Gather. Dream. Amplify – It’s All About Celebration and Healing for This Year’s WorldPride Albert Kruger is the CEO of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) and has played a vital role in further developing and growing the organisation and building upon its focus on diversity and inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+ community. SGLMG is a not-for-profit organisation and is built on the foundations of fighting for the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, free creative expression, and challenging systems of injustice and inequality. Albert expressed that the SGLMG has a long history and was born from a protest on Oxford Street in 1978 and as a result the iconic strip is the beating heart of the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival. He explains that throughout the pandemic “we were proud to have never stopped marching, giving our communities in Sydney and across the world a moment of hope and pride during a very challenging time and that there could not be a more poignant year to return to Oxford Street — given we are welcoming the world Down Under for the first WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere, as well as celebrating the 45th anniversary of the first Mardi Gras.” Each year Mardi Gras has a theme and this year it is “Gather, Dream Amplify” incorporating the foundational values of inclusivity and accessibility. It is a calling for people to Gather and participate in a global movement. A time to Dream about the future, of possibilities and create a space of inclusivity for everyone who still does not have equality. And to Amplify what is important to you, while also including and wanting the same for everyone else. It is about both healing and celebration. The event has tried to incorporate the values of inclusivity and accessibility for everyone. There are so many ways for individuals of any age to get involved. Because of the large number of events, the best way to find out what's happening each day is to take a look at the WorldPride website and check out their festival program which will give you a ‘cheat sheet’ to all the times and places where events are happening. It is recommended that you plan and book early as a lot of events are ticketed. If you are looking at coming and getting involved in WorldPride this year, there are many ways that you can do this. For an all-age zone that is perfect for families then look no further than the new viewing area Ruby Road. It is located at the Moore Park end of the Parade route, so you will have uninterrupted views of the Parade. Feel free to pack a picnic or take advantage of the onsite food trucks, entertainment, bars and live screens to see all the action. If you would like to listen to the Human Rights conference, organisers have thought about all the ways to make it accessible. There is a wide array of ticket options available for individuals and groups, including free live stream and online virtual options if you can’t get to the event.

More on Newtown Described as a “coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist”, from 23 Nov, the New Theatre in Newtown is hosting the Australian premiere of the stage adaptation of The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel about a shocking suburban crime. The Lovely Bones was made into a successful film by Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, which, despite critics giving mixed reviews, was popular and financially successful. Does the New Theatre production compare to the film? And how did the director adapt to the stage an eloquent, disturbing and often heart-breaking story told from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl? Interview of The Lovely Bones play Director, Deborah Mulhall 2042 magazine caught up with writer-director Deborah Mulhall, who is overseeing the Australian production of the critically-acclaimed play, adapted for the stage by award-winning British playwright Bryony Lavery. * How has Covid-19 restrictions impacted on rehearsals of the production? Were early read-throughs of the script by the actors done via remote Zoom video meetings? With a wonderful cast and crew, we started rehearsals, had our pre-production meetings and our costumier excitedly began work. Then we had to shut down. In delay mode, we rehearsed via Zoom. I have to say it is most unsatisfactory - hard to develop relationships between characters or develop pace in a Zoom meeting. And the idea of being able to tie action to words is impossible. Then one is dogged with wi-fi drop-outs and lags. When it became obvious we were not going back anytime soon, the rehearsals became fortnightly well-being check-ins. . * It must be wonderful to be directing the Australian premiere of this famous story. How does it feel to be at the helm and what are the actors like to work with? It is rather famous, isn't it? I remember it as a book even the most reluctant readers would read. I have a Lovely group of people to work with and that is what I call them - my Lovelies. It isn't the first Australian premiere I have directed and hopefully won't be the last. I will say, I have always been most fortunate in my casts and crews. It is what I love about theatre - that anyone can participate - we only ask that you work hard and be punctual! * How did you come to direct this production, did the novel impact upon you personally or did Bryony Lavery's script appeal to you? Louise Fischer, the Artistic Director and I discussed this play after it was given the thumbs up by the Playreading Committee and then the New Theatre Executive. It speaks to the New Theatre ethos. I knew the novel from old; at the time of its publication I had two daughters in early adolescence and they loved it. Perhaps because it speaks with an authentic voice of a 14 year old girl. Her world, her dreams, Susie (the main character) never gets to grow up and so misses out on many "firsts". The grief of these losses and consequent anger, are played out against the grief of her family; and as the play moves through the years she has to watch them package up their grief and move on. This is something she struggles to do herself. * Does the play require multiple scene changes or can the different settings of the narrative be undertaken with quick reshuffling of furniture or selective partitioning and lighting? Up-front, I am a director who hates those clumsy scene changes where set furniture is shuffled and the audience sits in semi-darkness and the energy lags. All my plays are done on minimal, metaphorical sets. Characters move through the space and with the help of lighting and audio, create an experience which hopefully draws the audience in. "The play's the thing", not the set. Not the lighting. Or vision. Or audio. Those staging elements are there to enhance the play, not usurp it. * Has Bryony Lavery's stage script remained faithful to Alice Sebold's novel and Peter Jackson's film? Broadly faithful to the action and most faithful to the theme and intent of the novel. It has, thankfully, nothing to do with the Peter Jackson film which, I felt, tended to place emphasis on Susie's father Jack's journey; denying Susie her role as the centrepiece. Lavery's script places Susie squarely front and centre. I don't think there is any need for the play to pay any heed to the film - there is no relationship between them. This is an art form which draws from Sebold's own work and it is Sebold whose story we are telling, not Jackson's. * A film script of The Lovely Bones by writer-director Lynne Ramsay, commissioned prior to Lord of the Rings' director Peter Jackson took on the project, was rejected. Ramsay’s script deviated significantly from the book because she felt the heavenly scenes from the story were too ‘cute’ for the horror that underpins the narrative. What are your thoughts? Susie is not in "heaven", more a sort of waiting room for an afterlife - for that is how "heaven" is presented, as a peaceful place. She does not get to move on until she can let go of her family and her death. Lavery's script removes any religious references. And yes, like the novel, the play opens with scenes of horror - our stalwart lighting operator