ONE of Australia’s leading children’s entertainers will be performing here next month – but Port Macquarie will be much more than just a dot on a regional touring map for her.
You see, Justine Clarke lived here for a year in the mid-1970s when her father managed the Port Macquarie Hotel and her late father also lived here for many years in retirement.
“I have many, many fond memories of Port Macquarie,” Justine said.
“Not only did I go to kindergarten here, but I used to visit my dad when he retired here.
“Performing here will be a great chance to catch up with all his old mates.”
Justine will be bringing her ‘I Am A… Band’ show to the Glasshouse in Port Macquarie on Sunday 13 July, starting at 11am.
Inspired by the song ‘I Am A…’ lifted from the ever-popular hit album ‘I like to Sing’, the show will encourage young audiences to engage their imagination through words, song and movement.
Set to a wonderfully colourful, craft-themed stage, the show will feature the familiar songs that kids know and love from all three of Justine’s albums; with an emphasis on a variety of instruments and sound, mostly ones children have at hand in the lounge room or toy-box.
Justine says her show is always about encouraging the audience to join in and make music together, to make it more like a party.
“To me it’s all about engaging with the music… not so much the story line… making sure they are having fun and are actively engaged, through movement or their voices,” she said.
“I think if you have music in the house you foster a love for music… your kids will have one too.
“My concerts always feel more like a big party than a concert.”
A long-standing presenter on ABC TV’s Play School and a veteran of numerous live performances, Justine has three top-selling, ARIA-nominated CDs and accompanying DVDs: platinum seller ‘I like to Sing’, ‘Songs to make you Smile’ and the chart-topping ‘Great Big World’ (released through ABC).
In 2013 she was presented with the ARIA Award for Best Children’s Album for her fourth CD, ‘A Little Day Out’.
Among several successful ventures in TV, film and live projects, she has entered into book publishing with her best-selling children’s picture book, ‘The Gobbledygook is Eating a Book’ and plans to release a CD book later this year entitled ‘The Ugly Duckling’.
Tickets cost $30. To book visit www.glasshouse.org.au or phone 6581 8888.
