THE 2018 Canberra Comedy Festival is up and running until Sunday, March 25. There are lots of sell-outs already but with the brand-new Festival Square situated in Civic Square and a daily happy hour from 5pm to 6pm visitors can find out what’s on when at canberracomedyfestival.com.au

“ALTERNATIVE Prime Minister”, comedian Mark Swivel gives a “Slightly-Drunk-Ted-Talk” as part of Canberra Comedy Festival and creates a “Ten Point Plan for a Country Worth Living In”. At The Street Theatre, 5.30pm, March 24 and 25. Bookings to thestreet.org.au or 6247 1223.

METALESQUE will bring burlesque into the world of heavy metal at Canberra’s home of metal, as it explores how the seductive and sexy striptease style can bring out the best in the metal genre. Metalesque is an 18 and over event at the Basement, Belconnen, March 24. Bookings to eventbrite.com.au

QUEER Screen’s Mardi Gras Film Festival presents a weekend of highlights, including the NFSA’s restoration of the 1980 documentary “Witches, Faggots, Dykes and Poofters”, March 23-25. All details and bookings to nfsa.gov.au

CANBERRA Youth Orchestra is staging an Opera Gala featuring Tobias Cole, Louise Page and Sarahlouise Owens performing some of the most popular arias and overtures from across 300 years, at Llewellyn Hall, 7.30pm Saturday, March 24. Bookings to premier.ticketek.com.au

AEOLUS Wind Trio, featuring Lis Hoorweg on clarinet, Jodie Petrov on flute and David Whitbread on bassoon, will mark its 35th anniversary by performing in Wesley Music Centre, at 2pm on March 24 and in the Old Gunning Courthouse from 3pm on Sunday, March 25. Tickets at the door.

POETS Luke Whitington, from Canberra, Anne Gleeson from Terang, Victoria, and Poet/Artist-in-Residence at Strathnairn, Jane Liddell-King, will be reading their poems at Manning Clark House, 11 Tasmania Circle, Forrest, 7pm, this Thursday, March 22. Tickets $10 at the door, wine and nibbles included.

GEOFF Grey’s Canberra Wind Symphony will perform a concert of works by Aaron Copland, Charles Young, Yosuke Fukuda, Claude T. Smith, Eric Whitacre and Australian Ralph Hultgren. Waxing poetic, Grey says, the program content has been specifically tailored for an early autumn occasion, “with bright colours and vibrant textures in the sun-drenched High Court Great Hall”. High Court of Australia, 1.30pm, Sunday, March 18. Free but registration is essential to hcourt.gov.au

PHOENIX Pub in Civic has as follows: “Piss Weak Karaoke”, Thursday, March 22, at 9pm; “Friday Night Fiesta with Los Chavos”, Friday March 23, at 9pm; and, “Hoon, Slagatha Christie, Signs & Symbols and Lefty”, Saturday, March 24 at 9pm.

HALL School Museum and Heritage Centre is presenting a traditional “in the park” twilight concert to be hosted by musical polymath David Kilby, and featuring the Canberra Brass band under director Kevin Knapp, with Katie de Veau as local vocal soloist. The Hall School Museum & Heritage Centre will be open from 3pm. Refreshments available or BYO picnic. Lawns of the Hall School, 4pm on March 25, all welcome.

SOLOISTS Robert Macfarlane, Greta Claringbould, Andrew Fysh, Christopher Roach, Maartje Sevenster and Jeremy Tatchell join the Canberra Choral Society’s massed chorus and orchestra, under the baton of Andrew Koll, to perform Bach’s sublime “St Matthew Passion”, at St Christopher’s Cathedral, 7pm, March 24. Bookings to trybooking.com.au

 

 

 

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