Category: Entertainment

Entertainment on the Fraser Coast

Bay beats

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There’s a music festival coming to Hervey Bay! I thought my days of attending easily accessible day or weekend long music festivals was left long behind me in London. So the inaugural Fraser Coast Music Fest on Sunday 2nd June, 2013 is a definite SilverLining in Pickle’s and my new simplified life. Even better, it’s FREE!

ccbf5-frasercoastmusicfest2

The day will be filled with music by local bands and artists across three stages. I’ve been somewhat – pleasantly – surprised at the level of home-grown talent. I’ve been lucky enough to see a number of performances in the five months since I moved to Hervey Bay, particularly enjoying Frank Benn, Dogwood Crossing and Sam Hutchinson, who will all be performing at the festival.

I’ll definitely be taking Pickle along, as he loves listening to music, and it promises to be a family friendly event. There will also be stalls, rides, a kids activities tent, a car show, food, a bar, and a laser-light show finale, so it sounds like there’s something for everyone. Tell your friends – if this year’s event is a success, there are plans to expand it to a two-day festival next year… See you there!

Location:  Seafront Oval, cnr Charlton Esplanade and Main Street, Pialba (Hervey Bay)
Date:  Sunday, 2nd June, 2013
Time:  9:00am to 9:15pm

Are there any other local bands or artists I should be keeping an eye out for?

Cheers, KangaRue 🙂

This is not a sponsored post.

Good, not bad; charming not tedious

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“It is absurd to divide people into good or bad. People are either charming or tedious.” Oscar Wilde

A couple of weeks ago I shuffled off to Hervey Bay’s Z-Pac theatre in Zephyr Street, to see its production of  The Importance of Being Earnest.

I have to admit to practically being a local theatre virgin, vaguely recalling a play I saw in my hometown of Maryborough back in my school days, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My fellow theatre-goer and I decided we shouldn’t be too judgemental and I (quite possibly) set the what-will-I-think-of-this bar quite low.

And was I surprised!?! (Hint: it’s a rhetorical question!)

The two male leads were superb. Bradley Chapman, the play’s director, was excellently annoying as Algernon Moncrieff… one of the play’s two E(a)rnests. His performance and Wilde’s words resulting in much chuckling and guffawing. Michael Ware as John Worthing was also excellent and his frustrated E(a)rnest was convincing. My personal fave was probably Tamara Bailey’s Lady Bracknell (Algernon’s aunt and mother to John’s love interest). Her haughty and comedic delivery was perfect.

Taylor Dunn and Tayla Harding were great as Gwendolyn and Cecily and I was mightily impressed by Jonathon Dunn’s changing accents in his dual roles. In fact, I was quite shocked that the cast maintained their English accents for the entire play. No easy feat I assume.

And as for the script / dialogue…. how they could memorise those lines is beyond me. I can barely remember my own phone number! *Insert slight pause while I try to test this assertion!*

The production was polished, sets simple but effective and costumes good. I particularly liked the segway between the first two acts and the move from London to Herfortshire… it was very smooth in its unashamed obviousness (Dunn’s dual character physically changing – jacket, boots and hat – from Algernon’s supercilious butler to John’s ummm… more-common manservant).

All in all it was an excellent start to my local theatre-going adventures and I’ll certainly be back for more. In fact… I even downloaded a Z-Pac application form wondering if I could be of some use behind the scenes!

*Photograph compliments of The Fraser Coast Chronicle.

Family Fun Day

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I am living in an absolutely beautiful part of the world right now. Kilometres of pristine beach for swimming, fishing, snorkelling, diving, windsurfing, stand-up paddle-boarding (I really need to try this one), kite-surfing*, windsurfing, kayaking** and sailing. There are two great bike paths, a more direct one that runs through the centre of town (that I use most often) and a meandering but more scenic one with stunning views out over the Pacific Ocean.

And while there are loads of activities and events, there seems to be little effective communication. There are three local papers, but they often seem to report what already happened this week – and I often think “Pickle and I would have liked to have done that”. With that in mind, I have plugged into various Facebook pages, websites and e-newsletters with the hope of keeping on top of events that both Pickle and I would enjoy, and will share them here in the endeavor to get the word out, and maybe even make some more friends in the community.

The next free event that I’ve come across is the Family Fun Day put on by the Hervey Bay Community Centre.

