Artists are some of the poorest people in our community, and yet are prepared to forgo their limited income to support fellow artists from other countries – in this case Palestine.
Playwright Jane Harrison’s The Visitors shows audiences how a group of Indigenous leaders might have debated what to do when the First Fleet landed in 1788 - but where are the women?
Thirty years on, Bran Nue Dae still feels relevant.
Prudence Upton
The world premiere of Nardi Simpson’s Black Drop Effect takes in the complex histories of Aboriginal responses to commemoration, and makes space for protest, cultural reclamation and negotiation.
The set design for Lady Tabouli captures all of the details of Lebanese-Australian family life.
Robert Catto/National Theatre of Parramatta
One Infinity is a music and dance collaboration about crossing cultures and breaking boundaries. The performance celebrates differences without attempting to resolve them.
Shakira Clanton in Henrietta Baird’s The Weekend.
Jamie James/Courtesy of Moogahlin
Deer Woman, written, directed, designed, composed, stage managed and performed by First Nations artists from Canada, is anchored by a solo performance of fierce skill, focus and precision.
Dust is a new show by far-north Queensland company Dancenorth, currently playing at the 2019 Sydney Festival.
Pippa Samaya
Dancenorth’s Dust explores a world on the brink of turning back to dust. Its themes are familiar in contemporary dance, but the show is replete with powerful images.
Soprano Jane Sheldon in La Passion de Simone. Kaija Saariaho’s work had its Australian premiere at the 2019 Sydney Festival, performed by the Sydney Chamber Opera.
Victor Frankowski
The Australian premiere of La Passion de Simone uses multiple voices to tell a story about philosopher Simone Weil. But the work lacks the emotional drama of its subject’s life.
Honorary Associate, Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, School of Literature, Art, and Media, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney