Backstage: Recent Episodes
Regina Botros
Regina Botros talks with the best theatre makers of our times about their life on and off the stage. Theatre, Dance, Comedy and Performing Arts.
Theme music by Dave Wray Image by Tuo
On this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros is joined by Trisha Starrs and Roderick Chambers for a compelling conversation with one of Australia's most celebrated actors, Pamela Rabe.
Currently starring as Sister Aloysius in John Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable, Rabe brings her formidable intelligence, emotional depth and commanding stage presence to a role that sits at the heart of one of modern theatre's most gripping dramas. Together, we explore the play's enduring themes of certainty, suspicion, faith and power, and discusses why this Pulitzer Prize-winning work continues to resonate so strongly with contemporary audiences.
Insightful, erudite and endlessly engaging a remarkable production—this is an episode not to miss.
Yve Blake's new play Mackenzie takes Shakespeare's Macbeth and gives it a gloriously camp, darkly comic makeover. Best known as the award-winning creator of FANGIRLS, Blake turns her attention to the cut-throat world of child stardom, stage parents and celebrity obsession.
Mackenzie is 13 and has just landed her first television role. It's only a small part, but her ambitious mother is convinced greatness awaits. When a make-up artist delivers a prophecy that Mackenzie will become the world's biggest pop star, a chain of events is set in motion that echoes Shakespeare's classic tragedy. Directed by Virginia Gay, the play mixes comedy, music and horror to explore what happens when ambition takes hold.
In this conversation, Yve Blake joins Backstage to discuss the origins of the work, her decision to reimagine Macbeth through the lens of early 2000s celebrity culture, and the themes of ambition, power and corruption that continue to make Shakespeare's play resonate today. She also reflects on balancing comedy with darkness, and why Mackenzie might leave audiences laughing one moment and deeply unsettled the next.
Yve Blake is a writer, composer, lyricist and performer whose hit musical FANGIRLS has become one of Australia's most acclaimed new theatre works. Her latest play, Mackenzie, is a hilarious and macabre exploration of fame, family and the costs of getting exactly what you wish for.
On this episode of Backstage, award-winning director and lighting designer Alexander Berlage, currently directing Sonder joins Regina.
Alexander has become one of the most distinctive voices in Sydney’s independent theatre scene. He is a two-time Sydney Theatre Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical, for American Psycho and Cry-Baby at Hayes Theatre Co, and won Best Direction of an Independent Production in 2023 for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Old Fitz Theatre. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Co-Artistic Director of Redline Productions at the Old Fitz.
Now, with Sonder, Alexander brings that same precision and visual imagination to a new production — and joins us to talk about directing, design, and what draws him to a work in the first place.
In this episode I'm taking you backstage at Belvoir Street Theatre for a closer look at The Birds — not Hitchcock, but a tense, immersive stage adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s story. This striking one‑woman work, performed by Paula Arundell, is as much about sound and atmosphere as it is about narrative, pulling the audience into a world of unease and sensory intensity.
I’m joined by writer Louise Fox and director Matthew Lutton to talk about how this adaptation came together — from shaping the text for a solo performer to building a sonic landscape that carries so much of the storytelling weight.
The fabulous Nancye Hayes joins me to talk about Anastasia, now playing at the Lyric Theatre — a truly spectacular production. Loosely inspired by the Romanov family and set in early‑20th‑century Russia, the show is a visual feast, complete with cinematic projections and even a Swan Lake ballet in the middle.
Nancye plays the Dowager Empress, bringing immense gravitas to the role. We talk about the history behind the story and what still excites her after more than 60 years in theatre. From being drawn to the stage at the age of three to still discovering new things as a performer, this is a conversation with a true Australian theatre icon.
🎭 Anastasia is now playing at the Lyric Theatre
🔗 https://anastasiathemusical.com.au/
Come Backstage with Giuseppina Grech.
The Phantom of the Opera is back on Sydney Harbour from 27 March, and this episode goes behind the scenes with one of its most delightfully outrageous characters: Carlotta Giudicelli.
Australian‑Italian soprano Giuseppina Grech brings the temperamental prima donna to life on the spectacular Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage. She previously performed the role in the in‑theatre national tour across Sydney and Melbourne, but this marks her first time tackling Carlotta outdoors, on one of the biggest and boldest stages in the world.
Known for her razor‑sharp comic timing and fearless embrace of Carlotta’s larger‑than‑life ego, Giuseppina talks about why she loves leaning into the character’s outrageousness, how comedy shifts on a vast open‑air stage, and what changes when a famously dramatic diva performs against the Sydney skyline.
Regina Botros goes Backstage with award‑winning writer, actor and adaptor Sheridan Harbridge, diving into her acclaimed adaptation of My Brilliant Career, now on at Sydney Theatre Company. Sheridan talks about re‑imagining Miles Franklin’s iconic novel for the stage — the choices, challenges and freedoms of adaptation, and why the story still resonates so strongly today.
We also touch on Amplified: The Rock & Rage of Chrissy Amphlett, Sheridan’s powerful tribute to the Divinyls frontwoman, which is returning soon to teh Seymour Centre.
Later this year she's back with the acclaimed Prima Facie for Sydney Theatre Company.
What a powerhouse!!
Regina Botros is joined backstage by Mark Leonard Winter, whose Mark Antony has emerged as the standout performance in Bell Shakespeare’s bold 2026 production of Julius Caesar. Making his Bell Shakespeare debut, Mark brings a volatile, magnetic energy to Antony in a contemporary staging set in 1990s Eastern Europe and directed by Peter Evans.
A Helpmann Award winner and founding member of independent theatre company Black Lung, Mark is known for his fearless, risk‑taking performances across Australia’s major stages, including Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company. His acclaimed turn as Antony has drawn glowing reviews, with critics praising its wild charisma, mercurial shifts, and unsettling modernity — a performance that commands attention and divides opinion in all the right ways.
We talk about Antony as both Caesar’s confidant and political operator, the choices behind finding the character’s duplicity, and how Mark approached a role often overshadowed by Brutus. He also reflects on breaking the fourth wall, including the production’s much‑discussed funeral speech moment, and what it means to play Shakespeare with such direct audience connection.
Bell Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar runs at
• Sydney Opera House: 7 March – 5 April 2026
• Canberra Theatre Centre: 10 – 18 April 2026
• Arts Centre Melbourne: 23 April – 10 May 2026
Mitchell Butel joins Regina Botros Backstage. He's an acclaimed actor, four‑time Helpmann Award‑winner, and Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company — and he's here to talk about STC’s powerful new production of The Normal Heart, on stage at the Drama Theatre in the Sydney Opera House.
Timed for Sydney Mardi Gras, this landmark play by Larry Kramer is set in early 1980s New York, during the terrifying, grief‑stricken and politically charged rise of the AIDS epidemic. The story follows a group of activists, lovers, friends, and fighters demanding to be seen, heard, and protected in a world that refused to acknowledge the crisis.
Director Zindzi Okenyo joins Regina Botros to talk about Purpose — the most awarded new American play of 2025, now on at Sydney Theatre Company in its first production since Broadway. Branden Jacobs‑Jenkins’ drama centres on a powerful African American family whose public legacy begins to crack when the estranged youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest.
Stepping into this sharp, funny, emotionally volatile play: what drew Zindzi to it, how did she navigated the tension between public image and private truth, and how did she shaped the dynamic between a civil‑rights patriarch and the matriarch trying to hold everything together, while it falls apart.
Featuring Grace Bentley‑Tsibuah, Deni Gordon, Markus Hamilton, Tinashe Mangwana, Maurice Marvel Meredith, and Sisi Stringer.
In this episode, we dive into Fitz Happens — a bold new initiative by New Ghosts Theatre Company designed to launch and raise funds for their Playwright Fund. This unique monologue showcase, part of the company’s Mainstage program, brings together five original 10-minute monologues inspired by the haunting theme: “Home is Where the Haunt Is.”
We explore how this project came to life, the creative risks involved, and the spirit of generosity that fuels it — from seasoned legends like Kate Mulvany, Louis Nowra, and Belinda Giblin, to emerging talents like Justin Li (making his Mainstage stage management debut) and Finlay Hogan (currently studying at NIDA while designing sound for the show).
Mehhma Malhi, director of Fitz Happens, returns to Sydney from New York with a rich background in philosophy, bioethics, and journalism. With degrees from NYU and Columbia University, we explore how her academic lens informs her directorial approach — especially in a project that grapples with themes of memory, identity, and home.
In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros speaks with Gabrielle Scawthorn, the writer and director of The Edit, and Matilda Ridgeway, one of its powerhouse performers.
The Edit, now on stage at Belvoir, is a sharp, provocative work born from Gabrielle’s deep dive into the world of reality television. Drawing on countless interviews, the play explores the blurred lines between truth and performance, and what happens when our lives become content.
In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros sits down with Joseph Althouse, the Pertame and Tiwi actor captivating audiences in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg.
Set in the early 19th century, Whitefella Yella Tree is a tender and devastating love story between two young Aboriginal men, Ty and Neddy, from neighbouring mobs. Meeting under the branches of a lemon tree, their romance blooms just as the colonial world begins to encroach on their lives. Joseph plays Ty, a young man learning to be his mob’s storyteller, navigating the tension between tradition, love, and the looming threat of colonisation.
Sydney Theatre Company: Wharf 1 Theatre, until 18 October 2025
Photographer Alex McClintock joins Regina Botros on Backstage to talk about his latest collaboration with audio documentarian Mike Williams: 24 Hours in Kings Cross, a genre-bending live documentary showing at Sydney Fringe Festival. Captured over a single sleepless day, the show is a gritty, glamorous tribute to Sydney’s infamous red-light district, blending McClintock’s evocative street photography with Williams’ immersive audio storytelling.
Together, they shine a spotlight on the misfits, lovers, drag queens, tattoo artists, and party-goers who make the Cross pulse with life. From sunrise to sunrise, this multimedia experience is a love letter to a suburb that never sleeps.
📍 24 Hours in Kings Cross runs from September 10–20 at Sean & Dolly’s, as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival
.
Regina Botros sits down with actor Mayu Iwasaki, who stars as Mitsue in The Face of Jizo at the Seymour Centre. This poignant play, written by Hisashi Inoue, explores the emotional aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing through the eyes of a young librarian and her father’s ghost.
Mayu shares her journey into producing this play and the role, plus the emotional weight of portraying a survivor.
Don't miss this one.
In this episode, Regina Botros sits down with legendary lighting and set designer Nick Schlieper to explore the hauntingly beautiful world of Grief is the Thing with Feathers, now playing at Belvoir Theatre. Co-adapted by Schlieper alongside Simon Phillips and Toby Schmitz, this theatrical reimagining of Max Porter’s acclaimed verse novel dives deep into the surreal and poetic terrain of grief, memory, and transformation.
Nick shares insights into the creative process, the challenge of translation, and the character of Crow.
On at Belvoir Theatre.
Peter Evans, Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare, talks with Regina Botros about his new production of Coriolanus as well as, how he came to be the Artistic Director of the company.
One of Shakespeare’s least performed and most politically charged plays, it's staged at the Neilson Nutshell Theatre at Wharf 2/3—Bell Shakespeare’s home.
Evans has long been a driving force in Australian theatre, with a career spanning decades and stages across the country.
Come Backstage!
In this episode, Regina Botros speaks with Jessica Arthur, director and dramaturg of Koreaboo, a bold new work for Griffin Theatre Company.
Currently the New Work Associate - Artist Development at Malthouse Theatre, Jess has held key creative roles at Sydney Theatre Company, including Resident Director (2019–2022), Directing Associate, and Richard Wherrett Fellow.
Her directing credits span Belvoir, Griffin, La Mama, Kings Cross Theatre, Old Fitz, Melbourne Theatre Company.
In this conversation, we dive into the making of Koreaboo, its cultural resonance, and Jess’s process of developing new work that speaks to contemporary audiences.
From The Dictionary of Lost Words to The Wolves, Jess’s career is a testament to innovation, collaboration, and the heart of storytelling.
I’m joined by one of Australia’s most celebrated actors—Pamela Rabe. With a career spanning decades, Pamela has earned acclaim across stage and screen, and is also a respected stage director. Her versatility shines through in a wide range of genres—from musicals and comedies to powerful dramas.
You may have seen her in unforgettable productions such as:
- August: Osage County
- Seventeen
- The Cherry Orchard
- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- The Dance of Death
- My Fair Lady
- The Glass Menagerie
...and so many more.
She’s tackled the works of Shakespeare, Molière, Chekhov, Brecht, Noël Coward, Patrick White, and David Mamet—just to name a few.
