Vax is back at Peanut Farm
until Thursday

Cash lifeline for local music

This Week in St Kilda #281

UPDATE SUNDAY 29 AUGUST
COVID roadshow continues (in part)
The Palais testing site has closed and but the Peanut Farm vaccination centre has been extended until Thursday.
Here are links to find local and vaccination sites
Latest exposure sites
Where you can get tested
Where you can get vaccinated
Check the latest changes to local services and programs.

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Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.
TWiSK is always free, proudly independent and totally self-funded
Last week Council launched a cash assistance scheme to support live music
The scheme also kicked-off a new Locals Playing Locals database of local musicians.
Council will pay the artist fees to eligible venues engaging musicians from the database until 31 December.
A standard rate of $250 per musician is available for each performance.
Port Phillip artists are encouraged to register for the database.
Register now


Memo from Simon @ Memo
Memo Music Hall’s Simon Myers told TWiSK he was heartened by the cash lifeline.
He praised council for designing a scheme that understands the needs of both venues and musicians.
‘The off and on lockdowns are getting harder to deal with. Even the most optimistic are fatigued”, he said
Simon stressed that Memo strived to keep upcoming gigs on the schedule – rather than anticipate lockdowns being extended – because “if we can play, we should play.”
“It can be frustrating and heartbreaking – but when we get to play live, it’s a great feeling.”
Thumbs up for local database
“The music database is a great idea – there is so much local talent.”
Simon also praised Council for recognising the full impact of rescheduling on musicians. “Not many people appreciate that a rescheduled gig means the musician has lost income from the original date that can never be made up from the rescheduled date – and with fulltime musos they are actually missing out on the other gig that might have happened on the rescheduled date.”
TWiSK has approached other venues for feedback and will report on progress when the scheme is in full swing (after lockdown is relaxed).

Bold programming for Fringe @ Theatre Works
From 29 September
Theatre Works will be a Fringe Festival Hub across three venues from late September with a welcome splurge of theatre, comedy, cabaret and circus.
The trifecta of venues includes their Acland Street theatre headquarters plus innovative use of the Blackbox Café area as a stage for outdoor productions.
But the big news is addition of the former Explosives Factory* on Inkerman Street as a theatre and rehearsal venue.
TW has six live shows programmed for Fringe plus an on demand online show.
Check the program 
* Sadly the Explosives Factory is not an accessible venue
TWiSK note
Reduced accessibility to local theatre has been a ‘hidden’ consequence of COVID.
Sadly, the innovative booth seating at Theatre Works was inaccessible, while at our beloved Red Stitch the accessible areas could not be booked because they were too close to the stage. 🙁

Winning women crime writers @ Sisters in Crime’s 21st Davitt Awards
View on YouTube 
Catch the wonderful Debra Oswald in conversation with Tara Mitchell, find out who won the six awards for the best crime books by Australian women and hear from the authors themselves – a thoroughly engaging bunch!
More details here 

Entries open for Postcard Show @ Linden
Entries close Wednesday 13 October 2021
Limited to strictly one thousand 8 x 10 inch postcards.
The Linden Postcard Show invites individual artists to submit up to three entries each.
There are loads of cash prizes (including the Best of St Kilda prize proudly supported by TWiSK),
but the biggest thrill for many is having their mini-masterpiece hung magnificently for all the ‘hood to see.
This year’s judges are Joanna Bosse (Curator, Bayside City Council) and Eric Nash (Director, Benalla Art Gallery).
Webinar for artists
Tuesday 31 August, 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm
Register here 
More information and video guides for artists
Please read the Terms and Conditions of entry before submitting 
The exhibition will open to the public on Saturday 4 December 2021 and run until the 27 February 2022.

Soon

The Thesis @ Alex Theatre
Friday and Saturday nights, 17 & 18 September, 24 & 25 September
A one-woman physical comedy by Circus Artist Ciara Thorburn. “A wonderfully voyeuristic glimpse into the private life of an eccentric polymath”. $29 / $25
Tix

Saturday Seminar celebrating Zoe Caldwell @ U3APP zoom
Saturday 18 September, 2.30 to 3.30 pm
Zoe Caldwell OBE was an Australian-born actress who gained international fame – she died in February 2020, aged 86. In this Saturday Seminar, Sherryn Danaher, U3APP member and niece of Zoe, will be in conversation with Zoe’s son Charlie Whitehead, a theatre producer resident in New York. Together they will explore the essence of who Zoe was as an actress and a person, and her unique approach to preparing her characters for performance. Free
Register at www.u3app.org.au
Scroll down and click on “public events”.

Dead tree gone. 
A sign of the times in Acland Plaza?

A recent Facebook post alerted TWiSK to the removal of a forlorn and dying tree in Acland Plaza.
“Without a tree, this is just a giant ashtray” suggested the saddened local.
(Council is planning to replace the tree)
Since then Facebook has been awash with concern and anger about the fate of Acland Street and the Plaza in particular.
The closure of both Big Mouth and Leroy would have seemed improbable just a year or so ago, but they have both joined a long list of vacancies. Times are tough and there is no shortage of “blamethowers”, with the tram stop, the pandemic, council, greedy landlords all getting fingered by unhappy locals, former locals and visitors.
TWiSK itself reported a few weeks ago that the Plaza often felt like an unsupervised beer garden.
There a many opinions, but one thing is clear, Acland Plaza needs some love.
Honest conversation needed
Council has budgeted over $1m for hostile vehicle mitigation for Acland Plaza by 2023, and Acland precinct businesses also contribute to a special rate every year.
Is it time to seriously rethink the Plaza?
What can be done in the short term – eg this summer – to enliven the Plaza?
What added value could be gained from the hostile vehicle works (eg a permanent stage)?
Should the Plaza be curated to establish it as an event space?
Councillors asked to share ideas
TWiSK has asked the local Port Phillip Lake Ward councillors
(Andrew Bond, Christina Sirakoff and Katherine Copsey)
to start the conversation by sharing their views on Acland Plaza.
We’ll publish their responses in future newsletters.
In the meantime, send TWiSK your thoughts.

Greg Day
Happy to chat anytime 0418 345 829
Content suggestions and community questions are always welcome.
gday@archives.gdaystkilda.com.au

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This Week in St Kilda respectfully acknowledges the Yaluk-ut Weelam Clan of the Boon Wurrung.
We pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.