Race Matters

Bali Padda is a man of many hats – he's an actor, TV producer, development executive and director. He joins Sara Khan for a chat about his latest directorial work Guards at the Taj, what drew him to storytelling and his journey through the industry.

Guards at the Taj is showing at Riverside Parramatta until March 5. Head here for more info and tickets.

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Saimi Jeong speaks to Kirk Page, proud Mulandjali man, actor, writer and movement director of the Griffin Theatre Company play Dogged. For more on Dogged and to grab tickets, head here.

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Each year on May 15, Palestinians around the world commemorate Al Nakba, or 'the catastrophe' – the day in 1948 that the state of Israel came into being, marking the start of forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland. The genocide against Palestinians continues today. Just this week, violence against Palestinians has spiked, specifically in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Poet and human rights advocate Sara Saleh has recently co-compiled a resource titled 'Supporting Sheikh Jarrah from the Australian Colony'; we speak to her about how we can support Palestinians on the frontline from here, how the conversation around this ongoing violence is changing, and how she sees writing as a form of resistance.

Sara reads her poem Border Control: Meditations, which just won the 2020 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize. You'll be able to read it in Overland soon. You can subscribe here. 

If you feel you have some gaps in your understanding of the continuing Israeli violence against Palestinians, we highly recommend having a listen to Episode 10 of REVOLUTION NOW PODCAST, 'Palestine in a Podcast' – a generous and comprehensive run through the history of Palestine, the current situation in Sheikh Jarrah, and everything in between.

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Over the past month, Muslim communities all around the world have been fasting for Ramadan. For this episode, Sana Shaikh spoke to five young Eora/Sydney-based Muslims – Subhi Bora, Zaiden Diyab, Junaid Ahmed, Yasmin Jay and Miski Omar – about what Ramadan and Eid mean to them.

At the end of the episode, we mention H—ME W—RK x Liminal Magazine: Witnessing and Caring for India 2021 – an excellent resource if you're looking for a place to start learning about India's current covid crisis, and ways you can help.

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We're not the biggest fans of the unadulterated, and usually unjustified confidence of a cis straight white dude. But recently we've been thinking: how do we harness bits and pieces of that ego without taking it too far? Plus, Race Matters contributor and emerging theatre-maker Eric Jiang chats to Tasnim Hossain, director of Yellow Face at Kings Cross Theatre about what's gone into the production behind the scenes.

The article we mention is 'Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome' by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey, published last month in the Harvard Business Review.

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How do you establish your voice in a space historically held for only one kind of person? Screenwriter Natesha Somasundaram joins us to shed some light on an industry that is (finally) being demanded to change. We also debrief re: last week's Opening Night of seven methods of killing kylie jenner – our thoughts on the incredible play, atmosphere and Sara's interaction with a literal dream Race Matters guest.

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Colourism. The commodification and exploitation of Blackness. Misogynoir. Homophobia. Jasmine Lee-Jones' play seven methods of killing kylie jenner covers all of this and more – through one conversation between best friends. The team behind it is predominantly women of colour, they've brought community engagement front and centre, and we're not kidding when we say you simply must see this play. Hear more from Director Shari Sebbens and Co-Producer, Engagement Moreblessing Maturure, who also plays Cleo in the play.

Plus – Thursday April 15 marked 30 years since the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. Since then, 474 Indigenous people have died in custody. In the past month, there were five deaths. There’s an extensive amount of knowledge, history and information being shared by First Nations folk right now. Here are a few things you can, and should engage with.

• Listen to this episode of Full Story, where Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to protestors and family members demanding change
• Read Teela Reid's article in the Sydney Morning Herald, which examines how since invasion, colonisation has perpetrated genocide against First Nations people in this country
• Donate to the Dhadjowa Foundation, established to provide support to families of those who have lost their lives at the hands of the state.

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"WE WANT YOUR BLOOD" reads a now-infamous post opening expressions of interest for First Nations people to donate blood to an 'artwork' showing at Dark Mofo 2021, by white Spanish artist Santiago Sierra. This week, only after an outpouring of disgust and anger led by First Nations communities was the work begrudgingly cancelled by the Tasmanian arts festival (of course, after the knee-jerk doubling down we've come to expect). We unpack the whole sitch with Wiradjuri artist and poet Jazz Money, talking about the First Nations response and solidarity, the ethics of art, and what work the industry has to do to enact meaningful change.

Plus, on March 16 in Atlanta, Georgia, eight people – six of whom were Asian-American women – were shot and killed when a man opened fire at three separate spas. We speak to writer May Jeong, whose recent article for the New York Times situates this horrific shooting within a broader history of anti-Asian sentiment in the States, and intersects directly with misogyny and classism.

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JALI is a new play showing at the Griffin Theatre, chronicling playwright Oliver Twist's journey from Rwanda, to Malawi, to Ipswich, to here in Sydney, where he's now based. We speak to Oliver about translating his story to the stage, diasporic resilience, and the importance of our ancestors. 

Plus, today marks the first day of the Persian calendar – Nowruz. We hear about the significance of the holiday to four people who celebrate: Melody Forghani, Mehrassa Farjad, Tanita Razaghi and Pedram Khosronejad. 

Iranzamin at the Powerhouse Museum is on until August. Head here for more info.

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It's a phrase front-of-mind for many of us, especially at the moment; it's also a brand new play about friendship and self-discovery by Miranda Aguilar, showing this week at Parramatta's Riverside Theatre. We chat to Miranda about their inspiration for the work (and title), growing up in Western Sydney, and the change they'd like to see in local theatre this year. Plus, we catch up with cast member and interdisciplinary artist Tommy Misa about their earliest memories of performance, the importance of reclaiming PoC narratives in Sydney's queer histories, and the performers and mentors who have shaped their practice.

Let Me Know When You Get Home is premiering at Riverside Theatre in Parramatta from Thursday 18 March – Saturday 20 March. For tickets and info, head to riversideparramatta.com.au.

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