Canberra audiences to experience ‘Blind Tasting’ during Good Food Month

Canberra audiences to experience ‘Blind Tasting’ during Good Food Month

Canberra District winery, Shaw Vineyard Estate will be supporting and actively participating in the annual Good Food Month program – a month long food and wine program by Fairfax which, for the first time in 2013, expands beyond Sydney to Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and regions.

Shaw Vineyard Estate invites all lovers of wine and theatre to an exclusive performance, in the heart of Canberra, to the highly acclaimed ‘Blind Tasting’ show starring actor Sylvia Keays and written and directed by Paul Gilchrist. Combining the sensory pleasures of theatrical performance and wine, ‘Blind Tasting’ is a unique and quirky one-woman contemporary show, best described as ‘part performance/part wine-tasting’.

The Canberra-based staging of Blind Tasting at The Street Theatre on Friday 18 October, follows two sell-out sessions in June and July at Sydney’s Ensemble Theatre, which were also proudly sponsored by Shaw Vineyard Estate and featured a pre-theatre tasting of their latest wines.

Shaw Vineyard Estate is a family owned and operated wine producer who has been producing Canberra’s finest wines for over a decade. As a keen supporter of young Australian talent, Shaw saw this collaboration as a rich opportunity to showcase their performance in wine to a discerning audience. Now, the Shaw family are excited to share this unique event with their local friends, fans and loyal supporters and so, in town for just one night only during Good Food Month on 18 October, Canberra audiences too can delight in a tasting of Shaw wines, poured by the Shaw family alongside nibbles at The Street Theatre, from 6-7pm, followed by the Blind Tasting performance from 7-8pm.

Sylvia Keays stars as ‘Sophie’ in a story that conveys wit, whimsy and heartbreak, all centered around wine. Sylvia is currently touring the ‘Blind Tasting’ show throughout various wineries, restaurants and theatres across Australia, after enjoying a sold-out season at the 2012 Adelaide Fringe and the 2012 Melbourne Fringe festivals, as well as performances in Los Angeles. 

Having been performed around Australia and internationally, ‘Blind Tasting’ has gained critical acclaim from thespians and theatre goers alike. TimeOut Melbourne raved that "Sylvia Keays slips snugly into her character. So snug that I initially thought this might have been her own story. The show has a very smooth tone, sitting happily between wistfully melancholic narrative and a stand-up routine." Renowned wine critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, Huon Hooke described the performance as “a barrel of fun, …. entertaining and funny”. “Keays has taken her show on the road and if you ever hear it is on, I recommend you go,” wrote Huon in The Sydney Morning Herald 2 July, 2013. 

Book your tickets today to ensure that you don’t miss out on this unique tasting and hilarious performance. Tickets are available for purchase now, Adult ($39*) and ticket price includes tasting and the show.

*Booking fee applies

Tickets sales, please contact: The Street Theatre, Childers Street Canberra

www.thestreet.org.au  or call (02) 6247 1223

About Sylvia Keays

Sylvia Keays is an Australian actress theatrically trained at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Hollywood. Since graduation, she has performed professionally in TV, independent film, presenting, and her main love theatre, both in the USA and Australia. She has performed in plays produced by NIDA, Steam Productions, Billie Blonde, Shakespeare by the Sea, Complex Theatre LA, AADA (Hollywood). In television, she has featured in ‘Deadly Women’ in the US; and in Stupid Stupid Man, supporting Deborah Mailman in Australia. Her body of commercial work includes productions for TAB, ANZ, New Idea and McDonald’s.

Critical Acclaim for ‘Blind Tasting’

“Corker of a performance...a barrel of fun...performed with great vitality and charm by Sylvia Keays...I recommend you go.”  - Huon Hooke, Sydney Morning Herald

“At times heart-wrenching, but mostly heart-warming and hilarious; this was a brilliantly written show that held me captive from start to end. Australian actress, Sylvia Keays, was absolutely adorable as Sophie. She was able to draw the audience in and make them feel completely involved without sacrificing any of the story.” – The AU Review

"Part performance, part wine tasting, this witty, insightful performance was well crafted by Paul Gilchrist and delivered with confidence and a delightful balance of light and shade by Sylvia Keays. This performance was a delight; intimate, funny, sad, and thoughtful” - Stage Whispers Melbourne

This is "a classy sensory experience...a passionate and considered performance" - Adelaide Theatre Guide

"A punchy, whimsical tale of lovelorn Sophie - executed exceptionally by actor Sylvia Keays" - Theatre Junkies Melbourne

“Sylvia Keays is a brilliant performer ….a moving, consistent and quality performance that is a joy to watch…. The script is playful, witty and poetic …..a captivating personal account of a woman’s experience of love, loss and finding pleasure in unexpected places. Keays was thoroughly entertaining” -  FringeReview UK