PACC 2024 Season Act Two

S AHEAD

We do our absolute best to incorporate as many of the 2024 performances as possible into our program, however there’s always something new and exciting being added to the calendar. Our website is continually being updated, so always check out the WHAT'S ON page at mypacc.com.au and our social channels for the latest info.

THE POEMS, PRAYERS AND PROMISES OF JOHN DENVER starring DARREN COGGAN

stay IN THE KNOW

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let us

at your pacc

Welcome to ACT TWO of 2024! The launch of the PACC Gallery has been an outstanding success with lots of great feedback from patrons and artists alike! Whilst the new entry and location of the box office is an adjustment the response to the new space is providing a lot of interest – particularly the Gift shop.

We have two great pieces of theatre to look foward to. Written by Wendy Harmer, THE GRANDPARENTS CLUB hits the stage in July - a musical celebration with laughs galore and toe-tapping songs. THE VISITORS is a must-see production heading our way in August, written by Jane Harrison and directed by Wesley Enoch. It's a riveting and insightful work that takes a unique look at Australia’s history and asks "what if..?" - it's one not to be missed.

The July school holidays sees the outrageous LISTIES arrive with MAKE SOME NOISE! Expect mayhem and madness - songs, compulsory toilet humour and loads of Dad jokes - to delight audiences of all ages! Erth Visual and Physical Theatre return with ARC, a new work for the whole family that spotlights some of the world’s most beautiful but endangered species. Featuring awe-inspiring puppetry, we hope ARC will have you contemplating our role in this place we call Earth.

As always, PACC is delighted to host a number of performers and bands paying tribute to artists of today and yesteryear, including, John Denver, Roy Orbison, and many more!

We’ve had four very different exhibitions in the Gallery to date. In July we welcome SONG SPIRALS, an extraordinary group of works by artists from Bawaka Country in North East Arnhem Land. In August we have THE EISTEDDFODS, a beautiful collection of photograpy taken by Phillip Quirk during the 70’s and 80’s which documents the oldest continuous Eisteddfod in NSW - the Abermain Eisteddfod.

Vicki Sienczuk

be immersed in the arts

BECOME A PACC MEMBER

Make 2024 a year filled with theatre, music, dance and art by becoming a PACC Member! As a member you'll receive:

• Discounted tickets on selected performances

• Pre-show glass of sparkling wine

• Reservation* & early bird benefits

• 10% off products in our Gift Shop

• Invitations to attend special events, with priority notice given to members

With four tiers of membership, there’s something to suit everyone. Chat to our team today!

*Reservations MUST be paid in full at least 14 days prior to the performance date to avoid the reservation being cancelled. Full details can be found at mypacc.com.au.

VOLUNTEER

If you have a love of the arts and would like to gain experience in the industry, become a PACC volunteer! Our volunteers are essential in providing audience members with information about the centre, shows and exhibitions; assisting patrons in locating their seats; and watching over the audience during performances. To find out more head to our website at mypacc.com.au

PACC Gallery

The PACC Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm, and on weekends from 10am to 2:30pm.

AT YOUR PACC

drama and musical theatre classes!

Hunter Drama hosts weekly drama and Musical Theatre classes at PACC every Monday and Tuesday during the school term. Drama classes offer a wealth of performance-based activities for children and young people, furthering their insight into the world of theatre. With games, activities, opportunities for performance, improvisation, devising and scripted work; all participants will broaden their horizons, expand their knowledge and increase their skills in the performing arts. Through a range of new challenges and opportunities, an enjoyable and worthwhile experience is guaranteed.

MAKE SOME NOISE!

Turn up the LOLS to 11 with Make Some Noise!, the brand-new musical comedy show by THE LISTIES, Australia’s favourite kids comedians! As seen on ABC Kids The Listies Work For Peanuts and Art Blast.

For over a decade the award-winning LISTIES have toured the world doing shows for literally gazillions of kidults (that’s kids and their adults). Now it’s your turn. Make Some Noise! is a comedy concert for humans aged 4 - 400. Join the maestros of mirth, Rich and Matt, as they belt out a bunch of songs with the LOLs turned up to 11.

Will they be in tune? Almost. In time? Not quite. In order? Definitely.

Can Rich dance? Let’s find out.

It’s a party for your ears and both of them are invited! Hilarious, fabulous fun for the whole family!

Get ready for THE LISTIES show by watching their YouTube, listening to their albums on Spotify, or grab a copy of their books, Teleportaloo and The Big No. 2.

“Nobody else does Kids comedy this brilliantly, what’s more astounding is that adults have just as much fun.” - The Age

for school group bookings available on request. Contact our Box Office on 02 4993 4266 to find out more.

