Playtime – issue 1038

Boys

SUIT UP
Suiting experts Van Heusen recently launched an innovative range of suits called the Performa. The face of the range is Richard Cilli, the newest and hottest face of the Sydney Dance Company. Cilli will make an in-store appearance at Myer’s city store for Fashion Night Out on September 9 as part of Van Heusen week, which runs until September 10. info: www.vanheusen.com
SPRING BEARS
Spring has sprung, and like the rest of the wildlife, Sydney’s Bear population is awakening from hibernation. This weekend, the Harbour City Bears have a feast of activities planned — from noon on Sunday, head to Kingsteam for Steam Bears. From 2pm that day, it’s the Bears’ Spring Picnic at the appropriately-named Beare Park in Elizabeth Bay. From 4pm on, the Lord Roberts Hotel will host Bears On Sunday, with HCB badge draw worth $450.
GENESIS CAN HELP
The next Genesis workshop for newly diagnosed HIV+ gay men is at the Positive Living Centre, Friday, September 10 to Sunday, September 12. For more information, call 9699 8756 on weekdays to make an appointment with a Men’s HIV Health Promotion Officer.

Clubs

SECRET DISCO
To be held at Wollongong’s gay-friendly Pure Nightclub on Saturday, September 11, Secret Disco is a new monthly party dedicated to the very best in house music. Pure have locked in two heavyweights of the Sydney house music scene, Shamus and iLLya, to play at the opening party.
DIRTY DANCER
On Saturday, September 11 at Phoenix, DJs Mandy Rollins, Rob Gilbert and Baby Bear will take you on one very dirty ride. From 11pm till late, expect to hear dirty tunes and get down on the dancefloor with the dirty crowd. $15 on the door. info: www.mandystribe.com
MAGIC ROD
After last month’s birthday spectacular, Hot Rod returns to the Underground Bar at the Oxford Hotel on September 11 for a magic-themed party. The gorgeous Kylie Unlikely will perform a magic show you won’t forget in a hurry, while master of the dark arts Zoltar will be on hand to read punters’ fortunes. Plus DJs Mark Murphy, Lovertits and Hot Rod. 10pm-late, free entry.
TRANCE FEST
The next Trinity Trance event hits Level One, 85 Oxford St on Saturday, September 11. With a focus on pure trance, the event will feature six DJs over two rooms — Colin Jowell, Scott Anderson, DJ Man and DJ Alure in the trance room, and Dave Stevenson and Big J in the progressive room. 10pm-6am, entry is $25. info: www.djman.com.au

Community

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Table4Ten (T4T) is a unique event designed to raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer in Australia. Aross Sydney on Tuesday, September 28, 54 high-profile restaurants and venues are donating tables of 10, with more than 500 diners expected to take part. T4T, now in its third year, aims to raise $1 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. info: www.t4t.com.au
STREET TALKERS
The chant of the early gay and lesbian movement — ‘Out of the Closets, Into the Streets’ — provides the theme for a major conference at Sydney University on September 24 and 25, which the Pride History Group is hosting. Come along and hear some fascinating speakers and panel discussions, and be a part of celebrating the tumultuous history of the early lesbian and gay movement. To register, email conference@pridehistory.org.au

Free

BOOK ’EM
The annual S.H. Ervin Gallery Spring Book Fair returns on Saturday, September 11, 10am-4pm, at the National Trust Centre on Observatory Hill, The Rocks. Last year’s book fair raised more than $11,000 for the gallery. info: www.nationaltrust.com.au
I LOVE NY
Friends of Leon Gallery in Surry Hills will present a vibrant and exciting exhibition by New York artist Sara Blake from September 23. Her latest show, Constellations, reflects the vibrancy and excitement of the New York landscape with its colour, movement and texture. Using geometric lines and curves, soft and hard, Blake captures the stories and world of women in her city. info: www.friendsofleon.com
MALE NUDES
The East Sydney Doctor’s Surgery on Burton St has installed an exhibition of drawings by artist Charlie Sheard in its waiting room. It’s a rather risqué collection of homoerotic male nudes — all bums in the air and legs over their heads. Worth a look just to see how the art is providing conversation fodder in the usually silent space of a doctor’s waiting room! Of course, you don’t need an appointment with a doctor to view the art — just pop in. info: www.eastsydneydoctors.com.au

Girls

LUSCIOUS LADIES
Theatrical, authentic, sexy, innovative, fearless and entertaining: Girlicious is a sparkling showcase of diverse and exceptional theatre-makers all linked by the theme of women: their art and their lives. From hauntingly poetic to hilariously bizarre, saucy burlesque to powerful relationship drama, breezy cabaret to joyful theatrical adventures, it’s 16 productions and 74 shows over 16 days, launching on September 10 at Newtown Theatre. info: www.newtowntheatre.com.au

SHUNDA SHINES
Shunda K of Yo! Majesty’s just-released official solo debut single, Here I Am To Save The World, is a collaboration with Cindy Wonderful of Scream Club. The track was co-written and produced by Chrissy Murderbot and Electrosexual and mixed by longtime Shunda K cohorts, female French DJ Flore and Christian ‘Duke’ Quermalet, and features the talented lesbian rapper in typically outspoken form. It’s available from iTunes.
WOMAN’S TOUCH
Slow Burn traces the history of women artists in Australia and the development of an extraordinary private collection over 15 years. It’s an amazing opportunity to view works by artists such as Clarice Beckett, Grace Cossington Smith, Margaret Olley, Tracey Moffatt and Bronwyn Oliver that are rarely seen by the public. It’s on show at the National Trust S.H. Ervin Gallery in The Rocks until September 19.

