Darwin Festival Is…

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…a wonderland of intrique & surprise

The 2015 Darwin Festival is 18 tropical days brimming with risk, adventure and excitement with theatre, music, cabaret, art, conversation, dance, comedy and family fun to keep audiences enchanted, invigorated and inspired this August.

…transporting

On the opening weekend be whisked away to a dazzling underwater world in crisis with Cry Jailolo where seven local men from Indonesia’s North Maluku islands glide around the stage in endless patterns evoking the shimmering rhythms of schools of tropical fish. This stunning new dance work, over two nights only, will enchant audiences before setting off on a European tour. Then take a musical journey through life inside the old Berrimah jail in Prison Songs, an extraordinary premiere concert event that offers a fiercely Australian, strikingly honest take on life on the inside by some of the country’s finest performers including Shellie Morris and Ernie Dingo.

…big music

If music is the heart of this year’s program, then it beats with true diversity. Don’t miss three epic evenings of musical wonder with the free Santos Opening Night Concert, Xavier Rudd & the United Nations, and closing party Big Country – a country music extravaganza featuring Kasey Chambers and Adam Brand with alt-country rising star Ruby Boots and local hero David Garnham. Darwin Railway Club transforms into the Festival Lounge with jam sessions, musical mayhem and magic; The Lighthouse is the place to get your nightly groove on; and if that’s not enough, some of the world’s finest jazz and classical musicians are coming to town. An evening with Piers Lane playing Chopin’s nocturnes by candlelight and Australasia’s finest ensembles Mike Nock Trio and NZTrio coming together for Vicissitudes, are not to be missed.

…full of belly-laughs

Everyone loves a laugh and landing on the comedy stage this Festival are critically-acclaimed stand-up comedian Hannah Gadsby, global musical comedy sensation The Axis of Awesome and one half of the award-winning political comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet, Nazeem Hussain. Adrienne Truscott is back as one half of the Wau Wau Sisters; these multi-award winning New Yorkers and seductive sisters of La Soirée Are Naked as the Day They Were Born Again!, straddling performance art and party. Professional political satirist Max Gillies takes the stage in Poli-Gobble in a no-holds-barred political cabaret double bill alongside Topology, and The Kransky Sisters are set to slay with their unique brand of darkly hilarious comedy in two brand new shows.
…for the kids

For a treat of free family fun, Justine Clarke Sings! sees best-selling children’s singer and star of Play School, Justine Clarke head to Darwin’s Waterfront; Veronique Serret and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra String Quartet perform an interactive musical concert inspired by Peter Sculthorpe’s journeys to Kakadu, especially for youngsters, in Jabiru Dreaming and internationally acclaimed theatrical work The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk beelines right to the centre of a child’s universe – the schoolyard, full of fickle and faithful friends, bullies and those oh-so-relatable defining moments in the life of a kid. No matter what age you are, The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk is uplifting and completely unforgettable. And may just make your next brush with playground politics that little bit funnier!
Festivals are all about memorable moments, so take a risk and dive into the unexpected. You’re sure to be rewarded with precious memories.

Darwin Festival 6-23 August.
Tickets available at darwinfestival.org.au or phone 08 8943 4222

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