š Sunday Night In #19
Fringe is finishing, but the arts continue!
Sunday Night In brings you the news about South Australian books, theatre and stories that the algorithm doesnāt show you. No ads, no clickbait, and itās free!
Hello friends! Letās start by stating the obvious: itās been a hot one, eh? With promises of rain that didnāt eventuate and patches of humidity. Iām sorry that this weekly newsletter did not arrive last week...I was a bit over-heated! And also a day late on top of that because I had shows over the weekend. I definitely underestimated the cognitive effort that would go into putting on two different shows each night of my season.
This last week (or two) in South Australia: there was a rare blood moon; an affordable housing block for survivors of domestic violence opened; if youāre a Port supporter the footy season got off to a terrible start; and itās a sad farewell to Cibo as the franchises begin to close in the wake of the takeover by another brand. The lack of rain is having wide-ranging consequencesāfrom water carting, to trees shedding branches, to the electricity transmission faults on the Yorke Peninsula itās getting increasingly serious.
And in the arts: thereās one week of the Adelaide Fringe remaining, but Iāll stop having a separate section for fringe, and normal programming will now resume (with some refinements that Iāve been making since we became more-or-less weekly earlier this year). So in this weekās edition of Sunday Night In weāve got: a geolocation poetry app looking for submission; a new bookshop opening in Stansbury; and a show about Don Dunstan, but not in Adelaide!
Letās get started ā¦
News
š» The arts was in the news a bit (a teeny, tiny bit, so teeny that although I heard it on the radio it didnāt make it the website) when the Greens suggested that we rename the March long weekend āThe Festival Weekend.ā Iāll be honest, I was one of the people surprised to find that the March long weekend isnāt called the March long weekend and is in fact the Adelaide Cup weekend. Either way, the idea didnāt seem to gain too much traction.
āļø An extraordinary gift to the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation of $10 million dollars from Dr Pamela Wall AO.
š The Adelaide Festival named its new artistic director; and the CEO has announced that she is leaving.
Theatre and performance
š Tickets are on sale for Therry Theatreās production of Mumās Gift.
š You can buy a subscription to the full season of University of Adelaide Theatre Guild. This is an affordable way to see some good theatre through the year. You can also buy tickets to individual performances. This yearās productions include The Penelopaid, The Watson and The Whale.
š Emily Steel has been announced as the new Artistic Director/CEO of Theatre Republic. This is a great appointment to one of our most interesting and ambitious theatre companies.
š Do you know a high school student in the City of Charles Sturt? An acting mentorship opportunity with a talented group of mentors including Ren Williams, Zoe Taylor, Danielle Lim and Elvy-Lee Quici. This project is Initiated by Clarice Would Like a Word, a truly brilliant example of grassroots arts at work. The application form, which includes contact details for further information, is here.
š©³ How did we let this happen? An Audience With Don Dunstan, the story of one of the greatest political figures in Australiaās history ā¦ but being staged over there in Naarm/Melbourne! Itās already started its run and only on for a week, but if youāre doing a trip this week you might like to check it out and report back.
šš½āāļø If youāre a drama teacher or educator, thereās still time to sign up for the Invigorate conference presented by Drama Australia and Drama SA in association with DreamBIG Childrenās Festival. See the program here and register here.
Social media has worked really well for the arts for many years. But now? Who has any real idea where itās heading? Local news is getting harder to find, local news about the arts harder still. Sunday Night In connects South Australian artists with audiences and South Australian audiences with artists. Share this newsletter with anyone you think might be interested. Suggest they subscribe ā¦ itās full of great information and itās free!
Books, readings, storytelling and writing
š This is super cool! Voluminous Grid: The Adelaide Poetry App will showcase poems that celebrate the City of Adelaide. Seeking submissions now.
šš A new bookshop! Peninsula Records & Books is now open at Stansbury. They also have a great online store.
š Writers SA have a subscription offer for joint subscriptions to the new South Australian journal Splinter and the long-established Meanjin.
āāā Applications for the Deep Creek Residency for South Australian writers close in a few weeks. A partnership between Matilda Bookshop and Writers SA and in association with Ultimo Press, this is a fantastic opportunity for a one-week residency in a gorgeous location. It comes with a daily breakfast hamper, a living allowance, travel allowance, a short consultation with writer Favel Parrett, and then a ms assessment by Ultimo Press.
