Creative director Robyn Archer has announced a number of high profile events to mark the Centenary of Canberra next year, including the world premiere of new work by the Australian Ballet, the opening of the National Arboretum, at least two books and the longest “bubbly bar’’ in the world.
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During a special briefing for the media last week ahead of today’s public announcements Archer revealed an ambitious program that would extend throughout 2013 and beyond.
She said what was announced so far was a fraction of what would be happening through the year. “It is massive. I wanted to start to demonstrate it’s going to be a huge, huge year for Canberra.’’
Archer spoke for over an hour to get through what was planned for the centenary, and that’s just the beginning. In September she said she would hold another briefing for the finalized program which would take an entire day.
“It’s going to be a whole of city effort that will blow people away,’’ she said. “It’s an opportunity to
showcase Canberra to the rest of the country.’’ She said the centenary team had been working for three years on what was a "very complex operation''.
She said she was recruiting talent from the Canberra diaspora and many former Canberrans would return for the centenary.
“The advocacy for Canberra has begun, ‘’’ she said “The centenary is the fulcrum into the future.’’
Among some 20 commissioned works for the centenary will be a new work by the Australian Ballet based on the ‘democratic architecture’ of Australia’s Parliament House, as the iconic building celebrates its 25th anniversary next year, in collaboration with the building’s architect Aldo Giurgola.
Other important commissions are a “stirring choral and orchestral tribute ‘’ from composer Andrew Schultz to be performed by the Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the new Centenary Choir and a co-commission with the Sydney Theatre Company of a stage epic based on Kate Grenville’s book The Secret River.
With its grand opening scheduled for February 2013, the National Arboretum is set to become a centrepiece of the centenary celebrations and one of the region’s most popular new attractions.
Archer said the heavy rains after the past year had been a boon for the arboretum because the trees would be would be much bigger than anticipated.
On the birthday weekend around March 10 and 11 over-18s will have the opportunity to raise a glass and sample some local tapas at The Longest Bubbly Bar in the World.
On 12 March 2013, the whole of Australia will celebrate 100 years since Lady Denman, wife of the then Governor-General Lord Denman, stood upon the newly laid Foundation Stones and officially named the new Australian capital, ‘Canberra’.
Archer said at midday on March 12 here would be a toast to Canberra and she hoped that people would raise their glasses in their workplaces, at home or wherever they might be
She said the project CANBERRA… in so many words would create a physical outbreak of words all round the city. “In a place where words are all-important, this interactive process of building words in all shapes and sizes, all cultures and colours, will offer everyone a chance to participate,’’ she said.
"No-one is more important in the Centenary celebrations than Walter Burley Griffin and his wife and colleague Marion Mahony Griffin, whose lives and work will be celebrated in the 2013 Canberra birthday period of March and beyond,’’ she said.
The Street Theatre would build on its successful Made in Canberra program, while the Canberra Theatre Centre planned to put on a production from each state and territory.
Read more about the Centenary celebrations:
