Top cat Chris scoops the theatre awards pool

Chris Baldock accepts the Gold CAT Award. Photo: Janelle McMenamin

By Helen Musa

Canberra theatre director Chris Baldock scooped the pool at the 31st Combined Area Theatre Awards (CATS), held on Saturday at The Q in Queanbeyan.

Not only was Baldock named Gold Cat (top cat) for his extraordinary theatrical output at Belconnen Arts Centre, but he also won individual awards for Best Performance in a Monologue or One-Act Play, Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play, and Best Direction of a Play.

As well, his company Mockingbird Theatrics took out four more top awards, meaning that the audience saw rather a lot of Baldock on stage during the evening.

Silver CAT Awards went jointly to Georgia Pike-Rowney, for her collaborations with Child Players to provide fun, yet artistically and musically satisfying educational and performance experiences for young people, and Telia Jansen, for sharing her high-quality and sensitive audio technical expertise.

The annual night of nights for amateur theatre drew enthusiastic barrackers from around regional New South Wales, with the Parkes Musical & Dramatic Society boasting the strongest lungs.

A star is born: director Kelda McManus with the camel from Joseph. Photo: Janelle McMenamin

Many of those regional companies participated in a pacey musical and theatrical program directed and produced by Leisa Keen, interspersed with the announcements.

Although the showstopper which opened Act 2 featured Joe Dinn as Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and a gold-clad cast of hoofers, they were almost upstaged by a theatrical camel from the same show, who later took out the John Thomson Theatre Magic Award.

The awards announcements by MC Andy Bell and Keen, spread over two sessions, were greeted with whoops and cheers.

First published in Canberra City News, February 1, 2026

Tony's Top Fifty Songs

Lady D’Arbanville - Cat Stevens
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
I Feel Love - Donna Summer
Band on the Run - Wings
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me - Elton John
Sweet Child in Time - Deep Purple
Very Superstitious - Stevie Wonder
Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
Cream - Prince
Knowing Me, Knowing You - Abba
Cats in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
This is my Song - Petula Clark
Can’t Get Enough of Your Love - Bad Company
One Chain - Santana
Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
Holly Holy - Neil Diamond
Blackbird - The Beatles
Breaking us in Two - Joe Jackson
Guitar Man - Bread
Journey From Eden - Steve Miller Band
Hocus Pocus - Focus
Heart of Gold - Neil Young
Listen to the Music - The Doobie Brothers
This Masquerade - George Benson
Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
Me and My Arrow - Harry Nilsson
Another You - The Seekers
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
Lay Down - Melanie
Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
Let’s Just Kiss and Say Goodbye - The Manhattans
Anyone Who Had a Heart - Cilla Black
Alfie - Dionne Warwick
Something - Shirley Bassey
A Soapbox Opera - Supertramp

Mad About the Boy - Dinah Washington
The Green Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones
Misty - Sarah Vaughan
I’ve Got You Under My Skin - Frank Sinatra
Where Love Has Gone - Jack Jones
Lulu’s Back in Town - Mel Tormé
Who’s Got the last Laugh Now - Tony Bennet
Theme From the Godfather - Andy Williams
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Killing me Softly - Roberta Flack
So in Love - Ella Fitzgerald
Always on my Mind - Elvis Presley
Feeling Good - Michael Bublé
Woman in Love - Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb

Musical America - The 2025 Top 30 Professionals of the Year

 

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Obituary: Isaiah Allen Jackson III, Former Music Director at Dayton Philharmonic with an International Career, 80

Isaiah Allen Jackson III leads the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra during his third season as music director. Photo: Dayton Daily News Archives.

In Thursday’s (1/8) Dayton Daily News (Ohio), Greg Lynch writes, “Isaiah Allen Jackson III, the first Black music director of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, has died, his family said. He was 80. 

Jackson, who died in Oakland, California on Dec. 24, enjoyed a distinguished national and international career, serving in several principal conductor and music director roles, along with many years spent teaching at various universities and music schools. 

Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia … At age 14, he decided he wanted to be a conductor. Jackson graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1966 with a focus on Russian history and literature, earned an M.A. in music from Stanford in 1969 and completed a degree at Juilliard School in 1973. 

Jackson was already a rising star on the international stage by the time he became the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra conductor and music director starting with the 1987-88 season…. Jackson worked to bridge a racial divide in classical music. 

‘Classical music is a part of one’s birthright as a citizen of the world,’ he said…. ‘If for whatever reason people are cut off from that, … it’s our job to meet them more than halfway.’ 

Jackson’s tenure with the Dayton orchestra ended after the 1994-1995 season…. Jackson was also the music director of the Royal Ballet in London. 

He guest conducted several orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Queensland Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and other various orchestras worldwide.

Jackson also taught at the Berklee College of Music for over 15 years.”

First published at symphony, January 13, 2026

Superman first appearance comic sells for $A22 million

Superman’s debut, Action Comics No. 1, is considered one of the Holy Grails of the comic book world.
(AP PHOTO)

A rare copy of the comic book that introduced the world to Superman and also was once stolen from the home of actor Nicolas Cage has been sold for a record price.

The private deal for Action Comics No. 1 at $US15 million ($A22 million) was announced on Friday.

It eclipses the previous record price for a comic book, set in November when a copy of Superman No. 1 was at sold at auction for $US9.12 million ($A13.66 million).

The Action Comics sale was negotiated by Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, which said the comic book’s owner and the buyer wished to remain anonymous.

