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Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Free app connects theatre fans to shows nation-wide

ACT Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay launching RISECanberra in May

IT’S been a long-held dream in Canberra arts circles to have a central calendar so the city’s dreadful cultural clashes happen less often and now thanks to technology, Canberra has not one, but two.

On May 29, ACT Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay launched the government-funded “RISE Canberra”, an online events calendar and one-stop-shop for all Canberra events during COVID-19 restrictions with a broad reach, extending to events like Reconciliation Day, Floriade: Reimagined, the Great Australian Craft Show, a wine tasting party online, and moat of all, the new winter “Where You Are” festival, now running.

Members of the public can now access the latest listings on the RISE Canberra Calendar at risecanberra.com

Richard Block, founder of StageCenta

In the private enterprise sphere, performer, director, producer Richard Block and founder of StageCenta, a “boutique” theatre info and ticketing platform, has been hard at work finalising an industry first, nation-wide, free, mobile theatre app.

“Although our theatre seats are empty, Australia-wide audiences will soon be able to locate every show, everywhere, every day, across Australia with a swipe of a finger,” Block says.

The StageCenta app, when ready in about five weeks, will come loaded with show details and times, directions to the theatres, cast bios, reviews, ratings, links to ticket purchases and the ability to follow favourite cast, creatives and companies and receive push notifications of their next performances.

In the lead up to the app’s release, StageCenta is building its networks and registered contacts with a giveaway which has seen them, since June, give away more than $15,000 in $500 gifts to randomly-selected theatre performers or creatives who have uploaded their profile to stagecenta.com

Funded from StageCenta reserves, the $500 giveaways will now continue indefinitely.

“It is our way of thanking the valuable people in our industry who do so much for us… We hope it will provide them with a little personal support during these hard times or help fund their professional development,” Block says.

Winner announcements are made by some of Australian performers like Rachael Beck, Rob Mills, Todd McKenney and Catherine Alcorn on the StageCenta Facebook page

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Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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