J Ward experience for theatre lovers
Live-theatre enthusiasts will have an opportunity to experience high-quality performances in a unique environment in Ararat on Saturday night.
Ararat Performing Arts Centre will host a double-bill presentation in the city’s historic J Ward.
The closure of Ararat Regional Arts Centre theatre for redevelopment has provided an interim opportunity for promoters to exploit other venues for artistic shows.
On Saturday night the play ‘A Prudent Man’ will start at 7.30pm, followed by ‘Swansong’ at 9.30pm.
A Prudent Man takes an unapologetic look at a man both in control and on the edge. It is about ‘a conservation politician who is also a leader, a man in a snappy suite and an athlete in a bad tracksuit – an amalgamation of a haunting right-wing politician’.
Written and directed by Katy Warner, A Prudent Man explores what makes the Trumps of the world and what would happen if their world started to shift.
Swansong is about character Occi Byrne, the illegitimate child of a single mother in the Catholic west of Ireland. Shunned by the church, state and family, Occi must fight his way to adulthood.
Promoters have described the play as ‘violent, tragic and hauntingly tender’ and a story of ‘a lost soul from one of the masters of Irish drama’. The Ararat arts centre will also present a ‘Yana Alana Covered’ show, featuring diva Yana Alana and her band the Paranas at Ararat’s Alexandra Oval Community Centre on May 5.
The show will include performances of songs made famous by Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Shirley Bassey, Laurie Anderson, David Bowie and Joy Division.
Ararat Performing Arts Centre’s temporary base is at 3B Ligar Street. Box office hours are 10am to 3pm, Tuesday to Friday. More information and booking details are available online at www.araratpace.com.au or by phoning 5352 2181.