Today, Pamela joins me to talk about her latest role as Winnie in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, now playing at the Sydney Theatre Company. It’s a demanding and iconic role, and we’ll dive into what it means to bring Beckett’s vision to life on stage.
Reginabotros.com
In this colourful episode, Regina Botros is joined by the talented Alexander Berlage, the award-winning director and lighting designer, to dive into his dazzling new production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at the Hayes Theatre.
How do you take a cult Almodóvar classic and reimagine it for the stage? Alex shares the creative journey behind bringing this bold, emotional, and hilariously chaotic story to life. From navigating the musical’s tone to crafting a visual world that captures the spirit of 1980s Madrid, this conversation is a must-listen.
🎭 Alexander Berlage has made a name for himself as one of Australia’s most exciting theatrical talents. With back-to-back Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Direction of a Musical (American Psycho and Cry-Baby), and a 2023 win for Best Direction of an Independent Production (A Streetcar Named Desire), his work continues to push boundaries and captivate audiences.
Tune in to hear how Alexander and his team bring passion, precision, and a touch of madness to the stage in this unforgettable production.
🎙️ Regina Botros in Conversation with Jess Fuchs
On this episode, Regina chats with the brilliantly chaotic Jess Fuchs about her upcoming comedy festival show, Sex Jokes for Women.
Jess is an Australian stand-up comedian, writer, actress — and self-proclaimed forgotten middle child. Known for her razor-sharp wit and unfiltered storytelling, she’s been called “whip smart,” “boisterous,” and “pure chaos” (in the best way possible).
She doesn’t just tell jokes — she invites you into her world, where oversharing is a superpower and awkward silence doesn’t stand a chance.
🎭 Catch Sex Jokes for Women:
- 15 & 16 May – Bondi Pavilion
- 17 May – Enmore Theatre
Tune in for laughs, insight, and a whole lot of honesty.
Tom Gleisner joins Regina Botros to talk about his musical Bloom, playing at Sydney Theatre Company.
He's an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer, director, writer, occasional actor and author. Gleisner currently hosts Network 10's Have You Been Paying Attention?.
Izabella joins Regina to talk about her play These Youths Be Protesting a finalist for the 2024 Martin Lysicrates playwriting award.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off meets Don’t Look Up, this new Australian play is a comedy about climate change, about the chaos of youth and how these intersect with the campaign trail of a federal election. The production will have its world premiere at Kings Cross Theatre (KXT) on Broadway, and will play from the 4th-19th of April.
Izabella is a performer, writer, producer, and environmental activist. Since returning to Australia, Izabella produced and performed in sold-out hit “Much Ado About Nothing” at Flow Studios; had her play “FISH DOOF” published by Currency Press; was selected for ATYP’s writing mentorship program Fresh Ink; and has toured Australia performing children’s theatre.
Lucy Clements joins Regina Botros to talk about her latest show Iphigenia in Splott at Old Fitz Theatre and her position as the Artistic Director of the theatre space.
Lucy is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of New Ghosts Theatre Company Inc, and the Artistic Director of the Old Fitz Theatre. She specialises in the creation and presentation of new theatrical works and strives to champion playwrights & women in theatre. In 2019 she established the IGNITE Collective - a women-led, inclusive collective of theatre makers from across the nation, formed with the mission of putting new women-driven stories on Australian stages.
In her time with NGTC and IGNITE, Lucy has been at the helm of seven world premiere and four Australian premiere productions, and has worked across Sydney, Perth, Darwin, Melbourne and New York. Her production of 'Albion' won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Independent Production 2022, for which she also won Best Direction of an Independent Production. Lucy begins her tenure at the Old Fitz Theatre in 2024.
Keegan Joyce joins Regina Botros to talk No Love Songs using songs from the real life Scottish musician Kyle Falconer from his band The View.
You might have seen Keegan in Rake and Please Like Me. He was also the longest serving 'Oliver' in the history of the production "Oliver!" where Keegan from the age of 12, toured Singapore, Sydney, and Melbourne for over a year. He's done heaps!
NO LOVE SONGS is a powerful and uplifting modern love story that packs an emotional punch with beautifully written songs and honest storytelling that will star KEEGAN JOYCE (Rake, Please Like Me) and LUCY MAUNDER (Chicago, Mary Poppins).
Tom Wright joins Regina Botros to talk about his adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock at Sydney Theatre Company.
Wright's adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock for the Sydney Theatre Company has received rave reviews. It's an eerie, beautiful, and visionary take on Joan Lindsay's gothic tale. The production, directed by Ian Michael, features a talented cast and combines modern elements with the haunting mystery of the original story.
Tom Wright started as a member of Barrie Kosky’s Gilgul Theatre in the early 1990s, then with Michael Kantor’s Mene Mene in the late 1990s.
He has worked as an actor and director at the Melbourne Theatre Company, STCSA, Sydney Theatre Company, Playbox, La Mama, Company B, Anthill, Gilgul, Mene Mene, Bell Shakespeare Company, Chunky Move, Black Swan Theatre, Chamber Made Opera and the Adelaide, Sydney, Edinburgh, Vienna, Perth and Melbourne Festivals.
He was Artistic Associate at Sydney Theatre Company 2004–2008 and Associate Director of STC 2008–2012. He joined Belvoir as an Artistic Associate in 2016.
More about Tom here.
Alana joins Regina Botros to talk about her new work for the stage Nucleus at the Seymour Centre as part of the Griffin season.
Alana Valentine is a librettist, playwright and director.Photo (c) Brett Boardman
Gabriel is a nuclear engineer. Cassie is an anti-nuclear campaigner. For nearly thirty years their lives have collided and entwined, with Cassie’s cause dominating public opinion across the decades. But with political change rumbling underfoot, Cassie’s life’s work could yet be undone—and it’s all led to this explosive night.
Shiv joins Regina Botros to talk about how he came to acting and his role in 4000 Miles for STC.
Shiv Palekar was born in India, raised in Hong Kong and is now based in Sydney, Australia.
Since graduating from NIDA, Shiv has appeared in Counting and Cracking (Belvoir); The Tempest, The Real Thing, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and Disgraced (Sydney Theatre Company); The Sound Inside (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Almighty Sometimes (Griffin Theatre Company); and has toured nationally twice in The Merchant of Venice and The Players (Bell Shakespeare).
Photo Credit:credit Derek Henderson
Director & Designer Patrick Kennedy joins Regina Botros to talk about THE FLEA at the New Theatre.
Hailed as "one of the country’s most fascinating theatre practitioners" (British Theatre), Patrick Kennedy is an Offie Award nominated director and producer recognized as one of the leading European avant garde figures.
Originally trained as an acting teacher under the Globe Theatre’s Jacqueline Bessel, Patrick began producing and creating experimental theatre in 2009 at Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Eugene Ionesco’s 'The Lesson'.
With over 15 years experience at the heart of arts and culture, Patrick joined Sydney Fringe in 2024.
Brendan joins Regina Botros to talk about his latest work Hamlet Camp on at the Carriageworks till the 25th January.
A laugh out loud look at acting and the roles that haunt you!
Brendan Cowell, Ewen Leslie, and Toby Schmitz – three stars of Australian stage and screen – come together for the first time for the world premiere of Hamlet Camp, a night of poetry, pith and play.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
Priscilla Jackman joins Regina Botros to discuss The Cost of Living for Sydney Theatre Company.
First broadcast 24th July, 2024.
Sydney Theatre Company and Queensland Theatre’s co-production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony-nominated Broadway smash-hit, Cost of Living.
Priscilla Jackman (RBG: Of Many, One) and internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist Dan Daw (The Dan Daw Show) direct this Australian premiere production of one of the best pieces of new writing to emerge from the US in the last decade, written by former carer turned playwright, Martyna Majok.
Co-director and performer Daw leads an exceptional cast including Philip Quast (STC's Do Not Go Gentle), Kate Hood (Malthouse Theatre's The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man), and Zoe de Plevitz (Netflix's Boy Swallows Universe) in a beautifully rendered four-hander about our need to care, or be cared for, no matter the distance that age, race and disability might place between us.
Backstage at the Enmore Theatre with Regina and Benito, the youngest 2024 Eurovision entrant at 17 years old, Sydney's Silia Kapsis.
The biggest live music show on earth is touring for the first time since the Eurovision Song Contest began in 1956, presented by Eurodrama Entertainment, SL.
Following concerts in London, Paris and Madrid, EUROVISION ON TOUR brings the Eurovision experience to the fans and will tour to three Australian cities: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney on 13, 15 and 17 November 2024.
Senhit talks to Regina and Benito backstage at the Enmore theatre.
Known globally as the 'Freaky Queen', Italian-African pop star Senhit’s single ‘Adrenalina’ saw her collaborate with American rapper Flo Rida, who famously performed on stage with her at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest. ‘Adrenalina’ has had 18 million streams on Spotify, with a further 3 million Spotify streams of a remix by one of the world's biggest DJs Steve Aoki. Her new album 'Dangerous' has just been released ahead of the Eurovision world tour.
Matt Day joins Regina Botros backstage to talk through the life and times of his character John Reed in Sunday on at Sydney Theatre Company until the 7th December.
An Australian work by Anthony Weigh - based on the life and times of Sunday and John Reed and the Heide Circle – the renowned group of friends, lovers, and rivals that ruled Australia’s visual art scene in the 30s, 40s and 50s. It is also the story of the fiery love triangle between the irrepressible Sunday
Backstage with Dean Bryant and Dear Evan Hansen at Sydney Theatre Company.
Dean Bryant is an award-winning Melbourne-based director and writer who moves between plays, musicals, opera, cabaret and, most recently, screen.
A Little Night Music received the 2024 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical and Best Director of a Musical, and Hubris received the award for Best New Australian Work. This follows his reception of the 2022 Sydney Theatre Award and 2023 Green Room Award for his direction of the Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company co-production of Fun Home.
Presented and Produced by Regina Botros
Red Velvet Productions
Kate joins Regina Botros to talk about the Liveworks festival highlights and spotlights.
Kate Britton is the Aritsitc Producer of the Performance Space, a producer, curator and arts manager with more than 10 years experience in festivals, performance, visual art and public programs, with a focus on cross-disciplinary and queer practices.
Di Smith & Katrina Foster join Regina Botros to talk about Seventeen on at the Seymour Centre.
Joyful and profound, Matthew Whittet’s Seventeen tells the story of a group of high school students, experiencing something we all remember well, the last day of school – for ever.
Through a fog of stolen alcohol, six teenagers gather in a playground late at night to share the moment in their lives when the past gives way to an uncertain future, and where secrets are spilled, and friendships are changed. But in a revelatory theatrical twist, all roles are performed by older actors who were seventeen many years ago, bringing the experience of age to the dreams of hopeful youths.
Jack Symonds joins Regina Botros to talk about the production Gilgamesh at the Carriageworks.
Jack Symonds is a composer, conductor and pianist, and Artistic Director of Sydney Chamber Opera. He studied composition at the Royal College of Music, London under Kenneth Hesketh and at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he received the University Medal. His stage works represent “a striking and impressive new operatic voice” (Sydney Morning Herald) and he is “one of those performers who seemingly can play anything” (Australian Book Review).
Merlynn Tong joins Regina to talk about Golden Blood.
Writer and performer in golden blood - first staged at griffin in 2022
Back to stc from 17th sept at wharf 1 Theatre for STC
Originally from Singapore Merlynn is known for her screen roles in Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake and ABC’s In Our Blood. Her previous works for the stage, in which she also starred, include her one-woman shows, Ma Ma Ma Mad, the true story of her mother’s suicide, and Blue Bones, a semi—----autobiography of teenage romance.
Golden Blood is also inspired by events in Merlynn's own life, and will see her star alongside the brilliant Charles Wu as recently orphaned siblings finding their way into adulthood amongst the steamy, tropical backstreets of Singapore’s criminal underworld.
Much of Golden Blood is performed in Singlish - and Merlynn can speak to how she uses language on stage to transport the audience into a different place and time - she touches on that briefly in this video.
The show premiered at Griffin Theatre Company in 2022, opens at STC on 17 September, and will also be performed at Melbourne Theatre Company later this year
The gorgeous Lucinda Gleeson joins Regina to talk about the show The Arrogance on at KXT Broadway.
Lucinda Gleeson is an actor, director, producer, sometimes lighting designer and most recently the newly appointed Artistic Director of Playback Theatre Sydney.
As a director, Lucinda cut her teeth at Tamarama Rock Surfers (TRS), the theatre company that started The Old Fitzroy Theatre. Here she directed the trilogy of Benito di Fonzo plays, the first of which was 'The Chronic
Ills of Robert Zimmerman, AKA Bob Dylan, (A Lie) A Theatrical Talking Blues and
Glissendorf.'
