The members of Geelong’s Back to Back Theatre had no idea they were about to be awarded the so-called “Nobel Prize for theatre” – the International Ibsen Award – when they sat down for a Zoom meeting in March with Norway's Ministry of Culture.

In this episode, the company's artistic director, Bruce Gladwin, tells Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland about that happy phone call, what the prize money will mean for the 35 year old company, and how he and a core ensemble of actors who are neuro-diverse or have intellectual disabilities, create work in regional Victoria that then tours the world. 

"[The prize] means we can go into the studio and start playing with ideas without the pressure of having to justify what we’re doing to potential funding partners,” says Gladwin, who will pick up the award in Oslo on September 18. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back to Back Theatre director Bruce Gladwin on its 'Nobel' win

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In this episode we speak with the chief executive of the Australian Academy of Science, Anna-Maria Arabia, who leads a growing band of people expressing concern about the evidence used to convict Robert Farquharson of the murder of his three sons.
The Victorian father drove his car, with the three boys inside, into a dam on Father’s Day, 2005, for which he is serving a 33 year sentence. Arabia unpicks the evidence used in his case and calls for better science to be presented in the legal system in general.
Hosting the episode is a journalist who’s spent months combing through the Farquharson evidence, Michael Bachelard, a senior writer with The Age. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did Robert Farquharson kill his three sons? A science-led reappraisal

From The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, Trial by Water is a new investigative podcast series about Robert Farquharson, who has been locked up for decades for an unthinkable crime: murdering his three sons in a dam on Father’s Day, 2005.
Now scientists and lawyers are asking the question: did we get it wrong? And is this man in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?
Episode 1 will arrive on Saturday, June 1. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing: Trial by Water

In this episode we speak with documentary maker Ian Darling, whose latest movie - The Pool - is premiering at the Sydney Film Festival in June before a national cinema release. The film is a paean to Bondi Icebergs, a picturesque pool on the edge of Australia’s most famous beach.
Hosting this episode, which explores Darling's shift from stockbroking to filmmaking, the meditative nature of swimming, the eclectic 'Bergs community, and the trials and tribulations of a 12-month outdoor shoot, is Good Weekend editor, Katrina Strickland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the world-famous Bondi Icebergs pool became a literal life saver

In this episode we meet Rhanee Rego, the young Novocastrian who became interested in the case of Australia's "worst serial child killer", Kathleen Folbigg, when studying law. Six years later, Rego was instrumental in securing the release of Folbigg, who'd been jailed in 2003 for killing her four infant children. With Folbigg's convictions now quashed, Rego is working to secure what's expected to be one of the biggest compensation payouts in Australian legal history.
Hosting the conversation is Good Weekend senior writer, Tim Elliott. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The law student who thought Kathleen Folbigg innocent - then went on to secure her freedom

In this episode we meet Rachelle Unreich, Melbourne-based author of the book, A Brilliant Life: my mother's inspiring story of surviving the Holocaust.
Recently shortlisted for The Age’s non-fiction book of the year, this mother-daughter memoir weaves the remarkable story of Rachelle's mother Mira, who survived four concentration camps from the age of 17, together with background about the Holocaust and Rachelle's own life.
Hosting the episode, which explores both Rachelle and Mira's stories, the challenge of memory and the lessons learnt from the very worst - and best - of humanity, is the editor of Good Weekend, Katrina Strickland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back to Back Theatre director Bruce Gladwin on its 'Nobel' win

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