Ole was taken aback by how confronting the opening scenes were; commenting at a first reading, "Well, I have never seen a play start like that before!" But there is more to this story than the notion of a victim telling her story of her brutal death and the aftermath. Sebold included a social commentary about how women are treated by society generally and she did this through the metaphor of the Persephone myth. Like Persephone, Susie is taken underground and her life is severed from all she ever knew. Sebold has broadened this idea to include all the women in the story; and Lavery has faithfully used it to shape the play. The females are taken by men and placed in cages - cages of expectation or houses in the suburbs or relationships which inhibit freedom. "How did I ever get here?" ponders Susie's mother, a free spirit who has been caged by her loving husband. And this is the point - all the characters - apart from the killer - are nice people. The men are nice. The women are nice. And in some senses the men too are trapped by their personal stories - just as Hades himself was. If the men are driven to imprison the women they love or desire, on a larger scale the men are imprisoned by conformist expectations. Beyond a feminist commentary, this story is a social observation. It is not a cute story. But neither is it a horror story although it begins with an horrific event. It is about grief, about family and about a society which denies women even the knowledge of options. * Are plays tackling 'difficult' social issues, such as The Lovely Bones, something that attracts you, as a director? Love ém! Theater should be the mirror to society and I love the works that boldly go there. Such work can still be, and should be, entertaining but theatre also offers a place of debate. Good plays incite change - think of the work of Fugard and Havel! The New Wave which swept through theatre in Australia in the 70s and forced us to take a good look at ourselves. Look at what Rachel Chavin (USA) is doing for women and diverse stories on stage. What Alan Bennet has done for the LGBTQI community. What Jack Davis wrote to raise Indigenous issues in Australia. They make it impossible for the so-called narrow-minded majority to ignore the many faceted society they live in. The last play I directed for New Theatre was Pygmalion - not the sugary My Fair Lady which betrayed Shaw's attack on the treatment of the poor and the prejudice which accompanies perception. Not a new play but I have directed new work before and as Lou Fischer and several of my colleagues will tell you, I have a stubborn passion for new work. But I also have a passion for Shakespeare, who never pales and is always relevant and meaningful (and just quite poetically beautiful) and who played out realism before Ibsen and epic theatre before Brecht. * Anything you wish to add? I hope we get to bring it to you in November ... bit of a waiting game, isn't it? The Lovely Bones New Theatre 542 King St, Newtown DATES & TIMES Preview: Tue 23 November 7:30pm Press Night/Opening Night: Wed 24 November 7:30pm Thursday – Saturday 7:30pm Sunday 5pm Final performance: Saturday 18 December 2pm Event: https://newtheatre.org.au/the-lovely-bones/ Bookings: https://aunewtheatre.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/salesevent/10860 By Alec Smart

More on Surry Hills Astra Howard brings the personal to the public in Surry Hills with Village Voices. Village Voices - What and Where Tucked neatly in the laneway between Crown Street and Wilshire Street is Village Voices, an interactive art installation that sets out to preserve Surry Hills’ vibrant histories and unique stories in the words of its locals. I’m sitting across the artist behind it all, Astra Howard, in the cafe just around the corner. “I don’t know much about the cafes here,” Astra laughs. It doesn’t take long for me to realise that her area of expertise is, instead, the locals of Surry Hills – the real beating heart of the urban playground. Having volunteered and worked in a few homeless crisis services in the area since 2006, Astra witnessed first-hand the creativity of the people in their care. “So many of the individuals there were so creative,” she says. “We would have art and writing classes, then I realised, ‘Wow. There’s so many fantastic stories in a service like this.’” A seed – the desire to amplify those stories – was thus planted. While the thought lingered, Astra spent her next few years lecturing in Design at the University of New South Wales before coming across a callout for a public artwork as part of City of Sydney’s redevelopment of South Crown Street. With a background in Graphic Design, Astra tells me she has always been interested in the contentious nature of public spaces. As the 2002 Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship recipient, Astra has previously taken her passion for meaningful conversation to the streets of New York, Beijing, Delhi, and Paris. After toying with a few ideas and designs, she proposed Village Voices. The installation is a frame made of black steel with bars separated by spaces between them, allowing the display of only six lines of text. Beneath those bars, a few sets of letters hang securely, only slightly swaying to big gusts of wind. It resembles a typical sign plastered across the entrance of a movie theatre or a suburbian church, but Astra tells me she found her inspiration during her time in New York. “I was doing a residency there, and I saw these tiles up in subway stations where each tile had different letters on them,” Astra reveals. “I tried joining bits of tiles together to create sentences around them.” Village Voices quietly carries the weight of the words from the Surry Hills community, both figuratively and physically. Anyone can submit their writing, anonymously or not, through the dropbox next to the installation or via email. The artwork, though public, is so quiet that even locals have scurried by the alleyway without ever noticing it. As opposed to social media or advertising, which Astra often finds too fast-paced and aggressive, she intends for the installation to be subtle, slow, and reflective. “When you engage with public spaces in the city, there’s a lot of advertising that is quite loud and dominating,” Astra muses. “Amplifying the voices of individuals within a community reveals the true character of a neighbourhood.” “In Surry Hills, there are so many crisis services and the large Northcott social housing estate. So to have a neighbourhood that wouldn’t present those stories, where people wouldn’t see these individuals’ ideas, aspirations, challenges and frustrations, it wouldn’t be representative of the reality of the place.” This year marks the seventh year since Village Voices first secured its place within the fabric of Surry Hills. If there’s one thing that Astra still hasn’t gotten tired of, it’s being greeted by a fresh stack of submissions when she reaches into the dropbox. Whether they contain words from a child or someone living in a homeless shelter, she thinks every story is worth listening to. “Every story’s a good story in a way because each one of them is unique,” she explains. “I think the ones that stay with me are those that communicate a challenge but with a twist to them. For example, where a difficult situation has made the person stronger.” One of the poems engrained in her memory is that of Pat’s. A Surry Hills community member who moved to Sydney at 16 after his father died and was alternating between living on the streets or in shelters. His steadfast connection to poetry remained a constant regardless of his circumstances – he wrote anywhere – shredded cigarette packets, derelict papers and sometimes, paper towels when there was no other option. “What is it this house I call / alone walls painted with words / A battlefields of sorts where / over the years my demons and / I have fought a house where / I endure but it cannot bear me,” Astra enunciates every word of Pat’s poem carefully, perfecting every pause. When she finishes, she exhales deeply before smiling at me. “Somehow, this one always gets to me.” For many individuals who engage with Village Voices, the