š Entries are open for the Ern Malley barās second annual MIKI prize for short stories. Itās a nice word limit of max 5,000 words and a nice prize of $1,983.
š City of Marion are hosting local crime writer Michelle Prak in conversation with Rebecca Heath, talking about her latest novel Barren Cape.
š Author of the outrageously popular Nevermoor series, Jessica Townsend will be in conversation with local writer Margot McGovern. Part of Matilda Bookshopās ever-excellent meet the author events, bookings are now open.
šµš½āāļø And bookings are still open for the Penguin Noir tour this weekend, also hosted by Matilda Bookshop.
Enjoying Sunday Night In? Share it with a friend ā¦ itās another way to contribute to a vibrant local arts scene.
In the regions
š Lien by Lewis Major sounds like an extraordinary experience. From the website: āIn this intimate exchange, one audience member and one dancer come together on an empty stage for a 10-minute encounter. The dancer crafts a spontaneous performance inspired by the pairās conversation. In that exchange, the identities of both artist and patron are concealed ā creating a blind date experience that heightens the vulnerability, connection and wonder of the moment.ā Dates throughout South Australia with some already completed, but others over the next couple of weeks.
š¤²š¼ If you havenāt been to the beautiful Wonderground Barossa gallery, the unveiling of their new Harvest Hands sculpture is a good reason to get there.
šŖø The Festival Fleurieu runs from 19-17 April. Itās a wide-ranging program and includes a bunch of excellent workshops.
š Murray Bridge Makers Market next weekend.
Festivals
š Would you like to be a stallholder at the Papercuts Comics Festival in September? Applications close in early April. Held bienially since 2019, this is a celebration of comics and graphic novels.
šæ The Nature Festival (26 Sep - 12 Oct) returns for its sixth year, and has just announced that the theme for this year will be Flow. Check details here if youāve got an idea for an event and would like to be part of the program.
š© The Adelaide Cabaret Fringe Festival (23 May to 1 June) is now open for registrations.
š¬ See the finalists of the 2025 Fleurieu Film Festival at Victor Harbor, Noarlunga and the Mercury Cinema.
š¼ Registrations now open for SALA, see deadline dates including the end of early bird pricing on their website.
A Little Bit of This and That That Isnāt Books or Theatre or Readings or Performance
š§š½āšØ The City of Salisbury Watershed Creative Prize is now open for entries.
šæThe Audreys have launched a new album, and tickets for their new tour are now on sale. Iāll be there!
š¶ Trinity Sessions continue with their beautiful music program in April and May.
š¬ The Mercury Cinema continues with its fabulous Launch Lab series. This series is part of its partnership with AFTRS facilitating the delivery of AFTRS national short course program.
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Opportunities!
Jobs, funding, residencies, fellowships, competitions, and calls for expressions of interest
š² Country Arts SA project grants currently open but closing in a few days.
š² Carclew project and development grant applications currently open and closing in a few weeks.
š Expressions of interest to join the judging panel for The Ruby Awards are now open.
šŗ Several opportunities to join the volunteer team of the Independent Arts Foundation. An opportunity to contribute your skills and experience to the South Australian arts community or to gain new skills.
šŗ Some brilliant consultant opportunities at Carclew: one to review opportunities for early creative careers; and the other to review funding programs and opportunities to create more inclusive and innovative funding.
š Big shoes to fill! Applications for the role of Chief Executive Officer at the History Trust SA close soon.
š Assistant Curator at the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre in Mount Gambier.
š Audience Development Lead position at the Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre in Mount Gamber.
š¼ Expressions of interest for the Emerging Curator Exhibition Project as part of SALA at the City Library. Closing soon.
Thank you for reading!
Thatās it for this issue. Weāll be back next Sunday. Until then: Read books! See theatre! Listen to music! Be part of a vibrant, thriving culture of arts in South Australia.
Talk soon
Tracy xx
A disclaimer: I take a lot of care to make sure Iāve got details correct, but Iām often working on my phone or uploading things from word to substack and I spend a lot of time in places with terrible internet connections. So mistakes will happen. Please double check all of the details about events before you head out.
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