Friends! The Musical Parody, the Lifeline Bookfair and Christmas in July: 30+ things to do this week
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Hold on…did someone say Friends! The Musical Parody?
From school holiday inspo to where to go to enjoy the best of Canberra’s winter, here are 30+ things you can’t miss out on this week (including a new musical that lovingly lampoons the beloved NBC sitcom Friends!)
Winter in the City
Skate into the school holidays when Civic Square is converted into an ice skating rink for Winter in the City. A perfect activity for the young (and young of heart) you’ll be racing to lace up your skates and hit the ice. For those looking for something a bit more chill head along to the Winter dRINKs Bar at Canberra Theatre Centre Terrace or get cosy around some fireplaces,while you enjoy some gourmet hot chocolate and toast your own marshmallows. Learn more about this winter fun here.
Until Sunday 17 July | Civic Square | winterinthecity.com
Shakespeare to Winehouse: Icons from the National Portrait Gallery, London
It’s the last week of this exclusive exhibition, so you better get in while you can!
From Shakespeare to Winehouse, Darwin to Dickens, the Beatles, Brontë sisters and Beckham, more than 80 treasures from the National Portrait Gallery London are on show in Canberra.
The exhibition will be open for extended hours, 9 am – 7 pm on its final two weekends, Thursday 7 to Saturday 9 July, and Thursday 14 to Sunday 16 July. The café and bookshop will also be open.
Until Sunday 17 July | National Portrait Gallery | portrait.gov.au
Drawing your democracy children’s art workshop
Looking for something for the little ones to do? There’s a great hands-on art workshop aimed for children 8-12 years at Parliament House these school holidays. Let them run free with the expressionist approach to a guided art class, led by artist and educator Naomi Zouwer. This experience branches the discovery of new art techniques, taking inspiration from Dora Meeson’s 1908 Women’s Suffrage Banner. The art materials will be supplied, and the masterpieces will get to be enjoyed by the whole family to take home.
Tuesday 12 July | Members Hall Level 1, Australian Parliament House | Tickets here.
Friends! The Musical Parody
Hallelujah! Friends! The Musical Parody has finally made it to Canberra. Join your six favourite friends at their favourite café for a night of unstoppable laughs with a new musical that lovingly lampoons the beloved NBC sitcom. Friends! The Musical Parody celebrates the misadventures of our favourite group of 20-something pals as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life and love in 1990s Manhattan.
Wednesday 13 July – Friday 15 July | Canberra Theatre Centre | eventscanberra.com
Scandinavian Film Festival
Showcasing the best new cinema from the Nordic region, the Carlsberg Scandinavian Film Festival returns this July with a line-up designed to warm the coolest of seasons. From comedies to crime thrillers there is something to tempt everyone to check out some of these international hits. Popcorn anyone?
Wednesday 13 July – Sunday 7 August | Palace Electric | palacecinemas.com
The Jungle Book Musical
It’s a timeless classic for a reason and Child Players are bringing it to life at the Belconnen Community Centre. A perfect school holiday activity that will entertain the whole family. Join him on an adventure of learning the ways of the jungle with his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, laugh as he meets a group of very energetic monkeys and cheer him along as he helps the people of the village against Shere Khan the Tiger and their side kick Tabaqui the Jackal.
Wednesday 13 July | Belconnen Community Centre | Book tickets from canberrarep.org
The Darling Portrait Prize and National Photographic Portrait Prize
Head along to the National Portrait Gallery of Australia to view the 2022 Darling Portrait Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize. Your ticket gets you into both, so what are you waiting for?
Until Sunday 9 October | National Portrait Gallery | portrait.gov.au
Feature image via facebook.com/friendsthemusicalau
Clarinet Through the Ages
This event is perfect if you love the charm of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in works by Mozart, Perne, Poulenc and Andy Firth. The Wesley Music Centre will showcase these pieces of sheer talent through performance, with clarinettist Helena Maher. This lunchtime concert—offering refreshments at $15 a ticket—is sure to provide some serenity and stillness, perfect for an intermission during a busy day.
Wednesday 13 July, 12:40 pm – 1:20 pm | Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest | wesleycanberra.org
Urinetown the Musical
After COVID ruined its first release date, Canberra’s newest semi-professional Musical Theatre company are finally bringing Urinetown the Musical to the stage.
In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens are forced to use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs.
This hilarious musical satire takes the piss out of the legal system, capitalism, bureaucracy, and musical theatre itself!
Thursday 14 July – Sunday 24 July | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com.au
Lightbulb Improv: Spontaneous Comedy
Join Lightbulb Improv for a comedy variety show like no other with everything made up on the spot! Sure to delight audiences with the unexpected and their unique flavour of warmth, humour and honesty, it’s the best of Canberra’s premier improv troupe.
