The Owl’s Apprentice to six towns in the region Quirindi, Gunnedah, Bingara, Armidale, Glen Innes and Tenterfield

Little Wing Puppets are on their way to North West New South Wales, bringing with them their shadow puppet show, The Owl’s Apprentice to six towns in the region Quirindi, Gunnedah, Bingara, Armidale, Glen Innes and Tenterfield.

The story is about the idea that owl’s aren’t born wise, they have to learn it from somewhere. A young owl named Poot Poot is sent to study at Owl school. On his journey he meets an Echidna, a Wombat, a Kookaburra, a Lyrebird, a Kangaroo and a Platypus who each share with him their own kind special kind of wisdom. But will he pass the final test and become wise enough to save the forest? The Owl’s Apprentice is an interactive show for families combining shadow puppetry and physical comedy.

A puppeteer of more than twenty years, Jenny Ellis, weaves the whole tale together with a single set of hands, often playing multiple characters at once. Jenny has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Puppetry from the Victorian College of the Arts, and has performed hundreds of shows in numerous festivals, theatres and country halls in every state and territory of Australia, as well as overseas.

Jenny Ellis, Artistic Director of Little Wing Puppets, said,

“We are thrilled to be coming to the North West. We believe that young people deserve equal access to the arts, wherever they live. We have demonstrated that with over 16 years on the road, taking shows to some of Australia’s most remote communities. We know that we can help shape young people’s lives by igniting their imaginations. In a time when there is so much time spent on screens, the simplicity of puppet theatre still retains a sense of magic. It’s amazing to hear a room full of children gasping and exploding into laughter over the antics of a puppet on stage. It’s still able to captivate their imaginations.”

This tour has been supported by Arts North West. See attached page for full details of the performances

Watch 1 min video: https://vimeo.com/73988806

ARTS NORTH WEST TOUR
THE OWL’S APPRENTICE – 2022

Monday 1 August, 2022 10:30am & 1pm
The Royal Theatre Quirindi
115 Henry St, Quirindi NSW 2343
Bookings: https://www.royaltheatrequirindi.com/
Phone: (02) 6746 1755

Tuesday 2 August, 2022 11am & 1:30pm
Civic Theatre Gunnedah
83 Chandos St, Gunnedah NSW 2380
Bookings: https://www.thecivic.com.au/live-theatre--events
Phone: 02 6740 2266

Wednesday 3 August, 11am
Roxy Theatre Bingara
74 Maitland St, Bingara NSW 2404
Bookings: https://www.roxybingara.com.au/little-wing-puppets-presents-the-owls-apprentice/
Phone: 02 6724 0066

Friday 5 August, 2022, 2pm
The TAS Hoskins Centre Armidale
Barney St, Newling NSW 2350
Entry Via Chapel Street
Bookings: https://www.trybooking.com/CAHFO
Phone: (02) 6776 5800

Saturday 6 August, 2022 2pm
Chapel Theatre Glen Innes
143 Church St, Glen Innes NSW 2370
Bookings: https://giac.com.au/movie/owls-apprentice
Phone 6732 5688

Sunday 7 August 2022 10:30am
Tenterfield School of Arts
205 Rouse Street, Tenterfield
Bookings: http://www.tenterfieldcinema.com.au/event/the-owls-apprentice
Phone: 02 67366100

A SHOW RICH IN OUR COLLECTIVE AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

Circle the date for this powerful live show coming to theatres in our region in April.

Family secrets are revealed in double bill Stardust + The Mission – two original Australian stories about love, music, war and all the things that people leave behind...

STARDUST tells the story of bandleader and trumpet player Col Brain. Before he died, Col placed his most prized life possessions into a cupboard and locked it up, never to be opened again. But what was inside? Told by his grandson, award winning ABC presenter & performer, Joel Carnegie (below left), STARDUST is a heart-warming musical quest to uncover what Col wanted us to know about his life by the things he left behind.

THE MISSION follows “Fighting Gunditjmara” man Allan McDonald off to war. As one of the first Aboriginal soldiers from Victoria to enlist, Allan fought at Gallipoli and Beersheba, only to be denied a soldier’s settlement upon return and forced from his traditional land. Told by his great, great nephew, acclaimed Gunditjmara actor Tom Molyneux, THE MISSION tells the truth of Uncle Allan’s struggle; fighting for Country, for love, and for justice.

Royal Theatre Quirindi: Tuesday, 19 APRIL 2022

Crossing Theatre Narrabri: Wednesday, 20 APRIL 2022

Inverell RSM Club: Thursday, 21 APRIL 2022

Civic Theatre Gunnedah: Friday 22 APRIL 2022

Capitol Theatre Tamworth: Saturday 23 APRIL 2022

Roadshow coming to the rescue

Let’s face it – we could all use a laugh.

