What Did She Think?

What: Philtrum When: 13 - 29 July 2018 Where: The Portable Written by: Anthea Greco Directed by: Peter Blackburn Performed by: James Cerche, Emma Choy, Louis Corbett, Stephen Francis, Anthea Greco, Faran Martin, Jessica Martin, Tasha Sanders, and Annie Stanford Designed by: James Lew Lighting by: Lachlan McLean Sound by: Justin Gardam Stage Managed by: Mark Salvestro Faran Martin and Emma Choy Philtrum is an exciting new Australian play being presented by North of Eight at The Portable in Brunswick. Whilst celebrating family, playwright Anthea Greco has created a chilling portrait which shows us how badly we hurt the ones we say we love the most. Philtrum is the story of an average Australian family - well, maybe not average. Whilst it starts off feeling a lot like the movie The Castle , with a boisterous family enjoying a bouncy, shouty dinner time with the TV blaring, we find out they are actually in Toorak, not Sunshine. It is a shame because I think the Toorak

What: Empty Bodies When: 6 - 14 July, 2018 Where: National Circus Centre Created by: Zebastian Hunter and Stephen Sewell Composed by: Ian Moorhead Choreography by: Meaghan Wegg Design by: Stephanie Howe    Empty Bodies is a reboot of a National Institute of Circus Arts ( NICA ) production created in 2016 for their second year ensemble. NICA has remounted the show with a smaller cast of graduates for this year's Provocare Festival in Prahran. Empty bodies is a circus event conceived by Zebastian Hunter  and Stephen Sewell  and is described as a circus-drama fusion. It draws on the choreographic talents of Meaghan Wegg to pull it all together, and a powerful composition by Ian Moorhead to provide the ambience. I recently visited Norway and had the opportunity to wander through The Vigeland Park which was created by Gustav Vigeland across the span of World War II and was completed in 1949. If Empty Bodies is not at least partially referencing his work I will eat

What: Reuben Kaye When: 7 - 15 July 2018 Where: The loft, Chapel off Chapel Created and performed by: Reuben Kaye Reuben Kaye Reuben Kaye has come back to Melbourne for the Provocare Festival in Prahran and seeing his show at Chapel off Chapel is to experience a beaming light of wonder and genius wrapped up in sequins and rhinestones. Kaye is here to entertain and just like his historical namesake, Danny Kaye , he will leave you in awe and stitches of hilarity, albeit with a very 21st century point of view. To watch Kaye do cabaret is to watch a true master of the craft although you may be so swept up with the pace, humour and depth ('is that how you pronounce it?') which will beguile you beyond belief in the actual moment you may not realise everything you were given until later. Insisting on being the 'placenta of attention', Kaye plays with the audience in an experience not unlike a bondage session and, yes, he is the whip. A Balwyn boy, Kaye tells t