Thursday 14 July | Smiths Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, City | smithsalternative.com
Alright Hey! A Night with Australia’s Biggest Glamazon
After a massive sell-out Sydney Comedy Festival debut season, enjoy a night with one of Australia’s favourite creators (you may know him from his viral videos investigating Red Rooster, driving with celebrities or “almost kicking a child in the face” at Ikea). Promising unique side-splitting entertainment, expect the unexpected.
Thursday 14 July | The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street |thestreet.org
(in)tangible
Canberra Potters Gallery brings the (in)tangible works of five emerging artists who delve into the explorative themes of mental health and well-being, through the act of making. Each of the works aims to portray the emotional connect of normalising the ongoing impact and experience of mental health, opening the discussion and compassion toward the impact it causes. The pieces reflect the physical outcome, conveyed as a tangible viewpoint, challenging the perspectives of the outside world.
Thursday 14 July – Thursday 7 August | Canberra Potters Gallery | canberrapotters.com
Props, Masks & Magic
Opening Thursday 14 July, explores the work of Andrew Antoniou through imagination, memory and myth. Exciting and theatrical, each tapestry is made of his conscious and unconscious experiences, revealing the tragedy, comedy, mystery, love and fate that are all parts of the human experience. Head to Grainger Gallery to enjoy.
Thursday 14 July | Studio 1 & 2, Building 3.3, 1 Dairy Rd, Fyshwick | graingergallery.com
Kallidad
Combining Spanish guitar sorcery with rock’n’roll energy, there’s no need for lyrics to feel the energy and passion behind Kallidad’s music. With the trio’s notorious white face paint masking their identities, your entire focus will be on a musical style that is alive, intense, emotional and powerful.
Thursday 14 July | Smith’s Alternative, 76 Alinga Street | smithsalternative.com
Super Rats at Smiths Alternative
Love urban folk music? You can’t miss Super Rats at Smiths Alternative. Enjoy Turkish-tinged melodies as they take flight on violin, accordion, and the 145-stringed cimbalom.
Friday 15 July | Smiths Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, City | smithsalternative.com
Lifeline Bookfair
You’re going to need another bookcase once you get home from the Lifeline Bookfair this weekend. Held over three days, go digging for some hidden gems and pretend your to-be-read pile isn’t growing to an astronomical height whilst helping raise funds for Lifeline.
9 am – 6 pm Friday 15, 9 am – 4 pm Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 July | Tuggeranong Southern Cross Basketball Stadium | Lifeline.com.au
Chef’s Table at Capitol
Did someone say dining that’s daring? For the month of July you can experience the heat of Capitol Bar & Grill’s kitchen at their exclusive Chef’s Table. Giving you unparalleled access to their renowned Chef de Cuisine Mel Hobby and Wine Sommelier Jun Jang you can expect on a memorable six course journey of seasonal tastes with matching wines.
Savour every mouthful of our feasting menu, which is designed to share between two (or a few).
Friday 15 July | 1 London Circuit, QT Canberra | qthotels.com
Steve Kilby: Heyday and Starfish featuring Kim Yang
Enjoy the intimate setting at the Belco Arts centre, filled with sounds and stories from rock legend Steve Kilby, accompanied by Canberra’s own, Kim Yang. The pair will be lighting up the night, with the sounds of strums and harmonic hums, as the singer-songwriters showcase the talent and fusion of their skillsets for a night to remember.
Friday 15 July, 7 pm | The Theatre, Belconnen Arts Centre | belcoarts.com
Performance: Off The Walls And On Stage
Have you been to On Stage: Spotlight on Our Performing Arts at the National Library of Australia? Then you need to know about this. Join four experienced Canberra actors as they recreate scenes from selected plays included the exhibition. From Farquhar to Williamson, from Shakespeare to Lawler, from Gilbert and Sullivan to Seymour and many in between, it will truly be Off the Walls and On Stage. Oh, and light refreshments will also be served.
Friday 15 July | National Library of Australia | nla.gov.au
CBS Presents Lloyd Spiegel Trio
Love the blues? Canberra Blues Society proudly presents renowned acoustic guitar slinger Lloyd Spiegel. Playing tracks from 2019’s multi-award-winning album ‘Cut and Run’, along with back-catalogue and blues classics, the joint will be rocking.
Friday 15 July | 49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah | Tickets here.
Christmas in July at QT Lounge
The weather outside is frightful, but the wine is so delightful at QT Christmas in July. Serving up a mouth-watering three-course meal with views of Canberra and the lake, who says Christmas only has to be celebrated once a year?
Saturday 16 July | QT Lounge, London Circuit | Tickets via Eventbrite
GIANTS v Brisbane Lions
Love some Saturday afternoon footy? You can’t miss the epic clash when the GIANTS take on the Brisbane Lions at Manuka Oval. Perfect for the whole family, there’ll be plenty of entertainment for the kids with the GIANTS Fan Zone in full action with giveaways, face painting, inflatables and Macca’s Kick 2 Kick post game.