This started as a Late Session at The Old Fitz, then the main stage the following season,
before touring with Critical Stages throughout NSW.
The second production was 'Lenny Bruce: 13 Daze Undug In Sydney 1962' at The Bondi
Pavilion produced by TRS and then the third collaboration was, 'A Riff on Keef: The
Human Myth' for Griffin Independent
Other directing credits include:
'Crushed' by Melita Rowston at The New Theatre Independent for Chester Productions.
'Golden Delicious' by Mary Rachel Brown for Bondi Feast
Lucinda is a graduate of the Ensemble Studios.
She is a proud member of MEAA.
JULES BILLINGTON joins me to talk about The Past is a Wild Party - by Noelle Janaczewska - a SIREN THEATRE Prod. Directed by Kate Gaul.
TRASH AND HIGH ART - CENSORSHIP > GAPS AND SILENCES. GIRL ON GIRL SEX.
Dalisa joins Regina to talk about Cut the Sky, Marrugeku's latest show. She is an award winning practitioner, co-artistic director of Marrugeku and one of the people behind the concept, as well as a co-divisor, performer and choreographer on this work.
Marrugeku is a leading Indigenous intercultural dance theatre company.
And this work CUT THE SKY is set in the north of Western Australia, the story follows climate refugees, traditional owners, miners, and more as they navigate a near-future world.
A stunning production on at the Carriageworks.
Don't miss it!
Lizzie joins Regina Botros to talk about Shakespeare and in particular King Lear a Bell Shakespeare production. She plays Goneril and has been performing and directing the bard's work since graduating from WAAPA.
Lizzie Schebesta has worked extensively in Film, Television and Theatre as an actor, director, choreographer.
Writer and Director Ben Chapple and Director Austin Hayden join Regina to talk abou this new Australian work, on at the Old Fitz Theatre.
A dead body has been found in the penthouse of SINGER, an aging pop star in the vein of David Bowie. SINGER’s management team hustle to clean up the mess, but the tragedy has convinced SINGER that he must make drastic changes – to reclaim his lost artistic voice.
SINGER must confront the trade-offs made in pursuit of celebrity and purpose. His past haunts him, while his future becomes increasingly uncertain.
Joseph Twist joins Regina Botros to talk about Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan for Opera Australia.
Joseph is a composer and musician and straddles film music and concert music arenas, crosses genres from ancient vocal music, opera, contemporary orchestral music, jazz, music theatre and cabaret.
He has a long list of awards working with Moby, on Bluey, in Hollywood as well as his own music. It's such a treat to talk with him about his music and his art.
Actor Emma Diaz joins Regina to talk about her role in Never Closer on at Belvoir Theatre.
Emma Diaz is an actor and producer based in Sydney. A graduate of WAAPA Acting, her theatre credits include Blessed Union (Belvoir), The Great Divide (Ensemble), On The Beach (Sydney Theatre Company), The Crucible (Sport for Jove), Hamlet (Bell Shakespeare), and so many more
She is in Belvoir's production of NEVER CLoser set during the conflict in Northern Ireland in the late 80’s - a return after its first rendition in 2022.
Emma joins Regina Botros to talk about the Australian premier of SHOOK.
Emma is a director, creative producer, and performer from London, UK, grateful to be living and creating work on unceded Bidjigal land. She is the founder and artistic director of experimental company Lost Thought.
Shook is playing at the Substation at Qtopia in Darlinghurst.
Locked up in a dangerous youth offenders’ institution, teenagers Riyad and Cain trade insults, barter for sweets, and dream of their imminent fatherhood. When they meet conspicuously quiet new inmate Jonjo at a parenting skills course, they speculate what kind of crime brought him inside.
Thomas ES Kelly joins Regina Botros to dig into his work SILENCE playing at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Unwrapped season, dedicated to uncovering extraordinary creatives.
SILENCE pulls the Treaty conversation out from under the rug and slams it back on the table. Funny, irreverent and reverberating with power, this is contemporary dance as you haven’t seen it before. This is one not to miss!
Thomas E.S. Kelly is a proud Minjungbal-Yugambeh, Wiradjuri and Ni-Vanuatu man. He studied at NAISDA Dance College and graduated in 2012. Thomas is an artist that works with multiple art forms which include choreography, dance, theatre, music composition, puppetry and teaching.
Sarah joins Regina to talk about how she has paved her way in as a director and the things that interest her. As well as her latert production No Pay? No Way! on at Sydney Theatre Company.
Sarah Giles is an award-winning opera and theatre director. Described by Limelight Magazine as one of Australia’s most thoughtful theatre-makers, she has a passion for comedy and opera and has directed over 25 productions for companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre of South Australia, Malthouse Theatre, Griffin Theatre, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sydney Chamber Opera, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera.
Sarah is a freelance artist, who works as a director, dramaturg and adaptor. She works across Australia and is based in Naarm / Melbourne where she lives with her family.
Sarah received Helpmann Award and Green Room Award nominations for Best Direction of an Opera for her world premiere Victorian Opera production of Lorelei which won Best New Australian work and Best Design at the Green Room Awards where it was nominated in five categories.
Manuel Stark Santos from West Side Story joins Regina Backstage to talk about growing up dancing in the US to making it big on Broadway in New York to landing in Sydney to dance on the Handa Opera Stage. What a treat!
Opera Australia's production opens on the 22nd March, 2024.
Van Badham joins Regina Backstage to talk about A Fool In Love for Sydney Theatre Company.
Badham said, “The greatest Australian virtue is our readiness to laugh at ourselves. What an honour it is to let loose the local sense of humour on a classic farce like Lope de Vega’s La dama boba, in which an aspirational scheme to marry off an heiress comes so spectacularly undone.
Van Badham is a writer, critic, trade unionist, feminist, activist and occasional broadcaster, an internationally award-winning theatremaker and one of Australia’s most controversial social commentators.
Anita Heiss joins Regina to talk about her adaptation of the play TIDDAS - on at Belvoir theatre.
Tiddas- Five women, best friends for decades, meet once a month to talk about books, lovers, and the jagged bits of life in between. Dissecting each other’s lives seems the most natural thing in the world and honesty, no matter how brutal, is something they treasure. Best friends tell each other everything, don’t they?
Dr Anita Heiss AM is a proud member of the Wiradyuri nation of central New South Wales and one of Australia's most prolific and well-known authors publishing across genres including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children's fiction
Leigh Sachwitz is the founder and leading creative director of flora&faunavisions.
She is an award winning creator and visionary, and the mastermind behind the content that will be displayed across 23 LED screens for Opera Australia’s The Ring Cycle.
Her work spans across immersive experiences, exhibitions, music stages, theatre and opera performances, fashion shows and art installations. Leigh has characterised a unique style through design in space and time.
Thomas De Angelis is a playwright, theatre maker and researcher.
He joins Regina Botros to talk about the operatic odyssey of a lifetime; the site-specific pastiche opera TRACK WORKS will take centre stage at Sydney’s iconic Mortuary Station in all its historical splendour (November 21 – December 19).
Tom Conroy joins Regina Botros to dive into The Master and the Margarita on at Belvoir Theatre.
Tom’s credits for Belvoir include Tell Me I’m Here, My Brilliant Career, Ghosts, Jasper Jones, Mortido, Mother Courage and Her Children, and Small and Tired. Find out more here.
Jane joins Regina to talk Malvolia (yes a twist on the role) in Twelfth Night for Bell Shakespeare.
Jane Montgomery Griffiths is an actor, writer and academic. Currently Director of Monash University’s Centre for Theatre and Performance, Jane is an expert on Greek drama and theories of performance, and has taught at Cambridge, Leeds, Melbourne, and La Trobe universities.
Twelfth Night opens at Sydney Opera House 26th October 2023 until 19 November.
Thomas Campbell joins Regina Botros to talk through the inspiration for Betty Is a Butcher for Sydney Fringe.
Five characters, five reasons to live, an odyssey towards death. A collage of memory, these characters jostle for existence in a theatrical phantasmagoria
A Siren Theatre Production, directed by Kate Jane Gaul.
Chris Mitchell joins Regina Botros to see the spectacle of this Sydney Fringe show at the Speigeltent.
The Marvellous Elephant man the Musical.
The story of the “Elephant Man” has been told in many books and in the famous David Lynch film starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.
The co-director of this production Chris Mitchell takes us into this new musical production, the inspiration and the exploration.
Chris Mitchell is a Melbourne-based entrepreneur, major art grant recipient, graduate of 16th Street Actors Studio and founding partner of the brand-new Northcote Theatre. He is also an accomplished filmmaker, with award-winning short films and featurettes screened at international festivals including Fantastic Fest, Snow Dance, Melbourne Underground Film Festival, Tokyo International Short Film Festival and many more. The venue he founded and creatively directed - Red Bennies - won multiple Melbourne Fringe awards, including best venue, and served as an Australian hub for global artists.
Kerri Glasscock Sydney Fringe Festival Director joins Regina to talk about what's hot this Sydney Fringe Festival.
So much to see - catch the hot tips - here!
A month of delicious, unfiltered, utterly unbelievable performance performances, where literally anything could happen.
Spread across every inch of the city, from Parramatta to Hurstville, the Western Harbour, the CBD, and the Inner-East festival gardens. No matter where you find yourself at The Fringe, we guarantee an unforgettable experience that will stay with you long after the festival ends. Get a variety of performance of every genre that defy convention and challenge your expectations.
Where else can you see HUNDREDS of world premieres made in your backyard? Or if you are a visitor popping by our beautiful city, what better way to get to know the true Sydney?
Leave your expectations at home this September as together we paint the town PINK and create the vibrant, experimental, expressive, playful, and diverse Sydney we dream of all year round.
Fun FUN Fun!
Margaret joins Regina to explore this award winning play based on true events.
Margaret Thanos is an award-winning Cypriot-Australian director and actor for theatre and film, based in London.
THE PLAY:- London, 2006. A brazen political assassination is carried out in broad daylight. Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy, drinks green tea laced with radioactive poison. Subsequent investigations uncover a conspiracy generated from the very heart of the Russian government, and a murder probably approved by President Vladimir Putin.
In this award-winning play, based on the facts as laid out by the investigative journalist Luke Harding in his book of the same name, acclaimed writer Lucy Prebble tells a complex story of espionage and mystery.
Playing at the NEW THEATRE till 16th September.
Debra Oswald joins Regina to talk about tow shows playing at the Ensemble Theatre, plus how she came to writing from a young age.
Debra Oswald is screenwriter, playwright and fiction author.
She was the co-creator and head writer for series 1-5 of the award-winning Channel Ten series Offspring. Debra won the 2011 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for the Offspring telemovie script and won the 2014 AACTA for Best Television Screenplay for an episode in series 4.
Her other television credits include award-winning episodes of Police Rescue, Palace of Dreams, The Secret Life of Us, Sweet and Sour and Bananas in Pyjamas.
Debra’s stage plays have been produced around Australia. Gary’s House, Sweet Road and The Peach Season were all shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Award, and her play Dags has had many Australian productions. Gary’s House has been performed in translation in Denmark and Japan. Mr Bailey’s Minder broke the Griffin Theatre’s box office record in 2004, toured nationally in 2006, and was produced in Philadelphia in 2008 and is back with the gorgeous John Gaden, as well as Rachel Gordon and Albert Mwangi and Claudia Ware…
She’s also bringing back
Is there something wrong with that Lady—sold out in APRIL….at griffin and it is playing at ensemble from 18th September.
Her plays are published by Currency Press.
Gareth joins Regina to talk about his life from wanting to be a philosopher to the stage and his current production performing in Benefactors at Ensemble Theatre.
Gareth Davies is an actor and playwright based in Sydney. He has written and performed for the Black Lung Theatre (of which he’s a member), Belvoir St Theatre, the Malthouse and many more.
Gareth’s theatre credits include The Cherry Orchard (Melbourne Theatre Company); The Government Inspector (Malthouse Theatre/Belvoir); The Rover, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Peter Pan, As You Like It, And They Called Him Mr Glamour (which he also wrote) and The Seagull (Belvoir); As You Like It (Bell Shakespeare); and The Literati (Griffin/Bell Shakespeare). He has also performed at Belvoir for B Sharp in The Only Child, The Suicide and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
He co-wrote and performed in Masterclass and Masterclass 2 – Flames of the Forge (Redline Productions at the Old Fitz), and is a member of Melbourne’s Black Lung Theatre, collaborating on Avast and Avast II – The Welshman Cometh (Black Lung Theatre/Malthouse Theatre), Rubeville, Sugar, Pimms, I Feel Awful (Black Lung Theatre/Queensland Theatre Company), and Doku Rai (Black Lung Theatre/Darwin Festival), a show devised and performed in collaboration with artists from East Timor.
