The Stage Show

Suzanne Chaundy is one of Australia's most in-demand directors of opera. Last year, she had the triumph of a lifetime with her direction of opera's most daunting challenge: Wagner's Ring Cycle. Now she's back with another big opera, Lucia di Lammermoor at the Melbourne Opera. So, what does it take to direct an opera? Also, in Lose to Win, which opens soon at Belvoir Street Theatre,

Choreographer Johan Inger's first narrative work is a radically contemporary take on Carmen, which employs Bizet's famous score but draws on the confronting violence of Mérimée's original novella for its story. The ballet earned the Prix Benois de la Danse and is now being presented by The Australian Ballet. Also, Victor Hugo's novel about an orphaned boy whose mouth has been cut

Angus Cerini has been writing plays for 25 years, but his recent experiences as a farmer have inspired his latest play, Into the Shimmering World. The acclaimed writer of The Bleeding Tree and Wonnangatta now introduces us to two aging farmers, played by Kerry Armstrong and Colin Friels, struggling against relentless adversity. Also, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt is a published collecti

Opera Australia's annual production on Sydney Harbour is a highlight of the performing arts calendar. This year, the floating stage hosts West Side Story and it stars First Nations soprano Nina Korbe. The musical by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is Nina's professional debut, but not her first time performing in a spectacular outdoor setting. Also, with the 2024 Melbourne I

A Case for the Existence of God is by the American playwright Samuel D. Hunter. It is a two-hander that explores the unlikely connections between two men unalike in class, race and sexuality. Samuel is also the creator of the very unsettling hit play The Whale, a film adaption of which earned two Academy Awards. Two separate productions of A Case for the Existence of God are being

Wherefore, Shakespeare? is a new series that explores the dilemmas, conflicts, and controversies in Shakespeare's major plays. In our first instalment, we tackle Shakespeare's comedies. Are they funny? And if they are, how is our sense of humour different from what tickled the fancies of the Elizabethan audience? We're joined by Peter Evans, artistic director of Bell Shakespeare, P

In her memoir Oh Miriam!, the British-Australian actress, writer and comedian Miriam Margolyes shares hugely entertaining stories from her life with her trademark wit and disarming candour. Now, she's bringing those stories — and more — to the stage. Also, 37 is a new play from the funny and vernacular Palawa/Pakana playwright, Nathan Maynard. In the era of AFL footballer Adam

The acclaimed Irish actor Andrew Scott tackles his most challenging stage role yet in a one-man retelling of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The production, Vanya, was commissioned and directed by Sam Yates, a young British director who was mentored by the likes of Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner and Phyllida Lloyd. Also, opening nights can be stressful under any circumstances, but what

At the 2024 Adelaide Festival, we visit theatre foyers, dressing rooms and the city's famous gardens to meet the artists bringing theatregoers to the edge of their seats. We speak with artistic director Ruth Mackenzie, who is delivering her first full program this year, we meet acclaimed choreographer Elizabeth Streb, whose 'Action Hero' performers in Streb Extreme Action will push

One of the headline events at this year's Adelaide Festival is an enchanting production of Stravinsky's opera The Nightingale. It comes from the playful imagination of Robert Lepage. Lepage is an acclaimed French-Canadian writer, director and performer who, during his decades-long career, has reshaped our ideas of what theatre can be. Also, we hear a scene from Monument by Emily Sh