For the first time ever the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra will visit Australia.  This world-class orchestra will perform one concert only at Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 6 November 2012. There are over 90 musicians in this orchestra, making their way to Australia for the first time ever... A unique opportunity for Sydney audiences to experience something brilliant and acclaimedly exquisite.   NCPA Orchestra of China  Venue:                 Sydney Opera House Concert Hall   Date:                     Tuesday 6 November 2012 at 8pm   Tickets:                 from $39.  Discounts for groups of 8 or more   Bookings:            sydneyoperahouse.com or 02 9250 7777    Enquiries:            02 9186 1588 or events@ausfeng.com.au   Emily Eskell emilyeskell@gmail.com

Three stalwarts of Australia's low-brow art scene (their words) have bandied together for a group exhibition at The Tate in Glebe showing a range of handpicked works from 24 new, upcoming and unsung heroes of contemporary art. Beastman, Numskull and Marty Routledge are all common names to see smacked across street posters and arty Facebook events promising free beer, so you can be assured they'll have programmed something fairly spectacular for this group show. WHAT: The Hours group exhibition WHERE: The Tate, 365 Glebe Point Road, Glebe WHEN: Friday September 7th - Sunday September 9th HOW MUCH: Free Featuring works by: Beastman, Ben Frost, Bennett, Ears, Edward Woodley, Ghostpatrol, Jae Copp, Joel Birch, Jumbo, Kyle Hughes-Odgers, Kyle Montgomery, Man Man, Mark Alsweiler, Max Berry, Miso, Numskull, Phibs, Roach, Sean Morris, Slug, Thomas Jackson, Trent Whitehead, Twoone and Vans the Omega. The Hours on Facebook Feature image: Phibs via artygraffarti.wordpress.com

  "Good grief! The Peanuts kids have finally come out of their shells." Time Out, NY.   Award-winning Off-Broadway hit, DOG SEES GOD: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, is an “unauthorised parody” of the cutest comic-strip kids with everyone’s favourite talking dog by Bert V. Royal, best known for teen film Easy A.     Wild, hilarious, raunchy and starkly relevant, DOG SEES GOD is a striking portrait of adolescent debauchery and the seeming inevitability of teenage self-destruction.     Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.     DOG SEES GOD   When:  Preview 21 August, 8pm; Season 22 – 26 August Tuesday – Thursday 8pm Friday 7.30pm Saturday – Sunday 2pm and 8pm   Where:  King Street Theatre 644 King St (cnr Bray St), Newtown   Tickets: Bookings www.kingstreettheatre.com.au/tickets/ Adult $27 Concession $22  

    'A Chorus Line' revolutionised Broadway, becoming the longest running musical in history (15 years!)   This show sees the audition process of 17 young hopefuls, as they stand on an empty stage, as they answer questions thrown at them by the producer. With his god- like status, he asks them how old they are, what are their measurements, how many Broadway shows have they done? A scary and far too familiar reality for performers everywhere.     Taken sometimes into the realm of parody, A Chorus Line is on at the Capitol theatre until this Saturday 11th August. Not to be missed marvel!   A CHORUS LINE When: Now - Saturday 11th August, 8pm Where: Capital Theatre, Haymerket  

Don't you just cringe when you hear that horrible 'event television' term Channel 9 throw around? It's code for 'underwhelming Australian drama with sloppy production values'. Well, two actual bona fide television spectacles of recent years, The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, are coming to the Opera House. Accompanied by the Sydney Metropolitan Orchestra and narrated by Dr Chris Brown of eastern suburbs housewife fantasy Bondi Vet fame, experience these stunning programs the way nature intended: incredibly loud, large and in the concert hall of Australia's most iconic venue. Tickets on sale right now from the House - www.sydneyoperahouse.com Also: LOOK AT THAT SHARK! WOAH BOY! WHAT: The Blue Planet and Planet Earth LIVE @ The Opera House WHEN: 25th, 26th, 27th October - check the Opera House for details WHERE: The Opera House, dude HOW MUCH: Tix from $30 and mad deals for families

