Here’s HELEN MUSA’s latest “Arts in the City” column, a who’s who and what’s what of arts around the town.

“CLANSHIP” is the theme chosen by former artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Stephen Page, who will give the Andrew Sayers Memorial Lecture, in memory of the late director of the National Portrait Gallery. NPG, 7pm-8pm, April 27. 

CANBERRA Bach Ensemble, directed by Andrew Koll, is the first and only ensemble in the nation’s capital dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Forced to cancel its appearance at Leipzig’s BachFest in 2020, the ensemble is now holding a post-covid relaunch and fundraising concert to support its planned return to Germany in 2024. At St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka, April 19. 

CANBERRA Circus Festival, a season of professional circus, clown, magic and sideshow performances open to the public, will be combined with a national youth circus development training camp hosted by Warehouse Circus. At the May Wirth Big Top, Chifley Oval, April 18-23. 

NINA Stevenson’s Piper Productions is staging “Shrek, the Musical Jr”, running through the school holidays at Canberra College Performing Arts Centre, Launceston Street, Phillip until Friday, April 21. 

CANBERRA Rep’s playwriting competition, “The ’Logues”, is running heats on Sunday afternoons throughout April, where all attendees will vote for their favourites. The two most popular scripts from each heat will go on to have three staged performances in the finals at Canberra Rep Theatre, May 19-21. Audience votes will determine the three winners. Details at canberrarep.org.au 

“WONDER Walks” is part of Project Alchemy, a cross-disciplinary arts project to build community connection across south-east Australia enabled by Canberra’s Rebus Theatre. It involves artists from Bega Valley Shire, Eurobodalla Shire, East Gippsland, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council, and the ACT. Over several months, the walks, led by visual artist Cecile Galiazzo, will take participants into the landscape being regenerated by landholders to observe nature’s regrowth since the fires of 2019/20.