process is transformative. “Having their biography included on the acknowledgment panel, their photo taken in front of the artwork and people reading their text in public, it can be quite cathartic and life-changing,” Astra says. She then flips through a thick file filled with photos and handwritten entries of every Village Voices display from 2016 until now, introducing me to almost every person in the book. Astra tells me what some of these individuals are up to in life thus far: Vinita has gone on to take the writing course she’s put off for a while now, Pat is close to finishing and publishing a book, and Mick, who thought of himself as not being very good at writing in high school, is now doing more writing. “3 am on a warm summer evening / a beautiful lady with red hair / I remember her dress was pretty / she stops and says hello / searching for her stolen purse / just another night in Surry Hills,” Mick’s submission reads. Astra explains how diversity is the strength of Surry Hills, outlining a myriad of reasons: its historic waves of immigration as well as its active LGBTQIA+ communities and many services that support priority populations. “The neighbourhood celebrates these different aspects of community and the suburb being enriched by a variety of backgrounds and experiences.” Village Voices is a catalyst for conversation between community members who might not otherwise interact with each other. “Someone would ask, ‘Oh, who’s the author?’ And I would say, ‘Oh, this is someone who goes to Bourke Street Public School,” Astra smiles. “The installation presents diversity in a way that you know it exists, even if you don’t have any personal or direct contact with it.” Over the years, Astra has gotten to know many of the locals. The artwork has been a catalyst for community building in the area. Pop-up events have been held in the laneway over the years, such as poetry readings, musical performances and exhibitions. In addition to the four hours it takes to install a new text, Astra usually spends another hour conversing with the public. “There are people who pass by each time I change the text and they update me on their life circumstances. Or someone says, ‘Oh, you’re here a bit early this month!’ There’s a hyper-awareness to the artwork changeovers.” she says. In other instances, some individuals who have previously submitted their writing for display on Village Voices have verbally entrusted her with their collection of work if and when they pass away. I tell her they must trust her a lot, and she tells me, in return, that ethical storytelling is her priority while conducting this project. “It can be challenging to present writing by people living in precarious situations and ensuring they are not misrepresented,” she says firmly. “A lot of time is taken making sure the individual is happy with any edits to their text.” Despite not living in the neighbourhood, Astra remains enthralled by Surry Hills, constantly returning to the suburb for the past two decades. For work and passion projects mainly but also due to her connections with the suburb’s locals, whom she praises for their “comradery and vibrancy”. The community’s power is evident in how Village Voices progressed beyond just being Astra’s project to now becoming the community’s. Locals in the area look out for graffiti on the artwork, pesky advertisers, or development applications nearby. Someone had even once adorned one of the installations at Village Voices with flowers. “It’s not my project, it’s their project,” Astra says. “I just sort of facilitate it. That’s the best outcome you can think of – that now the artwork is part of the community, and they’re always excited to see what story is coming up next.”

More on Balmain Cindy Scheule is Balmain’s resident watercolour artist, preserving iconic Balmain landmarks on paper. When she’s not creating art, she loves spending her time near or in the water. Interviewing, Cindy Scheule, Artist Cindy chats with us about following your passions and believing in yourself. Hey Cindy, Thanks so much for talking with us. How did you get to where you are now? I have actually been an accountant all my career. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was pregnant with my third child, and that’s when I decided to stop working for a while. I started to do watercolour as a hobby and it carried on during lockdown. During our lockdown neighbourhood walks, I once saw a house with a big bear sitting on the balcony. I just loved it! It was a whole atmosphere. I painted it after we went home. When I finished, I realised I had not much use for the painting, but thought the owner may appreciate it. Just like that, I put it in an envelope and left it on their balcony. I was very shy to meet the owner or to mention my name, so I just anonymously left it there. [A couple of weeks later I passed the house and there was a little envelope on the balcony, and it said, “To the painter”. I opened it, and it was a handwritten card saying, “Thank you for this gift, it has been so uplifting. I'm going through some personal difficulties, but your painting has made me feel that I have a sweet home”.] So that was really nice. Weeks later, a post in the Balmain Facebook said, “I went to my friend’s house and saw this painting that was a present. Does anyone know who painted this? I want that person to paint my house too.” And it started from there - that was the first moment someone had called me ‘talented’. I collected a few addresses, and have been painting ever since! Do you have a memorable encounter with a commissioner that you remember? I have met more lovely people than I can count. One memory that stands out, a lady picked up a house painting from me for her parents in Kangaroo Valley. Their house in the valley is magical, surrounded by trees. When she picked up the painting, she cried, saying, “Oh my God! I can feel the love in the house portrayed.” And I thought, “Wow, you can feel the love?” I put a lot of love in there. I was looking at every flower and every plant and every vine. And she said, “I can feel it, Cindy.” That gave me goosebumps, we both cried, and she hugged me, saying, “You know, keep going.” This was a magical moment for me. Some people may just think it's just an artwork, but of course, the house owner feels differently. And as the artist, I’m turning blank paper into a painting. With all the thought process, planning, time and love put into it, it’s not just a piece of paper, it has a soul. It has a spirit in it. You’ve been doing this for quite a few years now, how have you grown as an artist and person? When I first started, one of my friends in the art world encouraged me and said, “Cindy, you can have an exhibition one day.” And I thought, “Exhibition? Me?”. Now I have more than enough portraits for an exhibition, almost 200 of them. During the last 3 years, I have had 4 shows with a group of artists and this will be my third year releasing the Calendar, which includes a painting collection of Balmain’s pubs, landscapes, and houses. I’ve also learnt to switch my mindset from being ‘just’ a hobby artist, to being a business owner. With marketing and doing social media and emails – just talking to people and connecting with them – every day I'm learning so much as a business owner. As a person, I think it's been bringing me to a whole different level. Before, when I worked as an employee, I just did what I had to do. At the moment, because I’m a mother of 3, I really feel the need to be a better person. My purpose is to be calm, kind, and positive. Without that, how can I look after my kids and have a good connection with them? How can I be productive with my business? I feel I have improved myself a lot, both spiritually and mentally. How would you describe Balmain? I love Balmain. I have lived here for 8 or 9 years now. It's a suburb with a lot of history. It used to be a working-class area with docks, a lot of sandstone and heritage-listed houses, and pubs. I feel I’ve gotten a lot of my inspiration from this area. It’s also surrounded by water, and walking around the bay clears my mind like nothing else/ My kids go to school here so we got to know a lot of