Art Smitten - The Podcast

Jim Thomas speaks to artist, Sebastian Kainey, about his works showing in the Future Works exhibition at the Brunswick Street Gallery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There will be some mildly sexual language and content throughout this review. If that might be a problem for you, tune out for the next five minutes or so - but, you'll be missing the breakdown of a great show. A live band of sorts, and performance goes with the music Duets is a show that will probably take you out of your theatre-comfort zone, unless you usually attend shows that include women performing suggestive acts with a banana and a tomato, or men in sequined morph suits gyrating to music, wearing enormous strap on dildo's. It is the second in a series of productions by performance troupe The Stain. Jo Franklin, in an interview with La Mama, suggested that the Stain's full title and job description should be 'performance art live music ensemble'. Duets is directed by Maude Davey, and the brainchild of the Stain core group Francesca Sculli, Jo Franklin and Gen Berstein. They are accompanied in the show by Harpist Genevive Fry, performance artists Sarah Ward, The Huxley' and Paula Russel. This is compli

Mill on the Floss is a theatrical adaptation by Optic Nerve of the 1860 novel of the same name written by Mary Ann Evans under the pseudonym George Eliot. Optic Nerves adaption of Mill on the Floss was a theatrical re-telling of the story of Maggie Tulliver. This adaption is much the same as the book, it is set in 19th century England, and it spans across 10-15 years of Maggies life starting when Maggie was 9 years old. This story is about the oppression of Maggies imagination, intelligence and agency as a woman living in a small town. It is very clear to the audience from the beginning and Maggie is a very smart woman, she loves to read and learn, but it is quickly stifled by her father, telling her she shouldn’t be reading books. Maggie is left to her own imagination while her brother, unwillingly goes to school, something that Maggie dreams of doing. Later we see a teenage Maggie, and then an older Maggie, perhaps in her early 20s. All throughout the play we see Maggie struggling to find her independ

For any fans of the fantasy genre, Bhaskar Hazarika's Kothanodi is a great entry point into this year’s Indian Film Festival. For anyone's who's not as keen on swords, dragons and castles, this adaptation of four classic Assamese folk tales is not that kind of fantasy movie. Taken from a compendium entitled Burhi Aair Sadhu (Grandma’s Tales) compiled by Lakshminath Bezbaroa, the stories all have a maternal relationship at their centre and a different harsh truth to deliver about motherhood. The story of Malati, and her husband Poonai, is perhaps the harshest of all. They are a childless couple, but only because Poonai's mystical uncle has told his nephew to kill each of the three babies that Malati has given birth to. Poonai promised his father on his deathbed that he would always follow his uncle's counsel, however difficult it might be. The film's opening scene shows Poonai taking their third screaming infant into the dark forest and burying it alive. It's an unexpectedly horrifying introduction

To say that The New Girl in Class is the weakest offering of the Indian Film Festival would be something of an understatement. Amrita Dasgupta's documentary on the life of a 9-year-old autistic girl is certainly never boring, but for all of the wrong reasons. The story that Dasgupta wants to tell and the story that she has actually documented are so embarrassingly different that the end result approaches the so-bad-it's-good territory. It is so perfect a manual on how not to represent autism that it is, in its own way, highly informative. Roshni is the new girl in question. Her mother, Neeraja, has fought hard to finally get her daughter into a mainstream school. However, she doesn't just want her daughter to get the same opportunities as her non-autistic classmates: she wants her to become them. She wants Roshni to stop flapping her hands, cycling through repetitive actions, and playing with her own saliva (although that last one is certainly justified). She wants her to play ball sports, to play with her to

Milk Bars in an installation and performance piece, it is based at The Mechanics Institute in Brunswick by Metanoia Theatre. The installation spread all across the Mechanics Institute, with five spaces and the theatre space being used as a central meeting point and bar that most audience members gravitated towards.  The installation ranged from abstract to realistic interpretations of ‘a milk bar’ some were very interesting and beautiful, my favorite was the dressing room of the theatre that had been turned into a realistic home, perhaps out the back of a milk bar. Some of the installations seemed under done, one of the rooms had pixilated images of old fashions shelves like you’d see in a milkbar, and advertisements playing on another projector, the space was very white and felt unwelcoming, I did not like going into that space. Throughout the space and all at different times were short performances by a handful of different actors, musicians and performance makers, and also the Execut