His film and TV credits include The Daughter (Screen NSW/Fate Films), The Letdown (Giant Dwarf/ABC), Hunters (Universal Cable/Valhalla) and the upcoming Peter Rabbit (Animal Logic).
Erica joins Regina to talk about her play The Hero Leaves One Tooth described as a ferocious new satire set in a world where women have developed vagina dentata as a means of protection against sexual assault.
Erica is a director, writer, & producer of live performance.
She believes that making art is a compulsion. She is passionate about holding space for artists to develop their practice and find sustainable ways to make work in an ever-changing environment.
She is a champion of experimental and collaborative processes and for innovative storytelling having directed live works in and around Sydney for the past 10 years. In 2018 she began working as the SQUEAKING TRIBE and WOODFORD FOLK FESTIVAL as Creative Director on their multi-year site-specific large scale puppet show EYELAND (2018/19) and EYELAND II (2019/20.)
Erica is a founding member and lead devising artists for NINEFOLD –a physical theatre ensemble. As a creative producer, she has collaborated with artistic Director Shy Magsalin with to build an company that centres actor development and process led performance making. She has also and has performed with the company since it was established in 2012.
She has written dozens of short, and one act plays for young people and had numerous full-length works produced for the Old 505 Theatre. She has also had work developed by Elbow Room Theatre and in June 2020, she was awarded an ABC Fresh Start Grant to develop a new animated series entitled PREGNANT DETECTIVE.
Bass Fam talks with Regina about his show Oracle and his life as a theatre maker.
Originally from a fine arts background, Bass is a passionate story teller at heart, a dreamer and an all-round creative with a colourful career spanning over a decade, with his work showcased around the world.
With sell-out Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide seasons, ORACLE returns to Sydney following its first Sydney season in August 2022 at Sydney Opera House, and will bring more intoxicating magic to Roslyn Packer Theatre.
It is a fusion of circus, burlesque, dance & contemporary storytelling, one for the gods! Word class circus acts, mesmerizing aerials, steamy burlesque numbers, interlaced with ballet, contemporary and commercial dance.
With a diverse and talented cast of 18 performers, including Jazmin Varlet former contestant in The Voice and The X Factor who narrates the Oracle with her epic voice.
James joins Regina to talk about Bell Shakespeare's lates production Romeo & Juliet in the new space and his role as Juliet's father.
James Evans is Associate Director at Bell Shakespeare. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art and holds a Master of Arts from the University of Sydney. He has directed a production of Much Ado About Nothing, the Julius Caesar national tour, previously directing productions of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
He has performed on many stages around town and is Capulet in Romeo and Juliet at Bell Shakespeare’s new home Pier 2/3.
Photo: Rose Riley, James Evans and Monica Sayers in BellShakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Photo Brett Boardman
Anchuli joins Regina Botros backstage to talk about her motivation for bringing this story to the stage and how her career has developed as a playwright, screenwriter and multidisciplinary artist of Thai-Australian descent.
As a playwright, King is interested in linguistic hybrids, digital cultures and globalization.
The Royal Court Theatre’s mainstage production of King’s play White Pearl marked her professional debut in May 2019, directed by Nana Dakin. White Pearl was subsequently produced by Sydney Theatre Company / National Theatre of Parramatta in Sydney in 2019 and the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC in the United States. Her play Golden Shield was commissioned through Melbourne Theatre Company’s Next Stage program and made its Off-Broadway debut at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2022.
King has worked as a screenwriter on HBO's "The Baby," a dark horror comedy produced by Sister Pictures, and HBO's "The Sympathizer," the TV adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer winning novel. She also has writing credits on Australian shows including "The Twelve," "Deadloch," and "Class of 07."
Awards, Commissions & Residencies: Sydney Theatre Company Patrick White Fellowship, 2020; Mona Brand Emerging Writer Award, 2020; Royal Court Theatre Commission, 2019; Manhattan Theatre Club Commission. 2019; Melbourne Theatre Company Next Stage Commission, 2019; Ars Nova Play Group 2018/19; Ensemble Studio Theatre Youngblood Member 2017-2024 ; Roundabout Theater, Space Jam Program (ongoing); Space on Ryder Farm Finalist, 2018 ; Playwriting Australia National Play Initiative Winner, 2017 ; Yellow Earth “Typhoon” Reading Series, 2017 “Liberation” Video Commission, B.W. Powe Poetry Project, 2017 ; Roundabout Columbia Initiative Winner, 2017 ; Bridge Initiative Playwriting Award Finalist, 2016 ; Red Bull Theatre Short Play Finalist, 2016.
Two of the cast from Scenes From a Climate Era (Belvoir) join Regina Botros to talk about the state of our world and bringing the issues of today to the stage in this theatrical telling.
- Harriet Gordon-Anderson (Bell Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ensemble Theatre’s Boxing Day BBQ)
- Abbie-Lee Lewis (Belvoir’s Wayside Bride, Counting and Cracking)
This aired on Wednesday 31st May, 2023 on 2SER - the opening night of the production.
A collective of more than 50 scenes written by the acclaimed climate playwright David Finnigan, Scenes from the Climate Era is an immersive and thought-provoking production. Set against the backdrop of a changing climate, the cast will capture the exhilaration, frustration, and fascination of living in interesting times.
Eloise joins Regina Botros to share with us the birth of this new production.
Eloise is an award-winning writer, actor, producer and voice artist. She completed a Bachelor of Media in Writing at Macquarie University and received a scholarship to study in London. She has worked extensively as an actor in theatre and she works consistently on screen, most recently in Colin from Accounts.
She has worked with her own independent theatre company, MopHead Productions, as well as Ensemble Theatre and Griffin Theatre Company. She is currently a Creative Producer with Critical Stages.
This production PONY on at griffin at the moment is her debut and was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award 2022/23, the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award 2021, the Patrick White Playwright’s Award 2022 and the Griffin Award 2022.
Vashti goes backstage with Regina Botros to talk about her life as a writer and performer.
Vashti Hughes is a writer / actor and originally trained at UWS Nepean, graduating with a BA in Performance.
Vashti has written and self produced works that are based in Sydney’s local history.
Currently Vashti is performing in Kate’s final home, a site specific piece “Dinner with Kate Leigh the Gangster Queen” at 212 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, now the Jazzy Café Bar .
“Dinner with Kate Leigh the Gangster Queen” is a spin off of work that she wrote and performed ten years ago - “Mum’s In : Stories from Razorhurst”.
Mum’s In was a dark cabaret about five of Sydney’s most notorious underworld characters in the 1920’s –Kate Leigh, Tilly Devine, Nellie Cameron, Frank Green and Guido Calleti, with Vashti playing all of them. This played at the Bordello Theatre, Kings Cross Hotel every Sunday for a year in 2011-12.
Mum’s In : Stories from Razorhurst : https://youtu.be/lSjn9BbBbOU
Vashti also wrote “Piccolo Tales’ which played for 6 months at the Piccolo Bar, where she played the part of Vittorio the 80 year old owner of this famous Sydney café. It was a rollercoaster ride through 50 years of the Kings Cross as told by Vittorio, played by Vashti. 80 year old Vittorio also ended up being in the show. It made it into the 2015 Sydney Morning Herald’s “10 Best Sydney Shows”, and was nominated for the 2016 GLUGS.
Vashti wrote and performed “Dictionary by a Bitch” about the infamous Bea Miles, Sydney eccentric and bohemian rebel, famous for reciting Shakespeare in the streets for money. This was performed at the State Library of NSW.
Vashti has created a lot of cabaret characters and shows, one being the all women comedy cabaret group “Six Quick Chicks”, which has been performed in various Sydney venues
Photo cr: Roz Sharpe
On this episode of Back stage Regina Botros is joined by Trisha Starrs to talk about:-
At What Cost?Which has returned to Belvoir St Theatre, and is playing until the 21st May, before embarking on a national tour to Queensland, South Australia, and home to Tasmania.
To First Nation’s playwright Nathan Maynard’s home state of Lutrawita (Tasmania),
SET IN TASMANIA
Boyd has been walking a tightrope – balancing responsibilities to Land and People with the simple business of making a living.
But something’s happening. Every year more and more folk are claiming to be Palawa too. Folk no-one’s heard of until now, who haven’t been ‘round before. Are they legit? Or are they ‘tick-a- box’? Who decides? And how?
Joining Back stage are two of the performers…
Alex Malone (Black Swan State Theatre Company’s The Lighthouse Girl) ---you might know her from Eurydice, Babes in the Woods and Threnody a the OLD FITZ Theatre – she’s done loads of TV and film as well as stage.
and Ari Maza Long –was raised in the performing arts and first performed at 5 years of age in The Bridge and after high school – performed in (Malthouse Theatre’s Gonzo). And recently Tracker a collaboration - for ADT/Ilbijerri.
jess Fuchs joins Regina Botros to talk comedy, improv and how to be chill!
Jess has traveled the world as an improviser and stand up comedian. She has graced the stages, clubs, theaters and dirtiest pubs around the globe, including Gotham Comedy Club in New York, Second City Toronto, The Comedy Store Sydney, to name a few.
Lisa Fa’alafi, joins Regina Botros to talk about Hot Brown Honey's return of THE REMIX>
Lisa is the fierce femme leader of the multi-award-winning collective of global First Nations women, Hot Brown Honey which will be returning to the Sydney Opera House after eight years in May as part of its UnWrapped season.
Hot Brown Honey – THE REMIX (4-13 May) it will dance the line between theatrical and social activism mashing up hip-hop, dance, cabaret, circus, poetry, and comedy will spin tradition on its head, challenge boundaries and embrace resilience.
Rachael joins Regina Botros to share her beginnings as a creative to the current Marrugeku show at the Carriageworks.
Racheal grew up around activism and protests with her parents in New Zealand and has forged a career as a director and dramaturg of trans-disciplinary and intercultural dance theatre as well as a dance and performance scholar and researcher.
She specialises in creating platforms for Indigenous and intercultural choreographies and dramaturgies in dance and in facilitating these practice-led research projects to redefine contemporary arts practices. Prior to Murrageku she was founding member and Co-Artistic Director of Stalker Theatre from 1989 to 2014.
Burrbgaja Yalirra 2features a trilogy of short works that trace histories of migration, relocation, cultural adaption and survival, and draws on the power of ancestral presence to remember the future and is on at the Carriageworks 21 - 29 April 2023.
SOLOMON THOMAS joins Regina Botros BACKSTAGE.
He is a theatre maker and performer and is a core member of re:group performance collective,
He explores the intersection between the physical and digital in theatre, experimenting with how theatre and film can co-exist in a live context. He works as a performer, puppeteer, theatre maker and video designer and is driven by how these practices meet formally.
UFO by Kirby Medway and Solomon Thomas at the SBW Stables Theatre from 18th to 29th April 2023. Part of the Griffin Lookout program. Described as a blend of science fiction tropes, live cinema and exquisitely detailed 1:8 miniatures, it is
mix of video, stop-motion animation and live theatre brings UFO’s to the stage!
Regina Botros reviews Julia at the Sydney theatre Company at the Sydney Opera House.JULIABy Joanna Murray-Smith
Directed by Sarah Goodes
Not now, not ever
In 2012, Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, gave a speech that sent shockwaves around the world.
Now, ten years later, one of Australia’s most esteemed and celebrated playwrights, Joanna Murray-Smith, brings the human story behind that speech to the stage.
Juliais an extraordinary new play that will see the glorious Justine Clarke (Children of the Sun) embody the life and career that led to the ‘misogyny speech’, in a phenomenal performance directed by Helpmann Award-winner Sarah Goodes (The Children).
This is both an intimate and compelling insight into the person behind the public mask, and a reflection on the experience of women in contemporary politics. Combining genuine excerpts from Gillard’s speech with Murray-Smith’s incredible dramatic imagination this play is also a thrilling coming together of history and art.
Around the world, we are seeing the most profound rollbacks to women’s rights legislation in two generations. At the same time, there have been encouraging strides forward in the representation of women in positions of power, both at home and abroad. In this climate, Julia is a rousing and energising reminder of where we’ve come from and an empowering imagining of the challenges we’ve yet to face.
Julia is the proud recipient of the Blake Beckett Trust Female Playwrights' and Female Directors' Award.
Two directors from this new musical Metropolis - wow - join Regina Botros to talk theatre.
Julia Robertson is an actor, director, and musician. She is the current Artistic Director of the award winning devising group, the Little Eggs Collective.