people, and it’s a great community. People are very supportive of each other. It feels like a village because it's on a peninsula. It's kind of like a dead end. It's not as young as Newtown or Surry Hills but it’s sophisticated, and it's a great place for a family. My favourite spot is just down the road from me, Balmain Wharf. It has some nice parks that you can walk around. It’s also a public library, and there’s something special about it. People leave books there and we used to go there to exchange books. Next to it is a big playground and a dog park. So you have dogs, kids, and families, and during the lockdown, we used to do picnics here. You have a great view from there where you can see the Harbour Bridge and during New Year’s Eve, we watch the fireworks at the park. What advice would you give to emerging artists? My number one piece of advice would be - keep painting. Actually no, I would say, number one is to believe in yourself. I still have so much to learn and so much more I want to achieve. There are some artists out there I really look up to, but just through my journey, I know to start with you will have a lot of doubt. You don't believe you are good enough because you’re not professionally or academically trained, or you don't believe people will like your work, but really, what you need to do is just keep doing it. Keep painting, keep doing it for yourself. Just like anything, if you keep doing it, you get better. I love how you share the lessons you learn as you go on Instagram. Why did you decide to be so honest about your journey? Firstly, it is still something I'm learning. Before I painted, I did not have an Instagram, I wasn’t someone who posted on social media. But because of my work, I need to let people know what I’m doing, otherwise how can they know me? I was once told that I needed to be honest and share my feelings in the past. But the problem was I wasn’t confident enough and I was scared of saying something and having people judge me. Or I thought, why would people even care about my feelings? But now, even if I feel I don't really value what I think, it may be valuable to someone else. One of my recent posts is about my identity in art. My mentor told me, “Cindy, I hope you find your identity in art,” and it was an awakening for me. I would think about what he said and I thought this is a significant point of view and I should let people know about it. So I am learning to raise my voice and share more about what I think. I want to develop myself not just in art but also as a person. It's not separate. I can't be a bad person but a good artist. It’s combined. Finally, what do you wish to accomplish? This is my first time telling the world about my dream. So in the next 5 years, I want to have my own gallery! I don't know how or where. It could be, maybe part of the house. It could be a commercial space. It could be a combination of a gallery and coffee place. I'm going to make it happen. I’m starting small, getting there step by step - watch this space! My journey of becoming an artist is very inspiring. People have never thought, even my parents, that I would become an artist one day so this was not planned. I was someone who didn't really have a big purpose, and I did not really know what I wanted to do. I just had a career that I thought ‘would do’ for the rest of my life. But finally, in my forties, I accidentally found my purpose and I found my talent. Since then, I have just been so inspired while doing that. [If there’s something everyone can learn - if you really have a passion and are lucky enough to find something you love to do, just do it. You’re going to have so much power and motivation to make it big and make it happen. You will be so happy.] What is your painting process like? I paint in my studio, which is in my bedroom. The process takes anywhere from 10 to 30 hours. My work has a lot of detail – attention to detail is one of my character traits, one carried over from my accounting career. Planning the details can really take some time. The difficult part of painting always changes. As my skill set improves, my thought process changes, too. I remember in the early days, for every house I painted, I would do a sketch. I would do a little draft for every one of them and there was a lot of testing for the composition, for example. Painting animals and people was my weaker point to start with and I would always leave them to the last. But then I thought, why would I do the tricky part in the end, potentially ruining the painting and having to start again? Then I started with the most difficult part first and painted the easier things later. Every house is different, so I really enjoy the stories, the painting process and the thought behind it. When I look at some business or other things that I paint, I feel I know every break. I feel every deficit, every default of the house. I know every plant in the house. What's your favourite artwork that you've done so far in your painting career? Answer: So this year I did a different body of work which isn’t house paintings. I painted 3 rock pools. So one in Cronulla. One in Bondi, the icebergs. And one in Bronte. It was a challenge for me to try watercolour painting on canvas. It’s a very different process compared to painting on paper. The subject matter is also very personal because I love water, but I’m not a good swimmer. Through the painting, I actually challenged myself to swim in the ocean and in rock pools, even in winter. I was so happy afterwards. I decided that I didn’t want to just paint them, I wanted to feel them, be in them. So I stepped out of my comfort zone to swim in cold water. You feel it, you touch it, you smell it and you immerse your senses in it. Yeah, it was kind of fun. It was both a technical and personal challenge to do these three paintings, and it’s a little bit of fun outside of my commissioned work. Cindy Scheule's Balmain Calendar Cindy’s 2024 calendar, featuring her artwork of Balmain and Rozelle’s local landmarks and houses, is available for purchase now. You can grab your copy here.

More on Surry Hills It's cabaret meets circus meets stand-up with a cheeky twist. With all the glitz and glamour of traditional burlesque paired with high-energy ariel acts and raunchy laughs, Blanc de Blanc Encore is the performance Sydneysiders simply must not miss out on. Boisterous, alluring, exhilarating. There are many ways to describe Blanc de Blanc Encore, but all you really need to know is this – you have to see it. Coming off a string of sold-out seasons and international tours, Blanc de Blanc Encore truly lives up to its reputation as a quick-paced evening of sparkling debauchery and exquisite movement. Conceived and directed by Scott Maidment, the show (a word that does not serve the performance justice) is an exuberant and invigorating experience that pops and bubbles like freshly poured champagne. The current Sydney cast boasts a wealth of outrageous talents, from the incredible voice of Sasha-Lee Saunders to captivating dancing by Melanie Hawkins to jaw-dropping acrobatics from Duo Hoops's Caitlin Tomson-Moylan and Spencer Craig to the side-splitting (and pearl-clutching) comedic stylings of Félix Pouliot and Sam Ferlo and so much more! Currently residing in Surry Hills’ Grand Electric Theatre, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a chic 1920s-esque French nightclub when attending a performance of Bland de Blanc Encore. Opening on a single bottle of un-corked champagne, an immediate air of anticipation is evoked, offering a tantalising tease of what is to come. Guilded and glamorous, the scene is only heightened by the exquisite costumes, beautiful staging and electrifying soundtrack. The evening is a delicious blend of classic burlesque troupes like French maids and cancanning and scandalous humour, modern music, and outstanding acrobatics – it’s as refreshing as it is exciting. This is not a show for the faint of heart. No audience member is safe, not even those hiding up the back and averting their gaze. It is an entirely immersive, enthralling and gasp-worthy experience. With performers dancing through the aisles and the skies, there are no bad seats at this production. Fair warning that those up front are in the splash zone – we can’t explain it; you’ll just have to see it! With all the fizzle and rush of a champagne burst, Blanc de Blanc Encore is the perfect night out – so fill your glass and buy a ticket! Sydney’s current season has been extended until March 2024, and with tickets from only $55, there’s no excuse to miss out – we will certainly be heading back for more before the tour ends. For tickets and more, head to www.strutnfret.com/grand-electric-blanc-encore Please note that Blanc de Blanc Encore is appropriate for audiences 18 years and older only. Take the night off and book a babysitter. Blanc de Blanc Encore is worth every cent. BLANC DE BLANC ENCORE showing now at The Grand Electric Theatre – 199 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills. By Isabella Edwards

