“Two Twenty Somethings”, The Courtyard Studio, December 9-14.

Arts editor HELEN MUSA is back with another serve of arts news. It’s “Arts in the City”.

CANBERRA Youth Theatre’s next play, the satirical comedy “Two Twenty Somethings” by Michael Costi, shows a young couple worried about everything as they make desperate attempts to live the ideal millennial lifestyle. At The Courtyard Studio, December 9-14. Book at canberratheatrecentre.com.au

THE National Film and Sound Archive says its coming show, “Australians & Hollywood: A Tale of Craft, Talent and Ambition” is its most ambitious to date. Exclusive to Canberra, it celebrates Australia’s contemporary cinematic successes and features objects, costumes, original documents and footage from the NFSA collection. As well, there are exclusive loans from the private collections of some of Australia’s most celebrated actors, cinematographers and filmmakers, including Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman. December 4-April 25. Details at nfsa.gov.au/hollywood 

CANBERRA’S Australian Dance Party is about to present “LESS” at the huge concrete installation in the Dairy Road, Fyshwick, precinct. The short dance performance, directed by Alison Plevey, with dancers Ryan Stone, Ashlee Bye, Levente Szabo, Jake Silvestro and Patricia Hayes-Cavanagh, will be backed with music by Alex Voorhoeve on cello and John Mackey on sax. December 10-17, book at events.humanitix.com/less 

“ABUNDANCE: Impressions of Nature” is the long-postponed landscape art exhibition by Canberra artists Lucy Bastecky, Katherine Buchanan, Marijke Gilchrist and Caroline Reid, who share their interpretations of local tablelands, coastal, alpine and semi-alpine landscapes and native botanicals in acrylic, encaustic, pastel, and pencil. At Fyre Gallery, 84 Wallace Street, Braidwood, December 2-12. Opening and artists’ talk, 2pm, Saturday, December 4. All welcome. 

“MATISSE: Life & Spirit Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou, Paris” is the Art Gallery of NSW’s big summer exhibition running until March 13. It is billed as the largest exhibition of Matisse’s masterworks ever to be seen in Sydney, featuring more than 100 paintings, drawings, sculptures and a presentation of the artist’s late “cut-outs”.