Robyn Archer and The Pack of Women
Sat
14
Sat 14 Jun 7:00 PM
Arc Cinema
Allocated Seating
June
SAT 14 JUN | 7PM | Arc Cinema
It has been almost 40 years since the ABC broadcast The Pack of Women, the television version of Robyn Archer’s ground-breaking cabaret of the same name, which premiered in London’s Drill Hall and then toured Australia in a Belvoir Street production with an all-Australian cast.
This special event will include an exclusive screening of the hour-long TV show produced by Archer and Di Manson, which focuses on women’s issues of the time, and features eye-popping performances by a brilliant all-star cast including Robyn Archer, Meryl Tankard, Judi Connelli, Tracy Harvey and Jo Kennedy. The show features Archer’s iconic Menstruation Blues, initially released on her ground-breaking 1977 album, Take Your Partners for the Ladies' Choice — the first Australian record produced by women (Robyn Archer and Diana Manson) which was inducted into the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2023.
The screening will be followed by a discussion and live performance featuring Robyn Archer and accordionist George Butrumlis. The show will explore the changes that have occurred since the recording was made and discuss how we might approach similar issues in today's context.
The Pack of Women
1986 | M |63mins | DCP | AUS | D: Ted Robinson
Television special of the cabaret The Pack of Women made for ABC, including songs, prose and poetry that celebrates women.
ABOUT ROBYN ARCHER
Robyn Archer is a multi-awarded and internationally acknowledged singer, writer, director and public advocate for the arts. Her career spans more than 60 years, and in 2023, she completed a major Australian tour with her Australian Songbook. Robyn’s special expertise lies with the songs of Weimar Germany. She recorded ‘Robyn Archer Sings Brecht’ at Abbey Road with the London Sinfonietta and has recorded 12 albums, including the Aria Award-winning soundtrack from The Pack of Women, Aria-nominated ‘Mrs Bottle’s Absolutely Blurtingly Beautiful World-Beating Burp,’ and most recently ‘Classic Cabaret Rarities.’ Robyn has written many successful stage productions, including A Star is Torn, which she played for a year in London’s West End. She has published five books, and her writing features in several publications and journals. She is an Australian Book Review Laureate.
Robyn was the first woman to direct a major arts festival, beginning with the National Festival of Australian Theatre in Canberra, as well as Adelaide and Melbourne Festivals. She also created Ten Days on the Island for Tasmania and returned to the national capital to direct the Centenary of Canberra (2013).
ABOUT GEORGE BUTRUMLIS
George Butrumlis has played the piano accordion since the age of six. He was an original member of Jo Camilleri's Black Sorrows and his band, Zydeco Jump, has been a feature on the Australian music scene for over 30 years.
George has worked with Robyn Archer AO for the past 15 years performing with her and long-time pianist, Michael Morley to present Robyn's extraordinary German, French and American shows, recently augmented by An Australian Songbook. George has worked with Jeannie Lewis, Paul Grabowsky, Mike Rudd, Men At Work, Kristina Olsen, film composer Cezary Skubiscewski, Archie Roach, Ross Wilson, The Three Tenors, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
It has been almost 40 years since the ABC broadcast The Pack of Women, the television version of Robyn Archer’s ground-breaking cabaret of the same name, which premiered in London’s Drill Hall and then toured Australia in a Belvoir Street production with an all-Australian cast.
This special event will include an exclusive screening of the hour-long TV show produced by Archer and Di Manson, which focuses on women’s issues of the time, and features eye-popping performances by a brilliant all-star cast including Robyn Archer, Meryl Tankard, Judi Connelli, Tracy Harvey and Jo Kennedy. The show features Archer’s iconic Menstruation Blues, initially released on her ground-breaking 1977 album, Take Your Partners for the Ladies' Choice — the first Australian record produced by women (Robyn Archer and Diana Manson) which was inducted into the NFSA’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2023.
The screening will be followed by a discussion and live performance featuring Robyn Archer and accordionist George Butrumlis. The show will explore the changes that have occurred since the recording was made and discuss how we might approach similar issues in today's context.
The Pack of Women
1986 | M |63mins | DCP | AUS | D: Ted Robinson
Television special of the cabaret The Pack of Women made for ABC, including songs, prose and poetry that celebrates women.
ABOUT ROBYN ARCHER
Robyn Archer is a multi-awarded and internationally acknowledged singer, writer, director and public advocate for the arts. Her career spans more than 60 years, and in 2023, she completed a major Australian tour with her Australian Songbook. Robyn’s special expertise lies with the songs of Weimar Germany. She recorded ‘Robyn Archer Sings Brecht’ at Abbey Road with the London Sinfonietta and has recorded 12 albums, including the Aria Award-winning soundtrack from The Pack of Women, Aria-nominated ‘Mrs Bottle’s Absolutely Blurtingly Beautiful World-Beating Burp,’ and most recently ‘Classic Cabaret Rarities.’ Robyn has written many successful stage productions, including A Star is Torn, which she played for a year in London’s West End. She has published five books, and her writing features in several publications and journals. She is an Australian Book Review Laureate.
Robyn was the first woman to direct a major arts festival, beginning with the National Festival of Australian Theatre in Canberra, as well as Adelaide and Melbourne Festivals. She also created Ten Days on the Island for Tasmania and returned to the national capital to direct the Centenary of Canberra (2013).
ABOUT GEORGE BUTRUMLIS
George Butrumlis has played the piano accordion since the age of six. He was an original member of Jo Camilleri's Black Sorrows and his band, Zydeco Jump, has been a feature on the Australian music scene for over 30 years.
George has worked with Robyn Archer AO for the past 15 years performing with her and long-time pianist, Michael Morley to present Robyn's extraordinary German, French and American shows, recently augmented by An Australian Songbook. George has worked with Jeannie Lewis, Paul Grabowsky, Mike Rudd, Men At Work, Kristina Olsen, film composer Cezary Skubiscewski, Archie Roach, Ross Wilson, The Three Tenors, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
June