Book ahead, Australia: tickets for Germaine Greer, Stephen Hawking, Australian festival of chamber music

Stephen Hawking will hold his first Australian lecture at the Sydney Opera House Photograph: supplied

Stephen Hawking in Sydney

Beamed in via technology from the University of Cambridge, professor Stephen Hawking – the real deal, not Eddie Redmayne – will give his first Australian lecture at the Sydney Opera House. The physicist and cosmologist who unravelled the mysteries behind black holes and the big bang theory in his best-seller A Brief History of Time will talk about his life and work.
An evening with Stephen Hawking, Sydney Opera House, 26 April

Germaine Greer at Mona

Germaine Greer will discuss gender and art at Mona with Myf Warhurst and Jarrod Rankins Photograph: supplied

She’s one of the “Brilliant Creatures” to some, to others a source of continued controversy. Always certain to cause a stir, Germaine Greer joins DoubleJ’s Myf Warhurst and curator Jarrod Rawlins at Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art to discuss the tricky relationship between art and gender.
Gender and Art: Germaine Greer at MONA, 16 April

Australian festival of chamber music

Pianist Daniel de Borah who took part in the festival of chamber music last year. Photograph: Andrew Rankin /supplied

Set in the tropical climes of Townsville, in far North Queensland, this long-running annual celebration of chamber music marks a quarter of a century with its usual mix of tunes, talks, on-stage interviews and plenty of food and wine. The 2015 line up includes a spectacular 25th anniversary performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, a night of tango and a two-part performance of Bach by candlelight.
Australian festival of chamber music, Townsville Civic Theatre and others, 31 July to 8 August

I Call My Brothers in Melbourne

Act normal. That’s all the young Arab man needs to do. But nothing is normal in a city scarred by a bombing. This acclaimed Swedish play will have its Australian premiere in Melbourne before touring secondary schools across Australia. Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles, the play tackles fear, identity and racial profiling in an era where normal means nothing.
I call my brothers, Melbourne theatre company, 16 April to 1 May, then touring Victoria and Tasmania

PICA salon, Perth

Tarryn Gill is one of the artists represented at PICA Salon 2015. Photograph: supplied

Attempting to untangle and reconnect in our digital times is a tall order but local and international artists including Reko Rennie, Tarryn Gill and SnapCat will attempt it for the 2015 PICA Salon in Perth. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, installation, video and performance will all explore the idea of epic narratives.
PICA Salon, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, 5 July to 16 August