Community Billboard 7th to the 13th of December

Over the holiday season there will be lots of pantomimes and theatrical performances on. An event that may not be in the Eastern Suburbs but is definitely one to keep an eye out for is Shakespeare in the Park, by independent theatre company Sport for Jove.

The event returns for its seventh season this December. This year's programme includes two much loved comedies - The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde and Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost.

To make it an even more enjoyable experience, audiences will be invited to enjoy a social picnic and make use of the public BBQ facilities. There will be a limited selection of food and drinks available for purchase so you are more than welcome to bring your own food and drinks to the event.

After the December season at Bella Vista, the plays will be restaged in January in Leura.

When: Friday 11th to Wednesday 30th December, 8pm.

Where: Bella Vista Farm Park, Cnr Elizabeth Macarthur Drive and Norwest Boulevard Bella Vista, 2153.

Cost: $28.00

Something that always comes around this time of year is carol signing, whether it is out on the streets or in big community halls or parks, you can be sure to come across them. A carol singing event with a difference will be Christmas Climate Change Variety Hour, presented by Earlwood Farm and in association with the Verge Gallery .

If you are looking to take a step away from traditional carols about bell's jingling or snow falling then this is the unique Christmas time event you are looking for. Christmas Climate Change Variety Hour is a perversion of carols by candlelight, questioning the conceptual and material sustainability of Christmas with song, dance, mime, poetry, durational performance and experimental lectures.

You will be entertained by the comedy vocal stylings of Lady Sings it Better and performances from local artists including Betty Grumble, Tom Hogan, Maria White and Emma McManus. Everyone is welcome to bring their own picnic and there will be drinks available throughout the evening.

When: Saturday 12th December, 7.30pm - 9pm.

Where: Verge Gallery, Jane Foss Russell Plaza, City Road, Darlington, 2006.

Cost: $5.

If you feel like you are always throwing out more waste then you would like to be ,and want to improve your global carbon footprint in a crafty way, head along to the Reverse Garbage event - Creative Reuse Workshops.

Reverse Garbage was established to protect and enhance the natural environment by educating individuals, communities and businesses about the value of conserving resources. They run a series of workshops and meetings for their mission to succeed. If you want to be a part of it then this Saturday Reverse Garbage will be holding one of their Christmas special workshops.
At this weekends workshop you will make Christmas decorations and gifts from groovy garbage.

For their Saturday workshops Reverse Garbage is hosting a series of special one-off upcycling workshops including Nana Crafts and Garbage Glamour. These workshops will be taught by local artists.
Not everyone will fully appreciate that your gift to them was made from garbage, then again it is the thought that counts and this is certainly a thoughtful way of reducing your waste.

When: Saturday 12th December, 1:00pm–4:00pm.

Where: 8/142 Addison Rd, Marrickville, 2204.

Cost: $40.

There is no harm in knowing all the markets and fairs on at this time of year, Sydney is a buzz with all different ones on you might want to find the right one for you.

An open air market that will be on not far from the heart of the city is the inaugural Kensington Street Christmas Bazaar.

Lots of stalls will line Kensington Street full of creative products that you wont be able to find in your regular shops. There will be lovely culinary delights on offer through Kensington Street’s main passage and the hidden courtyards behind it.

It is a chance to meet and buy directly from the designers, look through prints, browse soft furnishings and strands of custom jewellery or find the perfectly packaged gift hamper, in an atmosphere filled of Christmas carols and acoustic tunes.

There will also be workshops on the day to keep you busy, you can weave your own Christmas wreath or deck the walls with aerosol paint as there will be a graffiti station.

When: Sunday 13th December, 11am - 8pm.

Where: Kensington St, Chippendale, 2008.

Cost: Free.

The music event recommended on this weeks community billboard is certainly a gig full of groove and renowned talent. Next Wednesday the Darren Heinrich Trio will bring you an evening of great live jazz.

If you are a regular listener of Eastside Radio you might be familiar with the Darren Heinrich Trio sound as we have played them numerous times.
They are a classic Hammond Organ combo – Organ/Guitar/Drums. Their music’s emphasis is groove, with equal parts tradition and innovation. A lot of original music by Darren forms a significant part of the band’s repertoire in addition to standards and blues.

If you haven't heard of Darren Heinrich he is a versatile Sydney-based organist, pianist and educator who holds a 1st class Honours degree in Jazz from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, so he sure does know his Jazz.
The trio that will be playing on the night is made up with Sam Rollings on Guitar and Tim Firth on Drums.

When: Wednesday 16th December, 7:30pm–11:30pm.

Where: Play Bar, Basement 72 Campbell Street, 2010.

Cost: Free.

Another Christmas market that will be on where you can find some unique handmade gifts, will be on near the Eastside Radio station.

Some of you may have already taken a visit to the Paddington Markets as they have been on every Saturday since 1973, however this is a special event for Christmas as it will be on at night.

At the Paddington Christmas Night Market there will be a range of handpicked local designers selling unique, handcrafted items, such as, arts and crafts, fashion and children’s stocking fillers. You can also stock-up on gourmet treats such as traditional Christmas puddings, and lots more festive sweet and savoury goods.

The venue for the market will be will be operating an Everything in Common stall, which will be selling a range of gifts that help feed the hungry, give sight to the blind, free the captives and bring good news to the poor. Gifts range in price and region, from four chickens to support a sustainable livelihood in Zimbabwe, to eye care for five people in Vanuatu.
A wonderful feature at such a special time of year.

When: Thursday 17th December, 4pm - 9pm.

Where: Paddington Uniting Church, 395 Oxford St, Paddington, 2021.

Cost: Free.

If you find yourself jaw-dropped and amazed by the wonders of magic then an event that is quoted by The Daily Telegraph as being “brain-bendingly spectacular” is this years instalment of The Illusionists with their show 1903.

This mind-blowing spectacular showcases eight brand-new, world class illusionists handpicked from across the globe. The Illusionists have had performances in Sydney the last two years but this particular show 1903 is destined to deliver top class turn of the century magic.

The glory of this larger than life production has to be seen to be believed, a unique step back in time through today’s technology. You will be transported back to the golden age of magic, the time of Houdini and the Magic Circle.
Sure to have you questioning did you really witness what you just seen when the show is over.

When: Saturday 19th to Monday 28th December.

Where: Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, 2000.

Cost: $74.90 to $119.90.

If you are looking to get in the spirit of Christmas and want some traditional carol singing here in the Eastern Suburbs then pop down to, The Coogee Carols next Sunday.

The event is back for its 14th year bringing you an entertaining night to celebrate community, family and to get in the mood for Christmas, it will be all happening opposite one of the most beautiful beaches in the world for a relaxed night of fun for everyone to enjoy.

Each year, this free event draws an audience from local and surrounding areas with locally based celebrities and personalities who appear at The Coogee Carols performing traditional and contemporary carols.
The carols that we all now how to sing along to (kind of) will be supported by the Murray Jackson twelve piece band.

Some of the performers on the night will be Troy Alexander, Ky Baldwin, Lisa Callingham, Martin Crewes, Bernadette Cogin and many more who will be lifting the atmosphere to let us know its Christmas.
Of course there will be a visit from Santa on the night so it will be a fun outing for all the family.

When: Sunday 20th December, 6.30pm.

Where: Goldstein Reserve, foreshore near Coogee Beach, 2034.

Cost: Free.