SmartArts

Although the podcast format of SmartArts has now wrapped, this show continues to be broadcast on Triple R. You can now listen to new episodes on Triple R’s FM On Demand service at rrr.org.au/explore/programs/smartarts.

Thanks for listening!

SmartArts takes over the Triple R Performance Space for a very special broadcast to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary!

Richard Watts OAM first brought Triple R's flagship morning arts program to life in December 2004, hosting hundreds of conversations every year with local artists, established talent and international touring legends from across the visual and performing arts spectrum. Listen back to this celebration of twenty years on the airwaves, broadcast live from the Triple R Performance Space, featuring an assortment of talent including:

A live stand-up set and interview with comedian Tom Ballard.

Berlin's "prince and pricess of art rock and Europop" Otto & Astrid who perform their track Tasty Snak.

Bernard Caleo chooses his favourite comics of the year.

An interview with photographer and visual artist Pia Johnson.

Actor and theatremaker Candy Bowers performs YO MAMA SO PHAT from her show 'Australian Booty' (with music by Busty Beatz).

Theatre icons Susie Dee and Patricia Cornelius read from Patricia's play SHIT, and chat theatre with reviewer Anne-Marie Peard.

An interview with MTC's Artistic Director Anne-Louise Sarks.

Comedian and musician Geraldine Quinn performs The Peel from 'The Last Gig in Melbourne'.

Tai Snaith chooses her favourite exhibition of the year, and the past 20 years!

And a chat with MQFF Program Director Cerise Howard.

To listen back to the whole broadcast, including live music from Peggy Frew and Guy Blackman and the GBs, head to the Triple R website: https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/smartarts/episodes/31949-smartarts-20th-anniversary-special

Join Richard Watts for his penultimate episode before he closes out 2024 with his 20th anniversary next week! Details for the live event happening on Thursday 19th can be found here: https://www.rrr.org.au/events/smartarts-20th-anniversary-special

Whether you’re a Midsumma Festival veteran or you’re wanting to go for the first time, Chief Executive and Creative Director, Karen Bryant, is here to give us a 2025 program overview. The theme for 2025 is Collective Identities, and the festival runs from 19 January - 9 February at various locations around the city and the regions. Full program here: https://www.midsumma.org.au/info/program-guides/

We’ve been showcasing the 2025 programs of theatres around Melbourne for a few weeks and now it is time to hear from Red Stitch!! Artistic director, Ella Caldwell, tells us all about what to expect (perhaps the unexpected) next year and a bit about their fundraising campaign, Long Live Big Little Theatre - which you can donate to now to help them get to their multi-year goal of $2 million.

TarraWarra Museum of Art Curator, Anthony Fitzpatrick, tells us about the current exhibition, Intimate Imaginaries. Get along to the picturesque gallery in Healesville from now until March 10 to see contemporary and lively art from a collection of 13 artists. Tickets available here.

Australian soprano, musical theatre royalty and actress, Marina Prior AM, joins Richard to talk about her latest project with Victorian Opera, Follies. They talk about her character (Phyllis Rogers Stone), what it’s like to be a legend among legends, and performing at The Palais! You can catch Follies from February 1-6 at The Palais Theatre in St Kilda.

Was ACCA’s new CEO and Artistic Director Myles Russell Cook always destined for the job? Myles joins Richard to talk about taking on the role, and The Art of Lazy – an evening with Lady Susan, showing Saturday December 14th, plus gives us some highlights for the year to come at ACCA.

Malia Walsh, the guest director of Women’s Circus annual Member Cabaret, tells us all about the end of year showcase, Braver than a Bear.

Music therapist Paul Byrnes joins discusses the federal government’s decision to remove Music Therapy as a recognized therapeutic support under the NDIS; according to the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA), this decision was made without consultation and will profoundly impact some of our nation’s most vulnerable individuals.

