Enchanted Forest: The Lost Astronaut closes this week. Photo: LASERVISION.
It’s a week of beginnings and ends in the Illawarra’s social calendar.
The week kicks off with the last call for LASERVISION’s epic light and sound spectacle as it nears its close at Shellharbour’s Blackbutt Forest, but towards the end of the week, Disney on Ice’s roadshow opens for one weekend only in Wollongong, and tickets are selling fast.
A provocative new play will open at Wollongong Workshop Theatre, followed by one-off performances of a range of theatre and live music productions.
In between there’s a textile upcycling workshop, a mountain biking competition for kids and Shellharbour City Council is marking Refugee Week with a thought-provoking movie screening and talk.
Here are our top nine picks for the week.
All weekend
Wolf Lullaby
When: Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June, 8 pm and Sunday 16 June, 2 pm
Where: Wollongong Workshop Theatre, 190 Gipps Road, Gwynneville
Cost: Tickets $30 adult, $25 concession, book here.
Wollongong Workshop Theatre is staging a gripping production that will leave audiences uncertain of their own moral compass and tackle important ethical questions. Among them: Is there intrinsic evil in the world?
In a bleak, remote town, a small child is murdered. Suspicion falls on nine-year-old Lizzie. Convinced her daughter is guilty, Lizzie’s young mother must make the torturous choice between ignoring her intuition and presenting Lizzie to the police.
The Enchanted Forest – Lost Astronaut
When: Thursday 13 to Sunday 16 June, 5:45 to 10:15 pm
Where: Blackbutt Forest, 53 Blackbutt Way, Barrack Heights
Cost: $14.50, child three to 17 $9.50, under two free, family $38.50, book here.
Shellharbour’s Blackbutt Forest has been transformed for LASERVISION’s second immersive Enchanted Forest spectacle – The Lost Astronaut. Journey through a spectacle of light and sound as you help the Lost Astronaut rebuild their ship and escape an enchanted, otherworldly forest. Between dazzling laser effects, interactive projections, celestial holograms and custom soundscapes, this vibrant display will leave you spellbound.
Friday
Roxee’s last shows sold out, so be sure to book your seats now. Image: Roxee Horror Facebook.
Roxee Horror’s Musical Mayhem 2
When: Friday 14 June, 8 pm
Where: IPAC, 32 Burelli Street, Wollongong
Cost: Premium $50, standard $40, book here.
Roxee Horror and her spectacular chorus line of drag performers are back to razzle dazzle you. Billed as the Illawarra’s leading drag artist, Roxee will take you on a journey with some of the most popular musical songs ever. The show will be full of amazing lip-syncing and even more spectacular live songs, giving you the greatest show tunes throughout the years.
Don’t miss this combination of two remarkable talents. Photo: Supplied.
The Illawarra Folk Club presents Mike McClellan & Ami Williamson in Concert
When: Friday 14 June, 7 to 10:30 pm
Where: City Diggers Club, 82 Church Street, Wollongong
Cost: Member $30, non-member $35, book here.
Don’t miss two of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters as they team up in concert for the first time. Mike McClellan has long been regarded as one of the finest songwriters this country has produced with a string of iconic songs that have seeped into the musical identity of Australia such as Song and Dance Man. He will be joined by Ami Williamson who, classically trained in music and theatre, draws on the folk music she loved growing up as the daughter of iconic Aussie singer-songwriter John Williamson.
Saturday
BlueScope Youth Orchestra will present music from legends such as Vivaldi and Brahms. Photo: Wollongong City Council.
BlueScope Youth Orchestra
When: Saturday 15 June, 10:50 am to 1 pm
Where: Dapto Ribbonwood Centre, 93-109 Princes Highway, Dapto
Cost: Free, book here.
Experience the delightful melodies of the BlueScope Youth Orchestra from the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music as they perform this year’s program “The Legends”. Comprising music by some of the world’s greatest composers, expect a range of lively and engaging classical pieces. Highlights will include Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance No. 15, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1 and Vivaldi’s La Follia.
Doors open at 10:50 am for an 11 am start and refreshments will be provided from 1 pm.
This hands-on workshop is not just about weaving, it’s about reimagining the potential of every thread. Image: The Tinkerage Shellharbour.
Upcycling Textiles with Loom Weaving Workshop
When: Saturday 15 June, 10 am to 3 pm
Where: The Tinkerage Shellharbour, 44 Buckleys Road, Dunmore
Cost: Shellharbour residents free, $40 general admission, book here.
Embark on a journey of creativity and sustainability, learning to upcycle textiles with loom weaving. Led by the crafty facilitator Bonnie Herft, this workshop is a celebration of the art of weaving, where discarded or repurposed textiles find new life in the hands of eager creators. Join Bonnie as she guides you through the techniques and skills to transform old fabric remnants into woven creations.
For safety reasons, The Tinkerage workshops are for 16 years and over or over 13 years if accompanied by an adult. Participants must wear enclosed shoes. BYO textiles to upcycle, lunch, a drink and a mug for a cuppa.
Wednesday
Waad must choose whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much. Photo: Shellharbour City Council.
Refugee Week Movie: For Sama
When: Wednesday 19 June, 6 pm
Where: Shellharbour City Library, 76 Cygnet Ave, Shellharbour City Centre
Cost: Free, book here.
Marking Refugee Week, don’t miss this poignant and powerful screening of Academy Award-nominated film For Sama. It follows the intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her.
Following the movie screening, former Syrian refugee Amro from Illawarra Multicultural Services (IMS) will give a short address.
Thursday
Disney on Ice
When: Thursday 20 to Sunday 23 June, various times
Where: WIN Stadium, 46 Harbour Street, Wollongong
Cost: Various, book here.
Featuring new and classic tales, this multigenerational experience is making a pitstop at Wollongong for one weekend only – and tickets are selling fast. Hit the road with Mickey Mouse and his pals on his epic road trip. Exciting twists and turns await as Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and guests of all ages embark on an interactive and memory-rich adventure to iconic Disney destinations.
See the world from the rooftops of London with Mary Poppins, travel to the sun-soaked Motunui and help Moana restore the heart of Te Fiti, or set off on a safari and snap unforgettable photos of wild cheetahs and monkeys when guests traverse through the Pride Lands with Simba, Timon and Pumbaa.
The Rocky Trail Academy is about building resilience and life skills on rocky trails. Photo: Raul Mellado.
Wollongong Elementary Schools Mountain Bike Race
When: Thursday 20 June, 9 am
Where: Cringila Hills Mountain Bike Park, Lackawanna Street, Cringila
Cost: $49, register here.
The Rocky Trail Academy is dedicated to nurturing the fundamental growth of mountain biking within school communities. This event is geared towards elementary age students and offers three trails. With three timed stages, students can test their riding ability across three skill areas – endurance, speed and technical skills.
The event will not only engage youth in healthy social and active recreation but bring a heightened appreciation of nature, the environment, self-reliance, self-learning and independence, all as part of riding a bike in the outdoors.
Loading ...