More on Turramurra For almost 45 years, this resilient Turramurra business has continued to beat the drum about the benefits of making music. It’s tough for any small business these days to stick around for more than a decade, but Turramurra Music has done that four times over and is still powering on, stronger than ever. “I’m fairly sure that we’d be the oldest business, at least in our little strip,” says Mat Stevens, whose father, Rob, started Turramurra Music. It all began in 1976 when, as a fresh-faced, 21-year-old musician, Rob Stevens decided to open a music store. He had no business experience and very little money, just enthusiasm and a passion for music. As it turns out, that and some grit was all he needed, and the business has been growing steadily ever since. Mat’s parents are still involved, but Mat will eventually take over. He, of course, is also a musician, beginning by playing woodwind with his school band before moving onto the guitar later on. Many kids on the North Shore are introduced to music in the same way, that is, by learning an instrument at school. Turramurra Music for Schools “Probably even more so than when I was growing up,” says Mat. “A lot of schools are investing in growing their band programs […] At some schools almost everyone is involved with it, which is fantastic.” As a result, Turramurra Music has become a go-to for schools in the area to source instruments as well as general band supplies such as music stands, percussion and other gear. They carry all popular orchestral instruments but their specialty is brass and woodwind. While a lot of kids abandon music during their senior school years (unless they’re actually studying it), quite a few will come back to an instrument after leaving school - usually transitioning to guitar or keyboards. It’s not just kids and young people, though; many adults are taking up instruments now. “Especially during lockdown, lots of adults are wanting to take up an instrument,” says Mat. “I wish a bit more would because I think a lot of adults are a bit more scared to try new things than kids are.” One instrument that adults don’t seem to be afraid of is the ukulele. “There’s been a lot of growth in them because they’re fairly affordable. You can get a cheap one for $30 or $40, and they don’t take up too much space around the home.” Though it may seem biased, Mat genuinely believes that everyone, of any age and ability, can benefit from learning to play an instrument. “At a cognitive level, when you play an instrument it involves you doing some pretty complicated multi-tasking which you don’t really get in any other activity. Not only are you using two hands independently from one another at the same time, your mind’s also focusing on pitch and the tones you’re producing, as well as the rhythm, as well as listening to everyone else around you…basically you produce an epic brain workout.” A recent ABC documentary showed a school with bad NAPLAN results and high absenteeism, drastically improve academic performance and attendance simply by getting students involved in a band program. Turramurra Music for Community Groups A study conducted by a psychologist at Western Sydney University proved that learning music later in life could help combat the onset of dementia. There are also many social and personal esteem benefits to playing in an ensemble, as well as just the sheer joy of producing music. Turramurra Music is big on supporting community groups, projects, schools and charities, and pride themselves on high customer service standards. “Part of our philosophy is about supporting musicians and helping them get what they need. I feel like we’re not like a typical store just trying to sell stuff, but all of our staff are very well trained to take the time to chat through what the challenge is that the customer is trying to face. If you can help that challenge without selling something, then that’s a much better result for the customer, rather than them spending $300 and walking out with equipment they didn’t really need.” The store has been undergoing renovations for the last three years, which are near completion and will make it three times bigger. At the moment there is no sign outside, but Mat has a message for his customers: Turramurra Music is open for business! Website here. 02 9449 8487 1267 Pacific Highway, Turramurra

More on Cronulla In September 1946, at the Annual General Meeting of the Cronulla School of Arts, the incoming President “expressed the opinion that this institution should be more than just a library.” He called for members to form clubs within the School of Arts. One member, Beryl Austin, organised a dramatic club, which became known as the Cronulla School of Arts Dramatic Society. The group presented their first production in 1947. In 1958 the name was changed to the Cronulla School of Arts Theatre Group, and a stage was built in the hall of the School of Arts building in Surf Rd. The opening of the Arts Theatre Cronulla as a community theatre and a licensed public performance space took place on 30th November 1963. Arts Theatre Cronulla Enters Sydney's Drama Festival The theatre’s first entry in the Sydney Drama Festival, The Shifting Heart in 1965, gained the trophy for best production of an Australian play! In 2018 the theatre used its accumulated funds to reinvest in the heritage building, with major renovations completed in line with the Art Deco period in which it was built. Now, almost 60 years on, Cronulla School of Arts Theatre Group is still staffed by volunteers and is a thriving local gem. It is patronised by an audience from all parts of Sydney with almost all productions sold out. Apart from four major productions each year, the theatre’s activities include ‘Bareboards’, a sub-group providing short-term productions in between the main plays; writing and directing workshops; structured youth and adult drama classes; and Crash Test Drama, an annual 10-minute play competition that feeds into the Sydney Short+Sweet festival. The current NSW Attorney General, Mark Speakman, is a local resident and he regularly attends our shows. Mr Speakman officiated at the 2018 re-opening and commended the theatre in a parliamentary notice that is recorded in Hansard on 17 May 2018: (https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard/Pages/HansardResult.aspx#/docid/HANSARD-1323879322-101984/link/63) Website

