BRITISH director, Marc Parrett, is touring as the character Dad with his production of the children’s play “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”, which is based on the book written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. It’s coming to Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, The Q, at 10am and noon on Saturday and Sunday, February 11-12. Bookings to theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

NEWS is to hand that Shakespeare by the Lakes’ production of “Much Ado about Nothing”, which will play on February 14-15 at Tuggeranong Town Park Community Stage and Glebe Park Community Stage on February 16, will also be seen at Queanbeyan’s QEII Park River Stage on February 17. Gates open at 5.30pm and performances begin at 6.30pm. Free, but register at eventbrite.com.au

AUSTRALIAN National Capital Artists Gallery kicks off its 2018 program with “Urban Instabilities”, paintings by Phil Page and Katie Hayne that focus in two dramatically different ways on Canberra’s urban landscape. At ANCA, 1 Rosevear Street, Dickson, February 7-25.

ACT Writers Centre has received $100,000, two years of funding, from the Australia Council for its emerging writers development program “Hardcopy”. The program offers writers from around the country support from leading industry experts.

BRILLIANT, young Japanese pianist, Kotaro Nagano, who won the 2014 Australian International Chopin Piano Competition, will be at the Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 7pm, Friday, February 9 with a harpsichord, clavichord and piano recital called “Renaissance to Russian Romantics”. Bookings to trybooking.com or at the door.

GOULBURN’S Australian Blues Music Festival has been rated by Tourism Australia as one of the “must-see events and festivals in regional Australia”. Three of Australia’s top blues guitarists, Lloyd Spiegel, Geoff Achison and Nick Charles, will join the huge line-up across various venues around Goulburn, February 8-11. Information at goulburnaustralia.com.au

CRAFT ACT is game in titling a new solo exhibition by textile artist Sharon Peoples, “Death of a Craft”. In it she uses lace as “a vehicle to approach the withered nexus between the craft of lace and its design in traditional lacemaking”. At Craft and Design Centre in the North Building, Civic, alongside Craft ACT’s National Award Exhibition for early career artists,

JAZZ at the Village’s next concert features the Australian septet Wanderlust, led by Canberra’s ace trumpet and flugelhorn player Miro Bukovsky, in its 25th anniversary. At the ANU Pop-Up Village, near The Street Theatre, Wednesday, February 7, music from 7.30pm. Bookings to [email protected]

QUEANBEYAN Art Society president Barry Cranston is exultant at the allocation of $120,000 by from the NSW government and Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council and society members to extend and fence off part of the QAS gallery on the riverbank.

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