Covoid Bounceback!

 After more than 12 months in the wastelands, accompanied by undelivered shows and concerts,  we're treading the boards once more in Newcastle.

With a small troupe - just 4 of us - we'll be delivering the UH! OH! REVIEW:  When the things you planned don't go to plan   ..... on  Saturday 20th February, 7.30pm  at the Royal Exchange Salon Theatre, Bolton Street Newcastle.   A ONE NIGHT ONLY  comedy review of songs, sketches, and confessional tales.

As Covoid restrictions are still with us, tickets are limited and the show is likely to be booked out.  We recommend that you get in early to secure a seat.    Online bookings can be made via

www.trybooking.com/BOIVR   or phone the theatre direct - 4929 4969   [more information on the booking link too]

 

 

A CHILL IN THE AIR!

Get ready for the 4^th - and final - series of 

The Wireless Chronicles - 

A little rehearsal fun for I SPY

I SPY - opening 11-15 March. ##PRODUCTION DEFERRED DUE TO COVOID19 ...Stay Tuned

   The Wireless Chronicles  is an evening at the wireless - a Live Radio Play interspersed with the music and stories of the decade.

 There are 4 in the series - set in the 20s, through to the 50s.  Each episode comprises a Cast delivering the Radio Play  - The Devious Digit of Destiny – (aka the Fickle Finger of Fate) as if in a radio station, live.  Hence the episodes are ‘read’ and using props and sound effects to enhance the audience experience.

     I SPY is set in the 1950s,  the era of the Cold War -  a decade which saw the birth of rock and roll, and the arrival of television in Australia. 

    The Players for Series 4 are;  writer/producer Maureen O’Brien; Stevi Cannon; Grant Bailey; John Dickeson; Amanda Broberg; David Benge, and guitarist/sound effects wizard Peter Sesselmann. Maureen will share a plethora of anecdotes from the era and the cast will perform a selection of the great songs from the 50s.

   Devotee’s of the series will no doubt be waiting to hear the fate of the characters in the DDoD which is a wacky gangster-cum-spy farce that includes some riotous antics including a car chase... (yes! On live radio!)    .......

  4 shows only and booking is recommended for those performances which include catering and can be made on 0421 072 444  OR via email:  bookings@maureen.com.au

  ##MARCH SEASON CANCELLED  DUE TO ILLNESS - STAY TUNED FOR RESCHEDULED DATES 

NEW!

SIDESTEP COMEDY

is another YouTube channel I've established to share many of the many many comedy pieces I've written over the years for various shows and reviews.  These are short clips - some have already been recorded and others will be filmed over coming months with various theatre friends.
The channel is a work in progress and I strongly encourage you to subscribe now to be notified when a new work is uploaded.  You never know WHO you're going find up there!

Subscribing is free and it simply means that when a new video or videos are loaded up on the channel, you'll automatically receive a brief notification.
I can guarantee that there'll be clips on this channel that you will never have seen before!  Even if you've been to every show or review I've produced over the past 15 years.

Go here to view:  YouTube laughs 

Chillin'!

Ooooops!  I'm in winter hibernation mode and I'm sooo chilled out, I forgot about ... well .... everything!
So I've just updated the website, updated Reverbnation, about to update the blog...and if there's any motivation left, I'll update YouTube too.

Since my last post I've trialled my Lounge Room Concert Series - "The Soiree"s ...you may have got an invitation to one of those.  If not, let me know if you're interested for the next series.  [These aren't open to the public but are exclusively for members of my mailing list].  To say they had a magical ambiance would not be an exaggeration and I've decided that these are so enjoyable, I'll give them preferential performance in the future.   Especially because this format is perfectly suited to an intimate audience that prefers Music with Meaning.

Last Chance to catch this show

On the commercial front, I'll be delivering the final performance of the Andrews Sisters show [the knockout trio of the 40s] at the Buttai Barn on October 21. It's been running now for 5 years and along with Diva Fever [also 5 years] and the Patsy Cline show [6 years and 9 seasons!],  it's time to lay them to rest and make way for 3 new shows next year.  The Barn does a great job, providing excellent value for $45 a head, including a devonshire morning tea and 2 course lunch, so I'll be heading back there for a series of shows next year.

I'm hoping, though, to repair the 'disconnect' with my Original music which has been happening over the past couple of years.  That occurs when you spend more time delivering other people's music than your own.  And as an award-winning, established songwriter it's time I paid more attention to my knitting -  since I'm no longer touring, nor doing festivals [which is the birthing place for new music] this is when the threads begin to unravel.

Sunrise by Janelle Karbowiak

Now one might ask..."why bother, what's wrong with the 'old' music?".....and my answer is this: 

Music - as one stream of the Arts - is the soul of our society; it reaches in to lift our spirit; it comforts us through memory; touches our heart through emotion; it inspires us to dream, encourages us to aspire.  New music offers new comfort, inspires new thinking, different perspectives, stimulates new ideas.  We aren't the same person we were 10, 20, 40, 60 + years ago, so while it's pleasurable to revisit the past, it's not where we live anymore and it's not where we'll ever live again.  Music can change us as individuals, and as individuals we can change the world.  I want to be part of a world that is moved by music ...instead of by greed.   How about you?