Thanks YELP for listing the AFTRS Open Day as an event for Saturday 5 September…read more I have done courses in film, photography and film editing before and was curious to see what this place offered. Wow and more wow! State of the art equipment and very impressive school environment and course outline. I was welcomed and asked what courses I might be interested in doing. Specialist Info Booths were stationed in the main foyer under their various disciplines. AFTERS offers Undergraduate Introductory courses, Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas and Radio courses. My main interests were visiting all the fun "Open Studios"! My first visit to a VFX Green Screen ever. I stood on the line and through the magic of TV and green screen the scene behind me changed! Next over to a real TV studio so you could try to present the evening news and become a news reader. You positioned yourself behind the news desk while a very helpful lady advised you what to do. Reading the auto cue machine looks easy to do, but in reality it is not - especially if you have forgotten your glasses! Above the studio is the 'real deal' control room. Lots of monitors and the biggest sound, film, camera mixers I had ever seen. Nice to be able to come here and learn how to operate it for real! Lastly, I had a look at a few of the sets - an old 1950's office and I don't know what the other set really was? Technicians were giving talks and showing how the boom and track cameras operated and also how to create different moods with the set lighting. I left with a great Open Day bag full of goodies and lots of course information on short courses and their upcoming Summer school.

If your inner Scorsese is calling or perhaps you're more of a Tarantino, why not flex your creative…read morecinematic muscle and signup to do a short course (known as the Open Program) at the internationally acclaimed Australian Film Television and Radio School. This well know academy is home to some of Australias top Oscar winners and with excellent facilities and teaching staff there's plenty of options for creative such as yourself. Short courses vary but warning they can be quite pricey. A 3 day course can easily cost you $690.00 - but it does include real sexy fancy use of equipment so it may be worth the price. AFTRS is a stunning school and having graduated from one of their full time post graduate courses I can tell you it's a pretty special place. If you're not quite ready to throw yourself in the deep-end the AFTRS open courses are a good place for you to dip your toe in.

I visited Belvoir to see the stirring "Kill the Messenger" play written by Nakkiah Lui. The venue…read moreis 3 stories high with an extensive bar featuring a variety of local wines, beer and cider. Support local theatre and check out whatever is playing!!

Obviously everyone has different taste in art and every play is different, so I can't begin to tell…read moreyou if you're going to enjoy a performance here. However, I can say that both productions I've seen here (Seventeen in 2015 and The Blind Giant is Dancing in 2016) featured excellent actors, effective (but low cost) sets and quick moving pacing--nothing dragged on or made me wonder how much time was left in the performance. As a theatre buff and former theatre student, that's pretty high praise. Also, the dynamic pricing is incredibly smart, and I saved enough money using it to buy a voucher for the cafe. Although my flat white was burnt, the orange and cardamom cake was outstanding. For Seventeen, a box office team member went out of his way to find same-day tickets my partner and I (both students) could afford, even when student tickets were sold out. Can't wait to go back. If I could afford it, I would absolutely buy a membership and commit to going more often. Kudos.

If your to go to see one thrilling, nail biting, side splitting show this year in Sydney make it…read moreAbsinthe. The whole experience is top notch from beginning through to end. You walk into Hyde Park and begin to witness the Spiegeltent in all its glory. The Spiegeltent is a wooden tent that's glorious from all angles. It includes an outdoor beer garden to get the punters ready for a night of intense creative performances. The inside of the Spiegeltent is aesthetically pleasing and reminds me of a classy French nightclub in the great 1920's ( those good old days). The venue is very intimate with seating for at most 300. This is awesome because it allows close up experience for everyone. The show began with an awesome display of a man balancing some drinks while stacking chair after chair until he reached the top of the tent . As the show went on we got to witness some acrobatic performers balance on each other's heads, throw one another across the stage. The athletic abilities of this men and women left everyone mesmerised. The performance incorporated a lot of adult themes but it was all performed in good nature but the Gazillionaire who reminded me of Beetle Guice on the good stuff. He picked on the audience and had everyone wetting themselves ( well pretty close ). The whole show was tantalising and TITalising at some points (sorry couldn't help add that one in. If your after something completely different this is a definite must see in my opinion. The whole cast knocked it out of the park. Was lucky to meet some of the cast afterwards for a Q&A with some champagne. They are tremendous people who just love what they do and rightfully so. The Gazillionaire was calling me Waldo because I choose to wear a red and white stripped top. Witty to the last. Nothing else to say other then go to see this show for yourself.

Oh. My. God! This show was incredible!! I am not a big fan of shows and musicals but this just blew…read moreme away. How can one show be so funny, so sexy and so impressive? I really didn't know what to expect but I would say that Absinthe is a mix of cabaret, cirque de Soleil and wicked comedy. You absolutely must get yourself to this show and then tell everyone about it. I really don't want to give too much away but if you like crude humour, amazing feats of human strength, sexy performers and all around amazingness then this is for you.

The Tap Gallery is a mildly cat-pee scented Mistress of the Dark. SUCH a great venue with it's two…read morelevels, many rooms and liquor license, Tap is a performance artist's dream. (Well, maybe after Broadway, the Sydney Opera House, Wembley Stadium...) The unpretentious facade hides a decent sized venue, complete with cafe and bookstore, and being artist-run they get a nice eclectic mix of exhibits- it's not just one person's taste determining who gets to show there. All around a great concept and worthy of support. I just wish wish wish the house cat was kitty-litter trained because the place has an underlying aroma that seeps into your consciousness after a couple of hours here. They could also do with a fan as the low ceilings stop the air from circulating (not helpful with aforementioned odour issue), but overall this is a great place to enjoy the eclectic furniture and soak up some Arts darling.

