News and events
ME AND TERRY working hard on our next book …
… well, that’s what we tell everybody, anyway.
Posted on 30 May 2008 Permanent link to this post Comments (11)
SHORT — a collection of interesting stories and other stuff
Our best-loved writers, alongside our newest and youngest authors, present to you Short — a collection of interesting stories and other stuff from some surprising and intelligent people including Carole Wilkinson, Andy Griffiths, Michael Panckridge, Michael Gerard Bauer, Karen Tayleur, Tessa Duder, Scot Gardner, Alicia Sometimes, Michael Pryor, Sue Lawson, Julia Lawrinson, Chris Miles, Pat Flynn, Trudy White, Bill Condon and Simmone Howell. Edited by Lili Wilkinson.
All royalties from the sale of the book will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.au
Posted on 26 May 2008 Permanent link to this post Comments (7)
JUST MACBETH! Buy tickets: Melbourne & Sydney
Bell Shakespeare’s production of Just Macbeth! by Andy Griffiths is a really silly version of Shakespeare’s great big gory tragedy starring Andy, Lisa, Danny and Jen from the JUST series.
And when we say really silly, we mean really REALLY silly as it is performed by six funny but tragic actors and a garden gnome and features a severed head that talks Shakespearean.And when we say really, REALLY silly, we mean really, REALLY, REALLY silly as there are witches and whiz fizz and ghosts and girl germs and weird Elizabethan things like soliloquies and sharp swords and other things beginning with S.
An hilarious and irreverent take on one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, this new show will have you in stitches!
MELBOURNE SEASON: Friday 19th Sept to Sunday 5th October
| Playhouse, Arts Centre | |
| Previews | 19 & 20 September |
| Opening Night | 20 September |
| Season | 21 September –5 October |
| Matinees | 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 & 30 September 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 October |
SYDNEY SEASON: Wed 8th October - Sunday 26th October
| Seymour Centre, Everest Theatre | |
| Preview | 8 October |
| Opening Night | 9 October |
| Season | 10 – 26 October |
| Matinees | 10, 11, 12, 18, 25 & 26 October |
| Click here to book tickets for the Sydney Season
|
DURATION 2 hours, including interval
SYDNEY SCHOOLS MATINEES
14, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 October at 10.30am
Cost: $20 per ticket
BENEFITS AND CONDITIONS
– 1 complimentary teacher’s ticket per 20 students
– Comprehensive Teachers’ Kit included
– School Matinee performances are exempt from GST
– All terms and conditions are detailed on the booking form
Download a Sydney Booking Form
and fax your request to 1300 552 271.
For more information, please phone 1300 305 730 or visit http://www.bellshakespeare.com.au/education/
Posted on 5 May 2008 Permanent link to this post Comments (7)
TREASURE FEVER: Latest reviews
I loved Treasure Fever! so much I finished it in a day.
–Andrew, Age 10
Treasure Fever!, the first book in a series called Schooling Around, makes no attempt to be moralistic or educational. It’s simply fun; a rambling series of events that entertain from the first to last word. The action is fast-paced, with quick dialogue, short chapters and some zany characters.
The tale is told from the point of view of Henry McThrottle, a fifth-grade student whose class has a new teacher. The outrageous and nonsensical Mr Brainfright uses teaching methods as unlikely as his name. “Mr Brainfright’s important lesson No.1: When you’re breathing, it’s very important not to fall out the window.”
It’s no accident that the truly batty characters in Treasure Fever! are adults; it’s empowering for kids to encounter seniors they can make fun of and feel superior to without fear of reprisal. It’s joyously subversive. There’s Mrs Cross, the angry disciplinarian; Principal Greenbeard, the wannabe pirate who speaks in pirate catchphrases; Mr Shush, the edgy librarian; and Mr Brainfright, whose introduction sparks a series of events that has Henry and his classmates searching the school for buried treasure.
That Henry and his friends are victorious in the end is also satisfying for young readers. The kids team up to overcome and outsmart the school bully, Fred Durkin, and the interfering teachers (who display varying degrees of insanity). It’s an adventure set in familiar territory (school), with a great sense of urgency and anticipation.
For a change, Griffiths steers clear of the scatological (poo/bum/fart stuff) but there’s plenty of nonsense, which he does well. Treasure Fever! actually shares some features of Roald Dahl’s work. For example, Mr Brainfright jumps off the page with a similar absurdity that made Dahl’s chocolate-maker, Willy Wonka, an eternal favourite (perhaps incidentally, Brainfright also wears a purple jacket.)
Griffiths is popular because his readers don’t see an ulterior motive at play in his work. His stories, including Treasure Fever, are easy to read, entertaining and silly. Unlike some more critically acclaimed, award-winning books, reading them is not a chore for kids – it’s a LOL, LMAO pleasure. And the fun is set to continue in September with the release of the second book in this new series: Pencil of Doom.
–The Sydney Morning Herald