Christian and Beth are joined by Jeff Wortman, lead singer of Robot Child (Waleed Aly’s band) and the Musical Director of the production Changes: Theatrical Tribute to the Music of David Bowie. Changes will be performed until the 6th August at the Gasworks Theatre, 21 Graham St, Albert Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christian was joined by Görkem Acaroglu, director of live art installation piece, Milk Bars. It will be performed at the Mechanics Institute Brunswick, 270 Sydney Road Brunswick, from the 27th July to the 6th August. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guernica is a two-act ballet inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in the nineteen-thirties. The Melbourne Ballet Company’s resident choreographer Simon Hoy brought his unique style of contemporary ballet combined with Prokofiev’s powerful original score. Guernica is part of the Company’s 2016 Premiere Season Intention and Desire. The body of work was inspired by the messages within Picasso’s famous mural of the same name.   You will not get a cheap version of mainstream productions with the Melbourne Ballet Company. All of the dancers, handpicked by the directors, developed their skills with the likes of the Paris Opera Ballet, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet New York, West Australian Ballet and the Australian Ballet School. The Company’s newest dancer and leading lady Gemma Pearse was a highlight on opening night. Her portrayal of Juanita, a young Basque woman, delivered on the youthful innocence of the original

To anyone who's been holding out for a good theatrical sequel, Roberto Aguire Sacasa's Abigail/1702 is the latest member of that rare species. Picking up 10 years from the ending of its predecessor, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Sacasa plucks out Miller's two-faced antagonist, Abigail Williams, and turns her into a very successful protagonist. The past decade has transformed the jealous young girl into a desperately puritanical young woman. Once a fierce denouncer in the Salem witch trials who sent 20 people to their deaths over a tumultuous affair with John Proctor, the married man she once worked for, she now lives on a farm in Boston. She has abandoned her now infamous name and adopted the new identity of a god-fearing farmer and nurse, which she hopes will drive away Satan's hold on her. So far she has been successful. After all these years of living in a modest little hut, surrounded by dense forest and countless iron crosses, the Devil has not come to reclaim her. However, the arrival of a handsome woun

Theatre company 'Make a Scene' alongside the La Mama Learning Company are currently presenting their interpretation of Carlo Goldoni's masterpiece 'The Servant of Two Master's. It is showing at Australia La mama theatre in Carlton until July 31st. The cast includes Christian Bagin, Sharon Davis, Roby Favretto, Irene del Pilar, Freya Pragt, Lelda Kapsis and Darcy Kent. Many actors play both a primary and a secondary or extra character, and the lightning quick costume changes became just as fun as the play itself, as I tried to keep track of everybody, the frequent use of masks as props making this an even greater and more interesting challenge. Goldoni's 18th century play has been translated and directed by Rosa Campagnaro, who has studied in depth the nuances of commedia dell'arte, or the Italian tradition of comedic improvisation. While 'The Servant of Two Masters' is not necessarily part of commedia dell'arte canon, given that it is scripted in depth, in her version Rosa has encouraged her actors into acts

Reviewer, Caroline Tung, is joined by Simon Hoy, Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer at the Melbourne Ballet Company. They discuss the MBC's production of Guernica, based on Pablo Picasso's 1937 war mural and William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello and welcome to the Art Smitten guide to the Melbourne International Film Festival. My name's Ben and I love films a bit too much. If you didn't know, the end of next week is the beginning of over two weeks of the Melbourne International Film Festival – or MIFF – as it takes over many of the screens in the city, and pushes film to the forefront of Melbourne's minds. There’s such a wide array of films in this year’s festival, so there’s bound to be something for everyone. Unless, of course, you just really hate films. Then I probably can’t help you. Personally, as I said, I love films, and I'm going to be seeing quite a few of them at the festival. But rather than giving you my picks of the festival, I thought I’d share a few tips on how to navigate the whole thing. Firstly, choosing films. A good way to start off is with people you know. This is probably the easiest way to find something you’ll enjoy. If you’ve liked a film directed by someone or star

