SmartArts

Richard sits down with Melbourne festival Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway for 'Tree of Codes, Artistic Director Angharard Wynne Jones for season 2 of Arts House and Tamblyn Lord to discuss his one man show Call of the Ice, playing at La Mama Courthouse Theatre.

Richard Watts is joined in this podcast by the Curator for VCA Dr. Elizabeth Gower and Artist Tai Snaith for VCA's 9x5 NOW, Chief theatre critic for the Age Cameron Woodhead discusses MTC's Macbeth, and Artistic director for the Australian ballet David McAllister chats about his rendition of the classic 'Sleeping beauty'.

This week on Smart Arts we are talking comic books Bernard Kellio, Dr Christopher Heathcote talksDiscovering Dobell. Sam Leach and Kylie Stillman about their upcoming exhibition, magicians Peter and Bambi Heaven on their show 'The Magic Inside'and Ben Ladendirector of 'Little Big Shots' film festival for kids.

Richard Watt's live broadcast from the National Gallery of Victoria's Van Gough exhibit. Interviews feature NGV senior curator Ted Gott, Dr. Anthony White discussing The myth of Troubled Genius and weekly guests for Art Attack, Ace Wagstaff and Tai Snaith.

Fraught Outfit's bold Innocence Trilogy has its final installment realised in 2017. Split into two parts, Book of Exodus continues to focus on the identities of young people, the theatremakers again working with a cast of children and teenagers. Director and co-creatorAdena Jacobsand co-creator and dramaturgAaron Orzech join Richard to discuss the somewhat paradoxical process of working with ancie...

Combining the worlds of contemporary dance and competitive hip hop,Nick Power's Cypher takes the rituals of the hip hop world and places them in a somewhat unfamiliar context. Nick joins Richard to talk about the development of the show and the culture of hip hop. Spencer takes contemporary Australian suburbia and presents it back to us in a comedy of recognition about family and football. Directo...

This week's podcast features the return of 'Drawn Out', our monthly comics segment withBernard Caleo. Bernard introduces us to new Australian indie comic Eyes Too Dry by Jessica Tavassoli and Alice Chiplin, described as "a graphic memoir about heavy feelings". Richard and Bernard discuss old Doctor Who, new Flintstones and Dark Hope Essence , the latest in the Dark Hope series with a story by Sabi...

The big news on the Melbourne art scene this week is the move of Gertrude Contemporary from Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, to High Street, Preston South, echoing the move of many artists and organisations over the past few years from the CBD's fringe to suburbs further out. Artistic DirectorMark Fearyis in the studio to discuss the reasons for the move, positives and negatives and the final exhibition...

Today's podcast starts with an 'Art Attack!' from Ace and Tai. This fortnight's top exhibition is Claire Lambe's Mother Holding Something Horrific , a sculpture and mixed media exhibition at ACCA. Next up isPaul Capsis in the Broadway classic Cabaret . Paul and Richard discuss the new production and its development, cast and crew and the relevance of this dark musical to contemporary society. Red...

Glittery Clittery: A ConSENSUAL Party closesthis weekend - a sparkly, sex-positive, feminist cabaret/gameshow about women, culture and female anatomy. Tessa Waters, Rowena Hutson and Victoria Falconer-Pritchard from Fringe Wives Club join Richard to sing, laughand beat the patriarchy. Showing as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Independent theatre collective the Corinthian Food...

Independent theatre company The Rabble take onJoan of Arc in their production, Joan . Co-creator Kate Davis and actor Luisa Hastings-Edgejoin Richard to discussthe process of devising an original take on a historical figure through a contemporary feminist lens. The Ilbijerri Theatre Company delve into little-known Victorian history in a new adaptation of Coranderrk , the story of a self-determined...

Anya Anastasia is an award-winning cabaret artist whose latest show Rogue Romantic: Serenades from at Delinquent Diva has just kicked off at the new Melba Spiegeltent. Anya joins Richard to discussher show, its inspirations and just exactly whatis cabaret? Yirramboi First Nations Arts Festival has just released its program, and Creative DirectorJacob Boehme is in to talk about this exciting, Indig...

Photographer Kristian Laemmle-Ruffjoins Richard to talk about his upcoming photographic/mixed media exhibition Mind The Gap. Centred around a photo of the infamous Pine Gap military base, the exhibition explores contemporary Australian issues and a look at the diversity of the Australian social, cultural and environmental landscape. On the dance front, choreographerSandra Parkerand mixed media art...

