Backstage

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 mod...

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...

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 Independ...

  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 Lo...

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 t...

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 rol...

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 Amplifie...

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 indepen...

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 ter...

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,...

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...

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 performa...

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 br...

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 photog...

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...

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,...

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, w...

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 Bel...

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 Or...

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 hilario...

🎙️ 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 c...

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...

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 pl...

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 SONG...