More on Lane Cove By ALEC SMART When Europeans arrived in January 1788 to establish their penal colony, there were an estimated 29 Aboriginal clans resident throughout what came to be known as greater Sydney. They spoke several dialects from two main language groups: Dharug, which encompassed the northern and southern shores of the harbour and extended west to the Blue Mountains; and Dharawal, which began on the southern shores of Kamay (Botany Bay) and extended south to Jervis Bay region. The northern shoreline of Sydney Harbour, from east of the Lane Cove River (Turranburra) around to Manly Cove (Kayeemy), was historically occupied by the Cammeraygal clan, from where we get the suburb name Cammeray. The west bank of Lane Cove River and the region from Woolwich peninsula (Moco Boula) inland to Ryde, including the north shore of Parramatta River, was occupied by the Wallumedegal, named after the Dharug word for snapper fish, Wallumai. Northwards, around the upper reaches of the Lane Cove River and throughout the forested hills and valleys of the upper North Shore around Killara (meaning ‘permanent’), the Durramurragal clans ranged - this is where we get the suburb name Turramurra, meaning “big hill”. Despite the vast distances between them, overlapping clans of what is now called the Eora Nation of the greater Sydney region understood each other, sharing common words that enabled communication and facilitated social and ceremonial gatherings. There were extensive trade networks up and down the coast for necessary items that might be accessible in one region but harder to come by in another, such as ochre for ceremonies, bone for tools and bark canoes for fishing. Smallpox Scourge for Aborigine People Tragically, all this came to a calamitous halt shortly after the arrival of Europeans. In April 1789, smallpox broke out among the Indigenous populations surrounding Sydney Harbour. Oral reports reveal it quite likely started around Balmoral Cove, Mosman. There is a compelling argument that it was introduced into the Indigenous community via deliberately contaminated blankets – Aboriginal witnesses describe receiving bedding with distinctive Royal Navy markings, perhaps issued by rogue Marines. Smallpox had a devastating effect on Aboriginal communities, who, with no immunity, died rapidly. Sydney’s first governor, Arthur Phillip, estimated that half the Aboriginal populations living around Sydney Cove succumbed, but historians have since revised the figure upwards to between 60 to 90 per cent fatalities. Thereafter, when survivors fled inland to escape the deadly contagion, which, horrifically, enabled smallpox to spread further, the greater Sydney region was sparsely populated. Although Indigenous peoples continued to interact with the expanding British settlements in Sydney Cove and Parramatta – and were (until the 1860s gold rushes brought thousands more immigrants) highly important to the colonial economy in the fishing, whaling and hunting industries – their language, traditions and dwellings almost faded from history. Lately there has been a concerted effort to preserve Aboriginal Australia, identify and maintain important sites, resurrect forgotten languages and understand cultural practices. Indigenous sites of interest Evidence of Aboriginal peoples around Lane Cove and other sites of interest are scattered all over greater Sydney - testament to an adaptable, complex culture that survived - indeed thrived - for tens of thousands of years in harsh and often life-threatening rugged terrain. For years undiscovered, or kept secret to deter vandals, many of them are now marked on maps for curious explorers to visit and appreciate. These include: camp sites, social areas, shell middens, scarred trees (from bark removed to makes canoes or coolamon carrying bowls), carved trees (spiritual markings, often totemic or adjacent to a grave), ceremonial grounds (now known as Bora sites, taken from the Kamilaroi word for ‘ritual’), rock engravings (notifying important fishing and hunting areas, tribal markings or spiritual symbols), fish traps (stones placed on tidal reaches where fish swim in at high tide but cannot swim out when the tide recedes), burial grounds, grinding grooves (for tool sharpening, often at the edge of streams), quarries, rock shelters, ochre pits (for digestive medicine, sunburn protection and treatment of insect bites), seed grinding stones (flat stones worn into bowls for grinding acacia, grass, kurrajong and wattle seeds to flour for dampers), scattered artefacts, paintings and stencils. An estimated 6,000 Indigenous engravings and assorted artistic pieces were once spread throughout greater Sydney. However, through a combination of vandalism and ignorance, many have been destroyed as industry, infrastructure and houses were built. Where the Aboriginal peoples around Lane Cove once had designated custodians to re-groove ancient and often totemic carvings in rock faces, with the decimation of the Aboriginal peoples, those traditions have vanished over the last two centuries. Many of the current rock carvings are slowly but irretrievably being worn away by wind, sand, rain and sea erosion and a significant proportion will be lost over the next decade. But in our guide on page 10 (Issue #4), you can visit sites of interest in and around Lane Cove district to get a greater understanding of how they lived in the not-too-distant past. ================================ Photo captions Aborigines Spearing Fish, Others Diving for Crayfish, a Party Seated beside a Fire Cooking Fish. Joseph Lycett, 1817, National Library of Australia Fishing by Torchlight, Other Aborigines beside Camp Fires Cooking Fish. Joseph Lycett, 1817, National Library of Australia

More on Surry Hills Murder Most Foul is a walking tour through infamous historical crime locations in Sydney. Established and led by historian and true crime aficionado Elliot Lindsay, the tours take patrons through the back alleys of Surry Hills and into the lurid, bloodied past. Neighbourhood Media spoke with Elliot about his murderous obsession. Elliot Lindsay, Founder Elliot grew up surrounded by crime; his mother was a criminal lawyer based in Redfern and young Elliot often attended court with her. Given this background, it seems obvious Elliot himself would have entered the profession. “I did consider it, and I would have gone down the path of criminal defence,” says Elliot. “However, my true love has always been history. As a historian, you have an opportunity to study different faculties without having to commit to them fully. That suits me fine.” So, Elliot attained qualifications in history and archeology, specialising in Australian history. It was during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2021, while he was doing research for an article, that the idea for a walking tour came to him. Murder Most Foul Early Days “In the old days, journos would publish the exact address of where a murder was committed along with detailed photos and illustrations of the crime scenes,” he explains. “Since Surry Hills has preserved much of its heritage buildings, it was possible to visit many of them and retrace the steps of the murderer and victim. I would share these articles with the Darlo Darlings Facebook page, and people seemed to enjoy reading them.” Elliot then researched and mapped a murder trail through Surry Hills with the intention of launching a tour once lockdowns ended. The first tour took place in October 2021 with the Darlo Darlings. A Darlinghurst tour is in the offing and Elliot plans to add tours in Newtown soon with more suburbs possible after that. “I have a Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross tour coming up in September in conjunction with the BAD Crime Writers Festival at the NSW State Library,” he adds. As yet, no one has spotted any ghosts on the tours, but Elliot does warn participants of the “Surry Hills Surprise” — something unexpected, yet typical for the area, always seems to happen. “For example, a few weeks ago, while I was taking a group up Terry Street, Surry Hills, we were suddenly surrounded by dozens of police cars, detectives, police officers, etc. They were running all over the place. We looked back down the road to the Commonwealth Bank at 300 Elizabeth Street and saw what appeared to have been an attempted armed robbery,” Elliot explains. “Another time we were on Little Riley Street near Kippax street when a mini-bus pulled up by the group and out hopped nearly a dozen glamorous, tall drag queens. My group that day were all visiting tourists and were mesmerised by the glittering posse that towered over us. After that, they all wanted to see a drag show before they returned home, so I directed them to the popular venues on Oxford Street.” Elliot finds a lot of information through newspaper archives, most of which are now online. He also finds old books a very good resource, especially memoirs and biographies that have long been out of print. “These books will have little stories and anecdotes about local events, neighbourhoods and personalities, and sometimes they mention street names and pub names.” Recently, he