Author: Naomi Gall

Frank Roberts, a Widjabul Wia-bal and Githabul man, known as ‘Honest Frank’, was Australia’s first Aboriginal Olympian. A man of incredible integrity and determination, Frank’s skills in a boxing ring saw him selected for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. In My Cousin Frank at the Sydney Opera House, his first cousin, artistic and cultural leader…

Walking through the doors of The Grand Electric was like stepping back into a 1920s speakeasy. A circular stage dominates the centre of the room, with chairs and tables scattered around it. Above the stage, like the crowning jewel, sits an enormous disco ball, that showers the room in dancing bursts of light. The mood…

Appropriately pitched as a “stripped-back, rough-and-ready reimagining”, Calamity Jane at the Sydney Opera House is a rowdy and rambunctious tale of the well-known American frontierswoman. Known as a sharpshooter and avid storyteller, there have been many reprising’s of this infamous character – Doris Day in the 1953 film, Robin Weigert in the 2004 series Deadwood…

In a world where a genocide is being played out on peoples phones and the “leader of the free world” is blatantly censoring anyone who speaks out against him, the worst thing we can do is stop asking questions. Curious at the Sydney Opera House presents four talks in one day. These talks, which address…

Anne Frank is a name synonymous with youth, innocence, and heartbreaking tragedy. Her diaries, published after her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, detailed her life, and that of her family, hiding in an annex in Amsterdam during World War II. The Diary of a Young Girl, commonly referred to as The Diary…

Australia’s leading First Nations performing arts company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, is once again taking to the stage at the Sydney Opera House to present their new work, Illume. After 20 years performing out of the Drama Theatre, Bangarra are making history by bringing their latest work to the main stage in the Joan Sutherland Theatre,…

UPU are a collective based in New Zealand who aim to create more opportunities for Pacific performing artists by making contemporary, Pacific centred works for both stage and screen. UPU, meaning ‘word’, in many different languages of the Pacific Islands, brings together the voices of those living among the islands of the Pacific Ocean, also…

The HerStory Arts Festival (23 – 26 April 2025), presented by Lost Voices Australia Inc. aims to celebrate and amplify women’s stories, especially those that have been lost to HIStory. The three-day event, which includes plays, readings of poetry, memoirs, essays, along with musical performances and art displays, is designed to foster creativity and ignite…

A few days before International Women’s Day I found myself having dinner with a male friend. Seemingly out of nowhere he mentions that ‘Women’s Day’ is coming up and because the bar is in hell when it comes to my expectations of men, I was surprised and impressed that he actually knew the date. He…

It’s that time of year again. A time when people gather together to listen to incredible speakers discussing some of the most interesting and relevant topics facing women today. For more than 10 years All About Women at the Sydney Opera House has shone a light on, not only the discussions we are having, but…

From the producers of Baby Reindeer and the iconic hit Fleabag comes the darkly comedic Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen at the Sydney Opera House. Performed by Olivier and two-time Tony nominated English actor Samuel Barnett, the audience is taken on a wild ride of dating, neuroses, self-sabotage and those deep…

Arguably one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing has always left me with complicated feelings. While, like many, I consider the repartee between Beatrice and Benedick to be some of the best in classic literature, the disgusting mistreatment of Hero is something I have become increasingly uncomfortable with. Falsely accused of infidelity…

Based on the popular film of the same name, Elf: The Musical brings the magic of the 2003 festive favourite written by David Berenbaum to the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House. Elf is the tale of Buddy, an orphan who is mistakenly taken to the North Pole and consequently raised by elves. Upon…

Written by Dipika Guha, Yoga Play at Riverside Theatres Parramatta invites you into the workplace of yoga apparel store Jojomon and into the lives of it’s staff. There’s Fred (Jemwel Danao) a queer man from the Philippines who is desperate to obtain a green card and stay in America, CFO Raj (Nat Jobe) a man…

If you had the ability to travel back in time and correct your past mistakes, would you? Forming part of the September season of UnWrapped at the Sydney Opera House, AUTO-TUNE examines how life-altering our choices can be. Set in Wagga Wagga in the early 2000s, the performance follows Michael (Mark Rogers), a young Silverchair…