THE ROY ORBISON STORY

Experience the wonder of Roy Orbison in this brilliant theatrical portrayal of the man, his music, his voice, and his life. You'll find yourself believing you are in his presence, transported back in time, reliving the emotion of each of his songs and the stories of his life.

Mark Shelley is simply brilliant in his characterisation of Roy. He not only has the vocal range and tone to honour his songs, he also has the sensitivity and artistic ability to ‘be’ Roy.

Expect hits such as Only the Lonely, Running Scared, Sweet Dream Baby, Candy Man, Blue Bayou, In Dreams, Anything You Want, Crying, Workin for the Man, Penny Arcade, Pretty Woman, and many more.

The ‘Big O’ stood head and shoulders above the rest, his vocals were peerless, his range extraordinary. His songs unique, impassioned and personal. Orbison, the man, was enigmatic, driven, shy, funny, quietly charismatic.

From his initial success in the 1960’s to the resurgence of his career in the 80’s, Roy Orbison’s voice remained remarkable, communicating an emotional intensity not experienced in popular music before or since. His songs conveyed vulnerability, love, loss and fun. His performance was unique, simple and powerful.

Without doubt, this is the definitive portrayal of Roy Orbison - the man, his music and his life.

Photo: Rob Hookey.

Moogahlin Performing Arts and

Theatre Company Production

the VISITORS

By Jane Harrison Directed by Wesley Enoch

On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour. The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch-up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made.

A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?

Having recently been awarded Best Mainstage Production and Best Ensemble at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards, Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s THE VISITORS embarks on a national tour directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch.

Co-produced by Moogahlin Performing Arts and Sydney Theatre Company, THE VISITORS is at once a riveting, deeply researched insight into one of the most impactful and painful days in Australia’s history, and a hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.

Content warning: Infrequent coarse language, themes of racial violence, descriptions of violence, intergenerational trauma, and theatrical haze.

CELTIC ILLUSION

Immerse yourself in one of the most unique productions touring the world. CELTIC ILLUSION, the Irish dance and Grand Illusion sensation that has taken Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Canada and the USA by storm and will tour nationwide in 2024. Even fans who have seen our previous shows won’t dare miss the 2024 tour that is set to raise the bar once again. This exhilarating production has broken barriers by fusing unparalleled art forms and is more spectacular than ever before.

A breathtaking array of experiences, fusing Irish Dance, Magic and influential flavours of Fosse, Michael Jackson, with a Broadway style. CELTIC ILLUSION is a show like no other.

The show features new spellbinding illusions and choreography, alongside a musical score that will either make you cry or send shivers down your spine.

Starring the multi talented former lead dancer of Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance and Star Illusionist Anthony Street, with Georgia May, a marvel in both dance and Illusion. These impeccable performers lead a cast of champion dancers recruited from renowned productions across the world, such as Lord of the Dance and Riverdance, into a theatrical masterpiece that will have you mesmerised from the moment the curtain is raised.

CELTIC ILLUSION will surpass your expectations and leave you wanting more. Don’t hesitate, and book now to know the hype of one of the largest and most unique Dance and Illusion shows in the world. CELTIC ILLUSION is not to be missed!

A place to keep the most precious of things. A place to embrace the awe and wonder of nature...

Showcasing exquisite puppetry, an enigmatic host, audience interaction and a world of rare and exotic animals, ARC is a profound experience that embraces the natural world and the creatures that cohabit this place we call Earth.

Renowned as innovators of physical and visual theatre, for the past three decades Erth’s body of work has explored the depths of the past. With ARC, they look unblinkingly to the future, as this menagerie of animals transforms the stage before your very eyes.

Made for children and their families, ARC presents intimate, magical encounters with rare and vulnerable species, raising important questions about our collective and individual relationship with nature and loss.

"If you get the opportunity to experience any of Erth’s work – go! ARC is a quality offering from one of Australia’s most exciting companies." - Theatre Travels

"Enthralling… As puppetry, the huge animals are truly awe-inspiring, and the young are duly impressed" - South Sydney Herald

THE TAP PACK

Following sold-out shows and rave reviews on London’s West End, at Sydney Opera House and around the world, Australia’s hottest tap dance sensation, THE TAP PACK is coming to Cessnock!

Picking up where The Rat Pack left off, THE TAP PACK conjures up a modern twist to the crooners and artists from the ‘50s through to the noughties! Featuring songs from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr to Ed Sheeran, Michael Bublé and Beyoncé.