visited The Book Shop in Darlinghurst, which specialises in books catering to the LGBTQ community. The sales clerk made some great biography recommendations about local personalities. “As mainstream historians ignored LGBTQ history for so long, a world of information has been overlooked and forgotten. Books like this reveal so much history about the area from a completely different perspective,” says Elliot. Stories Passed Down Local knowledge and personal memories are invaluable and Elliot likes to talk with people who have lived experience of an area’s past. Coroner’s reports can be goldmines, but also time-consuming since the archives are in Penrith and some records have been lost or destroyed. “However, when you have a case, and the coroner's report exists, it can be a treasure trove of interviews, photos, maps, crime scene sketches, etcetera,” says Elliot. One discovery that surprised Elliot and might surprise many people is that Surry Hills and Darlinghurst were uneventful middle to upper middle-class neighbourhoods with very little crime and almost no police presence prior to the 1890s depression. “After that, these two suburbs become the vice and murder capitals of Australia. I go into some detail about this on the tour. The 1890 date is sort of a focal point on the tour,” he says. As well as the tours, Elliot gives weekly live talks at The Royal Albert Hotel in Surry Hills. He is also in the process of writing a book which will be a guide to Sydney’s historical subcultures and the underworld. For more information, visit Elliot’s website: https://murdersmostfoul.com

More on Balmain Balmain history features an interesting story about how a debt repayment disagreement probably prevented Balmain being renamed ‘Gilchrist’... Johnstons Bay Balmain c1865 - Painted by George F. Halsted - State Library NSW Origins of Balmain The three-fingered peninsula at the southern entrance to Parramatta River, encompassing the suburbs of Balmain, Birchgrove and Rozelle, was known to the Indigenous Wangal as Baludarri. Across Baludarri the predominantly maritime Wangal clans, who occupied the Wanne region from the southern shores of Parramatta River to the northern banks of the Cooks River, reportedly herded kangaroos through the bushland to Iloura (Peacock Point) where, trapped by the harbour, the corralled marsupials were killed and eaten. Baludarri is the Dharug word for one of 20 species of estuarine and coastal fish commonly found around rocky reefs, seagrass and sponge beds, which we know as the Leatherjacket. Many of them are characterised by a retractable head spine above the eyes. There are wetlands on the edge of Rangihou Reserve on the north bank of the upper Parramatta River called Baludarri. However, these are named after the Burramatta teenager Baludarri, who, aged 17, was employed by Governor Phillip as a guide and translator on an expedition to the Hawkesbury district in April 1791. On 26 April 1800, Governor John Hunter gifted 550 acres (2.2km2) of the south-eastern section of the Baludarri headland – west of Cockle Bay - to a British doctor by the name of William Balmain, who arrived on the First Fleet ship Alexander in January 1788 as the assistant to Surgeon-General John White. First Fleet ship HMS Alexander - Painting by Frank Allen c1787 Surgeon William Balmain History Balmain ultimately fell out with White, the enmity resulting in a duel with pistols in Aug 1788, during which Balmain received a minor flesh wound when he was shot in the right thigh. However, Balmain’s status was elevated in September 1790 when he was credited with saving Governor Arthur Phillip’s life, following a near-fatal punishment spearing by Aboriginal elder Willemering in Manly Cove. After a two-hour boat row back to Sydney Cove, Balmain skilfully extracted the spear, the broken shaft of which was protruding from Phillip’s shoulder blade, and treated the wound until Phillip made a full recovery. Phillip promoted Balmain to Head Surgeon of the newly settled Norfolk Island penal colony, where he operated from Nov 1791 – Aug 1795, then returned to Sydney as acting Principal Surgeon while John White returned to England on leave. Balmain was subsequently appointed Principal Surgeon of the Colony following White's resignation in May 1797, however, it was a formidable task administering to 1600 settlers and several thousand convicts with only one surgical assistant. Governor Phillip speared at Manly Cove, 1790. Surgeon Balmain saved his life. Sketch: William Bradley Back to the Baludarri Land Grant As was typical of many of the land grants given to marines, magistrates, pastoralists and emancipated convicts who distinguished themselves in the first decades of the Sydney penal colony, the allotments quickly changed ownership, often without the original recipient ever setting foot on it. In 1801, scarcely a year after the prime real estate came into his possession, William Balmain transferred his entire holding for a mere 5 shillings (about $22 in current exchange rates) to settle a debt to Scottish surgeon and linguist John Borthwick Gilchrist. William Balmain then returned to his native Scotland. Gilchrist is known for his studies of the Hindi and Urdu languages whilst he was based in India, which culminated in a dictionary of Hindustani – effectively amalgamating the two tongues. Colonial administrators then adopted Hindustani as the new official language for British India, to enable them to communicate with their subjects. This ultimately led to Hindustani being chosen as the lingua franca of Northern India and Pakistan. Oddly, whilst he was based in India from 1782-1804, Gilchrist somehow gained custody of Balmain’s Sydney land grant on the Baladurri peninsula for virtually nothing, yet he never set foot in Australia. The value of the property rose as the Sydney colony expanded, leading the descendants of William Balmain (who died of liver disease in 1803) to challenge the legality of his land transfer for so paltry a sum as 5 shillings. William Balmain. Drawn by Richard Earlom - National Library Australia Glichrist's Place After William Balmain’s passing, his former land grant became known as Gilchrist's Place, and history might have adopted that name, in which case the region today would likely have been called the less likeable Gilchrist. However, court documents continued to refer to the area as the Balmain Estate while the challengers blocked housing developments, so it was only leased for agriculture and cattle farming whilst litigation continued. In 1812, Lieutenant John Birch, paymaster of the 73rd regiment, built his homestead , Birchgrove House, on neighbouring land, and after it was sold in 1814 to Roland Loane, 100 acres of Gilchrist/Balmain’s 550-acre estate was leased to Loane. In 1833, Gilchrist transferred power of attorney on the disputed land to Frederick Parbury, and three years later, when Roland Loane’s long lease expired in 1836, Parbury sub-divided the Balmain estate into six separate sections. Three of these were purchased by property developer Thomas Hyndes in 1837, who in turn subdivided them into residential homes and streets. Balmain Population Growth Explodes Thereafter, the history of Balmain changed as rapid suburbanisation of Balmain began. The district’s first industries – metalwork, engineering and boilermaking – were established around Mort Bay to service the expanding shipbuilding operation there, run by Mort’s Dock & Engineering Co., which launched in 1855. Morts Dock, Balmain, 1900. Photo: Graeme Andrews Meanwhile, Loane sold the neighbouring Birchgrove estate in 1838, and it went through a succession of owners until 1856 when the first ten subdivisions started the development of Birchgrove into a suburb. Balmain West, which extended west to the gates of Callan Park estate (subsequently purchased by the Colonial Government as a site for a lunatic asylum in 1878) was also subdivided with infrastructure and housing and in December 1892, the suburb formally adopted the new name Rozelle, after the bay to the south-east. By Alec Smart

