Queering the Collection

Caroline Bowditch is a performance maker whose lived experience has framed the way she has made change within our industry. This episode details access and inclusion, love and passion, visibility and aspiration. Disabled is often labelled as ‘taken out of commission’ and Bowditch provokes us all to reframe the way we see, include and celebrate, everybody. Queering the Collection is created by Tris...

Christos Tsiolkas and Stephen Nicolazzo have collaborated on two productions that have shifted their creative practices. Together working on Merciless Gods and Loaded , these artists have formed an intergenerational partnership buoyed by their shared experience of being outsiders and migrants while negotiating class, anger, shame and politics. Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham...

Janet Anderson recently starred in Overflow , a play written by non-binary artist Travis Alabanza. Her solo performance was a tour de force and aligned her personal with her political. The play was presented when trans people dominated headlines, during a time of debate about bathroom usage. Overflow was a creative haven; the entire Trans and Gender Diverse creative team allowed Anderson to bring...

Celebrated for her one-woman shows throughout the 70s, 80s and today, Robyn Archer is a Cabaret Icon. Her committed multi-discipline artistic practice has expanded across form and content, to communicate political and social messages to the widest possible audiences. From Brecht to Piaf, her varied work forms her identities; from Queer musical artist to the first woman to direct a major Australian...

Ben Graetz came out as drag queen Miss Ellaneous on his 25th birthday. Since then, he has expanded as a beloved First Nation artiste and ‘Drag Mother’ to many. In this episode, we journey through Sydney in the 90’s as Ben established his drag persona, thriving in Darwin in the 00’s as he nurtured his First Nation drag community, and nowadays, building creative pathways nationally for Queer and Fir...

The cultural significance of Tony Kushner’s Angel’s in America for the LGBTIQ+ community cannot be overstated; a play that spoke to the horror of the times as it was unfolding. Colin Batrouney starred in the Australian (MTC) premiere production when the AIDS epidemic was at its deadly height. This episode reminds us how HIV / AIDS decimated a generation of queer creatives, bringing with it profoun...

Contributing to the rise of women’s theatre in the late 80’s and building Australia’s Burlesque scene in the 00’s, Maude Davey always ensured the voices of Women, Trans, Gender-Diverse and Queer Artists were prioritised in the theatre. This episode spans Melbourne’s Docklands parties, Miss Wicked Competition, the emergence of Burlesque, sexual fantasies and mentoring young artists. It showcases Da...

From high kicks at Her Majesty’s to impersonating Shirley Bassey in the UK, Uncle Noel Tovey’ s theatrical career has spanned over 60 years. He overcame racism, adversity and homophobia, to become a leading First Nation voice within the LGBTIQ+ community. This episode honours his life story, concluding with a moment he never thought would happen - witnessing the Victorian Government expunge and ap...

A prelude to Queering the Collection , by creator Tristan Meecham. Portrait by Mia Mala McDonald. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne in collaboration with Tristan Meecham. Queering the Collection is a powerful series of interviews inspired by culturally significant items from the Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne and The Australian Queer Archives. Featuring Janet Ander...

“As a young kid growing up in conservative Queensland, it was only in the theatre that I got a glimpse of queerness. As the lights dimmed, these rare moments became a lifeline. Queer Artists have always existed, but our stories are often hidden in plain sight. This short form series uses objects and images to rekindle histories, memories and queer experiences. It questions what is collected and wh...