Acting credits include Jess and Joe Forever (25A Belvoir, 2019 dir. Shaun Rennie), The Astral Plane (25A Belvoir, 2019 dir. Charlie Garber), The Real Thing (STC, 2019 dir. Simon Phillips), The Oyster (Critical Stages, 2021 dir. Scarlet McGlynn) and Wherever She Wanders (Griffin, 2021 dir. Tessa Leong). Julia also stars in the film Hot Mess (Emerald Productions) that is currently airing on Netflix Aus/NZ and voiced the audiobook Don’t Fall by Sophie Smith (Amazon). Julia has studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (Method Acting Intensive, New York 2017) and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Acting Shakespeare Intensive, London 2022).
Zara Stanton is an accomplished Music Director, Composer, Performer, Arranger, Vocal Coach and Music Educator. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she studied classical voice and music education, and has her A.Mus.A. qualification in both voice and piano.
Zara's recent credits as Music Director include Bonnie & Clyde (Joshua Robson Productions) at the Hayes Theatre, Every Musical Ever (One Eyed Man Productions) at Adelaide Cabaret Festival & Wyong Art House, The Deb (Australian Theatre for Young People) and The Boomkak Panto (Belvoir St Theatre). Zara was also Associate Music Director for A Chorus Line (Darlinghurst Theatre Company), playing at the Sydney Opera House and Riverside Theatres.
Zoe joins Regina Botros to talk about her life in the arts and in particular, Collapsible, playing at the Old Fitz.
Zoë Hollyoak is a director and creative producer with nearly 10 years of experience working across a range of organisations including Belvoir, Performing Lines, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) and Black Swan State Theatre Company of WA.
Zoë is currently the Program Producer for Performance Space,
SHE has worked across theatre, film and mixed media projects for PICA, triple J Unearthed, Belvoir, The Blue Room Theatre and the State Theatre Centre of WA. When she’s not working at Performance Space, Zoë runs essential workers – a Sydney based theatre company that present and produce new works.
https://www.redlineproductions.com.au/collapsible
Justin Smith joins Regina Botros to talk all things theatrical. His life in the theatre and how he's come to be thrilling audiences in the role of the Baker in Into the Woods, with music by mastermind Stephen Sondheim.
Justin has starred in numerous stage productions, most recently Hayes Theatre’s Dubbo Championship Wrestling and Bangarra’s, Wudjang: Not The Past, with some of his other theatre credits including Billy Elliot The Musical, and National Theatre of Parramatta’sJesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam.
Tom Dawson and Meg Hyeronimus join Regina Botros to talk Cherry Smoke and theatre!
Cherry Smokefollows four young kids trying to grow in to the adults that the society that neglected them will accept. We can try to build the dream, but at what cost? When you're not taught to use your words but your fists can you ever truly change, or are you destined to repeat the past?
Nick joins Regina to talk Sex Magickhis new work to hit the Griffin Stage.
Nicholas Brown has forged an international career as an actor, singer, writer, and Bollywood leading man since graduating from NIDA. Brown recently featured in Belvoir St Theatre’s Counting and Cracking, which won the Helpmann Award for Best Play, and The Long Forgotten Dream and Still Point Turning for Sydney Theatre Company. His writing credits include Lighten Up for Griffin, The Unlisted for Aquarius Films and Tantra 2 for Playwriting Australia.
Sydney Pride Festival director Daniel Clarke joins Regina Botros to get the insight into the festival colours.
Listen up - listen proud!
Daniel has worked as an Artistic Director, Creative Producer, Executive Producer, Director, Programmer and CEO across Australia and the UK. He is a respected arts leader with a commitment to inclusivity, bold voices, independent artists, new works and artistic development. He has championed the works of many visionary LGBTIQA+ artists throughout his career from independent producing to within large cultural institutions.
Annalousie Paul joins Regina Botros in this episode to talk about her experiences as a flamenco dancer; how she came to it, the stories she tells and the new @Salon Flamenco series she is curating for Sydney World Pride.
Tickets and general info for
https://prideamplified.au/events/salon-flamenco/
Facebook event page with full program details
https://www.facebook.com/events/654379352729685
Photo credit: Binu Photography
Lewis talks with Regina Botros about his play Hubris and Humiliation - on at Sydney Theatre Company at the moment.
Lewis is an AWARD Winning playwright and
In this Sydney world pride (and prejudice ) production…think
Jane Austen’s drawing rooms and country estates are switched out for the dizzying dancefloors and leafy avenues of post-plebiscite Sydney---is what it says online
Lewis is a former STC Patrick white award winner.
This production is
Presented in association with Sydney WorldPride and directed by Dean Bryant (Fun Home), this modern homage to the celebrated, nineteenth century English novelist – which had a development at STC as part of the Rough Draft program (2021) and won the 2021 Australian Theatre Festival New Play Award in New York – is a high-camp exploration of love, family and commitment topped off with a twist of Regency period charm.
Actors Blair and David talk to Regina about the life and times Queen Elizabeth I's reign in 1593. Double agent, spy and famous playwright, Christopher Marlowe has been called to a lodging house in Deptford on the Thames to answer to his secret double dealings...In a Little Room written by David Allen.
A deep dive into the much speculated happenings on that fateful night and a knife fight. Listen in to a very informative chat about the times of this play's history and what may have happened...
Rachel Healy joins Regina Botros Backstage.
Rachel is the Interim Director of The Pavilion Arts Centre, Sutherland, which has just opened with its first show, Bangarra’s ---Waru.
Rachel has been working in the arts and cultural sector for more than twenty years including Director of Performing Arts for Sydney Opera House and ten years as General Manager of Belvoir St Theatre. Adelaide festival and so much more.
We delve into the new space and what theatre looks like after a pandemic.
Ensemble Theatre is thrilled to stage the long-awaited world premiere of writer and broadcaster,Melanie Tait’s (The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race) thought-provoking, sharp comedy, A BROADCASTCOUP, from 26th January to 4th March 2023.A major highlight of the 2023 Sydney Festival, A BROADCAST COUP incisively delves into the abuse of power and lack of accountability from controversial public figures.Cut-throat journalist Jez Connell is out for her next sting. It’s been a year since she brought down one of TV’s most lauded stars for behaving badly and now she’s got Michael King, the top-rated darling of public radio, in her sights. This time, it’s personal.With the loyalty of his longstanding radio show producer wavering, and a charting ex-media podcaster eager to take the mic off Mike, has the plug been pulled on Michael King’s career?
Sydney Festival fills our Backstage podcast this week.
Tracker with Artistic Director of ADT -Daniel Riley.
Neighbours with Albanian contemporary dancer, and choreographer Brigel Gjoka.
Werk It with fierce-as-hell director Malia Walsh.
Antarctica composer Mary Finisterer.
Shakthi joins Regina to talk about The Jungle and The Sea and the power of theatre. On at Belvoir Theatre at the moment.
Shakthi is a Western Sydney storyteller with Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry. He’s a writer, director and producer of film and theatre, as well as a composer and performer of original music.
Shakthi’s debut play Counting and Cracking had a sell-out season at Sydney Festival 2019, followed by the Adelaide Festival, with rave reviews and a profound impact on the Sri Lankan community. The script won the Victorian Premier’s overall Literature Prize and the NSW Premier’s Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting. The production has gone on to win 7 Helpmann Awards including 2 for Shakthi – Best New Australian Work and Best Direction of a Play. It also won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best New Australian Work and was nominated for Best Direction of the Mainstage Production. The play toured the UK in August 2022 including a run at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Iain Sinclair joins Regina Botros to talk about life, theatre and Pinter.
Iain Sinclair is well recognised as one of Australia’s finest directors of actors in performance consistently helping them generate empowered, sophisticated and dignified work.
After graduating from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and King’s College London where he specialised in directing actors and developmental dramaturgy Iain has had a rich and successful career alternating between bold new plays and the classics, he has directed celebrated major productions for state companies at STC, Belvoir, MTC and Queensland Theatre, he has directed for numerous mid level professional companies and also consistently works outside of the mainstream paradigm creating top level independent productions.
Bert LaBonte joins Regina Botros to talk about life in the theatre and A Raisin in The Sun. Sydney Theatre company.
One of Australia’s leading men, Bert’s Melbourne Theatre Company credits include: The Truth, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Lungs, Rupert, Birdland, The Mountaintop, Elling, A Behanding in Spokane, Clybourne Park, Richard III and others. For Sydney Theatre Company, he has performed in A Raisin in the Sun, All My Sons, The Grenade and Spelling Bee, and his Malthouse Theatre credits include: Cloudstreet, I am A Miracle, Time Share.
Musical theatre credits include: The Book of Mormon (Watchtower Productions), Helpmann Award Winner An Officer and a Gentleman (Gordon Frost Organisation), Chess (The Production Company), Grey Gardens (The Production Company), Pippin (Kookaburra Theatre), Full Monty (IMG / David Atkins), Jesus Christ Superstar (Really Useful Group), Showboat (Livent/Marriner Productions), Guys and Dolls (Ambassador Group).
Screen credits include FISK (ABC), The Newsreader (ABC), Surviving Summer (Netflix/Werner Film Productions), Literary Lethargy (Baby Banksia), Jack Irish (ABC), With Intent (Freemantle Media), a recurring role on Wentworth (Foxtel), Playing for Keeps (Network Ten), Upper Middle Bogan (ABC), Tomorrow When The War Began (ABC), Lowdown (ABC), Wilfred (ABC), The Let Down (ABC/Netflix), and Squinters (SBS). Film credits including Animal Kingdom (Porchlight Films) and The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (Kathy Morgan International).
Katie is an award-winning writer for stage, radio and screen.
She joins Regina to talk about her play ROUGH TRADE playing as part of Sydney Festival
Her plays for theatre are Normal ; The Becoming ; The Hansard Monologues—Age of Entitlement ; Blue Italian/Nil by Sea ; The Hansard Monologues—A Matter of Public Importance ); The Blue Angel Hotel; A Quiet Night in Rangoon ; A Girl Called Red ; and numerous short works, including Contact and as part of The Curve an so much more...
Ryuichi Fujimura is an independent dance artist and joins Regina to talk about this trilogy of shows based on his life.
Two, How Did I Get Here and How Do I Practice My Religion have toured internationally and the final part (Fall! Falter!! Dance!!!) is his premier performance, taken from his experience at a story telling event where he came second and tells the tale of a dance improv performance that failed.
"I really want to show this work to people in all walks of life. Even though I tell my stories as a dancer, I believe that my stories of failures and disappointment are relatable and hope that my dance is enjoyable to my audience."
Writer, Samah Sabawi and Director, Bagryana Popov, both award winning theatre makers join Regina to talk about their production THEM.
This story about a young family facing the decision whether to flea their war-torn city.
Them is playing at the Riverside theatre before going to Casula Powerhouse.
Michelle Law joins Regina Botros to talk about her Sydney Theatre Company production Top Coat playing at the moment.
Michelle Law is a writer working in print, screen and stage. She wrote the highly acclaimed play Single Asian Female – commissioned by La Boite Theatre Company – which earned 5-star reviews before transferring to a sold-out season at Belvoir St Theatre in 2018.
In 2016, she won the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award. She has written for many magazines, journals, and broadsheet newspapers including Frankie magazine, The Griffith Review, and The Saturday Paper. Her stories and essays have been anthologised in books such as After Australia, Best Australian Comedy Writing, Destroying the Joint, Women of Letters, Growing up Asian in Australia, and more.
In 2014, she co-wrote a comedy book called Sh*t Asian Mothers Say with her brother Benjamin Law.
Emme Hoy joins Regina Botros to talk about her adaptation of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
Emme Hoy was appointed Sydney Theatre Company’s new Patrick White Playwrights Fellow, one month before her adaptation of Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – opened at Roslyn Packer Theatre.
Hoy’s relationship with STC began in 2017 when she became a member of the inaugural Emerging Writers Group; she then went on to write additional scenes for the Company’s 2018 production of Saint Joan starring Golden Globe Award-winner Sarah Snook. Shortlisted for the 2019 Bruntwood Prize and recipient of the Belvoir’s Philip Parson’s Fellowship for Emerging Playwrights, the 2020 NIDA STC Pathways Commissions and Melbourne Theatre Company’s Writer in Residence Program, Emme completed her Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Performance at NIDA.
Her original television series Nobody’s Perfect was longlisted for the Australian Writers' Guild’s prime time screenwriting competition, shortlisted in the ABC/AWG Laugh Out Loud competition, the Monte Miller Awards, and was a semifinalist in WeScreenplay’s international television competition. In 2020 she won the AWG/Audible On Air Competition with her original series Left Behind.
In 2017 Emme’s play Extinction of the Learned Response was shortlisted for the Patrick White Playwrights Award, the Griffin Award and the 2018 Theatre 503 Playwriting Award; her co-written play Bathory Begins was awarded the 2019 ATYP co-commission; whilst her original play Cry Havoc won the 2020 ATYP Foundation Commission.
