From : Mic Conway : “Magic Mic” Contact : Mic Conway 0429 909 990 m mic@micconway.com Cathy Kirkpatrick (02) 9560 1475 fish@geko.net.au Websites : www.micconway.com MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -1- MIC CONWAY : CHILDREN’S PERFORMANCES Mic Conway is a stunning children’s performer whose shows are very popular and always fun. Entertaining and educational, Mic introduces young people to the world of music and theatre, magic and circus, and encourages children to use their imaginations. His differently themed shows inspire children to engage with music, caring for our environment, art and more. Each regularly combine music, magic, juggling, tap-dance, comedy, circus and silliness. His children’s album Whoopee (ABC Music) was awarded an ARIA for “Best Children’s Album” Festivals across Australia have invited this much-loved children’s entertainer back again and again. He tours his shows to over 200 schools every year, visiting capital cities and regional centres all over the country. His shows are aimed at children of various ages from pre-schoolers to high school students. RECENT FESTIVALS INCLUDE : Adelaide Cabaret Festival, SA (2010) Melbourne Cabaret Festival, VIC (2010) Sydney Fringe Festival, NSW (2010) Australia Day celebrations “Aerial Carnivale” (2010) Cobargo Folk Festival (2010) Woodford Folk Festival (1999-2009) Darwin Festival, NT (2009) Festival of Sydney, NSW (2009) Illawarra Folk Festival, NSW (2009) Cygnet Folk Festival, TAS (2009) Fairbridge Folk Festival, WA (2009) Habour Sound, WA (2009) Australia Day celebrations, NSW (2009) Eco Kids Festival, Luna Park (2009) Live Green – City of Sydney event (2008) Blue Mountains Music Festival (2008) Port Fairy Folk Festival (Most years from 1990s – 2008) Woodford Folk Festival (Most years from early 1990s – 2009) National Folk Festival, Canberra (Several years 1990s – 2007) Festival of Sydney (2007) Playmakers, WA (2008) Perth International Festival (2000) Maldon Folk Festival VIC (2004) Queenscliff Music Festival, VIC (2005) Newtown Festival, NSW Adelaide Fringe Festival MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -2- TELEVISION : Mic has appeared on many children’s films and television shows, including: The Wiggles (Television, DVDs and the Wiggles Movie) : Appearing as various whacky characters. Mic is also the voice of Wags the Dog Saturday Disney (Channel 7, Sydney) : Featured Mic Conway’s National Junk Band – performance and interviews Here’s Humprey : Inspiring a generation of children as Humprey’s imaginary friend “Magic Mic”. ABC for Kids (ABC TV) Playschool (ABC TV) Mr Squiggle (ABC TV) CHILDREN’S ALBUMS : Amazing Rubbish! (2010) How to Make Music with Anything – DVD (2009) Whoopee (ABC Music) : Awarded ARIA Award for “Best Children’s Album” Dinosaur Songs I and II (ABC Music) What’s that Sound? (ABC Music) QUOTES (from School Teachers) : “He was fantastic, entertaining, inspiring, clever, funny and very brave…bring on more visual art performances.” “The Students were so excited that when they went back to class they created artworks and stories. Thankyou, we loved it.” “Mic held an audience of students ranging from Kinder to Year 8 spellbound and provided a rich learning stimulus for all.” “One very professional show – with good content and interest.” “The man is a genius. Teachers were just as enthralled as the kids.” MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -3- THEMED SHOWS FOR CHILDREN : Name of show : RUBBISH! Target age group : 3-12 year olds Description : A highly original performance about “The Three Rs” : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Junk musical instruments, magical trash, juggling, newspaper ripping, introducing children to ideas of composting, saving water and electricity, separating rubbish, recycling and more. Loads of audience participation make for entertaining and educational rubbish. Mic has worked with and has the support of SCRAP (School Communities Recycle All Paper). Name of show : WHOOPEE – THE MAGIC MIC SHOW Target age group : For all ages – child to adult Description : A circus of madcap entertainment – music, magic, juggling and mayhem from Magic Mic. Name of show : SIGHT FOR SORE EARS Target age group : 3-12 year olds Description : A mesmerising mix of music and wonder from Mic’s bag of tricks. Even the most jaded youngsters will be laughing, screaming and pointing. Name of show : ARTBEAT Target age group : Primary and high school Description : An hilarious and thought provoking show about art and its various forms and uses. Life size puppet Cranky Frankie has been dragged along to the Art Gallery and he’s not happy! With the help of some magic, music, comedy, juggling, dancing, a walking TV, a talking painting and a living sculpture, Mic shows us that art is everywhere and we use it everyday to communicate and express ideas. Name of show : SOUNDS LIKE MUSIC Target age group : Primary school Description : This show explores the making of music and song in a stimulating and entertaining show with lots of surprises and laughs. With a very odd one man band and some weird and wonderful instruments, including easy to make household items, Mic demonstrates how much fun making music can be. Suitcases, saws, leaves, vegetables, rubber hands, feet and balloons are just a few of the very odd things Mic makes music with. Name of show : TV OR NOT TV Target age group : High school Description : Can you imagine life before television??? “TV or not TV” is an innovative, inspiring and actionpacked show about how Australians entertained themselves before 1956 and what children can do now without the idiot box. Name of show : ENTERTAINING OZ Target age group : High school to adult Description : Drama, circus, theatre, music, carnival, media, dance, indigenous culture, traveling tent shows, comedy and even “DIY entertainment”… “Entertaining Oz” is a time capsule traveling through the history of entertainment in Australia. All shows run for between 45 and 60 minutes. All involve audience participation as well as music, magic, juggling, and educational concepts. MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -4- WORKSHOP : HOME-MADE INSTRUMENTS At a young age Mic Conway was inspired by the jug band tradition; music made with bottles, washboards, brushes, jugs, banjos, guitars, kazoos and more. He is living his dream of passing on a passion for homemade music to a new generation. Mic teaches children, step by step, to make and play simple instruments: from the tin can banjo and the drinking straw flute to the rubber-glove bassoon! It’s amazing what you can create from old containers, tape, string and other things you find around the house. In 2008, Mic visited schools around Port Fairy, conducting workshops and rehearsals. An aghast Port Fairy Folk Festival audience comprised of parents, fellow students and festival goers witnessed 400 primary school children playing songs like “Jug Band Music” and “Mama Don’t Allow” on instruments they had made themselves. MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -5- MIC CONWAY : BACKGROUND ARIA award winning Mic Conway is an actor, singer, musician, song writer, fire eater, magician, tap dancer, juggler, latex mask maker, props builder and puppeteer. Mic was born into a family of vaudeville theatre and opera. In the 1970s, together with his brother Jim Conway, Mic founded the Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band. To their surprise it became a cult phenomenon, recording seven records, two of which achieved gold status. Mic also joined the legendary Pram Factory Theatre in Melbourne, creating Soapbox Circus, where he was ringmaster, musician, juggler and acrobat. In 1978 Soapbox became the now world famous Circus Oz of which Mic was a founding member. Mic has toured across Australia, Britain, USA, New Zealand and Asia delighting audiences of all ages. He has written and recorded several albums and worked across the board in theatre, music, cabaret, television and film. His current outfit, Mic Conway’s National Junk Band is successfully touring and recording the most unique music and entertainment that “defies categorisation” (Sydney Morning Herald). INSTRUMENTS : Vocals, tenor guitar, musical saw, harmonica, ukulele, gumleaf, silly noises, tap-dancing, fire-eating, juggling, magic. NATIONAL TOURS : Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band toured every state of Australia, performing over 2,000 shows. (1970-1980) Mic continued to perform and tour with Conway Brothers Hiccups and The Conway Brothers. (1980-1997) INTERNATIONAL TOURS : Conway Brothers Hiccups Orchestra : Houston International Festival, USA (1988) Conway Brothers Hiccups Orchestra and “Vaudevillains” (musical) : London, Edinburgh – The Fringe Festival, The Jazz Festival and the International Festival. (1986) Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band : New Zealand (1970s) FILM : “Willfull”, "The Coca-Cola Kid", "Molly", "The Wiggles Movie", “Minnamurra”, “One Night Stand”, “Dimboola”, “Stork”, “Jim Conway’s Blues”. TELEVISION : Vietnam (mini-series), Tanamera, Land of Hope, Come in Spinner, Riddle of the Stinson, David Bowie’s videoclip for China Girl : Actor The House of Fun (Channel 10, Sydney) : Compere Game of Life (ABC Broadcasting) : Compere Vaudeville (ABC TV documentary) : Presenter and screen composer Long Way to the Top (documentary) Collectors (ABC TV, 2008) : Mic with his amazing collectables MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -6- THEATRE and CIRCUS : Circus Oz and Soapbox Circus : Co-founding member, ringmaster, musician, juggler and acrobat. Sydney Theatre Company : The Threepenny Opera The Last Laugh, Melbourne : Fairground Snaps Legs on the Wall : Quacks in the Ceiling Nimrod Theatre - Vaudevillains One Extra Company : Blossoms and Wrinkles Toe Truck Theatre : Dancing in the Street Pram Factory Theatre (A.P.G.), Melbourne : Smack in the Dacks ALBUMS : Captain Matchbox Whooppe Band Smoke Dreams (1973) Wangaratta Wahine (1974) Australia (1975) Making Whoopee (1976) The Great Stumble Forward : Matchbox and the APG Live At The Pram (1976) Slightly Troppo (1978) Making Whoopee (1996) Wangaratta Wahine (re-release) (2002) QUOTES : “Mic Conway is a very, very talented man. He should be elected as one of Australia’s living national treasures.” : Bill Riner, ABC Radio, Queensland “Mic Conway carries a torch for the idea that music can be fully rounded entertainment, making people giggle, dance and go 'Wow!'.” : John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald “You can’t beat jug band music and Mic Conway – he’s a real stayer.” : Fran Kelly, ABC Radio National (3 March 2008) “That consummate musical trouper, Mic Conway … a delight!” : Sydney Morning Herald “Bizarre and unique brand of musical lunacy, with Mic “Microphone” Conway.” : Time Out, UK “Mic Conway looks like he was born on a cabaret stage… his ease with a variety of cabaret styles from music hall and vaudeville to New Wave testifies to this involvement and his expertise is apparent.” : The Age “FantasMic-orical Conway… Where does he get that ENERGY?!” : Eric Bibb WEBSITES : www.micconway.com www.nationaljunkband.com www.myspace.com/nationaljunkband MIC CONWAY / “MAGIC MIC” : Children’s Shows 26 GARNET AVE, LILYFIELD NSW 2040 : 0429 909 990 m : mic@micconway.com -7-