If you want to know what's on , Thursday's Mercury has a "gig guide", ( www.tasguide.com.au ) and you could also check its Friday and Saturday entertainment section or W-Hole Magazine , a do-it-yourself monthly with a gig guide and reviews. As for live music , Tasmania is too small to attract many bands, so the ones that play the pubs are mainly local. The few big events that do occur attract an extraordinarily varied audience, as everybody goes to everything. For more interesting gigs, keep an eye on what's happening at the University of Tasmania campus at Sandy Bay (tel 03/6220 2861). Concerts are staged by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at the Federation Concert Hall and by the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music at the Conservatorium (5-7 Sandy Bay Rd; tel 03/6226 7306); the Conservatorium also perform at churches around town (free or $3-5). You'll find traditional and touring theatre at the Theatre Royal, and more contemporary local shows at the Peacock Theatre in Salamanca Place; in February and March there's a season of outdoor Shakespeare in the Royal Botanical Gardens. Most tickets can be booked via Centretainment, at 132 Liverpool St (tel 03/6234 5998); guides and calendars can be picked up at Kaos and other cafA©s.