Emme’s plays include: Salem (NIDA); Strangers (Bondi Feast); Five Year Plan (Silent Theatre); Saint Joan (Additional Text, Sydney Theatre Company); La Finta Giardiniera (Queensland Conservatorium), Extinction of the Learned Response (Belvoir’s 25a); and Bathory Begins (ATYP, Q Theatre).
In June 2022, Emme’s play, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall will premiere at Sydney Theatre Company’s Roslyn Packer Theatre. Emme currently has various projects in development, including commissions with Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company and ATYP, as well as an audio series with Audible.
Emme also has original television shows in development with Disney+ and Clerkenwell Films, Moonriver TV, Firebird Films, Val TV and Jungle. She is a writer for Sally Wainwright’s The Ballad Of Renegade Nell and Nautilus for Disney+; as well as The Jump – an upcoming Australian dark comedy for Stan and Sundance.
Michael Honeyman joins Regina Botros to talk about Madama Butterfly on at the Sydney Opera House as an Opera Australia production.
He is a multi-award winning lead baritone singer including Helpmann and Green Room awards.
He has many years experience and takes us back to when he first started singing and how he prepares for a role such as Sharpless. He has sung this role a number of times for OA, including for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour in 2014.
Mentalist Scott Silven joins Regina Botros to talk magic and mentalism.
Scott returns to Australia to debut his show Wonders in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House from 14 – 26 June 2022.
From studying hypnosis in Milan at the age of 15, gaining recognition from David Blaine at 19, and headlining one of the UK's most prestigious theatres at 21 – this innate fascination with the enigmatic and unexplainable guided him to the craft of illusion at a young age.
Scott has over 15 years of experience performing at some of the world's most exclusive events and theatres. From recent sell out runs at some of the world's biggest art festivals, including at Sydney Festival and Melbourne International Arts Festival, an off-broadway smash-hit, and 3 world tours.
Dino joins Regina to talk about their life as a theatre maker and their current production Cleansed by Sarah Kane.
Dino Dimitriadis (they/them) is an award winning theatre director, creative producer and curator. They have worked widely as a director and founded Apocalypse, an independent engine room for responsive theatre and live art projects.
Recent directing credits include Lady Tabouli, De Profundis with Paul Capsis, Omar and Dawn, multi-award-winning productions of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America Parts I & II and Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, All My Sleep and Waking, Doubt and The Girl / The Woman.
Dino has – Produced across many festival and is the director of CLEANSED by Sarah Kane…playing at the Old Fitz Theatre from the 9th June, 2022.
My guest is Alana Valentine.
Alana Valentine is a multi-award winning playwright Librettist and screen writer.
Her works include:- The Sugar house, Ladies Day, Paramatta Girls, Letters to Lindy, Barbara and the Camp Dogs with Ursula Yovich which is being adapted to the screen and won both a 2019 Helpmann Award and 2020 Green Room Award for Best Original Score, as well as a Helpmann for Best Musical and Green Room for Best New Australian Work.
Also Alana is a long time dramaturg with Bangarra Dance Theatre and most recently worked on Wudjang Not the Past for Sydney Festival . She has recently worked on Watershed: The Death of Dr Duncan, writing the libretto with Christos Tsiolkas and was directed by Neil Armfield for Adelaide Festival.
She has more than 20 published works including two books of non-fiction including BOWERBIRD: The art of making theatre drawn from life (2018). She has written for radio television and screen and is here to talk about ….Wayside Brides - Till the 29th May, 2022.
Comic Chris Ryan joins Regina backstage.
A journalist, a mum and now one of the most exciting new voices on the Australian comedy scene. In 2021, Chris’ solo show was nominated for the Best Newcomer award at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. Two years prior she took home the coveted Best Newcomer title at the Sydney Comedy Festival. Her laconic take on everything from romance to passive aggressive co-workers has seen her fast become a crowd favourite. Chris turned to comedy later in life after working as a journalist and running her own communications business for 20 years.
Marg joins Regina to talk through a life as a theatre designer and in particular The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Marg has an extensive list of design credits spanning theatres across Australia. For STC, Marg has designed for The Picture of Dorian Gray, Avalanche (with Barbican Theatre), How to Rule the World and The Histrionic (with Malthouse). As Costume Designer she also worked on STC productions of Lord of the Flies and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. She has worked on a wide range of productions for Malthouse including Because the Night (interiors), Blasted, Melancholia, Bliss, Caravan, The Testament of Mary, The Real and Imagined History of The Elephant Man, Revolt She Said Revolt Again, The Homosexuals Or ‘Faggots’ (with Griffin Theatre Company), Edward II, I Am A Miracle and The Good Person Of Szechuan. Marg has also designed for many other leading theatre and opera companies including English National Opera, Opera Queensland, Victorian Opera, Melbourne Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Belvoir and Griffin Theatre Company. She has also worked with Circa, Performing Lines, Dee and Cornelius, Angus Cerini Doubletap and Chunky Move. Marg has won seven Green Room Awards and two Sydney Theatre Awards including one for The Picture of Dorian Gray (2021).
Leeanna Walsman talked with Regina during her run of Opening Night at Belvoir Theatre.
Leeanna Walsman has enjoyed an extensive career in film, theatre and television. Leeanna previously performed at Belvoir in the production of Peribanez. Selected stage productions include Solaris, Melancholia (Malthouse Theatre),Stockholm, Saturn’s Return, The Shape of Things and La Dispute (Sydney Theatre Company), Speaking in Tongues (State Theatre Company of South Australia), Othello (Bell Shakespeare) and so many more.
Leeanna is perhaps best known for her role as Zam Wesell in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), for playing Carly Bishop in the Australian film Looking for Alibrandi (2000), for her role as Erica Davidson in the Australian television series Wentworth, and for her starring role in the mini-series Jessica. Walsman also starred in Home and Away: An Eye for an Eye (2015).
Amber is starring in North By Northwest, playing at the Lyric Theatre.
Here she talks with Regina about how she came to the stage and how to take this classic Hitchcock film to the stage. She's playing the femme fatale Eve Kendall with all her complexities.
Best known for her work in theatre, Amber boasts an extensive list of credits. Recent credits include; Stop Girl for Belvoir and Rules for Living for Sydney Theatre Company. Other theatre credits include; Dance Nation, Bliss, Atlantis, Twelfth Night, Angels in America, and The Power of Yes for Belvoir; Banging Denmark, Accidental Death of an Anarchist and The Popular Mechanicals for Sydney Theatre Company; Girl Asleep and School Dance for Windmill; Tribes and The Appleton Ladies Potato Race for Ensemble, Small Mouth Sounds for Darlinghurst; North by Northwest for Kay & McLean Productions and Optimism and Picnic at Hanging Rock for Malthouse, which included two seasons at Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and Barbican London. Amber was also a member of the Sydney Theatre Company Actors Ensemble, appearing in War of the Roses, The Season at Sarsaparilla, The Lost Echo, Gallipoli, and The Art of War. Amber’s screen credits include the feature film Girl Asleep, and the SBS mini-series The Hunting. She has received two Helpmann Awards for Best Female in a Supporting Role one for Girl Asleep for Belvoir/Windmill and School Dance one for Windmill
Glace Chase joins Regina Botros to dive into the world of theatre through Glace’s new work Triple X, playing at Sydney Theatre Company.
Glace is a multiple award winning multi-disciplinary “trans-queen” / performer / playwright / comedienne / screenwriter / tour guide / bon vivant.
As a playwright Glace has won two Griffin Awards and the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for almost every playwriting award in Australia. Glace’s play Triple X, which she created, wrote and stars in, ran at the Queensland Theatre and has subsequently moved to Sydney Theatre Company. Glace was a finalist for the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Award for Triple X, which was additionally shortlisted for the Nick Enright Prize for playwriting.
Described as “delightfully satanic” by Time Out NY, Glace’s work defies easy categorisation. Glace created the world’s first Drag Queen Tour Guide business – Dream Queen Tours – named “Best Alternative Tour” by the International Travel & Hospitality Awards.
She also has a limited television series in development entitled Falleni. Other plays include Whore, A Hoax, Oranges & Lemons, GULL or the lamentable comedy called love (hereto known as the Trannies’ Revenge) and Nobody’s Girl. Her plays have appeared at Griffin Theatre, Belvoir St Theatre, La Boite, The Public Theatre NYC and NJ Rep.
Director Kate Gaul joins me, Regina Botros, to talk about her show The End of Winter at Griffin Theatre.
Kate Gaul is a theatre and opera director, creative producer, festival director, and designer based in Sydney, NSW. She is a graduate of NIDA (Directing 1996) and Artistic Director of Siren Theatre Co. Kate undertook a residency with SITI Company (NYC) and was Associate Director at Ensemble Theatre.
Regina Botros talks with director Bernadette Fam and her show Chewing Gum dreams on at the Old Fitz theatre.
Bernadette Fam is a multidisciplinary artist working across Dramaturge, Directing, Writing and Creative Producing. Her recent directing credits include: directing the Young Artist Ensemble for Q Theatre and assistant director for Young Frankenstein (Hayes Theatre), and Lady Tabouli (National Theatre of Parramatta/Sydney Festival).
Bernadette is a past Create NSW Young Creative Leaders Fellow, current Creative Producer of Green Door Theatre Company and Critical Stages Touring and Artist in Residence at PYT, Fairfield.
Olivia joins Regina to talk all things Sydney Festival. Catch up on what's hot.
Olivia Ansell is the Sydney Festival Director and comes from a family of performers. She is a curator an artist and the woman at the helm of Sydney Festival 2022.
Regina speaks with theatre historian and cultural policy analyst Julian Meyrick.
Julian is an award-winning theatre director having directed over sixty theatre shows, and is winner of the Helpmann Award for Best New Work in 2012 and is Professor of Creative Arts at Griffiths University.
He was AD of his theatre co---Kickhouse theatre which ran from 1989-98.
Previously he was Associate Director and Literary Advisor at Melbourne Theatre Company, and was founding member and Deputy Chair of Play Writing Australia 2004-09.
He has been published widely on the Australian theatre, culture, and cultural policy.
He is a member of the Currency House editorial committee, General Editor of the PLATFORM PAPERS for Currency House ----the brain child of Katherine Brisbane after currency press and they have released their latest papers.
Regina Botros talks with Rajan about his life and his role in Norm & Ahmed.
Rajan Velu is a graduate of Actors Centre Australia and has worked extensively across Theatre, Television, and Film in Australia and the United States.
His credits on stage include Counting and Cracking (Belvoir), Life of Galileo (Belvoir), The Last Highway (Urban Theatre Projects), The Drum (Sydney Opera House),
Friends in Transient Places (Fresh Produced LA), The Changeling (Independent Shakespeare Company LA ), Henry V (Independent Shakespeare Company LA).
His screen credits include All Saints, Doctor Doctor, RFDS, Diary of an Uber Driver, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Scandal, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Criminal Minds-Beyond Borders.
Actor Lex Marinos has worked across all areas of the entertainment industry as an actor, director, writer, radio commentator, producer and festival director.
Awarded an OAM for his services to the performing arts.
Presented by Regina Botros
The gorgeous Geraldine Hakewill joins Regina in this episode of Backstage.
You may have seen her on the stage of Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir, Darlinghurst Theatre and Bell Shakespeare in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Peter Pan, Dangerous Liaisons, The Real Thins, Macbeth, Chimerica, Platanov, Tartufee and Baal to name just a few.
You may have seen her on television or in many films. She was in a live reading of Homebody Kabul by Tony Kushner raising funds for Afghanistan.
We talk about all that and more in this episode.
The actor Glenn Hazeldine joins Regina to dive deep into the craft, the psychology of acting and the importance of the Actors Benevolent Fund for the industry.
Glenn graduated from NIDA in 1994. Theatre work includes, for Sydney Theatre Company: No Pay?No Way!, Cosi, The Father (also MTC), Away (also Malthouse), Disgraced, Arcadia, Love and Information (also Malthouse), After Dinner, Perplex, Tot Mom, Elling, The Pig Iron People, Don’s Party (also MTC), Julius Caesar, Victory, Love For Love, Mongrels, Historia, Two Weeks With The Queen, Dead White Males (also national tour).
And so so so many more....
The charming Russell Cheek joins Regina to talk through his life to the stage, the key to improvisation, where his inner clown lives and the remarkable teachings of Le Coq - and so much much more.
Russell has a BA Hons, University of Sydney, (German) and also studied French
After graduating theatre-school, the École Jacques Lecoq, Paris - Russell performed with companies in Italy and Germany. He created DOUBLE TAKE co. in Paris, playing one season there, touring Holland, and then to the Sydney and the Adelaide Festivals in Australia. He became a core member of the great musical-theatrical band The CASTANET CLUB, enjoying ten years national and international acclaim - (incl. “THE CASTANET CLUB – a movie you can dance to” (directed by Neil Armfield.) He led a creative lab, then created and guest-directed CIRCUS OZ’s 2003-5 world-touring show.
