9 - 18 June

Music Theatre and Production students open at Grant Street Theatre this week with musical comedy City of Angels . Set in the glamorous Hollywood of the 1940s, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel, and book by Larry Gelbart, the show weaves together two stories – one in the ‘real’ world of film noir screenwriting and other in the film world enactment of that screenplay. Costumes and set reflect the two realities in black & white and colour…Come along to see our students rise to the challenge of this stunning production. Full season details.

20 May - 11 June

Three distinct but complementary exhibitions are presented at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery: Personal View: Photographs 1978 - 1986 by author and art historian Janine Burke, reveals snapshots of a particularly dynamic period in Australian art; Milano by Christopher Köller is an exploration of three cities (Melbourne, Milan and Mexico) continuously undergoing a process of formation; and Vacuum by Janina Green, presents a set of 14 vintage chromogenic prints made in 1993 by superimposing photographed contemporary figures onto illustrations from ‘Home Beautiful’ magazines of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Full exhibition details.

10 - 15 June

This season of Contemporary Plays, presented by Acting Company 2012 and Production students, gives a glimpse into our second year actors’ performance training under three established directors. Unity (1918) is directed by Robert Walton, the VCA’s newly appointed Lecturer in Theatre who joins us from the U.K. where he was Associate Head of Performance at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and co-founder of Fish & Game. Crimes of the Heart is directed by well-known actor Glenda Linscott and A Lie of the Mind is directed by Andrew Gray, Artistic Director of Melbourne Playback Theatre. Full season details.

Friday 24 June, 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Leading arts practitioners speak on histories, recurrent issues and future directions for Indigenous arts in Australia and Canada. The inaugural Lin Onus Conversation features Nakota visual artist and arts lecturer Tanya Harnett, Yorta Yorta bass baritone, visual artist and curator Tiriki Onus, and another practitioner to be announced.
Venue: Art Auditorium, VCA School of Art, enter via Gate 4, Dodds St, Southbank campus.
Enquiries: leulie@unimelb.edu.au 
Presented by the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Bachelor of Music student Peter de Jager has won the Australian National University’s Australian 2011 International Chopin Piano Competition. Mr de Jager is in his second year, majoring in composition after completing two years’ advanced performance study at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). “Most competitions are technically based, but for this competition, they wanted something more individual from the players, something more poetic, in the spirit of the romanticism of Chopin’s time,” he said.
Read full story.

Kwik Fix , a comedy about the idiosyncratic staff of a fast-food restaurant, written and directed by Kelly Hucker and produced by Fiona Leally in 2010 at the VCA, made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner in May. Supported by the VCA, both Ms Hucker and Ms Leally made the trip to Cannes to participate in the Festival which allowed them to network with other up-and-coming filmmakers, buyers and distributors as well as attend conferences and workshops lead by experts in the field. "It's easy to get overwhelmed by the scale of this festival but I have come away inspired. Being here has given me invaluable understanding into how my industry works on a global scale and how I can grow within it," says Ms Hucker. Read full story.

Elizabeth Debicki, having finished her Bachelor of Dramatic Art at the VCA last year, has been cast for a key role in a Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of The Great Gatsby . Ms Debicki has landed the part of Jordan Baker, a professional golfer and the love interest of protagonist Nick Carraway, who will be played by Tobey Maguire. The cast also includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan. Read more.

After 10 years in the making, the Australian film Blame will be released on 16 June. Writer and director Michael Henry and producer Michael Robinson have been working together since they were students at the VCA. The film’s original score is composed by fellow alumTamil Rogeon and stars three recent and successful VCA acting graduates: Simon Stone, Ashley Zukerman, and Mark Leonard Winter. In an interview with the Melbourne Alumni e-news, Mr Winter credits the VCA for putting him on the right track. “It was a wondrous adventure every day I was there. It seriously blew my mind,” he said. Read full story .
 

Thursday 30 June, 6.30pm - 8.30pm

The VCA is hosting an information evening for prospective students considering applying for the VCA’s new undergraduate degree - the Bachelor of Fine Arts with specialisations in Dance, Contemporary Music, Film and TV, Music Theatre, Production, Theatre Practice and Visual Art. Presented by our senior teaching staff, you will be able to find out important information about course content, specialisations, performance outcomes and the application process. Register online here.

Long before Dr Frankenstein's monster there was the Golem; a superhuman figure fashioned from mud and endowed with terrible strength. Playwright and VCA alumna Lally Katz has deftly woven philosophy and fantasy with soaring Yiddish melodies to create a unique rendering of this classic myth. Directed by Michael Kantor. Watch trailer.

For your chance to win one of 10 double passes to the following performances: Friday 10 June 7:30pm, Saturday 11 June 7:30pm, Sunday 12 June 5pm, please email your preferred date with GOLEM in the subject line to atm@malthousetheatre.com.au.

10 June - 2 July
malthousetheatre.com.au
 

A new version of Chekhov's last play adapted by Andrew Upton, directed by Howard Davies and starring Zoë Wanamaker as Ranyevskaya. Set at the start of the twentieth century, The Cherry Orchard captures a poignant moment in Russia’s history as the country rolls inexorably towards 1917. 

For your chance to win one of 25 doubles to a preview screening on Tuesday 12 July 6.30pm at Cinema Nova email your full name to win@cinemanova.com.au with “cherry” in the subject line.

23, 24, 26, 28 July
www.cinemanova.com.au

Moira FINUCANE, who the French call exquisitely, sumptuously demented returns with her legendary, global smash hit The Burlesque Hour LOVES Melbourne! Melbourne Icons Unzipped, unveiled and unleashed! PAMELA RABE, RHONDA BURCHMORE, DEBORAH CONWAY, MEOW MEOW, MAUDE DAVEY, KITTEN KO, SOSINA WOGAYEHU and more!

For your chance to win a double pass to The Burlesque Hour LOVES Melbourne! on Sunday 19 June 7pm email vcam-enews@unimelb.edu.au .

17 June - 7 August
www.fortyfivedownstairs.com / 9662 9966

Dave reckons he’s quite the ladies man. But Kate, the hairdresser he meets one night in his karaoke bar, is a hard case. She’s deep, she’s defensive, she’s troubled. Sure, Dave can break through, but can he deal with what is on the other side?

For your chance to win one of 2 double passes to The Water Carriers on Wednesday 22 June 7pm, email vcam-enews@unimelb.edu.au .

22 June to 23 July
www.mtc.com.au / 8688 0800

Entries to the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture close on 15 June. Open to Victorian residents, the prize is one of the most valuable of its kind in Australia and will provide significant financial reward, career development and exhibition opportunities for sculptors. For an entry form or information on the $60,000 Melbourne Prize and awards go to www.melbourneprizetrust.org or call (03) 9685 9276.