This weekend in Adelaide, see the premiere of The Dictionary of Lost Words, or head for the Hills and enjoy the SA Spring Garden Festival.

Words Elisabeth Marie

Uniting music lovers

On Saturday, September 23, head to Her Majesty’s Theatre for an evening of music and dance in the name of charity. The One Humanity-Charity Concert features traditional dance ensembles from Ukraine, Macedonia and Turkey under the artistic direction of award-winning singer, composer and music producer Farhan Shah. The concert will support humanitarian efforts for those impacted by the Turkish and Syrian earthquakes with all proceeds going directly to the Australian Relief Organisation and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Appeal. “This is an opportunity for the South Australia community to get behind an important humanitarian cause by extending a helping hand to those in need,” Farhan says. “Some of the performers have family back in Turkey and Syria who have been severely impacted by the earthquakes and the proceeds from the concert tickets will make a difference as they rebuild their lives.”

Blossoming into spring

The SA Spring Garden Festival returns to Mount Pleasant on Saturday, September 23. There will be a variety of plant and garden stalls for visitors to wander through, while the kids enjoy nature crafts and activities. Try a hands-on beekeeping workshop or enjoy a talk from this year’s guest speaker, Hannah Moloney of ABC’s Gardening Australia, before grabbing a bite to eat from the local food trucks. The festival will be held at the Mount Pleasant Showgrounds from 8am to 3pm.

Preserving women’s words

Presented by State Theatre Company South Australia and Sydney Theatre Company, Adelaide author Pip Williams’ bestselling novel The Dictionary of Lost Words is making its stage debut this month. State Theatre Company South Australia’s artistic director, Mitchell Butel, says the play – adapted by Verity Laughton and directed by Jessica Arthur – will be a “landmark production”. “Verity’s adaptation gets to the rich core of the book, while making the story a thing that will sing in the theatre,” Mitchell says. “How equally thrilling to have Jessica Arthur, fresh from her success with Chalkface, return to us to direct this beloved, epic, romantic tale that celebrates language and its power.” The production stars Adelaide’s own Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Esme – a young girl who preserves “women’s words” that are neglected by the men composing the first Oxford Dictionary – who will be accompanied on stage by Ksenja Logos, Brett Archer, Christopher Pitman and Rachel Burke. The Dictionary of Lost Words will be performed at the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Dunstan Playhouse from September 22 to October 14.

Dream-like state

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s latest edition to its Symphony Series resonates colour and texture with Sergei Prokofiev’s dreamy concerto conducted by Mark Wigglesworth and performed by solo violinist Ilya Gringolts. Ilya says the work, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, is his favourite piece by Prokofiev. “(It is) so bold and fresh, so naive and innocent; I’ve known this work since I was about 20, played it multiple times, and it is a discovery every time I play it,” Ilya says. “The violin entry is marked ‘sognando’ – dreaming – which is very apt indeed; the whole concerto is rather like a beautiful dream, especially the end-sections of the first and third movements.” Symphony Series 7: Dreams will be performed at the Adelaide Town Hall on September 22 and 23.

Perfect combination

Create the gin of your dreams at Prohibition Liquor Co.’s Gin Blending Class on Saturday, September 23. Join an intimate group for a tour of Prohibition’s distillery to learn its history and the process of making gin before blending two botanicals of your own. Participants will be treated to a gin-tasting flight and antipasto platter before getting hands-on with the blending process. You’ll bring home your blends in two 200ml bottles to share your creation with family and friends.

For more of what’s on around South Australia this month, pick up the September issue of SALIFE, which is on sale now.