He performed in three Sydney Theatre Company productions: “The GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR”, (Dir Neil Armfield,) “TARTUFFE”, (Dir Barrie Kosky,) and “A MONTH in the COUNTRY”.
He appears in the films YOUNG EINSTEIN and RECKLESS KELLY.
Russell was a regular “Brains Trust” panelist on ABC TV’s “EINSTEIN FACTOR”, 2004-2009.
In 2014 – he devise-directed “Clockfire Theatre Company’s ‘A HUNGER SUITE’, in Istanbul and then Sydney.
In 2015 he appeared in The Hayes Theatre production of HIGH SOCIETY as Seth Lord with Amy Lehpamer, Virginia Gay, Bobby Fox and Bert Labonte.
He completed initial season of his one-man show in August 2016 at the 505 theatre in Sydney: “WHO AM I….?” Directed by Steve (The Sandman) Abbott.
“WHO AM I…?” was invited to the Adelaide Festival of the Arts, in March 2017. It then played seasons at The Street Theatre, Canberra, and Riverside Theatres, Parramatta.
2018 – “WHO AM I…?” played seasons in Newcastle, Albury-Wodonga and toured country Victoria. 2020 pre-covid played in Coramba, Coffs Harbour.
Steve Rodgers joins Regina to talk about his life stomping the boards as an actor and writer for the stage.
Steve trained at Theatre Nepean at Western Sydney University and has been working as an actor for thirty years. Theatre credits include Every Brilliant Thing, Cloudstreet, Twelfth Night, The Blind Giant Is Dancing, Night on Bald Mountain, The Pillowman, The Kiss, A Christmas Carol and Jasper Jones (Belvoir), Riflemind, Three Sisters, Dance Better At Parties, Democracy, As You Like It, (Sydney Theatre Company), Dreams in White, Eight Gigabytes of Hardcore Pornography and Diving for Pearls (Griffin Theatre Company), Boys Next Door and Street Car Named Desire (Ensemble Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra (Bell Shakespeare Company). Steve’s most recent television credits include Upright, Kikki and Kitty and The Code while film credits include Goldstone, The Daughter, The Men’s Group and the short Snare, which played at SXSW, Tribeca and Sydney Film Festival this year. Steve’s writing credits include the plays Ray’s Tempest (Belvoir; MTC), Food (Belvoir / Force Majeure), Savage River (Griffin / MTC), and Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (Belvoir / National Theatre of Parramatta) and most recently King of Pigs for Red Line at the Old Fitz.
The ever charming William Zappa takes Regina from the beginning moments of an actor on stage, to his early life in repertory theatre, to head of the movement department of the VCA, to preparing the Iliad for the stage.
William Zappa's career has crossed continents and spanned four decades of elite performances in film, television, and theatre. After training at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, William worked for The Bristol Old Vic, Marlowe Theatre, Dukes Playhouse and the Theatre Royal - Stratford East.
Moving to Australia in 1976 to take up a post as Head of Movement at the School of Drama, Victorian College of the Arts he returned to acting full time in 1981. Since then he has forged a career as one of our finest actors having played major roles for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Bell Shakespeare, Ensemble, Belvoir Street, State Theatre of South Australia, and Griffin. Stand-out roles include Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman (SATC) his award winning thirteen characters in Bell Shakespeare's Government Inspector (Green Room Award), Anthony in BSC'c Anthony and Cleopatra, Max in Rock and Roll (STC, MTC), and Edward Damson in Gift of The Gorgon (STC). He also won two awards for his portrayal of Thenardier in Les Miserables, the role which inspired him to write Winter's Discontent, his critically acclaimed one man show, which has just completed a season at The Darlinghurst Theatre.
Film work includes: Men's Group, The Monkeys Mask, The Rage in Placid Lake, Head On, Bootmen and a New Zealand Film Best Actor Award nomination for Crush. Television work includes: City Homicide, All Saints, Grass Roots, GP, and a Penguin Award for Best Actor in Women of the Sun.
Grant Dodwell joins Regina to talk about his extraordinary life, his stages shows, his television fame and fans and Australian Theatre Live.
Grant is a professional actor, writer and producer with over 40 years’ experience in theatre, film and television. Grant is a co-founder of ATLive and is passionate about ensuring younger generations have affordable access to theatre. He is a consistent advocate for actors and theatre creatives, ensuring their work is preserved and celebrated both locally and abroad. Grant has well over three decades of experience in theatre, film and television and was awarded Best Actor at the 2008 IF Awards for his role in the feature film Men’s Group. His major stage roles have been for Belvoir Street Theatre, The Old Tote, Royal Queensland Theatre Company, SA Theatre Company, and he played a lead role in David Williamson’s Third World Blues for the STC. Grant is most well known for his role as Simon Bowen in A Country Practice, for which he won 3 TV Logie Awards; and as Charles Willing in Willing and Abel. Grant co-produced Don Reid’s award-winning stage play Codgers, directed by Wayne Harrison, which became a feature film produced by RealPlayMedia.
Megan was recently announced as the winner of the Griffin Award, you may have seen her in Blackie, Blackie, Brown she's ambassador for poetry month and she joins Regina here to talk about all things theatrical.
Megan Wilding, a proud Gamilaroi woman, has established a reputation as a prolifically talented actor, writer and director. Recent winner
Since graduating from WAAPA, Megan has appeared in leading roles in Banging Denmark and Blackie Blackie Brown for the Sydney Theatre Company and The Rover for Belvoir St Theatre.
Her television credits include Sheilas, The Edge of the Bush and The Other Guy.
Winner of the 2017 Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Playwright’s Award, Megan also wrote and directed the acclaimed A Little Piece of Ash which was produced by the Jackrabbit Theatre Company at Kings Cross Theatre (KXT).
Megan is currently directing Exit the King for Redline Productions at The Old Fitzroy.
James joins Regina to talk about his life in Papua New Guinea, his life on the stage and the brains behind Brand X.
James Winter graduated as an Actor from the Centre for the Performing Arts (Adelaide) in 1993 before performing for Magpie Theatre Company, Springboard, Queenbitchery, Fleshdollies, Not So Straight and Brand X.
As a Theatre Director, James has worked for the State Opera Company of South Australia, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Restless Dance Company, Urban Myth Theatre of Youth, AIT Arts, Shopfront, Ashfield Youth Theatre, Brand X Theatre and The Studio at the Sydney Opera House.
He has been Artistic Director for Brand X Theatre, D Faces of Youth Arts and Ashfield Youth Theatre, along with being the Associate Director for Urban Myth Theatre of Youth.
His Community Cultural Development (CCD) experience includes theatre projects that engage communities with physical and intellectual disabilities, street dependent, same-sex attracted, gender non-conforming, drug dependent, sex-workers, remote indigenous communities, juvenile justice clients, incarcerated youth, refugee, recent arrival and dual diagnosis.
James has worked in Cairo (Egypt) with African artists in exile to establish self-determining community cultural development projects that include micro-business, cultural events and performance, networking and profile initiatives and a schools arts and cultural policy.
Currently James is a contracted Drama Tutor for Belvoir Theatre’s Youth Express Program working with marginalised young people to develop self-devised theatre project for public performance. He also creates immersive theatre productions for the independent arts sector.
James is co-founder and Director of Brand X; a non-profit service organisation that re-purposes underutilised buildings into creative studios in partnership with the private and public sectors. He currently sits on the board of Darlinghurst Business Partnership and the Nightlife and Creative Sector Advisory Panel for the City of Sydney.
Patrick takes Regina through his life as an actor and into his current show about Victor Hugo.
Patrick is co-artistic director and founding member of O'Punksky's. Essentially an actor he also designs, directs, produces, teaches, builds sets, [this web site] etc etc...... Patrick met Maeliosa Stafford at the Crossroads Theatre in Sydney's Darlinghurst in late 1989 and accepted his offer to join the cast of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. There was a tiny budget so Patrick also volunteered to design the show. The production was a small triumph and O'Punksky's theatre was born. In 1990 Patrick played Malcolm Scrawdyke in O'Punksky's next production, Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs (chosen for its long title), also directed by Maeliosa. Patrick again took on the task of designer and a creative partnership was galvanized. Patrick has been acting professionally since 1976, starting his career as AASM at the Theatre Royal in Stratford, East London. After a year he joined the Roundabout Theatre in Education Company in Nottingham and then, after another year at Stratford he emigrated to Australia. Over the years Patrick has worked with many companies in Australia, most notably Thalia, Bell, Griffin, Ensemble, Studio and most State companies.
Patrick is co-producer/writer of a series of training films in which he performs and sometimes directs. See O'Punksky Pedagogic page on this site.
He has taught acting courses and directed students at UNSW and ACTT. TV Credits include,: The Timeless Land, Carson's Law, Home and Away, Rake and Seachange. Film credits include: A Bridge Too Far, The Fluteman, Panacea, Flotsam Jetsam and Rogue Nation. Patrick has extensive voice credits which include many commercial voice overs, prose and poetry readings for ABC Radio Arts, and book readings which include Treasure Island, The Marx Sisters, The Drowner and A Tale of Two Cities. Patrick has self-produced two audio books:The Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo and Kabaka Lear by David Allen. Both are available as downloads on iTunes and Audible.com
Tommy joins Regina to talk about the last two decades in his award winning writing career.
In 2020 Tommy Murphy received the National Theatre Prize from the Australia Council for the Arts. His most recent stage play was Packer & Sons broke box office records at Belvoir.
Another recent work, Mark Colvin’s Kidney is currently in development for a screen adaptation. Murphy’s earlier stage adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s memoirs, Holding The Man, is regularly produced around the world with recent productions in Florence, Chicago, Nashville and London.
His screenplay for Holding the Man, for which he was Associate Producer, won the Australian Writers’ Guild Award and the Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay. Netflix distributes the film globally.
The stage play Holding the Man started at Griffin, directed by Murphy’s regular collaborator David Berthold, before transferring multiple times across Australia culminating in a West End production. It won multiple awards including the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, the Australian Writers’ Guild Award and the Philip Parsons Award. Tommy was the youngest and only dual winner in consecutive years of the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, having won for Strangers in Between at Griffin in 2005. Strangers in Between was revived in Melbourne, Sydney and on London’s West End in 2018.
Tommy’s adaptation of Lorca’s Blood Wedding formed part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. His play Gwen in Purgatory (Belvoir/La Boite) won the WA Premier’s Award and the Richard Burton Prize. His other plays include Troy’s House (Old Fitz/ATYP) and an adaptation of Christopher Marlowe’s Massacre at Paris (ATYP).
He is a graduate of NIDA’s directing course, a former president of SUDS, a Patrick White Fellow at Sydney Theatre Company and a Sidney Myer Fellowship recipient. Tommy is the creator of an upcoming ABC TV series, having been on the writing teams for Foxtel’s Fighting Season (Goalpost Pictures) and Devil’s Playground (winner of the 2015 Logie for Most Outstanding Miniseries and AACTA Award for Best Miniseries).
Dean is an award-winning Australian contemporary dance and performance practitioner, teacher and writer.
Dean has made over 45 works to date, solo to group, including 24 works he identifies as queer and/or disability integrated, due to their content, cast members, compositional methodology and the communities they were reflecting.
He is Autistic (higher functioning) and identifies as living with disability through a co-morbidity of ADHD and Complex-PTSD that influences his Autism and life significantly.
https://www.weirdnest.com/home
Backstage with Richard Piper. Richard joins Regina Botros to talk about his life in the theatre.
Richard has spent almost his entire 43-year career on stage. Trained in London, he was soon performing on the West End in Grease and Elvis, and came to Australia in 1985 with cult cabaret band The Bouncing Czecks. MTC: The Lady in the Van, Twelfth Night, Born Yesterday, Double Indemnity, Ghosts, Music, Queen Lear, The Gift, Drowsy Chaperone, Rockabye, Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Give and Take, Dumb Show, The Daylight Atheist (Green Room Award), Betrayal, Man the Balloon, Life After George, Measure for Measure, Comedy of Errors. Malthouse: The Black Rider, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore. STC: The Secret River, Gross und Klein, Great Expectations, Moby Dick. Bell Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The War of the Roses, Henry V, Henry IV. STCSA: Moby Dick, Marat Sade, Restoration. Musical Theatre: Come from Away, Oklahoma!, King Kong, Billy Elliot, Rocky Horror. TV: Wentworth, Underbelly. Films: Pirates of the Caribbean.
Shane goes Back Stage with Regina Botros to talk about Aida the Opera and his life on the stage.
