Fifty years ago this week, Apollo 11 made history by landing on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became household names, as the first humans to step foot on the lunar surface. This week, Chris will commemorate that landmark event by taking a look at what some people in the arts are doing to mark the event. He started last week with Ross Daniels, whose Butterfly Club show One Small Trip imagines a group of hapless astronauts being sent to the moon by a cut-rate Australian space agency. He’s not the only performer who’s heading to the moon, though.
Former Artistic Director of HotHouse Theatre, Lyn Wallis, has an even more ambitious project. She and her mini-Schnauzer, Pablo, have plans to launch their own moon shot from the Baranduda Air and Space Administration on July 16. They’re hoping to broadcast their adventure from space via Facebook. Chris will catch up with Lyn and maybe even Pablo on the eve of their launch.
Meanwhile in Yarraville, the glorious Sun Cinema will commemorate the moon landing by screening a whole bunch of moon-related movies for the week. What movies would you program? Chris will ask Michael Smith that question, because he’s the one who chose the films.
If it’s music you’re into, then the Melbourne Recital Centre is marking the occasion with Sounds of Space. This is a discussion about the sounds we send out into space, as well as those we collect from the universe and how they impact on music. Chris will hear from Joint Associate Professor Kenny McAlpine from the University of Melbourne who’s co-presenting this event.
Then Chris will be sneaking out of the studio and heading down the Geelong Road to see The Moon at the Geelong Gallery. It’s an exhibition of films, photographs and paintings that celebrate the mystery of the lunar sphere, and curator Lisa Sullivan will walk and talk us through all its phases.
Finally, Chris will be heading off on a fantastical voyage into outer space with that remarkable Western Australian company, Sensorium Theatre. Their amazing experiential and interactive performance Whoosh! was recently presented at Arts Centre Melbourne for an audience of kids with disabilities. Chris will talk to one of the creative minds behind this and other great shows before they blast off for another season at the Sydney Opera House.
That’s all ahead on a special space show, this week on Behind the Scenes with Chris Thompson, right here on Vision Australia Radio.
