fortyfivedownstairs Declares The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne A Success

The first whirlwind week of The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne is a triumph!

Theatre:The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne
Finucane & Smith

"Subversively sexy, uproarious and outrageous...Finucane is undeniably brilliant" The Age, June 21 2011

"You'll be infatuated with these nude, rude and wickedly hilarious acts" Herald Sun , June 21 2011

The superlatives have rolled in for the remarkable creation that is The Burlesque Hour Loves Melbourne.

Moira Finucane and Jackie Smith have come up with another winner, with some brilliant new acts that run the gamut of emotions.They will send you out into the winter night on an exuberant high!

Thrill to Holly Durant's beautiful dance, so evocative of art deco images - gasp at Moira Finucane's astounding homage to the Water Wall of the NGV (impossible to describe, you have to see it!). I don't want to spoil the surprise, but you will never be able to hear Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again without seeing Maude Davey's demented performance!

This year we have a new guest star each week - dazzling Deborah Conway this week until June 26, followed by the brilliant Pamela Rabe unleashing her inner wild child until July 10 and only one performance (on July 2) by the mock rock, faux-German gothic cabaret duo, Die Roten Punkte - not to be missed!!

See our website for all the details, 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

Gallery: Heartlands
Multicultural Arts Victoria Refugee Fine Art Prize 2011
Until Saturday 25 June

The Multicultural Arts Foundation and AMES (Australian Migration and Education Solutions) have combined to bring us the Heartlands Refugee Fine Art Prize 2011.

Refugees who have arrived in Australia since 1970 were eligible to enter the prize, and a heartwarming exhibition is the result. This is a touching exhibition, demonstrating how much these artists value their arrival in Australia. The exhibition includes artists from 26 countries, including Burma, Cambodia, Iraq, Boznia, Syria, Sudan.

The major prizewinner, Ma Late, from Burma, has created a work which encapsulates her life in three countries, from the rural life of the Karen in Burma, through the refugee camp on the border with Thailand, and finally arrival and safety in Australia. This is a theme running through many of the works, wherever the artists come from.

Special Event: Cyprus: A Fifty Year Old Republic at Risk?
A free talk presented by Liberty Victoria.
Monday 27 June, 6:30pm

Visiting professor Dr. Van Coufoudakis, Dean Emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University-Purdue, Fort Wayne; will be discussing the long standing challenges facing the Republic of Cyprus after fifty years of independence.

In particular he will be looking at "the Cyprus problem" in the context of UN sponsored talks led by Australia's Alexander Downer as well as recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Free admission please RSVP to info@fortyfivedownstairs.com or call 9662 9966 by 25 June.

Coming up in the Gallery: We are delighted to welcome the highly respected Watters Gallery from Sydney, who are bringing two outstanding exhibitions. This is a highlight for art lovers, a great opportunity to see the work of these highly individual artists.

Large Gallery: Tony Tuckson
Figure Paintings
Tue 28 June to Sat 9 July

The paintings in this exhibition cover the seven years 1950 (he left art school in December 1949) to 1956 when, at last, he embraced - or was embraced by - abstraction. Most of these have not been exhibited publicly before.

Small Gallery: Reg Mombassa
Coloured In
Tue 28 June to Sat 9 July

Chris O'Doherty a.k.a. Reg Mombasa, who is also known as a member of the band Mental As Anything, and as a designer for the iconic Mambo Design. Mombassa states "This show consists of a selection of recent paintings, drawings and etchings. Most of the landscapes included are of places I have been to in the last year or so."

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

The production that thrilled over 3000 people earlier this year, returns as a result of popular demand. The stories, both moving and humourous, of the refugees who arrived in Australia as a result of upheavals in Europe in the 30's and 40's, still have powerful relevance and resonance today.

"This is a joy. It is a vast-hearted, gleeful riot of story, music, dance, wonderment and cake..It is (also)a close encounter with... survivors from another world ...impossible in their courage."
Andrew Fuhrmann Curtain Call

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.

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

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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 .