ABC North Coast resident arts reviewer, Jeanti St Clair looks at the latest music and theatre to hit the region.

It is almost impossible to sit still when listening to The Jungle Giants.

Sam Neill says he's in the "cheering-up" business. Acting is his profession, winemaking is his passion and now in times of COVID-19, the 72-year-old is delighting the masses on social media.

MORNING BRIEFING: Photos shared on social media appear to show two NRL players defying coronavirus restrictions on a camping trip on the NSW Mid-North Coast, while aged care homes say the PM's advice on visitors is "cavalier and careless".

Public figures have posted heartfelt and supportive messages for teachers on Twitter as Term 2 begins in NSW.

A Mid North Coast school is bucking the state trend planning to have all its students on campus by May 11 and says a previous COVID-19 case has adequately prepared it for any future outbreaks.

A 79-year-old "miracle man" blows kisses to the medical team at Dubbo Base Hospital and fights back tears as he heads home after making a full recovery from coronavirus.

Cressida Cains' industry innovation has been recognised at the 2020 New South Wales' Rural Women's Award.

NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant has declared Lithgow to be a COVID-19 hotspot after an untraceable case emerged over the weekend.

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock labels Coffs Harbour's Cultural and Civic Space plan "foolish and rash", threatening to change laws to stop it.

MORNING BRIEFING: Relatives are insisting they be allowed to see loved ones at an aged care home where 11 people have died of COVID-19, while the Waverley Council applauds people for abiding by rules at reopened beaches.

Anglicare Sydney, which operates the facility, says the past 24 hours had been "tragic", following the announcement of four deaths yesterday.

A family warns that compassionate exemptions to the coronavirus ban on interstate travel are unclear after dad was turned back at the border.

A New South Wales Rural Fire Service shed that was destroyed last year, while firies battled to save homes in their community, is set to be rebuilt.

A judge finds BOC Limited is not responsible for the actions of a "disobedient" contractor involved in a gas mix-up at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital that left a newborn baby dead.

The number of coronavirus fatalities at the Newmarch House aged care home in Western Sydney continues to climb, as the NSW Premier asks the Federal Government to intervene in the "horrific" situation.

MORNING BRIEFING: People in NSW are warned they should still practice social-distancing as coronavirus restrictions are eased from today, while two men are shot in Merrylands in what is believed to be a targeted attack.

There's no fuss, no entourage and no star ego, writes producer Vanessa Gorman, on filming with Sam Neill.

After a frustrating wait, the bushfire clean-up effort is set to ramp up in South East NSW with around 300 properties to be cleared each week.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has endorsed Bega Valley Shire Mayor Kristy McBain after she nominated for pre-selection to contest the Eden-Monaro by-election.

A judge says the attack on Pakistani national Zeeshan Akbar, who was stabbed to death at a Caltex outlet in Queanbeyan in 2017 during a robbery, was an act of "unmitigated cowardice".

A disability carer has been charged with 16 offences including counts of producing child abuse materials, after an investigation into a care home in Sydney's west.

Elizabeth Lane says her mother, a Newmarch House resident, is a 'sitting duck' as the new COVID-19 cases continue to rise at the Western Sydney aged care home.

A 76-year-old woman died in Nepean hospital yesterday after contracting the virus.

A Sydney school is shut after a student tests positive for COVID-19 but Gladys Berejiklian says all children could be back in classrooms full-time by the end of May.

The number of coronavirus related fatalities at the Newmarch House aged care facility in Western Sydney rises again, putting the death toll at 15.

Three girls accused of attacking another teen near Wollongong face a maximum 25 years behind bars if found guilty of the shopping centre assault.

A NSW health district has collated its data from recent weeks and it shows a clear picture of how COVID-19 arrived and spread in the west of the state.

While the lucrative mud crab trade was all but halted by the impact of coronavirus, eels enable one commercial fisher to claw back some lost trade.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is grilled over the behaviour of ministers Andrew Constance and John Barilaro at an awkward press conference on May 7, 2020. Mr Constance and Mr Barilaro had been engaged in a public spat amid pre-selection for the federal seat of Eden-Monaro, in which there will be a by-election.

We're all trying to keep our distance but as more people itch to get out of the house, could more drive-in theatres be the answer?

Outbreaks at two locations — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne — are behind many of the new COVID-19 cases identified in the past week.

The fourth entry in the supernatural series fails to offer anything new, but there are a handful of spooky and shocking moments.

In musical circles, there's a mythical quality to that name, attached as it is to the father of American protest song, Woody Guthrie.

It's unusual to go to an art gallery and to be asked to not so much look at the art as listen to it. But this is what you need to do if you go the Northern Rivers Community Gallery in Ballina this week.

It's machines versus monsters, and this superior big-scale action adventure from Guillermo del Toro manages to flatten its blockbuster opposition.

One bad choice deserves another.

New York cabaret artist, Taylor Mac has a few theories. One is that what he does isn't art, it's performance art. Therefore - he can't lose. If you like his show, he wins. If you don't like it, he wins. After all, the point of performance art is to provoke and move you.

The inspirational true story of Robyn Davidson's journey through the desert.

South Pacific is pushing 65 this year but is still an infinitely renewable theatrical resource. "Younger than Springtime" you say? Well, sorta.

Mark Grentell's celebration of an Aussie tradition is low on budget and rough around the edges, but is ultimately an affectionate tale with plenty of laughs.

Deckchair Reviewer, Denise, gives her review of 'A Hijacking', currently showing at Perth International Film Festival's Joondalup Pines.

While thousands at the Arena were 'dancin' in the dark' with Bruce Springsteen, down a secret side street in Subiaco a few lucky festival goers were eating in the dark enjoying a meal they will never forget.

Robyn Davidson's epic journey across Australia becomes the inspiration for this thoughtful and impressive movie directed by John Curran and starring Mia Wasikowska.

AnA Wojak's deeply moving and motivating mixed-media installation, stepping stones at Lismore Regional Gallery is surprising and somewhat overwhelming in its scale.

Southern Stars is not only a priceless gift for the students involved in it, it's a mind-blowing showcase of what young people are capable of when matched with professional direction and a huge venue.