A BIG weekend of arts and culture is promised in the Derwent Valley as the 10 Days on the Island festival presents its Intimate Epics program from today (Friday) until Sunday. Presented as a walking precinct in New Norfolk, the full program can be found here, with the highlights featured below.
GOOD SILENCE: Kim Jaeger and Essie Kruckemeyer present a multi-room work that conjures gentle landscapes in a marriage of nature, culture, sculpted clay and mined earth to create a personal monologue, a communal desecration where ritual is sacrosanct. This performance has a strict lockout, latecomers will not be admitted. This work is suitable for those 16 years and older. Free entry. WHERE: Willow Court Barracks, The Avenue, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19-21, limited seats remaining. Please note the noon sessions on Sat–Sun are for femme identifying and non-binary audience members only. More information and bookings.
ALDER HEY: Vic McEwan’s work, improvised in the rubble of an English hospital as it was being demolished, honours the histories of that place: the lives saved, the lives lost. By drawing sounds out of this hospital bed, Vic is activating the voices held within its material structure, exploring the poetics contained within practical and functional objects and places. “I could hear my entire career in the sound that you managed to play from that hospital bed,” was the response from a doctor at Alder Hey Hospital. WHERE: Willow Court Barracks, The Avenue, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19-21. More information.
ECHO’S SCRIBE: Step into a singular room at the Willow Court Barracks to experience Derwent Valley artist Alexander Okenyo’s text-based installation drawn from public documents and private stories, hospital records and forgotten thoughts scrawled on asylum walls. WHERE: Willow Court Barracks, The Avenue, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19-21. More information.
LONG LUNCH: Nestled in the beautiful Bronte building at New Norfolk’s Willow Court, you’ll find Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet’s acclaimed celebration of seasonal produce. Since opening in 2017, The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery has established itself as one of the most talked about culinary destinations in Australia, with diners travelling from around the world to share the uniquely Tasmanian food experience. WHERE: Bronte Building, Willow Court, The Avenue, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 20-21. Tickets: $190. Bookings essential.
CATACOMB: Visit the National Trust property of Valleyfield and listen to New Norfolk’s St Matthew’s Motet deliver an immersive a capella performance of sacred and secular music: songs of longing and redemption from the plague years of 16th century Europe. WHEN: March 21. SOLD OUT
DERWENT VALLEY CONCERT BAND: The Derwent Valley Concert Band is one of Australia’s most highly acclaimed, travelled and successful Community Bands. Relax on the lawns of Willow Court and enjoy this specially curated repertoire by Derwent Valley’s greatest export. WHERE: Willow Court Barracks Lawn, The Avenue, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19. Free entry. More information.
THERE IS NO ‘I’ IN ISLAND: Rummin Productions presents an eclectic collection of short films cracking open the experience of the COVID-19 lockdown. The series reveals the island’s resilience when Tasmania suddenly found itself cut off from the world. WHERE: New Norfolk War Memorial Hall, Circle St, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19-21. More information and bookings.
PAST THE SHALLOWS: A family of brothers navigates a family tragedy and a perilous journey in this film based on Favel Parrett’s award-winning novel. Set in Tasmania’s south, Past the Shallows centres on the plight of a family of brothers as they try to negotiate the loss of their mother, a father turned to alcohol and life as young workers on a dangerously derelict abalone fishing boat. WHERE: New Norfolk War Memorial Hall, Circle St, New Norfolk. WHEN: March 19-21. More information and bookings.
TASMANIAN WRITERS OF REPUTE: Readings and Responses at Black Swan. Step into the beautiful surrounds of Black Swan Cafe for an intimate hour of readings by some of Tasmania’s most celebrated authors. WHEN: March 20. SOLD OUT
THE WEFT: In the tradition of the Moth, the Stoop, and StorySLAM, the Weft is about weaving true stories, told live, on stage, without notes, props, or falsehoods. This one-off show is all about adventure: the places we go, the obstacles we overcome and the ways we change once our journeys are done. Featuring Derwent Valley locals and hosted by seasoned storyteller Sam George-Allen, the Weft is intimate, expansive, moving and real – as all good stories should be. WHEN: March 21. WAITING LIST
ABC HOBART – Sundays with Joel Rheinberger live broadcast: From 10am-noon on March 21, ABC Radio Hobart will broadcast from the stunning surrounds of Willow Court, at The Avenue, New Norfolk.
THE KIOSK: Open from 11am-2pm on March 20-21, The Kiosk at The Agrarian Kitchen Eatery will offer lunch, a sweet treat, wine and beer. Bring a picnic blanket and relax on the lawns at Willow Court and enjoy some takeaway treats. WHERE: Bronte Building and Lawn, Willow Court, The Avenue, New Norfolk.
