DINING ROOM TALES, the first of which was performed back in 2011, have been performed in locations as diverse as London, Hong Kong, São Paulo, Helsinki, Frankfurt, Yokohama, Belo Horizonte, Osaka and across Australia with some 84 performances to date.
The shows are the brainchild of Melbourne artist Xan Coleman who comes from a classical music background. In each tale an exotic performance artist prepares a traditional meal and sits down at the table with the audience, his guests. Everyone enjoys a communal meal in between the artists’ giving performances.
The artist in the seventh edition in the Dining Room Tale series is German performance artist Jurgen Fritz and will take place at the Goethe Institute in Woollahra. With this edition the audience/guests sit down and are covered by a large cloth, (an installation created by Christine Biehler) with gaps in the cloth for the audience to partake of the meal and the evening.
The eighth edition in the series will feature nJapanese/Russian artist Yoshio Hamano. In between playing well known classical music pieces on the piano, joins the audience at the dining room table.
Back in September 2018 I reviewed Jewish playwright Jessica Bellamy’s ‘Shabbat Dinner’ at the Stables Theatre. It was a very special evening as Bellamy had prepared a .traditional Shabbat meal for the audience to enjoy,
Xan Coleman, with his Dinner Room Tales, has taken this concept one step further. The audience is again invited to dine with the artist but as well as the dinner experience they get to see the artist perform close up.
These Dining Room Tales promise to be rich, intimate theatre experiences
CLOTH. A DINING ROOM TALE WITH JURGEN FRITZ.
Friday 14 February at 7pm (dinner) and Saturday 15 February 2pm (lunch) at the Goethe Institute, 90 Ocean Street, Woollahra
Seating 16 to 18 people
Tickets : $80
Bookings: www.trybooking.com/
BREATHE. A DINING ROOM TALE WITH YOSHIO HAMANO
Monday 16 March at 7pm (dinner) at Jazushi, 145 Devonshire Street Surry Hills
Seating 30 people
Tickets : $80
Bookings: http://www.
Featured image : A scene from Dining Room Tales with artist Yoshio Hamano.