Seen as a hero and a trickster, Māui was a demi-god whose adventures have been told and retold for hundreds of years. Steeped in the culture of the Pacific, his acts of bravery and remarkable life form the inspiration behind MĀUI at the Sydney Opera House. Brought to life by the New Zealand dance collective…

Part of the September season of UnWrapped at the Sydney Opera House, Class Act is an exploration of class and social standing through the deconstruction of the classic 1964 film My Fair Lady, combined with personal anecdotes. Created by Melbourne-based, experimental art organisation, APHIDS, and staring Mish Grigor in the lead role, the performance opens…

Launching in 2009, the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (FODI) brings together thought leaders, culture creators and radical creatives from across Australia and around the world. Presented by The Ethics Centre, FODI creates a space for exchanging ideas and discussing topics often considered outside the everyday. It aims to cultivate critical thinking and a growth mindset…

Pride and Prejudice, arguably Jane Austen’s most famous novel, has been the subject of countless adaptations. There is the 2005 film with Keira Knightley, the modern-day retelling in Bridget Jones’ Diary, the cultural reinterpretation with Bride and Prejudice, and who could forget the incredible masterpiece that was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. However, there is…

Choreographed by Aakash Odedra and Lewis Major, Little Murmur at the Sydney Opera House is a sensory feast of projections, dance and sound. Aimed at younger audiences, the performance reflects on Odedra’s life growing up with dyslexia. Having been diagnosed at a young age, he struggled in school and misspelled his own name until he…

TW: the following article discusses violence against women, including rape and assault. We are 30 weeks into 2024 and 54 women have lost their lives largely at the hands of men. By the time you read this, that statistic will have increased. On average a woman is being murdered by a man every 3 days…

As the sun rises on what is set to be another blistering summers day in Washington Heights, bodega owner Usnavi (Ryan Gonzalez -they/them) is getting ready to start work. Chasing away petty vandal Graffiti Pete (Jervis Livelo – he/him), he begins to talk about his life, his world and this little corner of Manhattan he…

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, an ill-fated tale of star-crossed lovers, has been re-imagined time and time again. I honestly thought there was no ground left to cover when it came to adaptations of the beloved classic. I have never been more delighted to be wrong. Set to Prokofiev’s iconic score, Romeo and Juliet Suite at…

Part of UnWrapped, a series dedicated to uncovering the best independent creators, SILENCE, at the Sydney Opera House, is a visually stunning and deeply moving performance. Created by Karul Projects and produced by BlakDance, this contemporary dance work successfully examines and disrupts the deliberate and ongoing silence surrounding more than 250 years’ worth of struggle….

Heralded as one of his most beloved plays, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is no stranger to adaptation. The delightful tale of love, fairy’s and mischief, despite its troublesome undertones around consent, continues to mesmerise audiences. Performed at Sydney’s Centennial Park, the Australian Shakespeare Company have created a beautiful and incredibly humorous depiction of the…

There have been a lot of articles written in the last two days about an event which occurred on Wednesday night. An event that was advertised as ‘a conversation exploring sex, love, relationships and marriage’ with three very prominent feminists and a surprise guest. An event which went awry when it was exposed to be…

It’s been a big week for the arts in Sydney with the 24th Biennale of Sydney, titled Ten Thousand Suns, opening at various venues across the city. Until the 10 June art from around the world will make its home across 6 iconic venues; the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace, Chau Chak Wing…

With All About Women at the Sydney Opera House running for over ten years now, you’d think there would be nothing left to say. How I wish that was the case. Held each year to mark International Women’s Day (March 8), the festival brings together some of the change-makers, the activists and the courageous women…

To know Tiny Beautiful Things, at Sydney’s Belvoir, is to know the heart and mind of Cheryl Strayed, the woman upon whose New York Times bestselling book the play is based. For two years Strayed wrote an anonymous advice column for the website The Rumpus under the name ‘Sugar’. It is the letters received during…

All About Women Festival line-up is out and talking about equality never gets old. Returning to the Sydney Opera House on March 10 with an incredible line up of talks and workshops in honour of International Women’s Day (March 8th), All About Women showcases both established and up-and-coming voices in the equality space. With topics…