Culture
Theatre
Belvoir roars back to life with diverse program
A story about resilience and survival in migrant communities kicks off the Surry Hills venue’s energetic return to the stage in 2022.
- by Nick Galvin
Latest
For the Fringe’s final days, here’s our pick of what you should catch
The Melbourne Fringe Festival hits its final weekend bearing a cornucopia of curiosities, each tweaked to be easily experienced by the housebound.
- by Cameron Woodhead
This Fringe video nasty has students writhing in fake blood
Melbourne theatre-maker Stephen Nicolazzo has always been fascinated by the eroticism and danger of the horror genre.
- by Stephen A Russell
From the Archives, 1971: Miss Krinkles is busy
Fifty years ago, “pretty little blue-eyed blonde” Jacki Weaver was preparing for her newest role - as a grunting, tuba-playing grandmother.
- by Lenore Nicklin
Never a better time to watch this moving Fringe show
Indigenous theatre has led the way on the path to reconciliation – and this new work by an emerging Wamba Wamba writer is a powerful example.
- by Cameron Woodhead
How sex clown Betty Grumble uses her body to heal from sexual assault
The sex clown’s daily online aerobics shows were partly a spiritual quest in defiance of a pandemic that has decimated the arts.
- by Steve Dow
Half a century ago, a Moomba magic trick changed his life
A childhood encounter with a scathing John Laws nearly derailed Sam Angelico’s dream: to learn magic and conjure white doves from nowhere.
- by Catherine Lambert
With a play that’s become a new film, this young playwright is on the rise
Brodie Murray, a 20-year-old Wamba Wamba man, was determined to save from lockdown his play Billy’s Choice, about the big decisions of youth.
- by Stephen A Russell
★★★½
Review
Is it a video game or online theatre? A bit of both – and heaps of fun
The online Isklander Trilogy tests your internet sleuthing skills and delivers a satisfying, cinematic climax.
- by Cameron Woodhead
This online Fringe hilarity made me ache for an arts reopening
The Melbourne Fringe has begun its online season and there are gems to be found: Hey Hey It’s Lockdown roasts the racism and homophobia of variety television.
- by Cameron Woodhead
‘She is a national treasure, and everybody should know her’
Against the odds, Currency Press has clocked up 50 years of primarily selling home-grown plays. Katharine Brisbane, the woman behind it, deserves recognition.
- by John Shand