The comic — which sold for 10 cents when it came out in 1938 — was an anthology of tales about mostly now little-known characters. But over a few panels, it told the origin story of Superman’s birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth and his decision as an adult to “turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind”.

Its publication marked the beginning of the superhero genre. About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are known to exist, according to Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect President Vincent Zurzolo.

“This is among the Holy Grail of comic books. Without Superman and his popularity, there would be no Batman or other superhero comic book legends,” Zurzolo said.

“It’s importance in the comic book community shows with his deal, as it obliterates the previous record,” Zurzolo said.

The comic book was stolen from Cage’s Los Angeles home in 2000 but was recovered in 2011 when it was found by a man who had purchased the contents of an old storage locker in southern California.

It eventually was returned to Cage, who had bought it in 1996 for $US150,000 ($A224,600). Six months after it was returned to him, he sold it at auction for $US2.2 million ($A3.3 million).

Stephen Fishler, CEO of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, said the theft eventually played a big role in boosting the comic’s value.

“During that 11-year period (it was missing), it skyrocketed in value,” Fishler said

“The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it.”

Fishler compared it to the theft of Mona Lisa, which was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris in 1911.

“It was kept under the thief’s bed for two years,” Fishler said.

“The recovery of the painting made the Mona Lisa go from being just a great Da Vinci painting to a world icon — and that’s what Action No. 1 is — an icon of American pop culture.”

Published at Canberra City News via AAP, January 10, 2026

No more secret Beatles tracks, producer’s son says

The recent Beatles Anthology updated series means there are no more secret recordings
(AP Photo)

By Ian Meikle

London – Record producer Giles Martin says no more secret Beatles tracks will ever be released.

The producer has spent a number of years going through the Fab Four’s archives for the Disney Plus revived Beatles’ Anthology series and remixed albums and tracks but he doesn’t believe there is anything new left to uncover.

According to The Sun, he said: “I don’t think there’s anything. I always say that then something turns up.

“But I don’t think there’s anything. It’s incredible how much interest there still is over Beatles stuff.

“You do hear new things on this Anthology box set. There’s that first round of Helter Skelter, which for me is great because it’s really raw. It’s proper in-your-face music.

“And then people go, ‘Well, how come we haven’t released the 20-minute long version of Helter Skelter?’ I think we’re done.”

Giles’ father, Sir George Martin – who died in 2016 – was known as “the fifth Beatle” for his work with the band and Giles has enjoyed going through his father’s work.

He said: “The Beatles are so powerful that it’s what people want to know about.

“It’s really nice. I love my dad. We were incredibly close.

“Their music and what they did really makes people feel better about themselves. So to work on this material and to be close to my dad is a great thing.”

Giles curated the new Anthology 4 album and remastered the entire collection for the 2025 re-release of The Beatles’ Anthology series.

He is also working with director Sam Mendes on the four upcoming Beatles movies, which will each focus on a different member of the band; John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo Starr.

First published at Canberra City News, January 4, 2026

Storm chaser captures rare red sprites across Kimberley sky

By Ruby Littler

A fleeting burst of red light high above a Kimberley storm, in Western Australia's far north, has been caught on camera by a storm-chasing photographer.

The eruption of red, luminous sparks is known by meteorologists and weather enthusiasts as red sprites.

They are the result of a large electrical discharge and flash high above intense active thunderstorms, occurring in the stratosphere and mesosphere.

Photographer Danny Welgama said it was a "see-it-to-believe-it" moment.

Danny Welgama says red sprites happen in "the blink of an eye". (Supplied: Danny Welgama)

"I saw it out of the corner of my eye and ran back to the camera to look and was just over the moon, I just screamed when I saw it," he said.

"You have to know where you're looking and what you're looking for, otherwise you wouldn't be able to see it."

Mr Welgama said the Kimberley was one of the most opportune places to see this phenomenon, because of the lack of light pollution and largely flat surrounds.

"It happens in the blink of an eye and then it's gone … if you've never seen one of them, you don't believe it, a lot of people think it's AI,"  he said.

"When it happens, just grab a beer, go outside and look up at the top of the sky so you will see."

Chasing red sprites 

Mr Welgama has been chasing storms to capture these rare and surreal images for the past two years.

Red sprites are mass electrical discharges that flash high above the intense, active thunderstorms. 
(Supplied: Danny Welgama)

He has a knack for predicting when they will occur – then it is just a matter of positioning himself in the right spot to capture the spectacle.

"The storm cloud has to be around 150-200 kilometres away, so this storm was in Fitzroy Crossing and we were photographing from Derby," he said.

"These red sprites, blue jets and gigantic jets, they all are shooting upwards, they are shooting 40-90 kilometres above the storm clouds, so it has to be clear to see this stuff."

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said while lightning strikes and red sprites were both "large-scale electrical discharges", they were quite different. 

"Red sprites are believed to be a form of luminous plasma, which typically lightning is not," they said. 

"Red sprites occur in higher levels of the atmosphere, the stratosphere and/or mesosphere, compared to typical lightning, which is in the lowest layer, the troposphere.

"They typically occur above large thunderstorm clouds, although can be displaced from the cloud itself, with a gap in between."

Meanwhile, Mr Welgama said he would continue chasing storms across the Kimberley in an effort to capture this rare, natural phenomenon.

First published at ABC News, January 3, 2026