Amy Fitzpatrick

In “Dress Circle” this week, busy Canberra actress, Naone Carroll, talks to Bill Stephens about the intriguing double play, “To Silence”, which is coming to the Street Theatre on Thursday February 16th. Len Power reviews Free Rain Theatre's production of the musical, "Chicago", and talks to Amy Fitzpatrick (pictured), Canberra Philharmonic's director and choreographer of everyone’s favourite musical, “Fiddler On The Roof”, which opens at the ANU Arts Centre shortly. Want to know all about an extraordinary new technological development for hearing impaired patrons? Well, Ricky Bryan, Marketing Manager of the Canberra Theatre Centre tells Bill Stephens all about it.

In the “Red Velvet and Wild Boronia” segment this week, we present jazz legends, vocalist Gery Scott and pianist, Julian Lee, along with double bassist, Craig Scott, in a program bound to delight jazz enthusiasts and anyone who loves great music.

Hear all this and more from 5pm this Sunday when Len Power presents another 90 minutes packed with music and news from the world of showbiz in “Dress Circle”.

“Dress Circle” is essential listening for anyone interested in showbiz in and beyond Canberra. The program is presented by Bill Stephens and Len Power and is broadcast every Sunday afternoon between 5pm and 6.30pm.

In October 2011, Belair National Park in the Adelaide Hills was home to the Womad Earth Station Festival - a new festival of music and ideas exploring our relationship with the planet. The festival included a stunning lineup of international and Australian music acts. The community radio team was onsite all weekend, recording a selection of the world class performers. Over the next three weeks, we present highlights of the Festival as recorded live by Radio Adelaide and heard on community radio stations nationally. In this, the first of three programs devoted to last year's Festival, we feature the following artists:

PACIFIC CURLS: A deep ocean between Pacific Island and Celtic musical cultures is bridged by Pacific Curls. Kim Halliday (of Rotuma Island descent) and Ora Barlow (Maori) are joined by fiddler Indy Star to create a languid backbeat of Pacific rhythms and voices with Scottish highlands fiddle. Singing in Maori, Rotuman and English, they add the lilting sounds of traditional Maori wind instruments with ukulele, guitar and stomp box, and a dose of trademark Kiki humour. Currently recording their fifth album, they have toured extensively through Canada, Australia, South Korea, Europe and New Zealand.  

THE YEARLINGS: Acoustic music, distilling American alt country through the filter of distinctly Australian experiences, conjuring ethereal and mysterious songs that stick in your memory. Robyn Chalklen and Chris Parkinson have been writing and performing together since 2000. Their four studio albums straddle old and new styles, bitter and sweet, darkness and transcendence. Robyn's beautiful voice, smooth, breathy and fragile, is offset against Chris's bony, resonating guitars in songs that rock, sad and slow, like a chair on an old wooden porch.

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH: With an inescapable nod to Bob Dylan, this striking new songsmith from Dalarna in Sweden has captivated audiences around the world. Kristian Matsson returns to the essential core of folk music: an acoustic guitar, an arresting voice and tales shaped by sharp, deftly penned lyrics. He emerged on the European circuit in 2006, as The Tallest Man on Earth, andhis recordings - 2008's Shallow Grave and 2010's The Wild Hunt and EP Sometimes The Blues Is Just a Passing Bird showcase acoustic rock'n' roll from a man with a story to tell.

FRANK YAMMA AND DAVID BRIDIE: Respected as one of Indigenous Australia's most compelling and honest songwriters, Frank sings about the importance of country and respect for the old law, the harsh truths of alcohol abuse, cultural degradation and imprisonment. Frank Yamma recorded his latest album Countryman in an isolated, run down house near Goulburn, with just his magical guitar playing and deep, arresting voice to propel them. It's a compelling songbook that identifies the contradictions within Frank's life as a respected initiated Pitjantjatjara man who has suffered as a disrespected outsider in the cities. On stage, Frank performs with piano accompaniment from Countryman's producer, David Bridie.

Next week's program continues with artists such as Vika and Linda Bull.

FNL Host: Chris Deacon OAM; Presenter: Michelle Smith (Radio Adelaide)

A dream-walk with Charles Dickens through the London night. In the two-hundred years since his birth, Charles Dickens has become an institution - the archetypal Victorian novelist, whose works have spawned countless costume dramas on television. But he also left another, very different legacy: some of the strangest and most surreal writing in the English language. At times so cosy and sentimental, Dickens's novels are full of transgressive desires and fears - murderous rage, anarchic glee, cannibalistic threats, and sexual obsession. In this documentary-fantasy we bring the danger back to Dickens. Slipping in and out of his weird and brilliant imagination, we see modern London as he might have done, travelling through the city's streets at night to crack dens and strip-joints as the police sirens wail. We meet characters from his novels -
and characters who would be in his novels if he were still alive today.

Hosted by George Ingmire.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (pictured) is coming to Canberra next month and in “DRESS CIRCLE” this week we talk to one of the members, Hester Goodwin. We also talk to Catherine Eddy, the Ballet Mistress of the Royal New Zealand’s Ballet’s “Angelina Ballerina’s Big Audition”, which has been playing at the Canberra Theatre this week and is reviewed by Len Power. We talk to Coolac personality, Peter Batey, the founder of “The Bald Archie’s”, which open at the Watson Art Centre next Thursday, and to Adrian Flor, one of the stars of “Chicago” which premieres at the Q in Queanbeyan on Friday.

Bronwyn Sullivan, accompanied by jazz legend Julian Lee and double-bassist, Craig Scott present a superb program of intimate jazz interpretations in this week’s “Red Velvet and Wild Boronia” segment.

“Dress Circle”, presented by Bill Stephens and Len Power, is essential listening for anyone interested in the Performing Arts in Canberra and is broadcast by Artsound FM, each Sunday afternoon from 5pm to 7pm.

Rachael Thoms and Luke Sweeting in concert. An intimate evening with local musicians Rachael and Luke in ArtSound's cosy recording studio. Great for a quiet drizzly Canberra evening - stay in! "Rachael is trained as a classical singer (lyric soprano) so brings a vision to songs that sits beautifully with Luke's tasteful playing" (Eric Pozza, canberrajazz.net). Hosted and produced by Chris Deacon OAM. Streamed online via artsound.fm.

On this week's program, we enjoy some Kermit Ruffins, Glen David Andrews and Soul Rebels. We also grab a burger, either grass fed beef or vegetarian (take your pick), at Cowbell, a restaurant in the Riverbend section of New Orleans, before we meet up with Sandy McNamara at the newly reopened Joy Theater on Canal street.

Producer/Host: George Ingmire

In “DRESS CIRCLE” this week, we take a look at Free Rain Theatre Company’s forthcoming production of the Kander and Ebb musical “Chicago”. Director, Anne Somes (pictured) lets Len Power into some of the secrets behind the production, while Bill Stephens chats with the two merry murderesses, Hanna Ley and Jenna Roberts. We also take a look at what new shows will be opening in the West End and on Broadway during 2012.

In the “Red Velvet and Wild Boronia” segment, Gabriel Birmingham joins jazz legend Julian Lee and double bassist Craig Scott to present a lovely program of unique jazz vocal interpretations.

Essential listening for anyone interested in the performing arts in the Canberra region, “DRESS CIRCLE” in presented on Artsound FM by Bill Stephens and Len Power every Sunday afternoon between 5pm and 6.30pm.