by Yvonne Frindle
Before the pandemic, I used to construct Fantasy League Subscriptions: choose-your-own seasons that would be feasible if only Australia were a little smaller. They were idiosyncratic – I’d ignore the obvious highlights, searching instead for programming that upended formulas, offered something new and piqued my imagination.
After all, why go out to hear something I could program at home, with a world of musical performance at my digital fingertips? And today, compelling programming and presentation is more important than ever …
by Paul Ballam-Cross
Judging by some of the performances lined up for 2023, the setbacks and hindrances of the last few years have only fuelled the determination of Australian chamber ensembles to really fire up audiences. There’s a genuine sense of exploration and curiosity across the year; we’ve got more international guest-star musicians than ever to welcome to our stages across the country, and a rather impressive number of newly commissioned Australian works too. As a very brief survey of what to expect from the year ahead…
by Deborah Jones
In 1998, less than 25 years ago, State Opera South Australia staged the first full Ring Cycle by an Australian company. It had been a long wait. SOSA backed up in 2004 with Elke Neidhardt’s unforgettable production, sadly never filmed, while Opera Australia has staged Neil Armfield’s production of the Ring Cycle twice in Melbourne, in 2013 and 2016. OA would have come to the party again earlier except for you know what. Its twice-delayed Ring, directed and designed by Chen Shi-Zheng, arrives in Brisbane for three cycles in December. But that’s not all …
by Steve Dow
Theatre in Australia will blossom in 2023 following the lockdown years with their constriction on artists and performances. We, the audience, will play our part. Belvoir’s Artistic Director Eamon Flack reminds us that merely going to the theatre is “one of life’s great acts of optimism”.
The 2023 season heralds change. Unveiling her inaugural program as Artistic Director of Melbourne Theatre Company, Anne-Louise Sarks aims to examine no less than “how we make theatre and who we have in the room”, while Griffin Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Declan Greene is embracing a “messy, expansive, joyously chaotic” final season …
by Jansson J. Antmann
The Australian festivals landscape has been a reliable barometer of the impact of the pandemic. At the outset, there were parallels to the years of economic and cultural renewal after the Second World War when festivals became a platform for national pride. Then came a strengthening of ties across territorial borders and a move away from the coveted ‘exclusive’. This was bolstered by the Major Festivals Initiative, which promoted the development and sharing of festival-ready work on the circuit, both locally and overseas. In the absence of international acts, this was greatly welcomed by festival organisers and audiences alike, and lauded by those who cogently argued the arts should be …
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