What’s on in South Australia

Apr 12, 2015, updated Oct 22, 2015

Oud musician Joseph Tawadros.

State Opera and Nexus Live open their 2015 performance seasons in Adelaide this weekend, while for those who want to head out of town there’s plenty of entertainment on offer at the Barossa Vintage Festival, the City of Onkaparinga’s Beachside Food and Wine Festival, and the Festival Fleurieu.

You can also spend an Evening with Noel Fielding (of The Mighty Boosh) at the Thebarton Theatre or meet the man who played Freddy Krueger at Oz Comic Con.

Joseph Tawadros Quartet at Nexus Live

ARIA-winning oud musician Joseph Tawadros and his quartet will open the live music program at Nexus Arts tonight (Friday) in a show that will also feature classical Indian music exponents Jay Dabgar and Adrian McNeil. Other acts in the Nexus Live line-up in the coming months will include Oskar Key Sung, Paul Grabowsky, the Gian Slater Trio, Emma Donovan and The PutBacks, and Beat Spacek.

State Opera double bill

As part of its vision to make opera more accessible, State Opera of SA is opening its season with a double bill of two one-act, bite-sized productions – the “operatic psychodrama” Bluebeard’s Castle and “soap opera” Il Segreto Di Susanna (Susanna’s Secret). The operas are being staged at the Opera Studio in Netley tonight (Friday) and tomorrow night. “It’s a wonderful way to get up close and personal with some great performers in exciting, rare, bite-sized opera repertoire,” says State Opera artistic director Timothy Sexton.

Barossa Vintage Festival

Celebrating the end of vintage, as well as the heritage, food and wine of the Barossa, the Vintage Festival features events ranging from long-table lunches and cellar-door events, to twilight concerts, wild gypsy parties, a scarecrow trail and a witty wine tasting with “wine bluff” comedians Damian Callinan and Paul Calleja. On Saturday there’s a picnic on Tanunda Oval, as well as the annual Vintage Festival Parade, which has been running since 1949 and will this year see 70 floats travelling along Barossa Way. The full festival program is online.

Beachside Food and Wine festival

The City of Onkaparinga’s progressive Beachside Food and Wine Festival will be held on the shores of Port Noarlunga and Christies Beach this Saturday. There will be wine, food, market stalls, live entertainment (including a performance by X-Factor finalist Reigan Derry) and fashion parades. The festival begins at Christies at 10am to 3pm, continuing at Noarlunga from 2pm until 10pm, with a free bus shuttle service between the two. Gold coin entry.

An Evening with Noel Fielding

One half of award-winning comedy duo The Mighty Boosh and team captain of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Noel Fielding is performing at Adelaide’s Thebarton Theatre tonight and Saturday. Fielding’s unique style of comedy guarantees a wild and weird show, with appearances by his best-known TV characters, Old Greg, The Moon and Fantasy Man. There will also be special guests, including Mike Fielding.

ASO – Lortie plays Schumann

Following his debut with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in 2013, Yan Pascal Tortelier returns to conduct two concerts (Friday and Saturday nights) at the Town Hall focussing on works from the Romantic repertoire. With guest French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie, the program will feature Schumann’s Piano Concerto, Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 and Berlioz’s Beatrice & Benedict Overture.

Festival Fleurieu

This weekend is the last opportunity to visit the Festival Fleurieu, a biennial regional arts event featuring more than 90 events in 50 venues across the western Fleurieu. There are historical walks, music performances, poetry readings, creative workshops, an artists’ trail, and exhibitions. The full program is online.

Oz Comic Con Adelaide

Oz Comic Con will be held at the Adelaide Showgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, with guests including Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger (right) in A Nightmare on Elm Street; Chad Coleman and Sonequa Martin-Green from The Walking Dead; Billie Piper from Doctor Who; Daniel Portman and Finn Jones from Game of Thrones, and Amber Benson and Emma Caulfield from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The event will also feature a cosplay parade, and screenings of the un-cut version of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Walking Dead season five finale.

Sculptors @ Crystal Lake

Twelve South Australian sculptors are demonstrating their art at Crystal Lake Park in Macclesfield from 10am until 4pm until April 19 in this event directed by sculptor Silvio Apponyi . Visitors can watch the artists work, with a kids’ come-and try-program also running across the next few days. Refreshments available or you can BYO picnic. Entry by gold coin donation.

Selby and Friends

Pianist Kathryn Selby will be joined by two international guests, violinist VesaMatti Leppänen and cellist Umberto Clerici, for a show at 2.30pm on Sunday at Elder Hall. The Selby and Friends program comprises Grammy winner Joan Tower’s Big Sky, Shostakovich’s second Piano Trio, César Franck’s Violin Sonata and Beethoven’s first Cello Sonata.

The Good Son

Adelaide actress Elena Carapetis makes her playwriting debut with The Good Son, which she describes as her version of an Australian tragedy. Centring on the relationship between a Greek immigrant divorcee (played by Eugenia Fragos) and her son Frank (Renato Musolino), The Good Son is playing at The Bakehouse theatre until April 25. Read Carapetis’ interview with InDaily here.

The Black Rose – Art Gallery of SA

This Art Gallery of South Australia exhibition of works by Trent Parke features hundreds of photographs, largely black and white and mostly shot on film, as well as moving-image works, text and books exploring themes such as pain, loss, birth, death and memory. Read the Adelaide-based Magnum photographer’s interview with InDaily here. The Black Rose continues until May 12.

Trent Parke, Australia, born 1971 , Cockatoo backyard, Newcastle 2011 © Trent Parke/Magnum Photos

Gilles Street Market

More than 90 stalls will be selling fashion and accessories – including vintage items and creations by South Australian designers – at the Gilles Street Market this Sunday. The market is held at the Gilles Street Primary School in the city from 10am until 4pm, and also features DJs and food stalls.

Punuku Tjukurpa – SA Museum

This touring exhibition at the South Australian Museum is a retrospective of work from the Maruku Arts company, based in Uluru. Punuku Tjukurpa represents three generations of artists for whom the tradition of wood carving has been passed down, and is described as a view into one of Australia’s finest art movements. The exhibition continues until May 17.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Family favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies into the Scott Theatre at Adelaide University this weekend. Chitty – a 1923 Model T Ford – and a cast of more than 120 young Adelaide actors promise to take audiences on a magical journey of boisterous singing and dancing. The show is presented by Pelican Productions, with performances continuing until April 26.