blog
February 3, 2022Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’
This nostalgic tale of childhood during the Troubles is both poignant and beautifully shot, but it sanitises the sectarian conflict’s violence
Steve Dow
LATEST
Culture
January 18, 2022‘Girl from the North Country’
Weaving Bob Dylan songs into a story of Depression-era hardship, Conor McPherson’s musical speaks to the broken America of today
Culture
February 2, 2021Noongar stories at Perth Festival
From a walking performance on country to a Noongar-dubbed Bruce Lee film, Perth Festival points up Aboriginal stories
Culture
January 14, 2021Healing story
Bangarra Dance Theatre’s ‘Spirit’ pays tribute to collaborators
Culture
October 15, 2020Character study: Craig Silvey on ‘Honeybee’
The author’s first novel since ‘Jasper Jones’ raises questions about who should tell contemporary trans stories
Culture
March 5, 2020Reimagining ‘Breaking the Waves’
The creators of this opera on how it adds new depths and agency to von Trier’s 1996 film
Culture
February 19, 2020Celebrating beauty’s passing: ‘Requiem’
Italian director Romeo Castellucci on his radical reimagining of Mozart’s classic
Culture
February 6, 2020A dream within a dream: ‘Tao of Glass’
Theatremaker Phelim McDermott on his highly personal collaboration with Philip Glass
Culture
January 30, 2020‘Hecate’: honouring two storytelling traditions
Australia’s first major Shakespearean production in Noongar language will retell ‘Macbeth’ at Perth Festival
Culture
December 16, 2019Joan Didion’s eerily contemporary ‘The White Album’
The seminal essay’s ongoing resonance is explored in this interactive production coming to Sydney Festival
Culture
December 12, 2019A tale of triumph and exploitation: ‘Black Cockatoo’
The little-known story of history-making Aboriginal cricketer Johnny Mullagh and his team is told in this new play
Culture
September 24, 2019Fighting power: ‘Total Control’
Deborah Mailman on her fearless role in the political drama that tackles racism and sexism head-on
Culture
February 27, 2019‘Manus’: troubling and obligatory viewing
An Iranian play brings stories of Australia’s offshore detention centres to the Adelaide Festival
Culture
February 19, 2019Ben Quilty: the art of unease
Ahead of a major survey at the Art Gallery of SA, the artist talks about the anxiety that informs his work
Culture
February 5, 2019Barrie Kosky’s reimagined ‘The Magic Flute’ heads for Australia
The director on why his film-inspired production almost didn’t happen