Young man finds band, young man starts record label, young man has party at GoodGod to celebrate. Joel is such a young man and he invites you to attend the inaugural night of his baby record label Farland. It's a fairly stonking lineup, Pluto Jones, Melbourne DIY synthstar HARTS and Van She Tech on the unos et duos. WHAT: Farland Records Launch night WHERE: Goodgod Small Club, Liverpool St, Sydney CBD WHEN: Thursday, 8th August 2011 HOW MUCH: 10 bucks (bargain!) from here

    When asked to describe his play 'Punk Rock' Simon Stephens said: "It's like The History Boys on crack." ... he wasn't lying.   The Australian premiere of 'Punk Rock' is currently playing at Sydney's ATYP in their theatre under the Wharf. From the production company that brought you 'The Shape of Things' last year, Pantsguys Productions are a serious creative company to keep on eye on.   This show is absolutely exquisite. I haven't been so affected, or moved, or shocked or stunned or propelled by a single piece of theatre in a very, very long time.   Raising important, particularly pressing and relevant questions of today, 'Punk Rock' encourages us all to fforceably reflect on the anxieties we harbour as young adults: where they come from, why they're there, how to solve them. The uneasiness we get when we realise we don't ever want to live our lives a certain way, take certain things for granted and having to accept what we always deemed unacceptable.    Delicately handled and directed by the incomparable Anthony Skuse, this team of actors have put together a show that has been the highlight of the 2012 Sydney Theatre season for me. You'd only be cheating yourself if you didn't get to it.   So do.   Immediately.   Check out the Pantsguys clip of Punk Rock at ATYP on Vimeo   Punk Rock When: Now - 11th August Where: ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People), under the STC Wharf Theatres  

  For the last 25 years in Australia, Lyn Pierse and Masko Mustac have maintained their regal status amongst improvisers and creatives alike. Not to mention both their long and successful careers outside of this in acting, directing, teaching and writing, both for the stage and TV.   Entering the space, we found ourselves in a 19th century living room, complete with grand piano and velvet upholstered chairs. The characters came onstage,   met,   waited...   then began to play!   Taking the audience on a clever trip into the deeper psychological depths of these two conservative Victorian adults, we found ourselves on an emotional and spiritual roller coaster as the actors further indulged in their increasingly intriguing games. Different to most improvisation performances, there were no audience suggestions and it was not intended to be particularly funny (although it most certainly was). On top of everything else, it was immaculately clever: constantly referencing absurdist, post- modern, Brechtian and Artauian theatre. Sensational.   Quiet Companions was part of a double bill for the New Theatre in Newtown, running for 3 nights only (Wed 25th - Sat 28th July).            

Curated by an ex-game industry heavyweight who decided to divert his attention to the independent end of gaming, Lunarcade is a hands-on demonstration of experimental video gaming - and we use the term 'game' loosely. All of the pieces explore themes of exploration, often in ways that twist and subvert the usual tropes of narrative, movement and progression in gaming. Alot of the works on display are still in development, and haven't yet been played by members of the public anywhere else in the world. Bientôt l’été – Tale of Tales Dear Esther – Dan Pinchbeck J.S. Joust – Die Gute Fabrik Lifeless Planet – Stage 2 Studios Memory of a Broken Dimension – XRA Thirty Flights of Loving – Brendon Chung TRIP – Axel Shokk Zobeide – Robert Yang A highlight of the show is J.S Joust - a real-world arena battle with combatants attempting to knock a controller out of the opposition's hand, all in time to a classical soundtrack that determines how fast or slow players can move. WHAT: Lunarcade, an exploration of spatial narratives WHEN: August 3rd, 6 – 9 pm // August 4th & 5th, 12 – 6 pm // August 6th-9th, 12 – 8 pm WHERE: Serial Space HOW MUCH: Free

