Arts
Friendship of note
ASHLEIGH WILSONNew festival director Kathryn Stott takes over from old chum Piers Lane.
Powerful revival of an old-timer
Graham StrahleState Opera of South Australia wraps up a testing year with a splendid revival of Tosca.
Can’t salvage impossible melange
Martin BuzacottThis two-performances-only, single-day season isn’t exactly reassuring for Opera Queensland.
‘More tourists than Opera House’
Michaela BolandAustralian’s screen sector has come out swinging after suffering three cuts in 18 months.
‘G’day, it’s me’
Iain SheddenEnglish pop superstar Adele will tour Australia for the first time in February and March next year.
Towering figure of harbour city
GRAEME BLUNDELLPick of the day: Artsville: Harry Seidler — Modernist, 10pm, ABC.
I’m with the band
Aussie lensman Bob King tagged along with most of the great rock and pop acts to tour Australia during the past 50 years.
A nation in the frame
Australian Geographic’s new publication A Portrait of Australia captures, at least in part, our national identity.
On the road without a map
Stephen RomeiAmerican Honey, starring Shia LaBeouf, is an intriguing film despite its considerable irritations.
Smart reading of a melodrama
David StrattonTom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals is head and shoulders above the typical tired films made in Hollywood these days.
Remember the age of chivalry?
GREG SHERIDANWhen it comes to Donald Trump’s demeaning attitude towards women, don’t blame the 1950s.
Flatmates outshone at poker table
CHRIS BOYDThe Odd Couple cleverly deconstructs marriage by presenting it as a fraught male-male bond.
Pitching picture visions
JOHN McCALLUMIn Andrew Upton’s production the interactions between these three flawed characters are interesting.
Actor Robert Vaughn dies
Robert Vaughn, the debonair actor in TV’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E., has died aged 83.
A little flight reading
Staff WritersThere’s a clue to the evolving career of veteran Australian journalist and editor Helen Hutcheon on her memoir’s cover.
So long Leonard, your words live
Leonard Cohen, the Canadian baritone-voiced singer-songwriter who blended spirituality and sexuality, has died at 82.
Move over Bob: poet more worthy
Stephen RomeiWhen Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature, a lot of people thought Leonard Cohen was just as deserving.
Surreal estate
PHILIPPA HAWKERRoman Polanski’s unsettling apartment films, with their heightened sense of horror and suspense, are being revisited.
All our yesterdays
CHRISTOPHER ALLENThis exhibition is full of fascinating things, but can it truly be considered a history of the world?
The royal treatment
GRAEME BLUNDELLTwo top-shelf British series deserve to be welcomed with great fanfare.
Day the Diggers beat the odds
Ross FitzgeraldWriting about defeats is a necessary part of any war historian’s job, but it’s refreshing to read about a victory.
The next step
Rosemary NeillZadie Smith’s latest novel swings from London to Africa — and even Bendigo — as it explores race, class and fame.
To Vanya, with love
PETER CRAVENNadia Tass, creator of the Aussie film classic Malcolm, is relishing the opportunity to stage Chekhov.
OUR TEAM
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Ashleigh Wilson
Arts Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Ashleigh Wilson has been arts editor since 2011. He has been at the paper for more than 15 years in various roles around the country, including several years as Darwin correspondent. In 2006, he and Nicolas Rothwell won a Walkley award for coverage of indigenous affairs. In 2013, he signed a contract with Text Publishing to write a biography of the late Australian artist Brett Whiteley. Wilsona@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @ashleighbwilson -
Tim Douglas
Review Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Tim Douglas is editor of Review. He was The Australian's Deputy Arts Editor from 2011 to 2013, and has worked as a reporter, features writer and editor on newspapers including The Scotsman, The Edinburgh Evening News, Scots national arts magazine The List, and the Illawarra Mercury. douglast@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @TimDouglas_Aus -
Matthew Westwood
National Arts Correspendent
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Matthew Westwood, the newspaper's chief arts correspondent, was arts editor from 2008 to 2011. He has been writing about the performing arts, particularly classical music and opera, for two decades. He writes a column in the arts pages every Tuesday. westwoodm@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @matthewwestwood -
Stephen Romei
Literary Editor
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Stephen Romei is The Australian's literary editor. He blogs at A Pair of Ragged Claws and can also be found on Twitter and Facebook. When pressed, he nominates Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment as his favourite book, though sometimes it's Moby Dick. romeis@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @PairRaggedClaws -
Michael Bodey
Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Michael Bodey is a film and media writer for The Australian and was previously arts editor, showbiz editor and media editor at The Daily Telegraph and film critic for The Age. He is the author of Broadcast Wars and co-author of Aussiewood: Australia's Leading Actors and Directors Tell How They Conquered Hollywood. bodeym@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @michaelbodey -
Michaela Boland
Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Michaela Boland has been The Australian's national arts writer since 2009. For the decade before that she was the Australia reporter and theatre critic for Variety, and film and television contributor to the Australian Financial Review. With Michael Bodey she co-wrote Aussiewood, How Australia's leading actors and directors conquered Hollywood. The pair record a weekly showbiz podcast Creative Tension. bolandm@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @michaelamarea -
Iain Shedden
Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Iain Shedden has been The Australian's music writer for the past 14 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music and writes profiles, news, reviews and a weekly column for Review. He also spent many years as a professional drummer, most successfully with rock band The Saints. sheddeni@theaustralian.com.au Twitter @sheddy12 -
Justin Burke
Arts Journalist
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Iain Shedden has been The Australian's music writer for the past 14 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music and writes profiles, news, reviews and a weekly column for Review. He also spent many years as a professional drummer, most successfully with rock band The Saints. burkej@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @justinburke -
Sharon Verghis
Senior arts writer
Sydney Bureau, Australia
Sharon Verghis is a senior arts writer at The Weekend Australian. She writes extensively on dance, theatre, and visual arts. She has written profiles on leading arts figures including Geoffrey Rush, Lou Reed, Tim Robbins and Rosanne Cash. Her work has also appeared in Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald, the New Daily, Time magazine and Time Out New York. verghiss@theaustralian.com.au Twitter: @SVerghis
Our Objective
The Australian’s arts section is the nation’s most authoritative source of cultural coverage. It’s where you can find the latest news stories, in-depth features and reviews canvassing the latest performances, events, exhibitions, personalities, trends and artistic developments taking place in Australia and beyond. Our team of writers, reviewers and columnists are leaders in their fields and their expertise unrivalled.
