Live guitar concert
Sunday 19 May, 2 pm

Bruce Mathiske

After last year’s sellout concert, world acclaimed guitarist and composer Bruce Mathiske is returning to the James Theatre for a special solo concert on Sunday 19 May.
Described as the “Authentic Guitar Virtuoso”, Bruce Mathiske composes, orchestrates, and performs his own pieces. He has developed a style that is distinctively his own. His guitar becomes its own orchestra, and his unique style of playing bass, rhythm and melody simultaneously has led to standing ovations and sell-out concerts all over the world. His live shows are justly renowned, and after last year’s thrilling concert, Bruce couldn’t wait to return to the James.
You won’t want to miss out on a ticket for this event! Tickets are $25 ($20 conc), which includes refreshments. To secure a seat, you can book your tickets beforehand by phoning 4947 7443, online at www.mathiske.com, or you can buy them at the door, if spaces are still available.
Mathiske is the finest all-round guitarist this country has produced”- Tony Hillier, The Australian

 

Short talks
Sunday 26 May, 3 pm

Sustainability Spotlight on Dungog Shire

Series of short, fast and punchy (‘Pecha Kucha’ style) talks showcasing sustainable practices in businesses and community groups from those who have sustainability as a core component of what they do in our Shire. Some of our speakers & stalls include: Tin Shed Brewery, HannanBuild, 4 Acre Farm, Wangat Lodge, Australian Sustainable Timbers, Fosterton Farm, Local Growers Market, The Magpie, Westwood Providores + others. This is a FREE event in association with Sustaining the Williams Valley Inc & Single Use Plastic Free Dungog – everybody welcome and Join us for drinks and nibbles after the show! Thanks to: Lovey’s Grocers, Stella Bistro, Boomerang Bags, Dungog Shire Council, Dungog Shire Community Centre. This initiative is supported by Inspiring Australia and the NSW Government.

 

Drama
Sunday 26 May, 7 pm

The Chaperone (PG)

In the early 1920s, a Kansas woman finds her life forever changed when she accompanies a young dancer on her fame-seeking journey to New York City.
In this handsome period piece, director Michael Engler (Downton Abbey, 30 Rock, Six Feet Under) and screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, Gosford Park) bring a fascinating slice of pre-Hollywood history to light in a coming-of-age story centring on the relationship between the young, free-spirited and soon-to-be international screen starlet Louise Brooks (a riveting Haley Lu Richardson) and her tee-totalling chaperone (a wonderfully nuanced Elizabeth McGovern). On their journey from the conservative confines of Wichita, Kansas to the flash and sizzle of New York City, both women are driven by a kindred desire for self-discovery and liberation from the past. Based on the best-selling novel by Laura Moriarty, and anchored by a superb supporting cast (Miranda Otto, Géza Röhrig, and Blythe Danner in a key cameo), The Chaperone is a sensitive, resonant, and illuminating tale of women’s lives in the early 20th century.

 

Australian Documentary
Saturday 1 June, 7 pm

Undermined: Tales from the Kimberley (M)

Australia’s vast and unspoiled Kimberley region is under threat, with mining, pastoralism and irrigated agriculture driving unprecedented land pressure.
Undermined: Tales from the Kimberley investigates the politics of an area branded the future economic powerhouse of Australia, and what this means for our First People and their unique cultural landscapes. As pressure from industry exposes the limits of Indigenous land rights, what will remain of over 200 remote Aboriginal communities? We follow young leader Albert Wiggan, veteran cattleman Kevin Oscar and Senior Elder June Davis through David-and-Goliath battles to preserve their homelands, asking the question: for whose benefit is this development?
This screening of Undermined is presented on behalf of Dungog Contemporary.

 

Music/Documentary
Sunday 2 June, 3 pm

Gurrumul (PG)

One of Australia’s most celebrated and important voices, Gurrumul is a portrait of the artist when he was on the brink of global recognition, and the struggles he and those closest to him faced in balancing that which mattered most to him and keeping the show on the road.
Celebrated by audiences at home and abroad, indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia. Blind from birth, he found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his community and country on Elcho Island in far North East Arnhem Land. Living a traditional Yolngu life, his breakthrough album ‘Gurrumul’ brought him to a crossroads as audiences and artists around the world began to embrace his music.
This screening of Gurrumul is proudly presented by the Dungog Reconciliation Group to mark Reconciliation Week.

 

Comedy/Romance
Saturday 8 June, 7 pm

Top End Wedding (M)

Join us for the wedding event of the year! From the makers of The Sapphires comes Top End Wedding, a heart-warming romantic comedy set against the splendour of the Northern Territory.
Engaged and in love, Lauren and Ned have just 10 days to reunite her newly separated parents and pull off their dream Top End Wedding. But Lauren’s mother has gone missing, experiencing a midlife crisis. In order to find her, the couple goes on a fantastic road trip across northern Australia. Along the way they find fulfilment for their own personal journeys through the wild beauty of the landscapes and the unbeatable charm of the characters that they meet along the way. But will they finally recover Lauren’s mother and pursue their dream wedding?
Starring Gwilym Lee, Kerry Fox and Miranda Tapsell, and directed by Wayne Blair.
Say ‘I do’ at the James on June 8.

 

Comedy
Saturday 15 June, 7 pm

The Hustle (M)

Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway have winning chemistry as a pair of con artists plying their trade in a stunning seaside town in the south of France. Josephine Chesterfield (Hathaway) is a glamorous, seductive Brit with a sprawling home in Beaumont-sur-Mer and a penchant for defrauding gullible wealthy men from all corners of the world. Into her well-ordered, meticulously moneyed world bursts Penny Rust (Wilson), an Aussie who is as free-form and fun-loving as Josephine is calculated and cunning. Where Penny amasses wads of cash by ripping off her marks in neighborhood bars, Josephine fills her safe with massive diamonds after ensnaring her prey in glitzy casinos. Despite their different methods, both are masters of the art of the fleece so they con the men that have wronged women. Wilson’s talent for physicality and Hathaway’s withering wit are a combustible combination as the pair of scammers pull out all the stops to swindle a naïve tech billionaire (Alex Sharp).

 

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