OPERA AUSTRALIA- AIDA
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Adelaide born Shane Placentino graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 1990 and was accepted into the Australian Ballet in 1991. As a member of the Ballet, Shane danced in the entire classical and contemporary repertoire. He also worked with Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon appearing in Murphy’s Nutcracker and Beyond Twelve. After ten years with The Australian Ballet, Shane left in 2000. He joined Sydney Dance Company in 2002. Sydney Dance Company repertoire: Ellipse, Air and other invisible forces, Salome, Free Radicals, the role of ‘Jack’ in Tivoli, Underland, Random Play, Some Rooms, Grand, Hua Mulan, Berlin and Ever After Ever. Other credits: The Australian Ballet: full classical and contemporary repertoire including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Merry Widow, Jiri Kylian’s Sinfonietta, Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat, Stanton Welch’s Red Earth, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon. In 2008 Shane has assisted and performed in Meryl Tankard’s Inuk2 and was appointed the stage manager for Rafael Bonachela’s recent work with Sydney Dance Company.
Backstage with Melita Rowston.
The gorgeous and articulate Melita Rowston joins Regina Botros in this episode to dig deep into her life as a theatre maker and the stories behind her work.
Melita is a writer, director, painter and performer.
Melita's in her happy place writing and directing plays, painting, telling stories about Australia's Shit Tourism, performing poetry, writing about travel (while travelling) and she delights in interviewing interesting people.
Melita started writing for theatre because she wasn’t seeing the voices of Australian women represented on our stages. She's passionate about giving voice to those left in the shadows, on the sidelines of history. She finds the stories that fall through the cracks are the most compelling. They shed light on the forgotten social narratives of this country and offer us an opportunity to better understand the depth and diversity of our culture, our shared histories and ultimately, ourselves.
Katrina Retallick is back stage with Regina Botros to talk about how she came to the stage and her life in the lime light.
Katrina trained at The Central School of Speech and Drama, London. Her phenomenal music theatre career includes roles in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless! The Musical, Falsettos, The Addams Family, Every Single Saturday, No Way to Treat a Lady, A Little Night Music, Wind in the Willows, Jekyll and Hyde, Songs For a New World, Company and South Pacific, with Katrina garnering wins and nominations for Sydney Theatre, Helpmann and Glug Awards.
Recent performances include the Hayes Theatre Company’s Big Fish and the Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf Revue.
In film, Katrina appeared in Accidents Happen and The Eternity Man and will soon be seen in June Again. On the small screen, credits include Love Child, Comedy Inc, The Chaser’s CNNN and Backberner.
Catherine joins Regina to talk theatre writing and her inspirations and process.
A VCA graduate Animateur, Catherine works as a writer, dramaturg, director, community theatre maker, producer and performer, with a range of experiences across several media including stage, radio, published prose and documentary film. Her practice is inspired by questions about empathy, interconnectedness, the dynamics of relationships and the spaces and obstacles between us.
She lives in Dja Dja Wurrung country (Central Victoria), just outside a town with a name, but no shop, pub, tennis court or public phone (there are, however, magnificent eagles and a gorgeous river). In 2001 she co-founded Castlemaine’s Barking Owl Theatre, co-creating many original and community-based works in their 8 years of activity. In 2009 Catherine won an AWGIE for Best Radio Adaptation for Aurora Calling: The Results of a Joint Observation, which was then the Australian nominee in its category at the Prix Italia International Media Awards. Her work has also won a George Fairfax Award (Precipice - 2009) and 2 Inscription Awards (Precipice and Getting Away From It All - 2009, 2006), along with several other national (Patrick White, Griffin and Hal Porter Short Story Awards) and international (Perishable Theatre International Women’s Playwright) short-listings. She has been an Affiliate Writer at the Melbourne Theatre Company, a Resident Playwright at Griffin Theatre, Sydney, and commissioned by the Malthouse Theatre (2013) and ABC Radio National (2008, 2004). Catherine’s work has appeared at/in the Castlemaine State Festival, ABC Radio National, La Mama Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Overland, and will be seen in the journal Antipodes. In 2017 her work, Dogged, received a National Script Workshop at Playwriting Australia.
Imogen Sage has studied in London as well as here and has been in roles from Woyzeck to The Three Sisters and A Street Car Named Desire to Romeo and Juliette and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. She has performed around the country as well as overseas and has also starred in many films, as well as voicing many audio books. Currently she is on stage in the titular role of Claudel at the Sydney Opera House. And she joins Regina Botros to traipse through her life so far and the world of the theatre.
Moreblessing talks with Regina about theatre, women of colour and making a difference on the stage.
Moreblessing Maturure is a Zimbabwean/Australian inter-disciplinary artist, TEDx Speaker and the Creative Director of FOLK Magazine.
The award-nominated actor has appeared in a suite of projects pre-Rona, most recently ‘THE RETREAT’ (Victoria Zerbst) and CH 9’s ‘SEACHANGE: REBOOT’ (Wayne Blair) as well as on various stages across Sydney. Moreblessing also works with various theatre companies as dramaturg, outreach producer and cultural advisor, which supports the advocacy practice Moreblessing carries out within the arts for accurate and diverse representation. She’s an Equity Member and sits as Co-Chair of MEAA’s Equity Diversity Committee.
Most recently she appeared in Yana Taylor’s sold out season of LEADING IS FOLLOWING IS LEADING for Liveworks 2020 and can be seen in the SELL OUT season of seven methods of killing kylie jenner at Darlinghurst Theatre Company .
- Recent credits include: THEATRE: Leading Is Following Is Leading (Liveworks 2020)// A Little Piece of Ash (Jack Rabbit Theatre, KXT Bakehouse)//Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (House of Sand, Old 505)//Fallen (Sport for Jove, She Said Theatre)// Undertaking, The Bee and the Tree, Like Me, Age of Entitlement, The Way of the Wall (Mongrel Mouth)
SCREEN: (TV)- Back To The Rafters, SeaChange, Deadly Women (FF)- Akoni (WS)- The Retreat, Ang Wilson, Afro Sistahs (SF)- (W)hole, STIGMA, Prelude, I am Black and Beautiful and. Searching for Babel
Melanie Tait joins Regina Botros to talk about her life and it's trajectory to the stage.
Melanie Tait is an innovative and prolific theatre-maker, audio storyteller and digital journalist with a proven record in Australia and the UK. Her work and ideas consistently reflect the zeitgeist and she makes those ideas come to life with the help of talented teams.
Returning to Australia after her play The Vegemite Tales won critical and popular acclaim, Melanie trained as a journalist with the ABC. She has worked for the past twelve years creating radio and digital content.
Now a recognised storyteller and broadcaster, she has created popular podcasts like A Country Podcast, Now Hear This and Tall Tales and True. Her play The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race premiered at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney in March 2019 and will tour nationally in May-June 2021. Another play, A Broadcast Coup, was set to premiere at Ensemble Theatre in April 2020, but was cancelled due to Covid19.
Melanie was previously Executive Producer of Podcasts at Mamamia Women's Networks overseeing their two most popular podcasts No Filter and The Quicky.
For ABC TV, she has guest hosted and reported for One Plus One and The Mix.
Melanie has written many features, op-ed and reportage for local and international mastheads including Guardian UK, Guardian Australia, news.com.au, The Australian.
Choreographer Shannon Burns talks with Regina about her life as a dancer.
Shannon grew up in the Central Queensland town of Gladstone which is where her love of dance began. At the age of 15 she moved to Brisbane where she studied ballet full time at Queensland Dance School of Excellence before completing a Diploma of Performing Arts at ED5 International in Sydney. She has since obtained a diploma in Professional Pilates Instruction through PITC. With a technical and gymnastic background, Shannon is drawn to strong, athletic, dynamic and stylized movement from a range of genres and styles.
A versatile performer, Shannon has had the privilege of working with many of Australia’s leading choreographers including Kelley Abbey, The Squared Division, William Forsythe, Keith Hawley, Matt Lee, Leanne Cherny, Marko Panzic, Jason Coleman, Sarah Boulter and Stephen Baynes. Stage credits include Fame the Musical (Australian tour), Grease the Musical (Australian tour), previous Opera Australia productions including La Traviata and Carmen on Sydney Harbour, Le Gand Cirque, Ben Veitch’s production of Blood, Swart and Dance and the Shorter, Sweeter Dance tour.
Shannon has had international contracts in Macau (Dance Captain) and with Princess Cruises and has made regular television appearances on The X Factor, The Voice, Australian Idol, Australia’s Next Top Model and more. She has worked with both Australian and International artists including Ricky Martin, Jessica Mauboy, Ricki Lee, Red Foo and Sneaky Sound System. She has also appeared in films and music videos and performed at countless events including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony.
Since the birth of her two gorgeous children, Shannon has enjoyed the shift in both her personal and professional life. Stepping out of the spotlight and into more creative roles, Shannon was assistant choreographer to Kelley Abbey for Opera Australia’s 2019 production of Salome. She has choreographed for a number of award ceremonies and events including the Netball World Cup Opening Ceremony and has had the pleasure of creating work for Grayboy the Agency, Kermond Creative, Lovegrove Entertainment and ED5 international .
Shannon had a magical experience dancing in the 2012 production of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour.
Designer Elizabeth Gadsby joins Regina to talk about the art and craft of staging a show. She has designed multiple Sydney Theatre Company shows as well as other stages around town. She's also designed for Opera, Film and television.
Elizabeth is a set and costume designer, whose background in installation and performance art influences her approach to her design work. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from National Art School and a Bachelor of Dramatic Arts (Design) from NIDA.
Ian Darling is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, who returns to the stage for the first time in 40 years. His Director credits include The Final Quarter, Paul Kelly — Stories of Me, In the Company of Actors, The Oasis, Suzy & the Simple Man etc.. He received the Byron Kennedy Award, won the AFI/AACTA Award, has twice been a Walkley Awards Finalist and a winner of 2 Film Critics Circle Awards.
Imogen joins Regina to delve into how she came to the stage, a little of the history of burlesque and what she's doing now. She is renowned as Australia’s Queen of Burlesque, but also crowned World Queen of Burlesque in 2012 (Burlesque Hall of Fame, Las Vegas). Imogen Kelly is an acclaimed writer, director, producer. Her theatre shows include The Undressing Room (Solo), Herstory (Solo), Mr Monster (Family Variety) and Tarnished (La La Parlour- circus troupe).
Tim joins Regina to talk theatrics and madness in his life on the stage. As an iconic Melbourne gay performer, he is one of the pioneers of Australian cabaret, performance art and punk. His legendary musical queer art happenings and performance art cabarets with a touch of Dada have been staged at galleries, festivals and venues around the world. Tim is an internationally acclaimed interpreter of Noel Coward.
Priscilla joins Regina to talk theatre business. For Sydney Theatre Company, she directed the award winning production of White Pearl, by Anchuli Felicia King, she wrote and directed Still Point Turning: The Catherine McGregor Story (2018), assistant directed The Father and The Hanging. She has directed for Ensemble theatre, and is currently working on productions with Opera Australia.
Director Paige Rattray talks about her life in the theatre. Currently the Associate Director at Sydney Theatre Company, Paige was previously the Associate Artistic Director at Queensland Theatre and was chosen as Sydney Theatre Company’s Richard Wherrett Fellow for a consecutive two years (2015, 2016). She is a co-founder of award-winning, independent theatre company ARTHUR, and a graduate of NIDA.
One of Australia’s finest actors, Helen Thomson, joins Regina in an interview about her life and how she came to be an actor. Helen is one of the darlings of the theatre scene. She has stomped the boards since the 90’s and never ceases to amaze with her comic timing, charismatic charm or depth of character on stage. She shares her early life and the know-how of a skilled craftsperson.
Wesley Enoch joins Regina Botros to discuss this moment in theatre history and the sliding doors of choices. Wesley Enoch AM has been the Sydney Festival Director from 2017–2021. Wesley Enoch, a proud Noonuccal Nuugi man, is a writer and director and was the Artistic Director at Kooemba Jdarra Indigenous Performing Arts; Ilbijerri Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative; Queensland Theatre Company; and the Associate Artistic Director at Belvoir Street Theatre.
Genevieve Lemon, a darling of Sydney theatre, joins Regina to talk about her life as an actor. She’s been in everything from The Young doctors and Prisoner to the Secret River and Rake on TV, Sweetie to Holy Smoke, The Dressmaker and Ladies in Black for film. And for Stage Billy Elliott, Death of a Salesman, A Taste of Honey Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf -and so many more..
Jonathan Biggins joins Regina Botros to talk about his life as an entertainer, where he's from, his working relationships and how he got to where he is now. One of the creators of the STC’s Wharf Revue, winner of two AWGIE’s, he is also the author of three books, including The 700 Habits of Highly Ineffective People.