Leader: Gloria Jones
1. Enrol in this course through NU3A.
2. Subscribe and pay directly through the theatre (phone the Box Office 4952 4958 Mondays to Fridays or email newrep@bigpond.net.au ). Make sure you specify that you are part of the Newcastle U3A group and would like to attend the first Sunday matinee of each show in the subscription series. Alternatively, book online, which gives you the ability to choose your own seat.
Book the season or seasons or book as few or as many shows that interest you.If you do not complete one of these booking options, you will not have a ticket!
3. Put the performance dates in your diary.
4. If you can’t make a particular matinee, contact the theatre to change to an alternative performance. Make sure you provide plenty of notice.
5. Be aware that many of the group meet up in the lobby prior to the start of the show for a chat.
Concession subscriptions are 6 shows for $192 and 7 for $217. Individual shows are $35 (concession).
Please check the theatre website for details of each performance.

Tutor: Bob James

For sceptics, happy to question even what they think they know is a fact.Wide ranging discussions of events and causes from the past and the present.

Many of us have stories in our heads, either based on facts or fantasy, that we want to share. Stories can be a positive medium to share our thoughts and feelings, ourselves, our friends, our lives.
Over the semester we will work on skills and exercises that enhance all writing pieces, e.g Voice, Narrative, Plot and structure, Characterisation, Dialogue, Point of view, etc.
Class members will be invited to read aloud and share their writing examples.
Class would meet fortnightly, with home writing tasks set to share in the following session.

In our eternal search for wisdom what window of Light do the esoteric, mystical and metaphysical poets contribute?
What does breath and sound contribute to the insight of the poets?
What was the contribution and focus of the esoteric poets including Attar, Sanai, Rumi and later Gibran among others?
What is your view of their work?

We will look at several poets including Blake, Donne, Vaughan, Whitman and Yeats among others.
What is the difference between the groups. How do they differ with the Middle Eastern earlier cohort?
What insight do they contribute to our insight?
What is your view of their work?

Japanese Advanced Language and Culture
Tutor: Jenny King
This course follows the Intermediate Japanese course. During the year we will revise familiar conversational, listening, reading and writing skills and our understanding of the importance of Japanese cultural traditions. We will practise using the Kanji symbols already studied and introduce a range of new Kanji symbols which are used in everyday communication. The Hiragana and Katakana scripts will continue to be used each lesson while additional grammatical structures will be introduced to increase language fluency. Worksheets are provided each week and audiovisual presentations and videos are used each lesson. No textbook is necessary.

Leaders: Lena Gilmour and Sherill Jones
Scientific research has proven that a regular practice of meditation has many health benefits, including reducing stress levels, lowering high blood pressure as well as retaining more grey matter which could help against age related tissue decline. We will be including meditations on mindfulness, breathing, relaxation, visualisation, and chakras. For our meditation practice we will be sitting on a chair but if you prefer to lie down please bring along a yoga mat or towel, cushion, or pillow and maybe a blanket.
The course does not promote any specific philosophy or religious background.

 
From Stone-Age to Screen-Age. A quixotic odyssey through the role of stories in human life, a journey from the gods and heroic legends of the past into the sagas of modern times and movies, from the stone-age to screen-age, with tales of life and love and loss and laughter, through crime, comedy, cartoons, and classics, with special focus on enduring themes and - especially - why we humans need and respond to stories.

Tutor: Mark McConnell
Topics will include refresher on shutter/aperture/ISO, tips, group photography, lighting (flash and available light), scanning and copying photos (pixels vs print size), video tips, histograms, Photoshop and processing images. Field Trips in session 3, 5 and 7, group decides on a location for each field trip. Field trips may be held at an earlier time than classroom sessions depending on location and weather.

Leader: Susan Coggan
This session begins with 25 minutes of playing melodies using First 50 Melodies You Should Play on Your Ukulele (HL 292982). Otherwise join us at 10.30 for playing songs from The Ukulele Club Songbook Vol 2 . We will explore playing chords in alternative positions; finger picking and different strums. You will need to be able to play 8-10 chords to join this class.

