SmartArts Triple R Podcasts

It’s that time of year again… Melbourne International Comedy Festival! You can’t escape it… so let’s embrace it, with two fabulous comics joining Richard on the program. But he's got art and theatre covered too, of course! Kicking off with comedian Darby James whose kooky cabaret, ‘Little Squirt’ (formerly SpunkDaddy), turns the big but rarely discussed topic of sperm donation into a naughty, risqué and sincere performance. Catch Little Squirt at the Malthouse Theatre, until April 21. Comedian Nathan Hugh Robért comes on to discuss, ‘Tiny King’, a stand-up comedy hour about height, power and living with hemilpegic cerebral palsy. Nathan’s show is running from the 9-21 April at The Dove Club. Artist Pia Johnson calls in to talk about her exhibition ‘Re-Orient’ at the Immigration Museum, which launched on Saturday March 16 and is running until April 11. The collection is a site specific work exploring how we understand transnational communities and their histories. Producer Emma Khamis talks us through the magic of Monkey Baa Theatre’s production of Possum Magic. After celebrating 40 years of Possum Magic in 2023, try your mightiest to take a child to the enchanting stage renditions Mem Fox and Julie Vivas’ beloved picture book. The show runs from April 5-7 at the Alexander Theatre at the Ian Potter Centre of Performing Arts.

Join Richard Watts in the studio with Liz Knowles, the new Executive Director of Arts Project Australia about their upcoming 50th Anniversary, Tai Snaith for the fortnightly review of current Melbourne exhibitions, and Director Charlotte Rogers and Hazel Pigrim on their production called Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons. Richard is also joined on the line with John Richards, the Festival Director of the Bendigo Pride Festival, Ros Abercrombe, the Executive Director of Regional Arts Australia chatting about the 2024 report of State of Australian Regions, and Effy Increna, the Director of a new production at the Substation called Akaraka.

Richard kicks off this week’s epic show with Irish band, The Mary Wallopers. The cheeky, rowing brothers, Charles and Andrew Hendy, talk sibling rivalry, genre shifting, and their anticipation of Ireland’s global domination… Professor Lisa Given is on the line to celebrate Dungeons & Dragons 50th Birthday. What is the legacy of DnD and tabletop roleplaying? Lisa’s recent research goes into the mental health benefits and value of playing it. Naser Shaktour, the Festival Director of the Palestinian Film Festival 2024, calls in to give us a program overview and talks through why it is so important to engage with Palestinian media right now. The Palestinian Film Festival starts at Cinema Nova on March 14. Actor, Yvette Turner, who stars in The Hearth Theatre’s iteration of ‘The 39 Steps’, gives an insight to the tongue-in-cheek-love-letter coming to us at Chapel off Chapel from March 8. PHOTO 2024 Curator, Brendan McCleary, and visiting artist, Clifford Prince King, give a big festival overview chat with a focus on the regional weekend on March 7-10. The dangerously in sync Helen Hopkins and Carolyn Bock from The Shift Theatre tell us about their new production ‘Eat Your Heart Out’ at La Mama. How devilishly fun, darling! PLUS The brilliant Anne-Marie Peard reviews the latest and greatest theatre performances around town.

Richard Watts is back in the studio to chat to director Gary Abrahams and actress Evelyn Krape on the production of Yentl, an adaptation of a Yiddish short story. Plus, S.Shakthidharan, the writer and associate director of Counting and Cracking for the 2024 RISING festival; conductor Carlo Antonioli visits the studio to discuss the new performance of When We Were Young at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, showing off new and emerging composers; and Richard celebrates a new achievement with Bruce Gladwin, the artistic director and Co-CEO of Back to Back Theatre, recipients of the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre. Into the last hour, Richard catches up with Anne-Marie Peard on all things theatre in Melbourne, and co-curatorsa Tilly Boleyn and Bern Hall, aboout the new new exhibition of Not Natural at Science Gallery Melbourne.

Jess McEvoy talks about their solo rock musical, 'The Show,' and the way that the show came about naturally after years of performing as a singer-songwriter between Naarm and New York City. Sandrine Lescourant, dancer and performer in Oona Doherty's piece 'Hope Hunt and the Acension into Lazarus', discusses the way the work looks at suburban youth culture in Northern Ireland, focussing on young men and the 'id of the Northern Irish chav.' Director Kitan Petkovski speaks about his 7-hour theatre work, 'The Inheritance,' and how this piece honours the importance of elders in queer spaces, especially gay men in a post-AIDs crisis context. Hosted by Richard Watts

SmartArts' 19th birthday was celebrated on the day of broadcast (December 14, 2023), which was also Richard's last show for 2023! Richard is joined by Liam James, Deputy Director of Linden New Art. They discuss the gallery's Postcard Show 2023-24; how it celebrates the hobby artists, makes art accessible and defies the meaning of “postcard”. Richard also hears about fortyfivedownstairs’ 2024 program from Artistic Director, Cameron Lukey. Plus, everything you need to know about the Women’s Circus Member Cabaret as told by Kate Fryer, co-director, and Hanne Grant, communications manager and circus performer, in the lead up to their annual showcase.