Up The Workers!

Bob Hawke & John Singleton

To harbour side Balmain and the launch of The Workers Bar in Darling Street. The Workers is part owned by media mogul John Singleton who also hosted the launch party and it's part of Unity Hall, the pub Singleton owns and the location for a legendary meeting of unionists in 1891 that coincided with the famous Shearer's Strike in Queensland.

Out of that strike and the Balmain meeting came the formation of the Australian Labor Party, the first 'worker's party' in the world and now the longest surviving political party that is still in government under the  leadership of PM Julia Gillard.

Ned Kelly (?), Benny Elias & Sally Singleto

So who better to invite to launch the Worker's Bar than the great legend himself, former trade union boss and the 23rd prime Minister Bob Hawke.
 Bob is 83 and as sprightly as a 40 year old. He's also a great pal of Singleton's and told a fairly racy joke about his friend which we won't relate here. Suffice to say it's not hard to see that Hawkie is still one of Australia's most beloved political figures who during his tenure at the top received approval ratings of around 80%.

As for Balmain it's hardly a worker's paradise anymore and the fine convict built sandstone houses and terraces are more likely to be inhabited by bankers, stockbrokers and celebrity figures like playwright David Williamson and actors Judy Davis and Colin Freils who have a large waterside mansion. Still there are plenty of young professionals living locally and The Worker's bar is bound to become a favoured watering hole.

A Night For Awards

the Emmy's kick off this morning in Los Angeles with two Australians up for awards : Nicole Kidman for her portrayal of Martha Gellhorn in the film Hemingway and Gellhorn while the reclusive Judy Davis ('best actress in the world' :Woody Allen) will be attending to see if she picks up the Best Supporting Actress gong in the political drama Page Eight.

Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn with co-star Clive Owen

Trevor Ashley : Diamonds Are For Trevor

In the evening the stars of the Australian stage and local Hollywood types will gather at the Sydney Opera House for the Helpmann Awards. The Shuttle will be on hand to see if the brilliant rising drag star Trevor Ashley picks up an award for his superb show Diamonds Are For Trevor while Tim Minchin is nominated for Best Comedy performance.

Judy Davis' husband Colin Freils may get Best Actor in A Play for Red and no Sydney theatre event is worth it's salt without either Cate Blanchett in attendance or getting a Best Actress Award as she may for her role in Gross Und Klein. And Miranda Otto should be there along with the Otto clan including dad Barry Otto ('best actor in the world' : John Gielgud). Miranda has been nominated in the supporting role in The White Guard.

Bruce Beresford has been nominated for his direction of the opera Mice And Men.
Prince, Kylie Minogue, Foof Fighters, Sade and Keith Urban have all been nominated in various categories.
For the full list go to the Helpmann Awards website and check back at the social shuttle later tonight.

2011 STC Launch plus Fashion Week Tribute !

The Sydney Theatre Company announced it's new season at a small shindig at their Wharf headquarters hosted by husband and wife team Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton.

The centrepiece for the 2011 season will be a co-production of Botho Strauss's Gross und Klein (Big and Small)translated by English playwright Martin Crimp which will tour the Vienna Festival, the Young Vic in Britain, at the Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen in Germany and the Theatre de la Ville in Paris in 2012. This should seal the reputation of the STC throughout the world after Cate's acclaimed production of the A Streetcar Named Desire in the US earlier this year.

Australian actors who will appear in productions include Jacqueline McKenzie (right) Miranda Otto, Colin Friels and Bryan Brown all who have achieved success overseas.

The German writer's work will be directed by opera and theatre director Luc Bondy.

The STC usually presents 12 productions a year and 2011 will include two new Australian works with the Abbey Theatre production of Mark O'Rowe's hit Terminus as well as Andrew Upton's version of Mikhail Bulgakov's The White Guard which received five-star reviews when it played at London's National Theatre this year.

Another project is Bloodland, written by Wayne Blair, directed by Stephen Page from the Bangarra Dance Co and performed in Yolgnu language and pidgin English. It was inspired by a photograph of an Aboriginal boy up a power pole. The boy was subsequently electrocuted.

All in all, the choice of Cate and Andrew has been the most successful decision ever for the STC board. The duo have taken the company to great international heights with not only critical success but a much needed boost to the companies finances. This year, Streetcar alone made a $3M profit.

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As New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and London's Fashion Week draw to a close, we bring you some examples of outfits from some of the wackier world leaders, courtesy of the on-line magazine Foreign Policy in The Devil Wears Taupe !