WA Comedy Week
7 – 13 November @ various venues across metropolitan Perth

Perth’s burgeoning comedy scene has a loyal following and now the artform has its own dedicated Comedy Week. The inaugural week promises more than 25 shows from the likes of big-name stars Rove McManus, Peter Rowsthorn (Kath & Kim) and Janelle Koenig, as well as up-and-coming local talent.

Frequenters of the Rechabite’s underground comedy haunt will be pleased to see their regular offerings at the Goodwill Club on the program, alongside shows at the Oasis Comedy Club and Fremantle Comedy Factory. 

Kinds of Light 4 — Shimmering refractions presented by Tone List and Audible Edge
18 November @ PS Art Space

WA’s experimental music scene continues to evolve in exciting ways thanks to the efforts of Perth-based label Tone List, whose TuneNoiseTune concert series received glowing reviews from Seesaw Mag earlier this year. 

This year Tone List’s Audible Edge Festival was an expansive affair, unravelling as a year-long celebration of new world sounds — and there’s still time to catch the last performance of the season!

For the final concert in the festival the group Seacrest Gardens will return with a semi-improvised take on medieval, soul and electronic sounds. Also on the program is sound collagist Michael Terren and zither improviser Eduardo Cossio in duo form. You can find tickets here. 

UTOPIA
8-19 November @ The Blue Room

Into the space between crisis and hope comes Utopia, a collection of cross-cultural and transnational stories from writer-director Amir Musavi.

Born in Afghanistan, Musavi became a refugee living in Iran, where he made festival theatre before arriving in Australia in 2019. Musavi remounts his first Australian work, Utopia which sold out in advance at The Blue Room Theatre Summer Nights 2022. 

Complex, thrilling and at times confronting, says Musavi, the work asks audiences to consider the uncertain paradise Australia offers our asylum seeker population. More info.

ICON: An Extraordinary Event presented by WAAPA with LINK Dance Company
11 – 17 November @ Geoff Gibbs Theatre

If you know a thing or two about ballet, you’ll know just how paradigm-shifting German choreographer Pina Bausch was for the 20th century world of dance.

So WAAPA’s final dance season for the year is something to relish, as 2nd and 3rd Year Dance students join LINK Dance Company for Tannhäuser Bacchanal’s first-ever performance outside of Germany. The work is widely considered to be the precursor for Bausch’s The Rite of Spring, which firmly launched her into neo-expressionist icon territory. 

The triple-bill program also features works by former Tanztheatre Wuppertal company members Meryl Tankard (Chants de Mariage) and Michael Whaites (Things That Remain). Fair to say that tickets will sell quickly to this unprecedented opportunity for both Perth audiences and WAAPA dance students, so book early! More info.

107 presented by Socks & Sandals
1 – 12 November @ The Blue Room Theatre

Michele Gould’s punk-rock musical comedy 107 returns to the Blue Room next month with some fresh faces. Set at a bus stop in the middle of Perth’s exclusive western suburbs, the musical follows four teenage girls as they wait for the 107 bus to school, exploring the angst of identity, family, sexuality and private school upbringings. It’s a reflection of writer and composer Michele Gould’s own experiences going through school as a queer Thai-Australian, and it’s packed with punchy punk-rock-pop songs delivered by a powerhouse ensemble. 

Seesaw Mag’s Claire Trolio said she’d gladly catch the 107 bus time and time again when she reviewed the show during its Summer Nights 2022 premiere earlier this year — and now you can catch it for yourself too. More info.

Giants of Mandurah
12 November @ various locations in City of Mandurah

Something huge is coming to Mandurah, in the form of larger-than-life wooden sculptures hidden in plain sight. 

If you’re a lover of outdoor adventures, expect a treat when Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo brings his iconic Giants exhibition to the unsuspecting naturescapes of our very own Mandurah. The Australian debut of this international exhibition is expected to attract thousands of visitors to the Peel region, to hunt for the whimsical wooden creatures.

Kicking off at Mandurah Visitor Centre, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure style outdoors exhibition which will be open to the public for the next 12 months, and it’s free! You may need more than a day to collect all the clues and complete the scavenger hunt around town. Be sure to check out the accompanying map, traveller’s companion and learning resource before you go: https://www.giantsofmandurah.com.au/

CinefestOZ Broome presented with Goolarri Media
3 – 6 November

The program has been released for the inaugural First Nations Film Festival. CinefestOZ will launch in Broome (Rubibi in the local Yawuru language) in the stunning Kimberley region of Western Australia, thanks to funding support from Arts Impact WA. Broome is rich with Indigenous creative talent and cultural history and has a flourishing film scene that has produced screen successes such as Bran Nue Dae, Mad Bastards and Mystery Road 2.

The program celebrates First Nations stories and talent from across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, including new releases Loveland, We Are Still Here and Sweet As. Participants will be able to enjoy films under the stars at Sun Pictures, plus meet filmmakers and other talent while enjoying local Broome produce and hospitality. There will also be free industry, school and community workshops and screenings. https://cinefestoz.com