Rice – European Première + Special Offer for FANZA subscribers *

October 9 - November 13

To celebrate the return of live theatre – and the European première of this award-winning play – FANZA is delighted to partner with the Orange Tree Theatre and to offer discounted tickets to our mailing list community.

Nisha is a young hotshot executive working on a secret deal worth billions which would see her company take over India's national rice distribution. Yvette is an older Chinese migrant who cleans up Nisha's mess but has her own entrepreneurial ambitions. Her daughter, though, faces court after protesting against the unethical practices of a national supermarket chain. Together they form a powerful, if unlikely, bond.

Michele Lee is an important emerging voice in contemporary Australian writing. With Rice, she sets the personal politics of two women against the politics of global food production.

* To claim your discount: enter the code FANZA10 when booking via the Orange Tree website before checking out. Offer applies to price bands A and B for performances of Rice up until 31 October. Please note, this offer applies to in-person performances only and not the livestream on 4 and 5 November.

Photo credit: The Other Richard; actors Sarah Lam & Zainab Hasan

Colour from the Australian Desert

Until November 13

JGM Gallery presents 24 paintings, all vibrant acrylics on linen or canvas, by seven Aboriginal artists from the Warlpiri people in Australia's central desert region – some of the most celebrated Aboriginal artists in Australia's Northern Territory. The artists, all women, created their works at the Indigenous-owned art centre in the Lajamanu community, on the edge of the Tanami Desert, halfway between Alice Springs and Darwin.

Artist credit: Rosie Murnku Marnku Tasman

Joe Guyamala at Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

October 9 - 30

Encompassing both traditional bark paintings of Australian wildlife and distinctly modern subject-matter such as YouTube Snake, Joe Guyamala's solo show at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery offers an insight into the unique and stunning achievements of contemporary Aboriginal Australian art.

Artist credit: Joe Guyamala courtesy of Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery

Songlines - European Première

October 21 - February 22

Tracking the Seven Sisters, the National Museum of Australia's extraordinary immersive exhibition makes its European première at The Box, Plymouth. Hailed as 'a triumph of 21st century museology' when first shown in Canberra, it features more than 300 paintings and objects by more than 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The perfect reason for a visit to glorious Devon?

Southern Stars: Golden Daughters of the Sun

October 8 - 31

The empowerment of women and their bond to Nature as an act of resilience and spiritual balance is the focus of this group show as the artists grapple with issues ranging from decolonisation to ritual and labour. The exhibition features Salome Tanuvasa, a multi-disciplinary New Zealand artist whose work, inspired by family and her immediate environment, also reflects hints of her Tongan and Samoan roots.

BFI Film Festival - Plenty to celebrate from Down Under!

October 6-17

Director Jane Campion (NZ) turns her attention to the American West with her entry this year. With cinematography from Ari Wegner (Australia) and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog will feature as the American Express Gala film. The enduring impact of the Greenham Common protests is captured by NZ documentary maker Briar March in Mothers of the Revolution and Justin Kurzel (Australia) takes on the horrific massacre of 35 people in Tasmania in 1996 in Nitram. Eliza Scanlen leads an Australian cast and crew in the drama series Fires, which explores the devastating bushfires that have swept across the country in recent years.

Image from Fires

GAFA Going Big

October 30 - November 20

GAFA, the Samoan Arts Collective led by NZ-born Sani Muliausamaseali'i, is back in London with another ambitious opera project – an innovative staging of Wagner's entire Ring Cycle. Weaving Pacific history and mythology with the classic Nordic saga of power, greed and love, this follows their 2019 success with Siegfried the Wagner Blade. A cast of Wagnerian singers from around the world is led by maestro Stephen Anthony Brown. Why wait for Bayreuth when you can see it in Putney in November/December?

NEW - The FANZA Podcast with Diving In: Sleuthing, Hoarding & Heartbreak

In our very first podcast the Diving In podcast team in Australia chat about some recent books focused on New Zealand and Australia.

Diving In's founders, Virginia and Louise, are thrilled to kick off FANZA’s Fringe programme. Listen to the psychological consequences of hoarding, and explore the undercurrents of a murderous small town in New Zealand - just some of the surprising narratives in books discussed in this episode. Enjoy!