Dean Bryant and actor Kala Gare talk about the Melbourne Theatre Company adaption of the iconic Miles Franklin novel My Brilliant Career, an adaptation of the iconic Miles Franklin novel.

fortyfivedownstairs Artistic Director of the theatre Cameron Lukey gives Richard the lowdown on the theatre's 2025 program.

Stuart Braithwaite, the guitarist from Mogwai, tells Richard all about the band, his biography, and touring solo… which he is doing in Melbourne this weekend! Catch him at Northcote Social Saturday December 7th.

Writer and producer Clare Mendes and director Emily Farrell talk about Skating in the Clouds at Theatre Works.

Plus, Anne Marie Peard is back with theatre reviews!

Tai Snaith is back with Art Attack! She checked out the latest exhibition at the new Ordinance Gallery, Cardboards by Darcey Bella Arnold.

The Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) Head of Percussion Peter Neville stops by to tell Richard about their festival, Sounds of Australia. It runs from the 28-30 November at the Abbotsford Convent. Tickets and info: https://abbotsfordconvent.com.au/whos-here/anam/

Caitlin Dullard and Nadja Kostich, the Artistic Directors & CEOs of La Mama Theatre & St Martins Youth Arts respectively, are in the studio to tell us about how they’re working to fundraise, including their s2m sector pilot program.

Brett Sheehy AO, Artistic Director, is on the line to give all the juicy deets on Adelaide Festival 2025! There’s nods to the past and an embracing of the present, so something for everyone… start planning your roadtrip! Program available here: https://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/whats-on/

Lucy Guerin, Tra Mi Dinh and Joel Bray on PIECES 2024, playing at UMAC (the new Union Theatre, Arts and Cultural Building at Melbourne Uni) for 4 special performances from 28 – 30 November. Tickets at www.umac.melbourne

With MQFF closing on Sunday November 24th, filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay and actor Connor Pullinger join Richard to talk about the last few days of the festival. Alice’s film Carnage for Christmas screens on Sunday 24th (last day of MQFF) at 3.15pm at Cinema Nova. Connor’s film Bulldog is a contender for Australian Shorts & Awards (screening and awards are 6pm on Saturday 23rd at ACMI Fed Square).

Then, from the La Trobe Art Institute, Dr. Karen Annett (director) and Amelia Wallin (curatorial lead) talk about the new exhibition Parched. The exhibition features over 8 artists interpreting cultures of drought around regional Victoria. The exhibition runs from November 20th - February 9th at La Trobe Art Institute (121 View Street Bendigo), with an opening event on November 29th from 5pm, plus artist and curator talks from 2pm on November 30th.

Have you ever wondered what an artists interpretation of waves and bubbles might sound like? Wonder no more… local composer, sound-artist and musician Elissa Goodrich has conducted a unique cross-disciplinary collaboration with fluid dynamics researcher Professor Richard Manasseh and his team at Swinburne, who are working on an Australian Research Council project on the sounds naturally emitted by ocean bubbles. Catch their project Waves and Bubbles at Tempo Rubarto (34 Breese St, Brunswick) at 8pm on November 28th.

Author Gillian Wills on her debut novel Big Music - set in a music college, exploring sexism in arts leadership and drawing upon Wills’ lived experience as the Dean of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts, it is a tale of triumph over adversity.

Choreographer Sandra Parker and sound designer Lawrence Harvey on their production, Safehold. Safehold is a “new choreographic work drawing on themes of collaboration and unity”, performed by dancers Anika de Ruyter, Rachel Mackie and Oliver Savariego. At 7pm, on Thursday 21 until Saturday 23 November 2024 at the ETU Ballroom, Trades Hall!

Sue Healey, award-winning choreographer and filmmaker, presents ON VIEW: ICONS - six screendance portraits, where attendees will experience a moving celebration of some of Australia’s pioneering women in dance including: the late Eileen Kramer, plus Lucette Aldous AC, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM, Nanette Hassall AM, Elma Kris, Shirley McKechnie AO. Showing at Dancehouse from 4-7pm, Thu 28 — Sat 30 November 2024.