It sounds like a blast with loads of games and activities planned: jumping castle, face painting, music, dance, market stalls and a sausage sizzle.  Hope to see some of you there!

Location: Hervey Bay Community Centre, 22 Charles Street, Pialba

Date: Saturday, 11th May 2013
Time: 10am to 3pm

I’ll keep you posted with upcoming events. There will likely be a focus on kid-friendly and foodie events (where my obvious interests lie), and while not all of them will be free, they will be budget-conscious.

Are there any types of events in particular that you’d like to know more about in advance?

Cheers, KangaRue 🙂

*does it count that I held on to the back of my friend doing this, and only let go when we really started to fly?
**planned for the near future – if it’s not too embarrassing, I may blog about it. Actually, if it’s really embarrassing, I’ll probably blog about it sooner!

This is not a sponsored post. 

Culture on the Coast

One of the things that worried me when I moved from ‘the city’ to the Fraser Coast was the possible absence of a bit of ‘kulcha’, if you know what I mean.

I love being part of a city that plays home to a range of cultures, evidenced by the people you see in the streets and the variety of food and entertainment available.

Which is why I was stoked to learn that the Fraser Coast hosts a cultural festival each year. The Fraser Coast Cultural Festival is an annual event featuring a range of activities and across the Fraser Coast.

Supported by local businesses and government, the festival not only welcomes guest artists from elsewhere in Queensland and Australia, but also provides local residents with a chance to share some of their own culture with their neighbours and community.

This year it involved films, a luncheon and community workshop and culminated in a concert at Maryborough’s Brolga Theatre and a family day held at Scarness.

PicMonkey Collage brolga

My mum attended the gala night at the Brolga and couldn’t stop raving about the quality of the acts. She was a little disappointed at the crowd in attendance and said they really missed out on something special.

Some of those same acts featured on one of several stages at the festival parade and fun day on Sunday in Hervey Bay. Thousands took the opportunity to visit the craft and food stalls, view basket-weavers in action and even try circus tricks. I must admit – despite my own hatred of crowds – I was excited by what was on offer.

culture festival

Congratulations and thanks should go to the local organisers, volutneers and participants and if you can make it to the Fraser Coast in/around March make sure you pop along to the Cultural Festival.

Z-PAC: The Importance of Being Earnest

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Rehearsals are underway for an Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, which will open at Z-PAC Theatre, Zephyr Street Scarness on Friday 22 March.

Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, has stood the test of time like so few others. This is a farcical comedy of manners that is often regarded as one of the greatest plays of all time.

Wilde’s acerbic wit and tantalising manipulation of the English language have crafted a satire so perfect it has remained unmatched for well over a century.

The play follows Jack and Algernon: two bachelors in Victorian England who, bored with the hypocritical nature of their society, both adopt the pseudonym ‘Ernest’ to escape from their routine lives.

When Jack falls in love with the sharp-tongued Gwendolen, and Algernon with Jack’s innocent ward Cecily, whilst both under the guise of Ernest, each man must find a way to shed his alias without disrupting the delicate thread of romance.

The production stars Michael Ware as the nervous and uptight Jack, Taylor Dunn as his icy girlfriend Gwendolen, and welcomes another talented newcomer, Tayla Harding, who brings an air of sweetness to the role of the innocent Cecily.  Familiar faces of Z-PAC regulars Judith La Forest – as Cecily’s tutor Miss Prism, a kind lady with a dark past – and Tamara Bailey as Gwendolen’s draconic mother, Lady Bracknell.  Neil Gee brings a gentle naivety to the role of Dr Chasuble, and Jonathan Dunn is hilarious as Algernon’s long-suffering butler.

Z-PAC’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest is directed by newcomer Bradley Chapman, who also plays Algernon. Brad,  a Gold Coast native who arrived at Z-PAC Theatre last year. A senior drama teacher at Hervey Bay High School, Brad holds a Bachelor’s Degree in drama and film and another in secondary education, with a Performer’s Certificate from Trinity College of London. He is thrilled to have the opportunity to direct this masterpiece.

The show is rated ‘G’ and runs from March 22nd ’til April 13th.  Tickets on sale soon at Mary Ryan Bookshop, Pialba.  Adults $20, Concessions and/or groups 10+ $17.