Australian film and television director, producer, writer and actor Maurice B Murphy tells the goss about the fun, laughs and good times at the ABC behind the scenes during the Aunty Jack and Norman Gunston years. Smith’s Alternative, Civic, February 18.

The National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature is celebrating its 50th birthday with a birthday song and planned face-to-face and online events and activities, including the Never Be Late for a Parade of 22 of Shaun Tan’s digital artworks at the Mura Gadi Gallery at the University of Canberra Library, February 19-March 14.

An antidote to Valentine’s day and part of the NFSA’s Love is Fraught series will be the divorce comedy double feature, The War of the Roses and Intolerable Cruelty, Arc Cinema, NFSA, February 17.

Queanbeyan Players’ next  show is the Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Next to Normal. Belconnen Community Theatre, February, 15-24.

Anarchic comedian Garry Starr will be attempting to perform all of Greek mythology on stage, at The Q, Queanbeyan, February 16. Recommended for ages 18+.

Concerts

• Orange Youth Orchestra and Canberra Youth Orchestra Join for Summer Synergy of Music, Orana Overture Hall, Unwin Place, Weston, February 18.
• Haydn Ensemble presents an intimate program of string quartets, themed around the idea of love and devotion. Wesley Music Centre, February 15.
• Salut! Baroque presents The Genius, CPE Bach,  7.30pm Fairfax Theatre, NGA, February 16.
• John Schumann and The Vagabond Crew perform at The Street Theatre, February 16.
• The CSO’s principal players form a septet to play a chamber music concert of Beethoven, February 18.
• MusicACT has a professional development event with Molly Jackson from Gyrostream and David Hume from the Orchard, two of the leading indie music distributors in the country. Gang Café, Downer, February 18.
• Living the Tradition is a film and live performance with cellist Ilse De Ziah and guitarist Ian Date, NFSA Theatrette, February 21.

Galleries

• Simple Forms, Complex Times is a new exhibition by artist Lee Crisp, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Manuka, February 16-25.
• Belconnen Arts Centre has four exhibitions opening on February 16 and running until March 28: Lines of Sight by Patsy Payne and John Pratt; Interwoven 7, basketry and textile artists from the Canberra region and the south coast; West: atmo-spheres, by Francis Kenna; and The Benefit of Doubt, ceramics by Fran Romano and Zoe Slee.
• Nine ANCA artists face unfinished projects or make new works from the disparate materials each artist has stashed away in Loose Ends. ANCA Gallery, Dickson, February 21-March 10.