Plus, Anne Marie Peard has plenty of fabulous theatre reviews!

Jeff Khan previews the 2025 Asia Topa program, Katarina Paseta discusses two Geelong Gallery exhibitions (the Noel Counihan retrospective A People’s Press which is on display until March 10th 2025 and Social Studies which is on display until February 9th), actor/psychotherapist/applied theatre practitioner Benjamin Rivers chats about The Invaders’ Fear of Memories, Glen Downey discusses the Off The Kerb exhibition You Can Be… Anything!, and actors Declan Harrison and Sophie Graham and director Steffi Gil explore Close Company’s debut production Gruesome Playground Injuries.

Richard speaks to actor Tamblyn Lord on the Australian premiere of Philip Ridley's play The Poltergeist, at La Mama Theatre.

Gertrude Studios curator, Dr Amelia Winata, introduces the 2024 exhibition.

Giovanni Adams joins Richard in studio to discuss his role as Ike Turner in Tina, The Tina Turner Musical.

Director Anna Reece gives an overview of the Perth Festival 2025 program.

Finally, the cast of Your Name Means Dream, Caroline Lee and Lucy Ansell talk about performing the show at Red Stitch.

Buckle in for another ride of the SmartArts-coaster! Richard Watts OAM, is here to guide you through all the twists, turns and thrills of this weeks episode…

Kicking off with a Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF) program overview with program director Cerise Howard and CEO David Martin Harris. MQFF is screening across Melbourne from November 14-24, tickets available now.

Visual artist, Dominic Kavanagh, is in the studio to talk about his work ‘The Blooming’. It’s a Lennox award-winning artwork, on display now at The Lennox, 208 Lennox Street Richmond, until November 3rd.

Spinning Plates Co-founders, Jess Stanley and James Cerche discuss working once more with the team behind The Crocodile to create Rhinoceros at Fortyfivedownstairs.

Plus, we get a Sydney Festival 2025 program overview with Festival Director Olivia Ansell https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/

This week on SmartArts with Richard Watts,

As we all know, Melbourne is the most Irish city in Australia, and Dr Enda Murray, the Festival Director of the 2024 Irish Film Festival is here to tell us how we can embrace our Irish-ness through cinema. Showing from 24-27 October, find something on the program for yourself here: https://irishfilmfestival.com.au/

Academy Award winning filmmaker and artist, Adam Elliot has a new exhibition showing at Beinart Gallery. Opening on October 26th, All The Lonely People is a personal collection, resonating with the same melancholy and emotional depth characterising Elliot’s film work. 

As we’ve been launching the various calendars for Melbourne’s performing art scene, it is now time to launch next years Victorian Opera 2025 season with Artistic Director Stuart Maunder! Have a look at the full 2025 program here: https://www.victorianopera.com.au/victorian-opera-announces-season-2025/

Richard is joined by the world renowned, host, actor, writer, comedian, philosopher Stephen Fry to answer the big questions. What is art? How do you choose an acting role? And of course, what do we need to know about his upcoming Australian tour, An Evening with Stephen Fry? Hopefully all questions are answered but here’s the link for tickets and more info if you need it: https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=STEPHENF24&v=PLN

Co-Artistic Directors Emma Valente and Kate Davis come on to discuss their project, THE RABBLE’s Wake. It is showing 25/10 and 26/10 at Burrinja Cultural Centre in Upwey, tickets available here: https://thesubstation.org.au/program/wake

Merlynn Tong, writer and co-star of Golden Blood, the story of a brother and sister left to fend for themselves in Singapore. Showing at Melbourne Theatre Company with a preview performance on the 25th and Opening Night on October 31st.

Plus, Anne Marie Peard, wraps up Melbourne Fringe for another year!