A friend of mine was putting on a play. It was to be performed at the Tap Gallery on Palmer Street,…read morea small theatre located above an art gallery. We arrived, had a bit of trouble finding a park (as you do in that area) and then rushed upstairs, slightly late, though the play hadn't started yet so all was good. Tickets purchased we walked into the theatre space. It's an unusual space, but it's intimate, the seats are simply large steps that take up one side of the room and seat about 50 people. The stage is a long stage as it takes up the remainder of the room, depending on what sets are constructed for the play. The play was thoroughly enjoyable with an adequate amount of puns thrown in for good measure. The issue with the Tap Gallery Theatre is that if anything happens in the lobby while the play is on, and also, technically speaking, even when the play isn't on, but lets not play that philosophical mind game, then you can hear it in the theatre and it can be disrupting. For example a conversation about a drink. We can hear you. After the play we all moved downstairs to continue quenching our thirst with fizzy beverages and to admire some art. As mentioned earlier, the downstairs section of the building is an art gallery and as luck would have it there was an opening that night so the place was full of people both young and old. Some of the art was fantastic, other art pieces were confusing and there was even a large man with a Casio S1 playing synthesised music to entertain the masses. It was a fun night out and one full of culture, art and entertainment. It has its drawbacks, but there are few places where you can meld theatre, fine art and Casio S1's so seamlessly as the Tap Gallery.

Ahhhh Darlo Drama, the course that inadvertently started me on the road to becoming a producer…read more Having first moved over here, politics degree in hand, I decided that I needed something different in my life and ended up deciding acting was the way forward. I ended up giving it a go for a little while, both on stage, then some screen stuff, before eventually realising that I wasn't particularly good at it and headed more behind the camera, eventually landing where I am today, 4 years later. Now this isn't to say no former members of the Darlo Drama course will end up tasting Oscar glory, but that isn't the point of this course. A few people have gone on to work in the industry (I even saw one member of my class in one of those annoying funeral insurance ads recently), but the point of the class is to help you not just gain some acting skills, but to help you in your professional life as well. Some people had no interest in pursuing an acting career, they simply wanted to be able to stand up and give a presentation at work, and what better way to practice than stand up in front of a crowd and pretend to be someone you're not! There are a number of levels to go through, I went all the way through to Level 3, then was part of a studio show which ran for 5 performances. Whereas the first 2 levels finished with a performance at the Rex Centre around the corner from the theatre, but the Level 3 play and studios shows take place in the actual theatre, which is a good experience for an aspiring actor! I'd highly recommend this if you want to dip your toes into the acting world, but I won't guarantee that you'll be rolling in jobs as soon as you've finished. It is a good starting point though!

From the owner: Darlo Drama is a Sydney based Destination Theatre and Drama School for beginners to advanced. Plays…read moreand dramatic roles require people of all ages.

Awesome dance school! I first took a trial class only but I loved it so much that I have been going…read moreback for classes again and again. It is a great way to destress after work by listening to music, dancing and socialising. I started with having no dance experience at all but since taking classes at salsa suave I have been able to not only dance but but also perform in front of big crowds. The instructors are very friendly and understanding and I loved every class that I have taken. Whether you are looking to just try something new or wanting to dance more seriously, Salsa Suave is the place to go. I would personally recommend so give it a go.

From the owner: We specialize in teaching Salsa dancing which is a high energetic Latin style of dancing, extremely…read morepopular all around the world. And also Bachata dancing which is a slower more romantic Latin Dance that has a beautiful melody that is relaxing and soothing.

Monkey Baa puts together fantastic theatre for young people, particularly during school holidays…read more Much of their content is good for really small kids (age three or so) but will still resonate with older kids. They also tour nationally and internationally, which is pretty rare for Australian theatre. The theatre is hard to find, but once you get there it's close to the Darling Harbour playground and a bunch of (admittedly overpriced) food for the family. It makes for a great Saturday with the wee ones and is good for a laugh regardless of what age you are when you see a show.

One of Sydney's newest art spaces. Sew Make Create has been around for almost a couple of months…read morenow. The owner, top Sydney designer Melissa Tan-Lu and Sew Make Create's resident dog Pepper are just adorable. The whole shop is quite funky :) I was fortunate to have been invited (through another blog) to experience their beginners crochet course with Bronwen. I arrived on a Wednesday night at 7pm a little tired yet eager as anything to learn, and learn heaps. My manual dexterity skills deflated me for a while, yet I was amazed with the crochet stitch and getting into a granny square so soon with confidence. The class sizes are rather small which is great. Lindt chocolate balls were provided with water as stunning refreshments, as well as biscuits and tea. This course is also available on selected weekends. Sew Make Create also run a variety of other craft courses. After the beginners crochet course, if you wish to take things further, then the crochet clinic is for you. Instead of yarn, turn that yarn into 'plarn' with a plastic bag crochet course. Sew Make Create is a dynamic arts space that also rents out sewing machines, and hence provides ample working space to design some pretty clothes. Sew Make Create also sell sewing machines and craft supplies. Sew Make Create (from the request of many parents) have put together a fantastic course schedule for the kids school holidays coming up, as at the time of writing this. Beginners crochet is also covered, and kids can also learn cupcake decorating and also learn how to make these adorable felt brooches. Located in Chippendale right near the Broadway Shopping Centre. If you're curious (in more detail) as to how my beginners crochet experience went recently, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crochet-for-beginners-sew-make-create/ For more information on the various courses put on especially for kids these school holidays, then follow this link: http://www.weekendnotes.com/crafty-school-holiday-activities-sew-make-create/ With many initiatives to ensuring that Sydney is an arts and crafts focused city, when is now a better time to learn a new craft? Go on, unleash the craft master within!

From the owner: Sew Make Create aims to encourage learning and creativity through providing the right environment,…read moreassistance and facilities