MELBOURNE FESTIVAL: Trustees

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2018
Trustees
3 October 2018  
Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne Festival
Beckett Theatre
to 21 October
malthousetheatre.com.au
www.festival.melbourne

Natasha Herbert. Trustees. Malthouse Theate

My review is at The Music.

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL: 16 Lovers Lane

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2018
16 Lovers Lane
Lindy Morrison, Amanda Brown and too many more to name
6 October 2018
www.festival.melbourne

Cover shots from "16 Lovers Lane" The Go-Betweens

In 1988, my favourite album was 16 Lovers Lane by The Go-Betweens. I played my cassette copy more than New Order's Substance. I also went to every Go-Betweens gig that I could get to; so many pub band rooms.

Thirty years later, I interviewed Lindy and Amanda about this album and what it's like to revisit it all these years later.

On Saturday night, I get to see some of them again in plush seats at the State Theatre.

Here's the interview on The Music.

PS. I also got to sneak in a bit of an interview I did with Grant in 2000.

And here's me in Brisbane in 1988.

MICF: Ghost Machine

Ghost Machine
Laura Davis
4 April 2018
Butterfly Club
comedyfestival.com.au

Ghost Machine

This isn't a review, it's a directive.

If you somehow haven't seen Laura Davis perform, what do I have to do to convince you? I've done the stars,  adjectives and quoteables.

She's moving to the UK in a couple of weeks, so this really might be your last chance because I think the UK is going to love her and keep her and give her so much work that the next time she's back here, it's because she's famous.

I first saw her at the Melbourne Fringe in 2013 (I think). I saw her because the venue tech thought I'd really like her work. They were right.

Since then, every new show she's done has not only seen her develop as a writer and observer of the world, but she's questioned stand-up and confronted so many of the expectations of women performing in this industry.

Ghost Machine blew me away a bit when I saw it in 2015. What must a performer be going through to decided to make themselves unseen on the stage? 

I interviewed Laura for The Music earlier in the year. This quote didn't make it. We were talking about women in comedy.

"Imagine how much female comics love comedy when you're quite often turning up to a dig where it's dangerous for you to physically get to it late at night. You probably don't have many mates on the lineup because it's an all male lineup, and you know that you won't be included in the sort of social collateral that comes with it. You probably won't be given the choice spot on the lineup, you'll be paid a little bit less and then you've got a scary walk home after. You deal with all the punters who tell you that women aren't funny and that you've got great tits and you just need to shut up – and multiply that by a career, with so many women. Not that everybody has that experience every night, but it's always something that I've tried to point out to people. Imagine how much you like doing this and care about this. I'm passionate about this as an art form. But there's no way you would choose it. Spending all my early 20s in a scary bar with scary man doing weird gigs; that's a real choice but feels like it goes hand in hand with passion for the art form."

It is getting better, but we still know stories of women being treated atrociously in the industry and too many women have stories about being asked to show their tits. We're getting better, but we still have a way to go.

MICF: The Music comedy festival edition

MICF 2018
comedyfestival.com.au

We're counting down to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and getting some sleep in while we can.

If you haven't picked up a paper copy of The Music's MICF edition – look at that cover! – you can read it here on issu.com.

I interviewed Tessa Waters, Laura Davis and Showko, and there are a pile of great interviews with  SM favourites like Zoe Coombs Marr, Jean Tong, DeAnne Smith and Neal Portenza. And lots of others. If the festival guide is a bit daunting – bloody terrifying – start here and get to know the performers from more than just a blurb.

Interview: Imara Savage, Top Girls

Top Girls
Sydney Theatre Company
12 Feb –24 March
sydneytheatre.com.au

STC "Top Girls"

My interview with director Imara Savage in The Music.

Interview: Dean Bryant

Vivid White 
Melbourne Theatre Company
18 November–23 November
mtc.com.au

Vivid White

Eddie Perfect's new show opens this week at MTC. I joined director Dean Bryant on his morning walk to rehearsals for The Music.

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL: All the Sex I've Ever Had

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2017
All the Sex I’ve Ever Had
Mamallian Diving Reflex, Darren O’Donnell
12 October 2017
Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
to 15 October
www.festival.melbourne

All the Sex I've Ever Had. Photo by Jim Lee

The show that had me crying my heart out at 1am as I tried to write a review.

My review is at The Age/SMH.

And I interviewed the lovely Darren O'Donnell for The Music.

Extra: In 2008, Moses Carr first worked with Mamallian Diving Reflex when they came to Melbourne with the Children's Choice Awards.

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL: All the Sex & 7 Pleasures

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2017

All the Sex I Ever Had
Mamallian Diving Reflex, Darren O'Donnell
12–15 October
www.festival.melbourne

7 Pleasures
Mette Ingvartsen
18–22 October
www.festival.melbourne

It's not really all about sex at the Melbourne Festival.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mamallian Diving Reflexes Darren O'Donnell for The Music.

Turns out we've both talked to our mums about oral sex; that didn't make it to the final version.

Review: Merrily We Roll Along

Merrily We Roll Along
Watch This
30 June 2017
The Lawler, Southbank Theatre
to 15 July
watchthis.net.au

Nelson Gardner, Nicole Melloy & Lyall Brooks. Merrily We Roll Along. Photo by Jodie Hutchinson

My review is on The Music.