Saturday 16 July | Manuka Oval, Griffith | gwsgiants.com
Bingo Loco
It’s bingo like you’ve never seen before. The runaway child of traditional bingo, ‘Bingo Loco’ is a night with bass rumbling rave rounds, petrifying Lip-sync battles, dance-offs, confetti cannons and spine-chilling special effects, comedian MCs, dancers, crazy theatrics and of course thrilling prizes; shenanigans are mandatory!
Saturday 16 July | Harmonie German Club | eventbrite.com.au
Melinda Schneider: LOVE SONGS
Join multi Golden Guitar Award winner and chart-topping singer/songwriter, Melinda Schneider in an intimate two-hour concert production featuring her hits–plus the greatest love songs. Expect a emotional, intimate and soulful performance full of a selection of Melinda’s own original love songs along with some timeless romantic cuts from the likes of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton and more.
Saturday 16 July | The Street Theatre, 15 Childers Street | melindaschneider.com
The Guilty Feminist Live
Part comedy, part deep dive discussion and part activism, The Guilty Feminist is less of a podcast and more of a global phenomenon. Hosted by Deborah Frances-White, join The Guilty Feminist live at the Canberra Theatre Centre as she examines our noble goals as 21st-century feminists and our hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine those goals.
Sunday 17 – Monday 18 July | Canberra Theatre Centre | canberratheatrecentre.com
Mal Webb and Kylie Morrigan
Perfect for audiences of all ages, you can’t miss the multi-instrumental, live looping, brain tickling songs from Mal Webb and Kylie Morrigan. Imagine Einstein, Dr Seuss and Paganini making pancakes.
Sunday 17 July | Smith’s Alternative, 76 Alinga Street | smithsalternative.com
Christmas in July at Parliament House
Indulge yourself with a three-course Christmas feast with your family and friends while seated at the Queen’s Terrace Café, enjoying sweeping views of Canberra. You’ll enjoy Christmas classics reimagined by the Executive Chef, including pork fillet mignon, and panettone bread and butter pudding with eggnog custard.
Until Friday 22 July | Queen’s Terrace Café, Australian Parliament House | Tickets from Humantix
The Canberra Truffle Festival
That’s right foodies, the Truffle Festival is back to bringing exceptional gourmet products to your doorstep. And with plenty to do (think: hunting with truffle dogs, cooking demonstrations, growing and storing workshops, signature lunches and dinners, truffle tastings and more), it’s the ultimate celebration of the finest fungi.
Until Saturday 20 August | Various locations |trufflefestival.com.au
Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise
From 9 July until 22 October 2022, the important retrospective work of renowned Australian modernist Sidney Nolan can be seen for free at CMAG. From his nostalgia for St Kilda, his childhood heaven, to his explorations of the Australian landscape and restless travels abroad, Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise examines one of the artist’s deepest impulses and the journey of self-discovery it engendered. It’s the only time that this astonishing exhibition can be visited outside of Victoria, so run, don’t walk.
Until Saturday 22 October | Cnr. London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com
Dean Cross: Sometimes I Miss The Applause
Presented in dialogue with Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise, this newly commissioned installation by Dean Cross explores dual-channel moving image work that draws upon some of his most recognisable imagery (including his stylised Ned Kelly helmet). An artist of Worimi descent, born and raised on Ngunnawal/Ngambri Country with a background in contemporary dance and choreography, Cross’ cross-disciplinary practice often confronts the legacies of modernism, rebalancing dominant cultural and social histories.
Until Saturday 22 October | Cnr. London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City | cmag.com
Between You and Me: Eggpicnic Solo Exhibition
From the design duo that brought us the sulphur-crested Cockatoo balloon Instagram filter comes a solo exhibition celebrating the undeniable bond humans have with animals. Eggpicnic’s first solo exhibition in Canberra, it includes large-format flocks of hand-painted birds, sculptures in different mediums, original sketches, over 30 new prints, augmented reality and animation.
Until Saturday 16 July | 10 Mildura St, Griffith | thors.com.au/exhibitions/eggpicnic
Australians and Hollywood Blockbuster Exhibition
Not sure where to take the kids these holidays? Join the young, the old and the bold, for an inside look to discover the treasure, the troves, and cinematic spectacles that were and still are Hollywood today. Australians and Hollywood is a Canberra exclusive exhibition, showcasing the moments in contemporary film with Australian peoples and stories and how their stories came to life. This blockbuster exhibition by the NFSA features beloved cinema moments, rare behind-the-scenes footage and costumes and props from the NFSA collection on display for the first time.
Until 31 October 2023| National Film and Sound Archive | nfsa.gov.au
Kenneth Rowell: Designer for the Stage
Highlighting the work of Melbourne-born painter and designer Kenneth Rowell (1920-1999), characters and productions come alive through design at the National Library of Australia. While Rowell almost always designed both costume and set designs for a production, this exhibition showcases a selection of hand-drawn costume designs, as well as other items that give us a sense of his life in the theatre.
Until Sunday 11 December | National Library of Australia | nla.gov.au
