Burning desire for culture met with new arts festival in Hobart

Hobart’s newest arts festival has a four-day program featuring theatre, music, dance, poetry and storytelling, and aims to kickstart Tasmania’s cultural sector. DETAILS + PROGRAM>>

• Fans flock to box office to see Marta Dusseldorp
• Pulse: Tasmanian self-starter Jed Appleton set to launch new album at home state show

HOBART’S newest arts festival will also be the state’s first in the post-COVID era and aims to kickstart Tasmania’s cultural sector.

The Burning Desire Festival will feature 19 events and more than 60 performers over two weekends when it hits venues around Hobart from Friday.

The four-day program features theatre, music, dance, poetry and storytelling at well known and some smaller lesser known venues including the Theatre Royal, St David’s Cathedral, Despard Gallery and TMAG.

The diverse line-up features stalwarts of the Tasmanian arts scene such as John X, Jane Longhurst and Robert Jarman alongside up and coming stars such as performers from Exit Left young theatre troupe and DRILL youth dance group.

Young musician Jed Appleton will be launching his new album The Divide, which was recorded during COVID-19, at the festival.

Two acts performing at St David's Cathedral as part of the Burning Desire Festival are Jed Appleton (centre) and The Wolfe and Thorn: Emily Wolfe and CC Thornley. Picture: Chris Kidd

Mr Appleton said he was looking forward to getting back into live shows and particularly excited to play St David’s Cathedral.

“It’s an incredible venue, it’s always been a place I’ve wanted to play,” he said.

“I see this festival boosting live music into the scene again, which is needed.

“I had my first show back last week, which was amazing.

“I think the cathedral will suit my music really well, it has a lot of ambience and reverb, so will definitely be complemented by the venue.”

Recording this album was a very different process from previous albums, Mr Appleton said.

“I had to record everything at home by myself. It’s the first album I’ve entirely self-produced from song writing through to recording.”

Emily Wolfe and CC Thornley will perform at the festival as The Wolfe & Thorn, playing violin and banjo. Mr Thornley said they would play their special brand of Tasmanian folk music from settlement times to the current day.

“We run the Heritage Fiddle Ensemble that seeks to promote and preserve Tasmanian folk,” he said.

This will be the pair’s first festival gig since lockdown.

“I think it’s good to be getting back into things, festivals and events like Festival of Voices were missing this year and this is filling a gap,” Mr Thornley said.

“Tasmanians are open to new experiences and this will give them a chance to go out and see a range of different arts events.”

PROGRAM:

THE BLEEDING TREE

November 12-28 at 7.30pm; at the Theatre Royal

One of Australia’s most successful and awarded plays comes to Hobart thanks to Archipelago Productions and Blue Cow Theatre. Marta Dusseldorp stars as the vengeful matriarch in this blackly comic tale of survival.

CROON AT THE CATHEDRAL

November 20 at 7.30pm;

at St David’s Cathedral

Andrew Colrain, Colin Dean and John X will perform some of their unique renditions of all-time classics from the greats including Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, plus hits from their CD Live and Swinging.

Croon at the Cathedral. Picture: Burning Desire Festival

DRILL: BY GEORGE AND ALL OF US

November 20 at 7.30pm,

November 21 at 6pm and 7.30pm,

November 22 at 6pm; at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

A youth dance work expressing and celebrating the qualities of this cohort of DRILL Senior Company’s members. By George and All Of Us takes over the central gallery and fills it with the energy of these young performers. Admission is free but bookings are essential.

THE PRACTITIONERS OF THE EPHEMERAL ARTS: IMPROGNOSIS

November 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 7.30pm; at Rosny Barn

Each night Imprognosis will be performing a unique double bill of shows.

No show will be the same, so you can come again and again.

ROBERT JARMAN: WHAT I DID ON MY PANDEMIC

November 21 and 28 at 3pm; at Despard Gallery

While others took to the bottle, Robert spent lockdown getting drunk on ideas, on language, on the possibility of the present moment. Part talk, part performance, part fundraiser for his overseas peacekeeping deployment in 2021-22.

BURNING WORDS

November 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 5pm; at Despard Gallery

Guy Hooper, Robert Jarman, Jane Longhurst and Ben Winspear present classic and well-loved works from great poets including Emily Dickinson, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Robert Browning.

JED APPLETON & SPECIAL GUESTS

November 21 at 6pm; at St David’s Cathedral

One of the rising stars of the nu-folk revolution launches songs from his ninth studio album.

WARREN MASON: THIS IS ME

November 21 at 6pm; at Coville Gallery

Performing songs, stories and poetry surrounded by the artwork of Stephen Lees, Warren uses a range of mediums to link back to the idea of healing scars. He is a proud Indigenous man with lines to the Yorta Yorta and Yuwaalaraay tribes.

JANE LONGHURST: A PLAY READING OF DO NOT GO GENTLE by Patricia Cornelius

November 21 at 7pm; at Despard Gallery

Falcon Scott’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition is Cornelius’s theatrical metaphor for the elusive journey of five elderly people facing the final leg of their journey.

VAN DIEMEN’S BAND & MUSIC VIVA TASMANIA: TOWN HALL RECITAL SERIES

November 27 at 6pm, November 28 at 2pm and 6pm, November 29 at 2pm and 6pm; at Hobart Town Hall Ballroom

Five concerts curated by Van Diemen’s Band’s artistic director Julia Fredersdorff throw a spotlight on Hobart’s finest resident musicians. Live classical music in one-hour, socially distanced events.

STEPPIN’ OUT: AN EVENING WITH ALLISON FARROW & ANDREW SHORT

November 27 at 7.30pm, November 28 at 6pm; at the Hadleys Orient Hotel (Leadlight Room)

Enjoy the glorious surroundings of Hadley’s as classically trained vocalists Allison Farrow and Andrew Short take you on a nostalgic journey through the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, listening to memorable standards and celebrating composers such as Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, and Roger and Hammerstein.

ADVENTURE BAY BLUES & ROOTS - IN THE CITY

November 28, Session one: 2pm,

Session two: 7pm; at City Hall

SESSION ONE: The Ange Boxall Trio and Pete Cornelius band. Ange’s style of country-folk-pop is commercial, crystal clear and wickedly catchy.

Pete has been a working musician since the age of 13. He continues to expand his repertoire and impress his audience with his tone-full guitar and soulful vocals.

The Pete Cornelius band. Picture: Burning Desire Festival

SESSION TWO: The Bad Dad Orchestra and Boil Up

The Bad Dad Orchestra has a traditional line-up with vocals, electric guitars, bass guitar, drum kit, Hammond organ and a three-piece horn section.

Ten-piece band Boil Up is a melting pot of contemporary Australia. Their roots stretch from the traditional owners of Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji, to as far away as Ireland, England and Croatia.

EXIT LEFT: THE ADDAMS FAMILY

November 28 and 29 at 2pm; at Hadley’s Orient Hotel (Leadlight Room)

A comical feast that embraces the wackiness in every family.

Exit Left presents the Addams Family. Picture: Burning Desire Festival

SECOND ECHO: AN AFTERNOON AT THE MUSEUM

November 28 at 3.30pm; at Narryna Heritage Museum

Join Second Echo Ensemble to uncover little known places around the Narryna Heritage Museum with dance, theatre and music projects.

WOLFE AND THORN

Featuring special guests including Thomas Rimes. November 28 at 7.30pm; at St David’s Cathedral

The Wolfe & Thorn are Emily Wolfe on violin and CC Thornley on banjo.

They specialise in Tasmanian folk music from settlement times to the current day.

For more information, ticket prices and bookings go to: www.burningdesire.com.au