Leader: The group

Are you cruising with your chords and strumming? Do you practice regularly? Are you keen to learn and share some new techniques, finger picking, chord melodies, strum patterns and embellishments?
If so, join with this group of like-minded uke players to share new songs and techniques; and to learn together. As there is no group leader, each week two or three members will introduce something new to the group; and will guide members in their learning. All members will contribute over the term.

A uke jam session and something new to practice... what more could you want?

Course Leader: John Thacker

A regular practice based upon YOGA traditions and disciplines that can help you build strength, flexibility and balance along with awareness, bringing together the mind and the body. It includes breathing exercises, meditation and shapes that stretch and flex various muscle groups. Standard YOGA props are required: mat, blocks, strap. A bolster or similar will assist your practice and is highly recommended. Suitable clothing for movement is appropriate.

This class is ideal for members who have previously done some form of Yoga, but all interested participants are welcome.

Tutor: Brett Morgan
The National College of Dance (NCD) at Lambton offers Ballet classes for adults, run by its Director, Brett Morgan, who has a background in professional ballet. The aim is to improve balance, muscle strength and fitness, memory, flexibility and coordination. No previous ballet experience necessary, wear socks and comfortable clothes. NB: NCD follows the NSW Dept. Ed. school (not NU3A) term dates.

The classes usually costs $22 per session, however it is offered to us on a donation system. The school asks that participants contribute either what they feel the class is worth to them, or what they can afford that week. It could be anything up to $22.

10/2/26 - My Friends - Frederik Backman
10/3/26 - James - Percival Everett
12/5/26 - Last One Out - Jane Harper
9/6/26 - Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens - Shankari Ghandran
11/8/26 - Balcony Over Jerusalem - John Lyons
8/9/26 - Bill the Bastard - Roland Perry
10/11/26 - A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende
8/12/26 - The Stationery Shop of Tehran - Marjan Kamali

 John Carr
We will look into the origins and traditions of the Christmas season from pagan times onwards to its modern commercialisation, examining stories of a Star of Bethlehem, of birthing and beginnings, and the traditions and possibilities in the gifting of presents.  

Leader: The Group
Bring along something you are working on:-
• share skills, ideas and patterns
• help others
• learn something new and embrace Craft Work.
A casual, self-managing group designed to support members interested in craft work. All welcome.

Leader: The group
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you don’t ever really give in!! Lateral thinker or not; they’re challenging & frustrating & fun! We’ll tackle CCs from easy for beginners; to more complex to test us all. Sources may include the SMH/ The Age, Newcastle Herald and others.

Tutor: Megan McQueenie

Integrating the ten classic hatha yoga postures, the Gita sequence works on the brain and the body's five major systems: the respiratory system, the digestive system, the central nervous system, the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system.
Whilst every posture benefits the body in multiple ways, Gita yoga specifically focusses on the seven hormone producing endocrine glands which program the body and make us what we are.
Introduced in Australia in 1954 Gita yoga also incorporates pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) relaxation and meditation in an holistic approach to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing

N.B The class will be held at Henderson Park hall in Term 4.

Presenter: Isabel Hodges
Witches, murder and blood and lots of it, a riveting drama, but did the play, MACBETH, present a realistic portrait of the great Macbethad, the Scottish king of the 11th century?
This session will focus on Holinshed’s Chronicles, presumably the source for Shakspeare’s play and the Macbethad, Queen Gruoch and their seventeen year rule of Scotland and the aftermath.

Presenter: Julie Keating
The largest loss of life in the early days of settlement resulted from shipping disasters. Newcastle did not have safe entry to the harbour and many shipwrecks occurred close to the foreshore. Other major causes of loss of life included coal mining accidents and disease and the lack of knowledge about the need for good sanitation and clean water. Due to the nature of inner city living, homes were built close to each other. Due to the lack of fireproof walls, most buildings being made of timber, open fires were used for heating, and candles for light – fires starting and rapidly progressing led to Newcastle being known as the City of Blazes.