A local gem
Accomplished Queanbeyan actor Mike Smith will return to his home town later this month when a new production of the critically acclaim production, The Sapphires, comes to The Q on 13-18 February.
Featuring a talented young ensemble of first nation performers in all the Indigenous Australian roles, Tony Briggs will direct his play for the first time.
2019 will represent the first major Australian regional tour of The Sapphires.
This production seeks to take The Sapphires on stage, further than ever before; it will be the most extensive regional tour ever for this play and first time it has been performed in remote areas.
The remote performances will be presented in a special pop-up version provided free of charge to Indigenous Australian communities and regional/remote areas of the country not serviced by a venue or where there are constraints for people to attend that venue.
The Sapphires will be performed at The Q on 13-18 February. Visit theq.net.au for more.
Skin in the game
One of the best preserved Thylacine pelts in known existence (pictured) has come into the collection of the National Museum of Australia (NMA) after spending nearly 100 years hidden away in New Zealand.
The almost-complete pelt features rarely preserved details such as a nose, tail and the bones, tissue and ligaments of the paws. It is in remarkable condition.
NMA Head Curator Dr Martha Sear is excited to welcome the extraordinary skin into the National Museum’s collection.
‘The pelt is considered to be one of the best preserved specimens in existence, and one of the few remaining physical specimens of a species that has become a symbol of extinction,’ says Dr Sear.
The Thylacine pelt (aka the Tasmanian tiger) will join the NMA’s current collection, which includes an incomplete Thylacine pelt and the single largest collection of Thylacine organ specimens in the world.
Visit the National Museum of Australia at Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula; open daily 9am-5pm.
Stacks on offer for filmmakers
The State Library of NSW has launched a new short film prize, Shortstacks, with a total of $20,000 on offer across two categories.
Shortstacks is open to established, emerging and first-time filmmakers of all ages, and requires entrants to make reference one or more items pre-selected from the State Library’s collection in their film.
NSW State Librarian Dr John Vallance says the competition provides filmmakers with a unique opportunity “to say something new and interesting using the Library’s collection, and reach a wide audience”.
There are two prize categories: a $15,000 general prize open to filmmakers 18 years and over at the time of entries closing; and a $5,000 youth prize open to filmmakers 17 years and younger at the time of entries closing.
Entries close Monday 29 April 5pm; sl.nsw.gov.au/awards
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