Arts editor HELEN MUSA reports in her latest Artsweek column that Marcel Cole is channelling Charlie Chaplin in his upcoming new show. 

Smile is a physical comedy show about the life and films of Charlie Chaplin by the creators of The Ukulele Man, actor Marcel Cole and director Mirjana Ristevski. Cole plays Chaplin, with audience interaction, storytelling, and a tribute to silent films. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, November 9.

Film is everywhere. From 800 submissions this year, Canberra Short Film Festival has chosen almost 300 short films, animations and music videos in 22 separate screenings. This year they’re introducing new sessions such as After Dark for the mature viewer, Migrant Stories, as well as an international and a national showcase. Dendy Cinemas, November 6-20.

Meantime, The 2024 British Film Festival will feature dramas, thrillers, comedies, documentaries, and retrospectives. The opening film is Blitz, Steve McQueen’s period drama depicting pivotal moments of World War II in London. Palace Electric Cinemas, November 6-December 8.

The second annual WTF (What The Film) Festival runs at the National Film and Sound Archive November 7-9.

Mikelangelo returns to the stage with a band of troupers, including Shortis & Simpson and Fred Smith, to mark the eighth anniversary of Leonard Cohen’s death with a show at The Vault, Fyshwick, November 8. 

Ausdance ACT’s Youth Dance Festival has always shone because it is not a competition but a showcase of original dance. The event celebrates its 40th anniversary with performances by secondary schools at Canberra Theatre, November 6-8.

The Great Moscow Circus is back, featuring extreme acts, including Australia’s top BMX and scooter riders, trampoline, Russian swing and “the world’s best” daredevil motorcycle cage riders. The Big Top will be pitched in Gungahlin November 1-17.

Dianna Nixon’s cabaret show The Gentleman’s Companion, based on Charles H Baker Jnr’s recipes and travels and featuring songs from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, will be at the Yazzbar, Yass, on November 3 and 10.

Our Streets, a project by the National Library, has resulted in a book that celebrates regional Australian towns’ heritage and architecture with more than 100 black and white images and a foreword by comedian and architecture tragic Tim Ross.

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