VIKINGS, vampires, werewolves and a Tardis-packed cast of super-powered characters will be out in force for Perth Supanova. Fandom comes to life in a celebration of the worlds of film, TV, comics, anime, sci-fi, cartoons, books and gaming at the Perth Convention Centre on June 25 and 26. There’s costume role play (cosplay in geek-speak),…

SEVEN PRINTMAKERS is an aptly named exhibition of seven artists with unique backgrounds responding to the theme “place”. The artists explore the psychological aspect of place and belonging, co-ordinator and printmaker Shana James explains. “It’s the idea of what it means to be in a good space or place in your self rather than something…

RAW emotion, nudity, sex, chunks of almost incomprehensibly pacey dialogue, humour, elements of Spielberg and  Pythonesque characters; Angels in America is a breathtaking ride. Homophobia, racism, religion, politics and the corrupting nature of power are central themes in playwright Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning work. The play tackles head-on the homophobia at the heart of many…

A  SHARED interest in the positive impact of art on mental health has brought together five very different artists for Energy and Stillness at Kidogo Arthouse. The works include deceptively simple paintings by Teresa Pirovich, detailed drawings and paintings by Tamika Dillon and Liam Murphy and a selection of paintings and brightly hand-coloured etchings by…

Adding a splash of colour to her day, Kathrine Hastie joins colleagues from Perth Laguna Painters who meet every Tuesday at the Laguna Veneto Bocce Club in Dianella. PLP was founded by Lynne Cochrane and Helen Lamb five years ago. Ms Cochrane says members come from all painting abilities, and while there’s no specified teacher,…

ALTERNATIVE country band Stoney Joe is set to release it’s third album, Fuel for the Fire, in a blaze of swaggering good times. “We don’t want to give the game away but we’re doing something a bit special – our shows always have an element of theatre,” lead vocalist, Roly Skender says, adding they’re splashing…

MISSING out on Barnett government funding last year was the spur to action for incoming Perth Jazz Society president Gemma Farrell. “[The Department of Culture and the Arts] said we had to reinvent ourselves, and we listened,” she says. The society focussed on mentoring fresh, young jazz artists to create a new wave of talent…

THE WA Academy of Performing Arts at ECU has picked up its very own “fortepianist”. For real. The word fortepianist may sound like the punchline to an Andrew Dice Clay joke, but it’s actually a distinguished profession involving performing on a fortepiano, the early piano of the 18th and early 19th century. Geoffrey Lancaster AM,…

STARK naked North Perth local Stuart Halusz (performing in Homme Fatale: The Fast Life and Slow Death of Joey Stefano) once looked across the sea of men at his solo stage performance to see in the back row just two women — his mother and grandmother. “That was really weird,” he says. “I credit them…

THE interview with playwright Liz Newell was interrupted by exclamations of delight — and an ear-piercing scream from a kid throwing a tantrum a couple of aisles away. “I’m in K-Mart looking to populate our set with things our character would like. I’m having a field day,” the Maylands local told me down the blower.…