HELEN MUSA lines up all the big arts events of the coming week in her latest Artsweek column.

Robyn Archer and The Pack of Women, a live performance comprising a screening with reflections in song and conversation is at Arc Cinema, NFSA, June 14. Her 1977 album, Take Your Partners for the Ladies’ Choice, was the first Australian record produced by women and was inducted into the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2023. 

Berry, on the NSW south coast, will be transformed into a living canvas as the OpenField Arts Festival returns for its second instalment — a three-day festival of contemporary art, movement, storytelling and shared experience in Berry’s heritage buildings, showgrounds, halls, paddocks and footpaths, June 13-15.

Guess How I Was Born is a picture book for families and children by Susanne Gervay, which aims to put away fears and doubts as it explores diversity, acceptance and inclusivity. Launch at The Book Cow, June 14.

Arts National Molonglo Plains has an illustrated lecture, Art Crimes and Heists, by Leigh Capel. C3 auditorium, Queanbeyan, June 12.

Stage

• Canberra Rep presents Lucas Hnath’s sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s most notorious play in A Doll’s House, Part 2. Canberra Rep Theatre, Acton, June 12-28.
• Mockingbird Too: Theatre That Dares, aimed at showcasing more theatrically challenging plays, presents its first production, Snatches: Moments from 100 Years of Women’s Lives. Directed and designed by Céline Oudin, the script was originally commissioned by the BBC to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK. Belco Arts, June 12-14.
• Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, is doing the rounds for the 27th year with the brightest stars from this year’s festival. Jake Howie is host, with Ben Kochan, Janty Blair, Ting Lim and Zack Dyer performing. The Q, Queanbeyan, June 14.

Galleries

• Two exhibitions, Lush by Gatya Kelly and Queens by Fiona Smith are at Grainger Gallery 3.3, Fyshwick, June 12-July 6.
• Over and Around, a Poem, a Sculpture is the name of a collaborative exhibition by Julia Higgs and Peter Searle. At Platform, Manuka June 13-29.
• Now in its 19th year, Step into the Limelight 2025 invites viewers to Enter the Unknown in an exploration of mystery, curiosity and possibility through the eyes of Canberra’s K-12 public school artists. M16 Artspace, Griffith, June 13-29.
• Noted printmaker John Pratt will exhibit at The Q Gallery, Ainslie, from June 13.
• Alexander Boynes’ new exhibition, The Edge Cannot Hold, curated by Benjamin Shingles, Civic Art Bureau, upstairs from Smith’s Alternative, Civic, June 14-29.

Concerts

• Musica Viva Australia has Northern Lights, where Swedish-Norwegian violin virtuoso Johan Dalene joins Tasmanian-born pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith, to perform classic works by Ravel, Grieg and Rautavaara, alongside a world premiere from young Aussie composer, Jack Frerer. Llewellyn Hall, June 12.
• French Connection will see Phoenix Collective pairing Ravel’s String Quartet with the work of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a darling of the 18th-century French court. Wesley Uniting Church, June 13.
• Mary Poppins Sing-Along invites families to belt out the classics in a supercalifragilistic evening at the National Film and Sound Archive, June 13.
• Golden Guitar-nominated performers William Alexander and The Northern Shiners will be at Smith’s Alternative, Civic, June 14.
• Cellist Zachary Connor and pianist Edward Neeman along with cellist David Pereira present a night of Cassado, Shostakovich and premieres of three works by Connor. Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Barton, June 14.
• The next Smith’s@Belco gig will feature Neil Murray, a founding member of the pioneering Warumpi Band, supported by Americana, roots, folk, and country artist Dana Hassall. Belco Arts, June 14.
• Tribute shows Australian Eagles & Money For Nothing: Dire Straits Experience will be at The B, Queanbeyan, June 14.
• Luminescence Children’s Choir and Luminescence Chamber Singers, will come together to celebrate the artist-led vocal organisation’s 10th Birthday. Albert Hall, June 15.
• Celebrating Cuban music as a world of rhythm, soul and innovation, soprano Ayşe Göknur Shanal, cellist Karella Mitchell, percussionist Jess Ciampa and pianist Cheryl Oxley plan to stir up a storm in a concert simply titled, Cuba. Wesley Music Centre, June 15.
• Jazz singer Matilda Lorenz joins Lachlan Coventry on guitar, Chris Pound on bass, Luke Glanville on drums and John Mackey on saxophone to sing at Smith’s Alternative, Civic, June 17.
• Youth choir, Kompactus, will bring to life the colours of the land and the stars above in a Wesley Lunchtime Concert before the choir leaves for Tasmania to sing in the Festival of Voices. Wesley Music Centre, June 18.