BILLED as “the horrible history of Britain with the nasty bits left in,” the kids’ show, “Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain” is at Canberra Theatre,  January 27-28. Scripted by Terry Deary and Neal Foster, the hit show from the Birmingham Stage Company, accompanied by 3D effects, introduces lovable characters such as Boadicea, Henry VIII, Guy Fawkes, and “dastardly Dick Turpin”. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

CANBERRA arts lobby organisation The Childers Group has written to ACT Arts Minister Joy Burch expressing “serious concerns” about the apparent recent downgrading of arts service organisations, specifically severe cuts to Ausdance ACT, which has supported dance in the ACT since 1977. Charitably, they put this down to ArtsACT’s “endeavour to spread its ever-diminishing funds more thinly and widely”.

ON a happier note, Ms Burch has launched the eBook Library, which provides students and teachers with access to eBooks and audio books via the secure ACT schools online resource portal, The Digital Backpack. Already 1400 eBooks have been bought and $40,000 has been allocated annually for new books.

PHOTOGRAPHY and Media Arts graduates from the ANU School of Art, Chloe Gray and Rebecca Worth, are two of four such artists who will exhibit their work in gallery@bcs, January 20-February 6. The exhibition, “Plucked”, is part of the gallery’s annual “Springboard Series”, which supports ANU fine arts graduates with exhibition opportunities in their first year of practice. At Belconnen Community Centre, Swanson Court , Belconnen.

CATs founder Coralie Wood has received a framed certificate from Australian Event Awards confirming the CAT Awards as the ACT winner of the Best Regional Event 2014, while in the same week she had news that the CATs missed out once again on funding to help pay for Llewellyn Hall hire.

MEMBERSHIP fees for the fledgling Arts Party of Australia have just gone up to $40 full and $20 student membership. The party was offering free membership in Queensland in the lead up to the state election, but that offer has expired. With the rise of micro-parties, this could be a new player. Visit artsparty.org/join

BUNGENDORE Wood Works Gallery has an exhibition of decorative woodwork by Belgian-born woodworker/artist Dirk Lejeune showing until February 16. The works (dirkswirks) explore shape and play on repetition, using multiple segments of natural materials, particularly wood in a multitude of forms.

DOWN at the coast, Shannon Garson is exhibiting contemporary Australian porcelain under the title “Tide Lines” at Karen O’Clery’s Narek Galleries in the old church, 1140 Tathra-Bermagui Rd Tanja until February 16.