On Screen

HELLO GIRLS
QueerDOC kicks off this week, and there’s a feast of films on offer. How about this double-bill for the girls, screening on September 12 at the Dendy Newtown: Nobody Passes Perfectly and Hello, My Name Is Lesbian. Both Danish films, the former deals with a lesbian couple dealing with one’s decision to become a man. The latter is an exploration of the modern lesbian lifestyle through the eyes of Danish women, aged from 18 to 80.
DIY GLAM
Marco Wilms, former model of the GDR’s state fashion institute takes us back to his formative years in the ’80s on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall in Comrade Couture, screening at the Dendy Newton on September 14. Behind the Iron Curtain and its signature utilitarian clothing style, a collective of artists and imaginative kooks collect whatever refuse of communist industry they can find to stage wild, ‘queer as’ fashion parades and parties.
FEMALE TROUBLE
Too Much Pussy! Feminist Sluts is a femme-fuelled road movie by French eroticist Emilie Jouvet that may get more than just tongues wagging. The Queer X Show are self-identified Feminist Sluts, activists, artists, writers and musicians of various orientations and gender expressions. Together they create intimate burlesque shows exposing their bodies, sexuality and politics for the persuasion of their punters as they traverse Europe in a cramped van on their first major tour. Catch it at the Dendy Newtown on September 15.

Pubs & Bars

BINGAY MOVES
Tuesday night Bingay at the Sly Fox Hotel has returned to its original home, newly-reopened Imperial Hotel. Everything else remains the same — hostesses Tora Hymen and Naomi Palmer, extra special prizes and more bingo fun than you can poke a stick at. Bookings essential. Call David on 9206 2110.
HELP OUT CAYTE
Journalist, photographer and all-around Sydney scene goddess Cayte Latta has been in hospital since June battling cancer. Her friends are organising professional care so she can return to her home, but the costs are high. Therefore, they’re planning a fundraiser at Slide from 6pm on Sunday, September 12, with some great auction items and a festival of entertainment on show. Tickets are $25 + b/f.
SPRING STARTS
The Manly Gay and Lesbian Community is hosting its Spring Fling on September 11 at Manly’s Sugar Lounge. They’ve planned for a night of funk, house, cocktails and queer entertainments, while surrounded by a floral and fragrant display becoming of the season. Two guest DJs will play all night. Tickets ($20 + b/f) are available through Moshtix.

Song

OPERA GAGA
Australian classical collective Aston are garnering a reputation for their inventive opera takes on unlikely pop hits like Rihanna’s Rude Boy and La Roux’s Bulletproof. If you’ve ever wondered what Lady Gaga’s Telephone would sound like in classical style, wonder no more — get along to Aston’s September 14 gig at the Raval to find out. Tickets through Moshtix. info: www.astonmusic.com
BEFORE JUDY
Australia’s queen of the boogie woogie piano Jan Preston will be joined by two musicians to perform a new score to Larry Semon’s 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz at the Sydney Opera House’s Playhouse on Sunday, September 19. Rarely seen, the first feature-length adaptation of Baum’s classic story features Dorothy Dwan and a younger Oliver Hardy, pre-dating the Judy Garland version by 14 years.
CABARET KOOK
Tia Juana is a cabaret performer with a passion for quirky ballads and bizarre love songs. Accompanied by her band, the fabulous Depths of Despair, she takes a tantalising journey through songs of sorrow, littered with tangos of torment, fateful fado and tales of unrelenting woe — plus the obligatory drinking song. TiaJuana and Her Depths of Despair perform at Notes in Newtown on September 10 and 19. info: www.thesydneyfringe.com.au

Stage

MURDER MOST HORRID
Named as one of the 100 best writers of the century by Writer’s Digest in 1999, Margaret Atwood is a giant of the literary world. Her captivating collection of short works Murder in the Dark has been adapted for the stage and will be performed at the New Theatre from September 16-22. The play is the story of a fifth-grader who plays an exciting new game in a friend’s cellar which awakens a desire to kill. His desire lies dormant — until he plays the game again as an adult. info: www.thesydneyfringe.com.au
RETAIL THERAPY
Ever been a customer? Ever served a customer? Ever wished you could tell them exactly what you thought — from either side of the counter? Hi, How Can I Help You? has it all, comprising eight new Aussie short plays (including one by Sydney gay playwright Cameron McCool), all with a different take on customer service. From September 14 at the Greek Theatre, Marrickville. info: www.thesydneyfringe.com.au
SMALL SONGS
A beautiful little two-hander of a show, A Tiny Chorus is coming to Sydney for the first time during the Sydney Fringe after winning the People’s Choice Award for best performance at last year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival. The show, at Carriageworks from September 10-25, explores the notion of joy through physical theatre, clowning and mime. info: www.carriageworks.com.au