Retro Futurismus is a sci-fi cabert, created by Anni and Maude Davey along with Anna Lumb, Gabi Barton and Teresa Blake, with new special guest stars performing every week. Retro Futurismus as been shown all over Australia to much acclaim and is now performing a new season at 45 Downstairs this month. Retro Futurismus transformed 45 down stairs into a feminie sci-fi wonderland. It was a beautiful, welcoming atmosphere, I was greeted by one of the performers and directed to a great seat where I waited and listened to a fabulous soundtrack of songs before the show begun. Retro Futurismus was a series of sort performances, ranging for dance, circus, and song to avant-garde visual acts, which explored the performers own experience of womanhood. During the interval we were entertained very sweetly by puppetry, which later in the show was revived and was so beautiful people in the audience began to cry. It was wonderfully self-aware and at times meta, and also very extravagant and glamorous. It was defiant and stro

If you’ve ever felt that your office was one hoop short of a circus, Scott Hollingsworth’s Performance management is the cabaret that will speak to your funny bone. Hollingsworth’s one-man show is an outrageous, unapologetically offensive performance, that highlights the ridiculous in the mundane. The show came back for one night last Sunday, with minor alterations to last year’s performance. Set at the Southern star observation wheel in docklands, Scotts own SHHH Productions presented Performance management in cabaret for a 90-minute erotic extravaganza.  Hollingsworth plays the Ringmaster, opening the show with a re-scripted cover of Britney Spears’ “Circus”, the audience is welcomed by an incredible areal hoop act by Jessica Robbins, the scantily clad muscle man, Murat Yilmaz and Joshua Fielding as the larrikin lion. Scott draws inspiration from his real life day job as an office manager and the employees he faces during the daily grind. The cabaret explores e

Hosts Jim and Christian, along with AP Thierry, discuss Abigail/1702, the sequel to Arthur Miller's The Crucible.  Boutique Theatre's production of Abigail/1702, is being performed at the Victorian Trades Hall, 54 Victoria Street Carlton from 14th July to 30th July. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Jim and Christian were joined in the studio by artist Samuel Tupou, who is opening his new art exhibition, Duplikator.  Duplikator will be displayed at the Linden Art Gallery, 26 Acland Street St Kilda, from the 20th July to the 9th October. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hosts Christian and Jim are joined in the studio with playwright, Anthony Weigh, who spoke about his upcoming play Edward II, produced by Malthouse Theatre. It will be performed at the Merlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse, 113 Sturt Street Southbank from the 29th July to the 21st August. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Never underestimate the power of a child's imagination. Children often understand much more than we think about our adult world. When confronted with something complex and scary, they seize upon what they do know and invent like crazy to fill in what they don't know. This is something every great children's storyteller understands, and something that I certainly hope first-time feature director Simon Rouby never loses sight of. His debut, Adama, takes on the task of showing the horrors of the battle at Verdun, one of the worst of the entire First World War, to a primary school audience. What helps enormously is that his titular protagonist is the same age as the people who will be watching him. Adama (voiced by Azize Diabaté Abdoulaye) is the plucky adventure-loving hero of this particular kids’ animation. He and his family live in a village in West Africa that is surrounded by lush vegetation, freshwater rivers and towering cliffs. His older brother, Samba (Jack Mba), has been his best friend an

I had never been to the Mailbox Art Space prior to their current exhibition, Heathen. Of 'Heathen', the promotional shots of the works gave me the impression of huge canvases filled with extravagant, thought provoking watercolours. After getting mildly lost in my own city looking for a gallery space on flinders lane, myself and a friend realised that we had to go up a flight of stairs tucked away at the 141-143 Flinders Lane Pawson House heritage building.  The stairs were choked with people talking and drinking wine. We were late - I figured that people must have already gone in and come back out to discuss the exhibition. Pushing up the stairs apologising, looking for the door to the gallery, jostling almost everyone, we began to get funny looks. We followed the eyes of a few patrons, turned and beheld a set of 18 1930's mailboxes, the kind you have in an apartment building - lots of about 15x10cm boxes, crammed next to each other, with glass fronts. Within these tiny boxes were not the vast canvases o