Peats Ridge For Kids Promotion - Time Out Sydney, November 2011

Peats Ridge for Kids

29 Dec-01 Jan 2012 ,

5 years and above,

Activities,

Around Town,

Classes & Workshops,

Classes, Workshops & talks,

DJs,

Fairs & Festivals,

Families,

Food & Drink,

Hip-Hop,

Kid-friendly,

New Years,

Outdoors,

Painting & Drawing,

Performances,

Variety

Peats Ridge Festival includes distractions for the little ones, teens and in-betweens

First published on 23 Nov 2011.

As amazing as the line-up for this year’s Peats Ridge Festival may be, it’s not all about the grown-ups. With this in mind, the thoughtful organisers have developed a festival-within-a-festival just for kids. A broad range of events and activities are available, all within a beautiful, private location overlooking the whole festival.

The Rainbow Garden will provide a natural labyrinth amongst the trees for those aged seven and under. Meanwhile, Kids on the Hill will allow those in the under-12 age group to navigate themselves through the wonderland of diverse shows, workshops and creative installations. Live acts are to include the self-explanatory Amazing Drumming Monkeys, plus more traditional entertainment from the clown Ace P Freckle and the comedic mime artist Leo Bonne.

Teenagers can let their hair down in the Swamp, which is strictly parent-free, and includes open mic, DJs, hip hop and comedy workshops, plus live music from the likes of the Rich Latimer Trio.

Everyone can run wild together in the Wet Zone, which is as water soaked as it sounds, so be sure to pack some towels. The festival finale will be the NYE Kids Parade, which will be preceded by mask making and face painting, and is sure to be a memorable ending for both the children and their parents.

Time Out Promotion

The Snowdroppers Feature - Time Out Sydney, November 2011

The Snowdroppers

Fri 09 Dec ,

Blues,

Book Early,

Gigs,

Music,

Rock,

Rockabilly

Critics' choice

They're one of Time Out Sydney's favourite combos, y'know

First published on 4 Jul 2011. Updated on 8 Sep 2011.

After several mishaps and with their national tour currently under way, guitarist Pauly K explains…

…the banned promotional posters! “We had the brilliant idea of having a naked girl on our poster and most places decided they couldn’t print it. We actually got Street Press Australia their first ever official warning when they printed it in the Drum Media. Most of the venues we’ve played at recently have drawn on a bra with permanent marker.”

…the last minute replacement bassist! “We had an arm wrestling incident with our bass player, London, at the birthday party of our drummer [Cougar], which was the weekend before the tour started. He has a serious arm fracture. He’s recovering well but he’s pretty much going to miss the whole thing. We’re hoping he’s better in time for our Sydney show, but who knows.”

…covering the Wiggles! “This year was their 20th anniversary so they got 20 contemporary bands to cover one of their songs for a tribute album. We did a cover of ‘Wags the Dog’ and went to the launch party, though we only got to meet one of the Wiggles. Apparently one of their daughters is a fan of us – how could you say no to that?”

…their good intentions to behave on tour! “Every tour starts off the same. We say ‘Alright fellas, we’re going to be professional this time, keep the drinking down, be sensible with the money’, then as soon as the first few beers have been drunk that all goes out of the window.”

…the inspiration for their forthcoming album! “One of the biggest influences on the new material we’re currently writing has been the bands we’ve played with since we released our debut [Too Late to Pray], and figuring out different ways of approaching things from them. We’ve played with Seasick Steve and good local bands like Gay Paris and Jackson Firebird, and from them we can hopefully make a strong musical melting pot.”

…playing their largest headline show yet! “The tour ends at the Metro, which will be our biggest gig since the Manning Bar late last year. We’ve played there a few times as support acts, and it was also the first place we played as the Snowdroppers, which brings things full circle for us. Hopefully we won’t make a complete humiliation of ourselves!”

Words by Stuart Holmes

Annie Preview - Time Out Sydney, November 2011

Annie

29 Dec-29 Feb 2012 ,

Kids,

Musicals,

Performances,

Theatre

Critics' choice

The Broadway musical about everyone’s favourite orphan returns

First published on 10 Nov 2011. Updated on 14 Nov 2011.

While such theatrical talents as Anthony Warlow and Nancye Hayes will grace the stage for the forthcoming production of Annie, all eyes will be on the red-haired orphan herself. Nine-year-old Ella Nicol from Wahroonga was one of three girls chosen to play Annie on rotation, and she couldn’t be more thrilled. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime dream,” she enthuses. The aspiring actress saw off competition from over a thousand others; an impressive accomplishment, made more so by the fact that Annie will be Ella’s first true performance. “I’ve done concerts during my dance classes, but that’s all, not even a school play,” she tells us.

Rehearsals for the 12-week run of shows are currently under way, giving Ella a schedule busier than most adults. “It’s not too tiring right now, but this will change as time goes by,” Ella says. And she appears to be taking her sudden fame all in stride, and is focused most of all on perfecting her performance. “I like the musical Wicked and would love to play Glinda,” she admits, “but I’m just concentrating on Annie at the moment.” Of the show’s songs, Ella has an understandable preference: “I really love ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life’ – that will definitely be my favourite part of the show.”

Words by Stuart Holmes