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Join us for the best of this week's Books and Arts.

Monty Python and Victoriana meet in OperaQ's new production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore, or the Witch's Curse!, celebrate the power of black women in Arts Centre Melbourne's Black Girl Magic, British author Paula Byrne's new book The Genius of Jane Austen: Her Love of Theatre and Why She is a Hit in Hollywood and Australian Theatre Director Yaron Lifschitz's Top Shelf

We hear about an exhibition from artists Greg Semu and Naomi Hobson, which cinematically re-enacts photographs from Australia's colonial past, speak to composer Elena Kats-Chernin who has created music in response to the paintings of William Robinson, and travel beyond the Vinyl Frontier with unique harmonica music.

Stephen Page from Bangarra Dance Theatre on his latest production Bennelong, Irish writer Lisa McInerney on new novel, The Blood Miracles, which presents complex characters and working class lives with warmth, and Australian stencil artist Luke Cornish on travelling to war torn Syria to distribute art supplies and give art workshops to children.

We revisit Aphra Behn's 1677 play The Rover at Belvoir St Theatre, Scottish crime writer Chris Brookmyre discusses his new thriller Want You Gone, artists Janelle Evans and Jon Cattapan talk about the exhibition dot, dot, dot […] and the City of Sydney abolishes library fines.

American novelist Meg Howrey on her book The Wanderers, South African art in Fremantle at Urban Axis exhibition, James Morrison's Top Shelf, Tristan Bancks on The Fall a crime thriller for middle grade readers.

Join us for a NAIDOC week special of the best of Books and Arts.

A new exhibition at Heide Museum of Modern Art traces the artistic influence of the Russian Revolution on Australian art; we meet Hannah Donnelly, who curates Sovereign Trax, a monthly playlist of music by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists; and we meet the people behind Joh for PM, a musical about Queensland's premier Joh Bjelke Petersen.

American humourist David Sedaris speaks about his published diaries Theft by Finding, we explore the history of Buddhist art with curator Wayne Crothers, and meet a mother and son team who make theatre about loss and belonging.