First up, The Women's Show , an annual exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women artists from across Australia, held at the Vivien Anderson Gallery. Gallery managerAmy Boydand Victorian indigenousartistMaree Clarkjoin Richard to discuss the exhibition, Maree's practice and issues of diversity and identity in Australian indigenous art. The incomparableJudy Davis(most recently of The...

Bernard Caleo joins Richard this week for Drawn Out , the monthly comics review segment. He introduces us to Resist!, a womens' cartooning collection in response to the election of Donald Trump, The Banksia Project, a local comic mentoringinitiative for minority creators, and Naming Monsters , an eerie and haunting comic which is part of the growing graphic medicine movement. Political Acts: Pione...

This week, Richard is in studio with Pippa BaileyandAlex Galeazzi, senior producer and co-director respectively of the cross-cultural play The Age of Bones . T he Age of Bones (or Jaman Belulang, its Indonesian name) is a collaboration between Australian and Indonesian theatre-makers as part of AsiaTOPA.Pippa and Alex discuss the origins of the story, navigating collaboration between cultures and...

Richard speaks to the cast of a brand new Australian production, Lifetime Guarantee . Charles Purcell, Julian Dibley-Hall and Izabella Lena star in this satirical, modern-day comedy, written by Ross Mueller and directed by John Sheedy, dealing with issues of modern-day property development and our relationship to objects. Lifetime Guarantee is showing at Theatre Works in St Kilda from9th - 26th of...

Continuing Richard's exploration of the current Midsumma Festival program, this week's podcast features an interview with Tom Halls and Yvonne Virsik, whose production Sad Digger Mad Mary is showing at La Mama Theatre in Carlton. Sad Digger Mad Mary is a one-person show, presenting a man struggling with his return to society from the war, and the unlikely visitor who guides him out of his hermitud...

This week's podcast includes an in-depth discussion withJacob Boheme, the Artistic Director of the Yirramboi First Nations Festival, on the significanceof 26 January to the First Nations' people of Australia and the upcoming Yirramboi Festival in Melbourne. Richard also speaks to Daniel Lammin about his upcoming production, Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens , showing during Midsumma Fest...

This week's podcast includes Fleur Kilpatrick's fortnightly theatre review 'Shoot The Messenger', as well as performers Matt Kelly and Richard Higgins giving you the low down on the new family oriented production of 'The Listies Ruined Xmas', which has a Richard Watts stamp of approval. Also on the show is Angela Conquet on the return of the annual celebration of freedom and movement that is Dance...

This week sees another outstanding bunch of artists and performers and general creative minds in to the studio with Richard, as we gear up for the holiday season. Firstly we have the multi-talented performer Josh Piterman whose latest role is in the musical theatre production known as ' The Last Five Years ', running at 45Downstairs in December - sure to provoke some introspective thought for many...

Richard's first guest is the curator at the jaw-droppingly beautiful TarraWarra Museum of Art, one Julie Ewington, who came in to the studio to discuss, among other things, a new exhibition of metalwork sculpture by renowned Australian artist Bronwyn Oliver. Secondly we have Mr Brett Sheehy on the upcoming 2017 theatrical season at MTC (it's a cracker) and last but certainly not least Richard is j...

Richard's first guest this week is the Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the NGV, Simon Maidment, who will be providing insight in to the David Hockney exhibition entitled ' Current '. Current runs at NGV until March 2017. Following that interview Richard is joined by none other than the legendary 'Uncle' Jack Charles, who has been offering the publican eye-opening window in to his intrepid hi...

In the world of Melbourne theatre Richard talks to director Daniel Clarke about his new production ' Rust and Bone ' running at La Mama, as well as theatre makers Rachel Dyson-McGregor and Mike McEvoy who's creation, entitled ' STRIVE ', will be showing at the Richmond Theatrette on Church St. In the purely visual realm Richard speaks with German artist Vera Moller (whose work is being displayed a...

In this week's episode of Smart Arts, Richard chats with Wesley Enoch about his role in Sydney Festival 2017 , as well as Rachel Healy who is the co-director of the Adelaide Festival 2017 . Also in the studio is the artistic director of the Poppy Seed Theatre Festival Phil Hayden, along with directors/creators Danny Delahunty and Anna Rodway whose plays 'Blessed' and 'Ladycake' respectively will b...