There’s no better time to come together and let off some steam with the Melbourne Comedy Festival. After so many delays due to COVID, the team is coming to Tamworth, Glen Innes and Narrabri with a roadshow attached to one of the three largest comedy fests in the world.

The NENW tour will be emceed by Sam Taunton, known as the ‘roving idiot’ on Channel 10’s The Project with his trademark captivating storytelling and quick-fire punchlines. He sold out his 2019 solo show, Straight From The Shoulder charming Australian audiences across the country, and it was this show that saw him win the Pinder Prize at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, which sent him across to a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, as one of the hottest young voices on the Australian comedy circuit.

Joining Sam are stellar comedians Nikki Britton, Fady Kassab and Chris Ryan.

Described by Chortle (UK) as a comedian who can reduce her audience to constant waves of laughter, Nikki Britton is known for her appearances on Hughesy, We Have A Problem. She was a nominee for Melbourne Comedy Festival’s Most Outstanding Show Award 2021 and swept the 2020 Adelaide Fringe Best Comedy Weekly Award.

Lebanese-born, Sydney-based Fady Kassab won Australia’s most prestigious comedy competition, triple j’s RAW Comedy in 2019. His show-stopping performance, televised on SBS TV, sent his to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to participate in the Gilded Balloon’s long-running “So you Think You’re Funny?” comedy competition. That led to Fady as a selection for the “Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show”.

Former journo and described as one of the most exciting new voices on the comedy scene, Chris Ryan round out the comedy quartet. Her laconic take on life has catapulted her to spots in Galas at the Sydney (2019) and Canberra Comedy Festivals (2013, 2017, slated for 2020), Floriade Nightfest and TEDx Canberra. In 2019, Chris performed comedy for the Australian troops in the Middle East and toured across Australia with the Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase Tour, and she’s a regular on a several ABC radio shows.

It will be a night of stand-up, sketch, satire, silliness and song to satisfy all your comedy cravings!

Capitol Theatre Tamworth: Wednesday and Thursday, 10 and 11 November, 7.30pm, 02 6766 2028

The Crossing Theatre Narrabri: Friday 12 November, 7.30pm, 02 6799 6740

Glen Innes Chapel Theatre: Saturday 13 November, 8pm, 02 6732 1997

Audience 18+

Roadshow bringing the laughs back

MELBOURNE COMEDY FESTIVAL’S popular Roadshow is heading for the New England North West region to deliver a cracking good night of stand-up laughs from the experts.

The NENW leg of the tour will be emceed by teacher-turned-comedian and actor Ben Knight, who starred in ABC TV’s football-themed series The Warriors. Joining Ben will be comedians Alex Ward, Nikki Britton, Sam Taunton and Japan’s comedy export Takashi Wakasugi, whose act at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was the insightful and uproarious Farm Backpacker (Subclass 417).

Described by Chortle (UK) as a comedian who can reduce her audience to constant waves of laughter, Nikki Britton is known for her appearances on Hughesy, We Have A Problem. She was a nominee for Melbourne Comedy Festival’s Most Outstanding Show Award 2021 and winner of Best Comedy Weekly Award at the 2020 Adelaide Fringe.

Sam Taunton is ‘roving idiot’ on Channel 10’s The Project with the trademark captivating storytelling and quick-fire punchlines that took him all the way to a sellout show at the Edinburgh Fringe.

A Queenslander now living in Melbourne, Alex Ward said: “2020 was a year for reflecting… mostly my own face in the laptop screen in bed”.

“I reflected on society, my dreams and how hard Zoom tried to ruin live comedy forever. Turns out they couldn’t touch us because we’re back. Can you believe it? Me, in the flesh, as you live and breathe!

“Despite the lockdown, I managed to achieve some great things in 2020. I wrote and co-starred alongside my dogs (my dogs were the leads) in a sketch for ABC’s At Home Alone Together series.

“I also baked not one, but two incredible cheesecakes. You could say it was a baking-pan-demic (that is an example of the kind of jokes you won’t be seeing at my show. It was a test, if you enjoyed that please re-think what you want to get from your life),” she said.

Don’t miss the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow at a venue near you:

TAS Hoskins Armidale: Tuesday June 15 (02) 6776 5800

Glen Innes Chapel Theatre: Wednesday June 16 (02) 6732 1997

Gunnedah Civic Theatre: Thursday June 17 (02) 6740 2100

Tenterfield School of Arts: Tuesday June 29 (02) 6736 6100

Inverell RSM Club (Inverell Cultural Group): Wednesday June 30 0428 753 244

Capitol Theatre Tamworth: Thursday July 1 (02) 6766 2028

Royal Theatre Quirindi: Friday July 2 (02) 6746 1755

Crossing Theatre Narrabri: Saturday July 3 (02) 6799 6740

Audience 18+