to life again.

For your diary:
2 - 13 March 2010
Paper, Scissors, Paint , paintings by Mary Edquist.

... And a Happy Chinese New Year to all!

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

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