THE TAP PACK mix slick humour, high-energy entertainment, and world-class tap dance. A show of pure entertainment inspired by the legendary kings of swing, the Rat Pack, freshly created for the audience today. Cool classics with a fresh new twist. All your favourites including The Lady Is a Tramp, Come Fly with Me, One For My Baby, Me And My Shadow and much more.

They sing. They dance. They joke. They bring a new, invigorating energy to a timeless style!

THE TAP PACK is an all-ages, family friendly production.

"Exhilarating" - The Herald Sun

"Knockout performances" - The Age

"Sensational evening" - The Advertiser

"Genuinely breath catching" - Timeout.com

"Sheer brilliance" - London Theatre One

Created by Jesse Rasmussen, Jordan Pollard, and Thomas J Egan. Co-created and directed by Nigel Turner Carroll.

Son g spirals

IMAGE Ms D Yunipingu Lamamirri Whale 13B 2016 Etching 1/20 Mother of the Rirratjiŋu nation

All images copyright © Buku Larrnggay Mulka, the artists and their families, and the Gay’ wu Group of Women

songspirals

Yolŋu women sharing & nourishing milkarri

Proudly brought to PACC by the Bawaka Collective and the University of Newcastle.

This exhibition includes print-making, weaving, and audiovisual works, connected to the Yolŋu kinship system, Gurrutu, and five songspirals: Wuymirri (whale), Wukun (gathering of the clouds), Guwak (messenger bird), Wititj (rainbow serpent) and Goŋ-Gurtha (Fire keeper). The exhibition is a manifestation of the intergenerational continuation and nourishment of songspirals and milkarri by Yolŋu women in North East Arnhem Land.

Songspirals are often called songlines or song cycles. We call them songspirals as they spiral out and spiral in, they go up and down, round and round, forever. Yolŋu women from North East Arnhem Land in northern Australia, cry the songspirals, we keen the songspirals - this is what we call milkarri. Only women keen milkarri. Milkarri is an ancient song, an ancient poem, a map, a ceremony and a guide, but it is more than all this too. Milkarri is a very powerful thing in Yolŋu life. The knowledge and stories in this exhibition are an invitation to share in some of what we, Yolŋu people, know and do as we live songspirals today.

“We are still doing milkarri of the songspirals... The sound communicates who we are and where our homeland is... The place and the song are one. It’s soothing and healing... Women cry milkarri to guide our loved ones, living and dead... We cry milkarri in grief, bittersweet, with love, to heal” (xvii, 84, 255)

Gay’wu Group of Women, Songspirals: sharing women’s wisdom of Country through Songlines

Curated by Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Ronyiwuy Maymuru and Rosealee Pearson.

GALLERY HOURS Tue to Fri 9am - 4.30pm | Sat and Sun 10am - 2.30pm

philIP quirk's GALLERY

the EISTEDDFODS

The Eisteddfods in Australia began in the goldfields of Victoria around 1855. The Abermain Eisteddfod started in 1917 and is the oldest continuous Eisteddfod in NSW (107 years).

Abermain is the only Eisteddfod left in the Hunter and this documentation of the 1979 Eisteddfod event will be exhibited for the first time at PACC in August 2024.

In Quirk’s formative years working with Melbourne fashion photographer, Bruno Benini, he assisted with assignments and darkroom printing. After moving to Sydney in the mid 70s, his work with Benini became the catalyst in a search to find a cultural subject aligned with his interest in documentary photography.

This body of work was his first essay on Australian society and was shot when black & white film was used extensively in magazines and on art gallery walls.

The exhibition is a combination of portraits and competition dancing, mostly black and white with a small sample of Kodachrome colour prints. The exhibition includes Quirk’s Eisteddfod work both in Wollongong & Wales.

Abermain Eisteddfod was photographed in 1979 and was followed by the Wollongong Eisteddfod in 1980. With support from the Visual Art Board (Australia Council) Quirk then travelled to Wales for the proclaiming ceremony of the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

EXHIBITION OPEN FROM SAT 31 AUG TO SUN 20 OCT.

GALLERY HOURS Tue to Fri 9am - 4.30pm | Sat and Sun 10am - 2.30pm

FREE ENTRY

Our Box Office is open Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm and 1 hour prior to a performance start time.

Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm, and weekends from 10am to 2:30pm. For up-to-the-minute information, please visit mypacc.com.au

PACC is committed to providing equal access for all to ensure that everyone can fully participate and enjoy the arts. More information about venue accessibility can be found on our website, or by contacting us on 02 4993 4266.

Performance Arts Culture Cessnock acknowledges the Wonnarua people, the Awabakal people and the Darkinjung people as the traditional custodians of the lands on which our offices and operations are located, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.