Reaffirming Melbourne’s position as the events capital of the world, Tourism Victoria’s Don Richter announced at a Etch in Sydney last week, the outstanding line-up of cultural festivals and stage spectaculars to be held during Melbourne’s Winter Masterpieces program.
The dinner, attended by some of the curators of the exhibitions gave an insight into what can be expected.
Starting off the winter program from 2 June – 7 October will be Napoleon: Revolution to Empire, being held at the NGV International.
French art, culture and life from the 1770s will be on show, including artifacts from the first French voyages of discovery to Australia.
At the other end of the spectrum is Games Masters, 28 June – 28 October, at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), a testament to Melbourne’s reputation as the major creative hub for Australia’s videogames industry.
In an Australian first for the Melbourne Museum, The Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia, is presented in collaboration with The British Museum, from 4 May.
Artefacts from Mesopotamia, one of the world’s great ancient civilisations is on show – a region now occupied by modern Iraq, north east Syria, and south east Turkey.
Then the from 18 May to November, the world-famous inventor and animated television personality Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit will be at Scienceworks as part of an interactive exhibition called Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention.
Things get even more epic towards 2013 when the multiple Tony and Olivier Award-winning War Horse, will commence in late 2012.
This much admired production will be staged at the Arts Centre’s State Theatre, opening 31 December for a 10-week season.
Big things are also promised when KING KONG – Live on Stage premiers at the Regent, early 2013 before heading to Broadway.
And if that wasn’t enough, Opera Australia will present Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) at the Arts Centre, Melbourne.
Caption: L-R Don Richter, Tourism Victoria, Rod MacNeil, Museum Victoria, Jon Anderson, Global Creatives, Claire Butler, ACMI