‘IMPROVENTION’ is Australia’s international festival of unscripted theatre and comedy.

THEATRE professionals from 10 countries are thrown together and asked to create 35 shows from short-scene comedy to drama in the style of Hemingway, to performance art with a spontaneous vocal soundtrack, to a fairy tale on ice, or a version of Eurovision where none of the songs are written until the musician start playing. It all starts with the Improvision Song Contest on Saturday July 4 at ANU Arts Centre, continues through the week July 4-11 at The Street Theatre, Casino Canberra, New Acton, and the Garema Place Ice Rink. All details at improvention.com

ARTSOUND FM’s mid-winter book and music fair is coming up this Sunday, July 5 from 9am to 3pm – with a huge stock of good quality books, both fiction and non-fiction, CDs, DVs and vinyl records. Everything is well priced and quality-checked. Artsound is on the cnr of Manuka Circle and NSW Cres in the Manuka Arts Centre (next to Manuka Pool).

MISTER Maker  star, Phil Gallagher, brings a ‘crafty’ approach to children’s entertainment and ideas for ‘mini makers’ to go out there and be creative. There will also be songs and dances with Mister Maker and his sidekicks, The Shapes. At Canberra Theatre, 10am and 12.30pm, Saturday July 4, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

“REALITY in flames: modern Australian art and the Second World War” has  opens today at the Australian War Memorial. The exhibition  showcases works by leading official war artists such as Russell Drysdale, Nora Heysen and Albert Tucker. It is the first exhibition to be dedicated exclusively to exploring Australian modernist artists’ reactions to the Second World War. The exhibition showcases 90 works in a variety of disciplines developed through the official war art scheme and pieces by artists who struggled to balance the creation of their art with their experience of war-related labour or military service.

“WE all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect & Celebrate”, the 2015 NAIDOC Week Art Exhibition for Southside Community Services, will be launched by chairman of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elected body, Rod Little, will be held at Gallery on Southside, 63 Boolimba Crescent, Narrabundah at 3pm this Friday July 3. The exhibition continues weekdays from July 6-24.

TUGGERANONG Arts Centre has two new exhibitions reflecting its annual visual arts theme: ‘Connection to the Environment’. This Thursday July 2 at 6pm, soil scientist at the CSIRO, Neil McKenzie, will officially open both exhibitions that together are a colourful and dynamic investigation into unique Australian landforms, featuring artists from Batlow and Tumbarumba. ‘High Country Waterfalls’ is a collection of large-scale acrylic and mixed media paintings by Phil Ryan, with a specially created soundscape. ‘Red Dirt, Wild Places’ is an exhibition of paintings by Susan a’Beckett, Meg Brow and MaryAnn Marshall depicting the diversity of Australian landscapes and the artists shared love of travel. Both exhibitions continue until Saturday August 1.

VINYL Lounge at the National film and Sound archive will be on TWICE this month, starting with the regular first Friday of the month session on July 3, from 5pm. Then with the support of the French Embassy and Alliance Française de Canberra, there’ll be a special ‘Vinyl Lounge – Bastille Day’ on Friday July 10, from 5pm featuring all things French and musical from Debussy to Daft Punk. You can bring along your own French vinyl too. Both sessions will be held at the NFSA Theatrette. Free entry, no booking required. Drinks from 5pm, then the Vinyl Lounge from 5.30 – 6.30pm.

‘IF I made you a mountain’ is a new series of large scale drawings by Shellaine Godbold which explores the artist’s relationship of self to place, following trip to her grandmothers’ home town in western Queensland. Godbold uses subtle watercolour washes to suggest not only rivers and streams but also blood vessels and veins. At City Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Corner of London Circuit and Hobart Place, Civic, Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm Saturday 9am to 1pm.

‘Between The Lines’ returns to brighten up the Canberra winter as music lovers converge on Civic Youth Centre tomorrow, July 3. Targeted at the youth demographic of 12 to 25, it’s the brain child of local promoter Jannah Fahiz or wants to provide a medium for young music lovers in Canberra to meet new people and network. Canberra rockers Young Monks will headline, supported by Sydney’s Stand Atlantic, Canberra jive punks Casters and Rhys Coles. 6.30pm tomorrow at Club 12/25, corner of Cooyong Street and Scott’s Crossing. $10 at the door. Ages: 12-25, strictly drug and alcohol free.

VIKA Bull, one of our most powerful soul singers, is set to tell the story of one of the most influential soul singers of all time: Etta James. The show is at the Canberra Theatre Centre for one night only as she tells the story of Etta’s turbulent life and sings songs including ‘Tell Mama,’ ‘Something’s Got A Hold On Me’, ‘Pushover’, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’, and her signature song ‘At Last’. At The Playhouse, bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

JOHN R Walker’s survey exhibition ‘Here I Give Thanks’, curated by Glenn Barkley, will be opened by Andrew Sayers at the Drill Hall Gallery tomorrow, Thursday, July 2, the exact exhibition is open to the public July 3 to August 9. The exhibition’s title derives from a painting, ‘Six Days at Bundanon and I Give Thanks to Arthur Boyd’ (2001) and the work of New Zealand’s Colin McCahon is also an inspiration. Walker has been a Braidwood resident for more than a decade.