Today I received the Melbourne International Arts Festival program booklet in the mail - addressed to me. ME. I don't ever remember putting my name down for any art related event. I don't know how they found me! Maybe I just eminate the radiance that says "Art is my life. Please forward all art related events to my home address"

So I just had a flick through and here are a list of events that I'm most definitely going to go to whether or not people are going to come with me. Please note that if you're a student, it is DIRT CHEAP - $19 for most events. And these events are internationally acclaimed and of very high profile. It's fucking awesome. Don't you just love being a student.

If you find any of the following of any interest to you and would like to occupy the seat next to me, please let me know. There aren't a lot of dates and because they are all $19 for students, I'm thinking the seats will fill.

1. George Orwell's 1984 - Directed by Tim Robbins
B Reserve Student $19
B Reserve Full $52
Premium $84.50

Fuck! It has come to Melbourne! My favourite book... in a stage play! This is a dream come true. To see a reenactment of the book that completely haunted me about the world today (after being turned down to be made into a film) in a play is something I'd die for.

Tim Robbins’ Los Angeles-based ensemble The Actors’ Gang brings to Melbourne its latest production, George Orwell’s 1984.

Imagine a world where people fear that their opinion cannot be expressed freely, where leaders are not held accountable for their deceptions, where perpetual war is waged against an unseen enemy; a world where ‘Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery and War is Peace’. This is the world author George Orwell created more than half a century ago and its insight into our world today is more than a bit alarming.

This will be simply amazing. I hope someone would like to join me.

The Arts Centre, State Theatre: Thu 12 - Sun 15 Oct 7.30pm, Fri 13 Oct 11am, Sun 15 Oct 2pm.

2. insen by Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto
B Reserve Student $19
B Reserve Full $44
Premium $71.50

I don't know whether you've heard of Ryuichi Sakamoto or not, but in my opinion, he's one of the most amazing musicians I've ever heard. You can easily find some of his stuff on Limewire or Kazaa or whatever downloading program you use - go and get a sample, especially songs like "Forbidden Colours", "Energy Flow". He's collaborated with prominent names such as David Byrne, David Sylvian and David Bowie (lol, all the Davids), Cesaria Evora. His music has been sampled countless times in electronic music such as chillout and breakbeat mixes. His work is, simple, beautiful. And to see him live is something I would have never thought would happen!

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Grammy, Golden Globe and Oscar winning Japanese producer and composer who has made a career of crossing musical and technological styles. He is best known for his popular, orchestral and film music and has composed original scores for 18 major and independent films including Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and The Last Emperor. Berlin-based Alva Noto is a multimedia artist concerned with connections, circuitry and interactivity between different media. He uses sound, image, sculpture and the computer as hybrid tools to research what he describes as the “codification of the world”.

insen brings together these two different generations of artists and demonstrates their aspirations to explore the idea of electronic music as an inspiration for new musical structures. Together these two have recorded beautiful, precise and deceptively simple music, including 2005’s insen. Now Australian audiences can experience the live version of this celebrated collaboration in a multimedia concert featuring an impressive and atmospheric video installation that creates a hypnotic visual graphic representation of the music in real time.

I think it sounds amazing. Even if you're unfamiliar with the names it would be a mindblowing experience for the senses nevertheless.

The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall: Thu 12 Oct 8pm, Fri 13 Oct 8pm, Sat 14 Oct 1pm.

3. Camille - La Fille du Cirque
B Reserve Student $19, etc.

One show only. Sounds awesome.

Camille enjoys a formidable reputation for her passionate and dramatic interpretations of the songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Kurt Weill and more. An expressive performer both emotionally and physically, her shows are more about telling a story through music than simply singing songs. For the Festival, Camille performs her cabaret program backed by a five-piece band.

The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall: Sun 15 Oct 9pm

4. Now that Communism is Dead my Life Feels Empty by Richard Foreman
Concession $19

Now that Communism is Dead my Life Feels Empty, Richard Foreman’s 2001 philosophical and comic homage to a sense of Communism. It is a ferocious and funny exploration of an endlessly mutating universe, as two masters (and victims) are poked, imprisoned and bedevilled, and apprehensively try to be each other. Freddie could be a macho acid-rocking ‘Soviet’ obsessed with and expert in everything and anything American. Fred may be a snide American with a wilting influence who has lost faith in his own culture and is desperately seeking ideology and meaning.

CUB Malthouse, lots of dates.

Okay, so if any of those interest you, let me know and we can sort out some dates!!

For more information, visit melbournefestival.com.au.