247 episodes

In-depth conversations with the world's top directors, performers and writers for the stage.

The Stage Show ABC listen

    • Arts

In-depth conversations with the world's top directors, performers and writers for the stage.

    The writer of The Whale makes a case for the existence of God

    The writer of The Whale makes a case for the existence of God

    A Case for the Existence of God is by the American playwright Samuel D. Hunter. It is a two-hander that explores the unlikely connections between two men unalike in class, race and sexuality. Samuel is also the creator of the very unsettling hit play The Whale, a film adaption of which earned two Academy Awards.

    Two separate productions of A Case for the Existence of God are being presented in April — one by Outhouse Theatre Co at the Seymour Centre in Sydney and the other by Red Stitch in Melbourne.

    • 26 min
    Wherefore, Shakespeare? 01 | Comedy

    Wherefore, Shakespeare? 01 | Comedy

    Wherefore, Shakespeare? is a new series that explores the dilemmas, conflicts, and controversies in Shakespeare's major plays. In our first instalment, we tackle Shakespeare's comedies. Are they funny? And if they are, how is our sense of humour different from what tickled the fancies of the Elizabethan audience?

    We're joined by Peter Evans, artistic director of Bell Shakespeare, Professor Jane Montgomery Griffiths, an acclaimed actor and the head of the School of Performing Arts at Collarts, and Professor David McInnes who teaches Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama at the University of Melbourne.  

    • 28 min
    Why Miriam Margolyes courts controversy — 'I know what I'm doing'

    Why Miriam Margolyes courts controversy — 'I know what I'm doing'

    In her memoir Oh Miriam!, the British-Australian actress, writer and comedian Miriam Margolyes shares hugely entertaining stories from her life with her trademark wit and disarming candour. Now, she's bringing those stories — and more — to the stage.

    Also, 37 is a new play from the funny and vernacular Palawa/Pakana playwright, Nathan Maynard. In the era of AFL footballer Adam Goodes' famous war cry, two Aboriginal footy players in a regional club confront the personal cost of either staying quiet or speaking out about racism. We're joined by the show's star, Ngali Shaw, and director, Isaac Drandic.

    • 54 min
    Andrew Scott's one-man Uncle Vanya

    Andrew Scott's one-man Uncle Vanya

    The acclaimed Irish actor Andrew Scott tackles his most challenging stage role yet in a one-man retelling of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The production, Vanya, was commissioned and directed by Sam Yates, a young British director who was mentored by the likes of Trevor Nunn, Nicholas Hytner and Phyllida Lloyd. 

    Also, opening nights can be stressful under any circumstances, but what do you do when a zombie apocalypse threatens curtain time? We're joined by the team behind Zombie! The Musical. And an updated version of Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play Gaslight is now touring Australia. We meet the director and writers.

    • 54 min
    Extreme action, dreaming stories and theatrical theft in Adelaide

    Extreme action, dreaming stories and theatrical theft in Adelaide

    At the 2024 Adelaide Festival, we visit theatre foyers, dressing rooms and the city's famous gardens to meet the artists bringing theatregoers to the edge of their seats.

    We speak with artistic director Ruth Mackenzie, who is delivering her first full program this year, we meet acclaimed choreographer Elizabeth Streb, whose 'Action Hero' performers in Streb Extreme Action will push their bodies to the limit in Time Machine, we visit the Narungga artists and cultural custodians sharing the creation stories of their country on the Yorke Peninsula in Guuranda, and we learn how acts of creative thievery can become a joyful paean to the performing arts in Grand Theft Theatre.

    • 54 min
    Need help getting opera singers to soar? Add puppets

    Need help getting opera singers to soar? Add puppets

    One of the headline events at this year's Adelaide Festival is an enchanting production of Stravinsky's opera The Nightingale. It comes from the playful imagination of Robert Lepage. Lepage is an acclaimed French-Canadian writer, director and performer who, during his decades-long career, has reshaped our ideas of what theatre can be.

    Also, we hear a scene from Monument by Emily Sheehan, a new Australian play at Red Stitch about a tense encounter between a woman prime minister and her makeup artist, and we learn about the family history that has inspired former ABC journalist Jane Hutcheon to tell her own story on stage in the show Lost in Shanghai.

    • 54 min

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