fortyfivedownstairs Presents Theatre from Spain and Art from China

fortyfivedownstairs welcomes theatre from Spain, art from China and a free classical performance this Friday featuring the works of Austrian and Russian composers.

Large Gallery: Antonietta Covino-Beehre, Deanna Hitti, and Carolyn Lewens
Tales of Romance, Exploitation and Longing
Until Sat 1 October

A wonderful title for an exhibition by three leading printmakers, Antonietta Covino-Beehre, Deanna Hitti and Carolyn Lewens. Using experimental techniques and unconventional methods, they overturn conventional techniques with their use of woodcuts, intaglio, collagraphs and cyanotypes - cyan meaning "dark blue substance" - in this case used in a dramatic photographic printing process by Carolyn Lewens.

Small Gallery: Ding Liren
Landscape, Beauty, Context
Until Sat 1 October

Ding Liren, a senior Chinese artist and professor in Art at the University of Shanghai, is exhibiting in Australia for the first time. This is the fourth in a series of exhibitions curated by Jade Yang, celebrating the Chinese Year of Culture in Australia. A group of media works show us the contemporary Chinese village landscape which we do not see on film or television, while small oils on canvas reflect back to a China of legends and folk lore.
Theatre : Fourplay
Vicious Fish Theatre
30 September - 9 October

The term "sexual agent provocateur", which has been used to describe the work of Spanish film maker Pedro Almodovar, could equally well apply to the contemporary Catalan playwright Sergi Belbel. Fourplay is a postmodern bedroom farce - a game of seduction, rebuttal and dysfunction...

This is the fourth in a series of plays by Belbel to be presented by independent company Vicious Fish Theatre. Following hard on the heels of "The Dollhouse" this is proving a specially memorable Fringe Festival for us. A word to the wise - please don't leave it till the last couple of days to see this show - we have had to turn away people for every production this year.

Dates: Fri 30 - Sun 9 October
Times: Tue- Sat 7pm, Sunday 5pm
Tickets: Full $27, Conc/ Preview $17, Tight Tuesday/Groups 6+ $15

Book online or call 03 9662 9966.

Classical performance: Flinders Quartet
1pm Friday 30 September

We are delighted to welcome the Flinders Quartet back to fortyfivedownstairs. A wonderful opportunity to hear a free lunchtime recital by one of our finest classical instrumental groups - gold coin donations welcome!

Coming up at fortyfivedownstairs

Large Gallery: Shannon McGrath
Evolving Possibilities
Tue 4 - Sat 15 October

A contemporary Spanish play is complemented by Evolving Possibilities, an exhibition by photographer Shannon McGrath who is fascinated with two landmark buildings by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry - The Guggenheim in Bilbao, and the amazing Hotel de Marques Riscal - photographs which focus on form and surface.
Small Gallery: Rebekah Stuart
Toward the Haze
Tue 4 - Sat 15 October

In Toward the Haze, another beautiful photographic exhibition, Rebekah Stuart takes us on a path towards the sublime, using fragments of landscape and portraiture, which also subtly disorientate the viewer.

Theatre: Whiteley's Incredible Blue
A fortyfivedownstairs production in association with Melbourne Festival
13 - 23 October

We are proud to present fortyfivedownstairs' contribution to the Melbourne Festival. Barry Dickins' award winning play gives us a poetic, but unvarnished picture of the artist, Brett Whiteley. A lyrical text for actor Neil Pigot is directed by Julian Meyrick with Associate director Meredith Rogers, The Calvert George Fine trio, accompany with a live Jazz fusion performance.

Dates: Thur 13 - Sun 23 October, preview Wed 12 October
Times: Tue- Sun 8pm, additional late show 10pm Fri & Sat
Tickets: Full $45, Concession $37.50, Group 10 + $40, Preview $25

Book online or call 03 9662 9966.

For your diary

Discounted earlybird tickets are on sale now for A Stranger in Townbased on the true story of Otto Lampel, a Czech singer and composer who fled war torn Prague and found a new life, and fame, in Canada. 27 Oct - 13 Nov. Book online here or call 03 9662 9966.

Congratulations are in order yet again for playwright Patricia Cornelius.

There seems no end to the accolades for Do not go gentle... the superb play we presented at fortyfivedownstairs last year. The latest honours come from the Australian Writers' Guild, the AWGIES. Patricia won both the Major Award, and the award for Stage at a glittering event in Sydney on Friday. We are so proud to have been involved in this production, which we first heard as a result of the readings funded by the R.E.Ross Trust (note, another series of readings will be presented here in early December).

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 .

Don't Miss a Australia - Melbourne News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...