  Griffin Theatre have collaborated with La Boite to present the world premiere of this play, an important piece of new Australian writing not to be missed by the tenacious theatre goer, particularly as this piece is directed by lee Lewis, rumored to be a big part of the theatre landscape in Sydney next year...   In his witty, tongue- in- cheek satire on the modern phenomenon of 'misery memoirs,' Rick Viedel shamelessly comments on contentious issues of our time in his play that won the Griffin Theatre Award last year. Honestly, some moments are a little hit and miss, with slightly weak racial comments alongside stereotypical criticism of deceitful and money hungry professionals.   Currah (Shari Sebbens) gloriously captures the energy and restless spirit of a young aboriginal girl, being taken advantage of by Anthony (Glenn Hazeldine) who convinces her to be the pseudonymous author of a book he's written. A somewhat classical story with a far less predictable twist...   Get yourself along!    

Culturally specific film festivals are all the rage in Sydney at the moment - Koreans, Germans and Canadians have all had a poke. But this September Latin America has its time to shine with the 7th Latin American Film Festival, taking place at Dendy Circular Quay and across Sydney. Opening night kicks off with live music and traditional food plus a screening of MIA, a drama following the story of a transvestite living in the slums of Buenos Aires. Uplifting stuff. On the rest of the program - critically ill people visit the shamans of the Amazon, a teenage love story exposes the murderous tactics of the Colombian military and a there's even a special screening of Cuba's first ever zombie film. WHAT: The 7th Sydney Latin American Film Festival WHEN: 6th to 16th September 2012 WHERE: Across Sydney Dendy Opera Quays - Shop 92 East Circular Quay, Sydney Addison Road Centre – 142 Addison Rd, Marrickville Mu–Meson Archives – Corner Parramatta Rd and Trafalgar St, Annandale Bankstown Arts Centre - 5 Olympic Parade, Bankstown HOW MUCH: Tickets and session information available from www.sydneylatinofilmfestival.org/2012/

  Trending Sydney band RAPIDS are about to celebrate the end of their East Coast EP tour of 'Holland Air' by rockin' out at Good God Small Club next Thursday 2nd August. Emily Eskell talks with Jamie Timony.   Guys, congrats - you're almost at the end of your debut EP tour, how does it feel to be wrapping it up for the first time? The tour's been great. It always sucks when it comes to an end but we are just looking forward to the next one. We have a show in Sydney at Good God Small Club this Thursday 2nd August and then we're off to Melbourne on Friday to play a wicked night called Can't Say.   Whats your craziest fan tour story? When we arrived at our destination in Brisbane to put our bags down at the house before soundcheck, one incredibly old, drunken (and unprovoked) bogan threw a shot glass at me on the front lawn. I think he stole it from the pub opposite. He missed thank Christ. I think he must have responded so eargerly to my lyrics that he thought the only way to get close to me was to blow my skull open with a chunk of heavy glass.   This track has an incredible sound, who are your biggest musical influences?   I love the Beatles and The Doors but if we're talking recent times then it's Deerhunter, Tame Impala, Ariel Pink, The Horrors and King Krule to name a few.   You've all been together for a while now and I know you're all very close friends. Tell us quickly how RAPIDS came to be.   Angus and Will grew up together in Melbourne. I grew up on the Gold Coast and Remy in Brisbane. We were all working on the Gold Coast together at one point and started a band there, rehearsing in Angus' apartment in Broadbeach. Then we moved to Sydney.   Just before you go, we're all itching to know: when can we be expecting the next?   We are heading back into the studio in September to record our follow up EP which will hopefully be released before the end of the year! Very excited indeed to be hopping back on the horse.   RAPIDS WHEN: Thursday 2nd August WHERE: God Good Small Club   Emily Eskell emilyeskell@gmail.com