The founder of the Bell Shakespeare Company has written a book gleaning leadership wisdom from the bard. But figures such as Richard III and Julius Caesar are hardly ones to emulate.
A queen with a reputation for scandal, Marie Antoinette enjoyed her private spaces with a small circle of friends. A mirrored room kept the judgments of the outside world at bay.
How does the spirit of Byron Byron endure wave after wave of seekers and lately, Instagram influencers? Sally Breen took a road trip and found a something deeper in the beachy township.
Premiering in 1937 in Frankfurt during the Third Reich, there is a ritualistic force to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. This makes it a guilty pleasure for some and perfect fodder for ad jingles.
Australia was the only nation to perform ‘live-on-tape’ in the first Eurovision semi-final. Some suggest this hindered our chances, but taped performances may be the way of the future.
She was a feted opera singer, and Australia’s first celebrity. But there were many sides to Nellie Melba, a complex, clever businesswoman with a rather contemporary take on fame.
It takes time and money to create large scale sculptures. A new exhibition of works in cast concrete is testament to a remarkable philanthropic project.
Addressed to a ‘fair youth’ and later, ‘a dark lady’, the sonnets are less well known than Shakespeare’s plays. A journey into them is an unsettling and beguiling literary adventure.
Leaving our earthly bodies and living forever as a machine isn’t just a thing of modern science fiction. These transhumanist ideas date back to the 18th century.
With 350 artworks created by 320 Indigenous artists who are in or recently released from prison, The Torch is making a difference to how people are seen and how they see themselves.
Fictional screen robots have long represented our fear of technology. A new animated family film combines this trepidation with many parents’ fear of losing offline connection with their kids.
Mark Harvey, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Investment in the arts is also an investment in economic growth, health and well-being – but arts practitioners won’t be holding their breath at budget time.
In this influential novel, two Persians travel to Paris and report their bemusement at its customs. Questions such as the dilemmas of tolerance and the social nature of our identities are explored.
The government needs to address the whole ecosystem of the arts, increasing funding to the Australia Council so individual artists and small organisations get adequate support.
Rachel Boddy, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Billie Eilish received criticism for wearing an ‘oppressive’ corset on the cover of Vogue. But for centuries, the clothing gave women support in work, and in play.
As a concert pianist, Scott Davie has been searching for the spirit of Chopin since his teens. It’s taken him to Paris and Majorca and channeled tantalising notes through time.