THE Perth Symphony Orchestra will tackle iconic soundtracks and pop songs to raise money for kids with cancer. The special concert at Gloucester Park will feature special arrangements of songs from Frozen, The Lion King and The Greatest Showman, and by artists including Katy Perry, David Bowie and Taylor Swift. Singers Leah Guelfi, Mark Turner…

SHAKESPEARE at the Pop-up Globe is like a cross between stadium rock and a football match. Harking back to performances of the Bard’s work at the original Globe theatre in London in 1599, audiences are encouraged to shout and jeer and there’s plenty of bawdy jokes. But then things take a modern, surreal turn. In…

THE beautiful, textural ceramics of ceramic artist Pippin Drysdale are timeless classics. This is exactly what the 12th Duke of Devonshire, Peregrine Cavendish, thought when he bought a range of Drysdale’s pieces to sit along the priceless ancient Roman and Egyptian sculptures and Rembrandt and Veronese masterpieces in the private collection at his majestic home,…

MADDIE is the sort of protagonist you can’t help but love–caring, loyal and lots of fun. But she loses her way and ends up in all sorts of trouble in Julia Lawrinson’s new book Maddie In The Middle. The year six pupil starts to feel lost and lonely when her best friend Katy becomes busy…

THERE’S a serious message behind the infectious, funky music of Randa and the Soul Kingdom. Lead singer Randa Khamis says their latest single Put Your Hands Up is is all about “bringing people together regardless of their age, race, class and gender. “This song is celebrating that right to express yourself in any way you…

THE title Two Canaries doesn’t conjure up images of melting glaciers, rising sea levels or sinking islands. But this farcical play is proof that you can tackle climate change in an entertaining and frivolous manner. Two friendly canaries (Jess Nanda Moyle and Zoe Street) travel from the Arctic to the streets of Perth, where they…

SPARE Parts Puppet Theatre’s On Our Beach is fair dinkum fun for kids, but most of all it’s about a fair go. Written by award-winning playwright Peta Murray, it uses interactive and immersive puppet theatre to explore ideas of identity, belonging and a connection to others. Dressing up is encouraged and audience members draw a…

BLACK is the New White is a rom-com that looks at Australian indigenous issues though the lens of humour. The play follows the exploits of Ray Gibson (Tony Briggs), a retired politician who started out as an Aboriginal activist. He and wife Joan enjoy a cosy, upper middle class retirement, and his only daughter Charlotte…

ARTIST Nicholas Mangan looks at how insects are becoming unwitting capitalist slaves in Termites Economies (Phase 1). The exhibition was inspired by scientific research into how termites could be used to help find gold deposits during mining exploration. Mangan says it was “such an interesting and perverse idea – putting nature to work for capitalism”.…

The Volcanics’ explosive take on Australian rock ‘n’ roll is showcased in their new album Black Door. Two singles from the album, Talk and 3, are already out, but the Perth band will officially launch their new album at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday August 31. Since forming in the early noughties, The Volcanics have…