Arts editor HELEN MUSA’s weekly wrap of who’s doing what where in the arts.

JOHN Bell’s Cuban-flavoured production of Bizet’s “Carmen” returns to Sydney as a scorching choice for the summer season, with five singers making their Opera Australia debuts. The femme fatale is played by Italian mezzo-soprano Veronica Simeoni while another Italian, Roberto Aronica plays her hapless lover Don José and Polish bass-baritone Lukasz Golinski plays Escamillo, the macho toreador. Sydney Opera House, January 11-March 26, book at opera.org.au

THE Bundanon Trust, which administers the Arthur and Yvonne Boyd properties on the Shoalhaven River, has announced the 2020 artists-in-residence. The good news is that among them are poet, photographer and ”CityNews” writer Judith Crispin, and senior curator at Canberra Museum & Gallery, Virginia Rigney.

THE National Film and Sound Archive’s summer school holidays program  “We can be (Kid) Heroes” kicks off in January with princesses, penguins, aliens and adventurers in movies as varied as “Brave”, “Happy Feet”, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Where the Wild Things Are”. Arc Cinema, NFSA, January 6-17, book at nfsa.gov.au

FOR adults not into sharing games with children, the NFSA has adults-only after-hours events throughout the summer, including “Local Heroes of Gaming” on January 17, where Canberra game creators will share their experiences in the industry. Book at nfsa.gov.au

DOMENIC Mico tells us that the Ginninderry estate will name one of its streets “Blue Folk Lane” after the radical community arts organisation of the same name which he founded at Strathnairn in 1979.

“AS the decade draws to a close,” Canberra Contemporary Art Space says, “so does our time at Gorman Arts Centre.” As we predicted, they’re looking forward to celebrating the opening of their new home at East Space on the lake, but although they’ve already enjoyed their “last day ever” at Gorman, there’s a date yet to come for the re-opening, so as they’re saying, “stay tuned”.