More on Newtown The early land grands that led to the establishment of Newtown and Enmore. Establishment of Newtown The earliest land grants in the area date from 1793 when Lieutenant Thomas Rowley was granted 100 acres bordered to the east by what is now Australia Street. To the west of Rowley’s grant was a further 40 acres issued to Jane Codd. In 1794 four 30-acre and two 25-acre grants that covered the area between what is now south King Street and Edgeware Road were issued to some NSW Corps privates and emancipists. Superintendent of convicts Nicholas Devine was granted 90 acres on the east of south King Street in 1799 which bordered a grant he received in 1794 of 120 acres. Union Street is the border separating these two grants and is still the border between Newtown and Erskineville. The north of the suburb, on both sides of King Street, was issued as a 240-acre grant to incoming Governor William Bligh in 1806 as a gift from outgoing Governor King, after whom King Street would later be named. King granted Bligh the land to compensate for the low pay the role of governor received. However, King did not know Bligh was being paid more than double what he received. Bligh named his estate ‘Camperdown’ after a naval battle he fought off the Dutch coast in 1797. Much of the land in these early estates, particularly to the north, was not considered good for farming and was soon subdivided and sold by their owners to house country villas or, particularly along the main street, to tradesmen or merchants. Near the corner of what is now Missenden Road and King Street a small village emerged, O’Connelltown, named after Bligh’s son-in-law who inherited the property. Newtown Map and Layout Starting Out Further south of the bridge over a deep but dry creek at what is now the junction of King St and Enmore Rd, another village was forming. The Sydney Gazette editorialised on 24 November 1832 ‘the neighbourhood about the spot known as Devine’s farm has obtained the name of Newtown’. However, there are references to the area being called ‘New Town’ from at least 1827. Local legend has it that the suburb was unintentionally named by John Webster when he opened a store in the new village and named it the ‘New Town Store’ to differentiate it from his former shop though this has since been disproved as Webster was not a landowner in the area until 1843, and was still a convict until 1836. It is more likely that the name was bestowed owing to the area being the first ‘new’ commercial centre away from the city. The council tried to change the suburb's name to South Sydney in 1893, and to Newton in 1901, to avoid confusion with New Town in Tasmania, but met strong resistance from ratepayers. Enmore was named after Enmore House which was built by Captain Sylvester Brown in 1835. In 1842 it was purchased by Joshua Frey Josephson who in 1848 was the Lord Mayor of Sydney. The house was demolished in 1883. Newtown Council Formed in 1862 Newtown Council, which included Enmore as one of its wards, was established in December 1862. The council was absorbed into the Sydney Council in 1948. Nowadays Newtown straddles two council areas; Sydney and the newly amalgamated Inner West Council. All of Enmore is in the Inner West Council’s area. The area now known as Erskineville was also considered part of Newtown Council until it formed its own council in 1872. The new suburb was originally known as Macdonaldtown but the locals never took to it. Despite the area being called Macdonaldtown, establishments like the school and hotel used the name Erskineville, taking their name from ‘Erskinevilla’ the homestead built by Reverend George Erskine in 1832 which was demolished in 1961. The suburb’s name was officially changed to Erskineville in 1893. Like Newtown and many other small inner-city councils, Erskineville Council was absorbed into Sydney Council in 1948.

More on Surry Hills From Kerry Wallace and the team that bought us S*A*S*H, Stanely’s Bar, Slyfox and Solid Circles Touring, comes Sydney’s newest hit venue. Introducing the Carousel Bar & Ballroom, Surry Hills At Carousel, patrons will be treated to its enticing nightclub on weekends, with the space reserved for performances and functions mid-week. We caught up with Kerry to find out more. Named for the beautiful rotating stage discovered during construction, Carousel rests on the foundations of some of Sydney’s most iconic queer party venues, including the famous Capriccio’s, once owned by Dawn O’Donnell. Capriccio’s was one of Sydney’s first queer venues and a famous Oxford Street fixture since it’s opening in 1969. Describing itself as a “cabaret inspired by sleazy 70’s discotheque”, Carousel playfully pays homage to the history of the legendary space. “I think for all of us - the staff - once the venue took shape & the finishing touches were added, it did look very red-light district/cabaret/burlesque. Also, the venue’s history tells us it had queer cabaret shows & burlesque for years.” Kerry said. “We’re breathing new life into the space….. it’s been brought back from the dead, where people from all walks of life once again gather to enjoy music & make memories.” The venue is superbly decorated and leans into sultry decor evocative of a dimly lit 1970s party, creating the perfect discotheque aesthetic and vibe. With three bars, a state-of-the art sound system and varying across multiple levels, there is a space to suit everyone. It also makes the ideal venue for private events. We asked Kerry what he was most looking forward to at Carousel; “THE FUTURE! The venue is fresh; the sound system is 2nd to none for it’s size in Australia and all the top-tier promoters are moving their parties to Carousel, as we speak.” “The future is super bright for the Carousel & we’re all pumped for it!” He also teased some exciting news and possible accolades for the venue: “Next year in Feb we have something exciting happening too, we have an inspector from the international night time association coming to inspect the club. This is the association of the world that puts together the top 100 club list. They believe after my discussions with them and going through some preliminary questions/ticking checklists, they believe Carousel is in a great position to enter next year's top 100 club list of the world - very exciting! Kerry Wallace's Story Carousel is the next step in Kerry’s plan for Sydney’s nightlife – having worked as a promoter and DJ for over 20 years, he spoke about the transition into venue oner: “I’m just evolving from being a promoter, to a venue owner. Brands have life spans, venues don’t! I've owned Stanley’s the little cocktail bar in Darlinghurst too, for 3 years and I have a new venue to be announced soon. I’m putting Hemmes on notice!” Kerry joked Carousel will continue the work of Wallace’s previous ventures but will incorporate it’s own sense of self and identity reflected in the cabaret style of the venue and some of its regular events. You can catch headliner DJs like Sonja Monnear performing live, as well as S*A*S*H* nights, including their upcoming S*A*S*H*M*A*S* event on weekends with a sprinkling of mid-week affairs, including Carousel Comedy on Tuesday evenings. “S.A.S.H has actually moved to Carousel every Sunday night, so you can expect the same carnage as always on Sundays! But for Friday & Saturday, it’s a mixture of music across the board with external promoters running their events. Saturdays are a little more house music driven & usually an international artist flying into Sydney to play at the club. Fridays are a mixed bag, with techno, drum & bass, disco, progressive house…. It just depends on the promoter.” Carousel’s event calendar is already filling up, despite only having opened in September – to catch their complete list of events and to stay up-to-date, follow their socials. “Everyone has been very receptive to the venue, from promoters to visiting artists, amazing feedback from everyone! At Carousel we are inclusive to all walks of life…. All you need to be able to do is dance” The latest addition to Sydney’s Pink Mile, you can find Carousel Bar & Ballroom in all her glitzy retro glamour at Level 2, 169 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. For more, follow @carouselsydney on Instagram or find them on Facebook or at www.carousel.net.au By Isabella Edwards