Why prize-winning gems are often left to gather dust

Across many of the major playwriting awards in Australia, there is sometimes a disconnect between what is great literature and what is great playwriting.

Epic Victorian poem still chimes with modern audiences

An "arcane form" is brought back to life and made to resonate with modern audiences by Simon Tedeschi and John Bell.

Make 'em laugh, by Hook or by crook

Todd McKenney is the latest in a long and famous line of Captain Hooks dating back to J.M. Barrie's original Peter Pan.

Why Bong Joon-ho's movies are a marketing nightmare

• Film

South Korean director's super-pig movie Okja expected to be a Netflix blockbuster.

Cabaret veteran Archer aims for head, not heart

A move to the Gold Coast made cabaret veteran Robyn Archer re-evaluate her attitude towards the arts but she says she's still aiming to make people think - and maybe shed the odd tear.

Francis digs deep to score extraordinary life

Bangarra's tribute to a warrior and diplomat opens at the Opera House, on land that now bears his name.

Wet behind the ears

Tim Firth's hit comedy Neville's Island strands four middle managers in the wilderness. Who will survive?

Hit play shows the brutality of Big Brother

Theatre takes on the video game in a production designed to shake up audiences.

The Rover's Return

Toby Schmitz returns to swashbuckling on the Sydney stage.