Podcasts about Darwin Festival

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Elaine chats with Australian performance artist and dancer Leah Shelton about her show Batshit. We chat the inspiration for the show, her grandmother's story and the narrative of the “Cray” woman. Batshit - Traverse Theatre Dates: 1st -25th August @ Various Times Get Tickets Here: https://www.traverse.co.uk/whats-on/event/batshit-festival-24 BATSHIT Women have long been locked up, medicated, pathologized and silenced by a simple label - ‘crazy'. BATSHIT is a wildly theatrical, unexpectedly funny, and deeply intimate story of female madness. Created by psycho-siren Leah Shelton (AU) and directed by Olivier award-winning performance artist Ursula Martinez (UK), this is a requiem for Leah's grandmother Gwen, who was incarcerated for seeking independence in 1960s Australia. BATSHIT draws on personal stories, pop psychology and Prozac-laden humour to explore the myths, fantasies and fears that keep us compliant, and the systems that let us down. Dedicated to all the women labelled hysterical, psycho, hormonal and deluded by a society that seeks to control and discredit their experiences. LEAH SHELTON Psycho-siren Leah Shelton creates stylized, guttural, renegade feminist work soaked in cult references and dark humour. Her work has taken her from the glamour of Las Vegas to the back streets of Kings Cross, from rigorous training in Japan to live art festivals in New York. As a solo artist, Leah has played on and off West End in London. She has graced the cabaret stages of La Clique, Club Briefs, Little Death Club, Vegas Nocturne and Jonny Woo's infamous UnRoyal Variety Show. Her first solo work, ‘Terror Australis', received numerous awards and toured Australia and France. Leah's second solo work, ‘Bitch On Heat', directed by UK Performance Art luminary Ursula Martinez, has toured to major festivals in Australia and Soho Theatre London to critical acclaim and standing ovations.With Lisa Fa'alafi, Leah is Co-Director of artist collective Polytoxic, creating hyper-visual works underpinned by diversity and collaboration. Polytoxic have presented work at PS122's COIL Festival NYC, Harbourfront Centre Canada, WanSmolbag Vanuatu, Sydney Opera House, Darwin Festival, Brisbane Festival, APAM, Bleach*, Enlighten, ArtsHouse Melbourne, Ten Days on the Island, Brisbane Powerhouse and QPAC.Originally dance-trained, Leah has a diverse performance background including over ten years training in the Suzuki Actor Training Method with Frank Theatre (Brisbane, AU), Suzuki Company of Toga (Toga / Shizuoka, Japan) and SITI Company (New York, USA). https://www.leahshelton.live/batshit HIPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership Email – persistentandnasty@gmail.com Instagram - @persistentandnasty Twitter - @PersistentNasty Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE Resources Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK ArtsMinds - BAPAM Freelancers Make Theatre Work Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Nicci Wilks is a sharp and very physical actor and circus performer who has collaborated with major figures in Australian theatre, including Patricia Cornelius, Angus Cerini and Susie Dee. Her new show traces the life of a rodeo clown. The surprisingly heart-wrenching one-person show, called Rodeo Clown, is at this year's Darwin Festival.Also, having lost the support of their host university, the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) announces a new partnership with Collarts, Nadine Garner reads from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with two superstar classical musicians, and we meet a couple with no dance experience planning an elaborate duet for their wedding day.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darwin Festival 2024 is back with an exciting line up featuring 680 performances right across 38 venues and will kick off on 8 August running over 18 days. NITV Radio caught up with Darwin Festival Artistic Director, Kate Fell about the line up and some of the festival firsts that will feature this year.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris and Co have been working hard as usual this week on a vast array of stories. Another week where there's been a lot happening in the world of news in the NT and we've got it all for you here on the weekend edition. Each week we speak with Chris Walsh, Editor of the NT Independent online newspaper, about some of the stories making news in the Territory. This week's stories are: 1. Govt releases plan for NT AFL team, $1b in spending on stadiumshttps://ntindependent.com.au/govt-supports-plan-for-nt-afl-team-1b-in-spending-on-stadiums/  2. ‘Not a silver bullet': Pepper spray permits for bottle shop security guards now available, offensive behaviour fines set to increasehttps://ntindependent.com.au/not-a-silver-bullet-pepper-spray-permits-for-bottle-shop-security-guards-now-available-offensive-behaviour-fines-set-to-increase/  3. ‘People were terrorised': NLC blasts Police Minister Potter over ‘unfounded' claims about Daly River violence, lack of actionhttps://ntindependent.com.au/people-were-terrorised-nlc-blasts-police-minister-potter-over-unfounded-claims-about-daly-river-violence-lack-of-action/  4. Peppimenarti clan launch court action against government ministers, Police Commissioner for failure to policehttps://ntindependent.com.au/peppimenarti-clan-launch-court-action-against-nt-government-ministers-police-commissioner-for-failure-to-police/  5. Works beginning on long-delayed ship lift, Lawler rejects mobile facility proposalhttps://ntindependent.com.au/works-beginning-on-long-delayed-ship-lift-lawler-rejects-mobile-facility-proposal/  6. CLP pledge changes to payroll tax for small businesses if electedhttps://ntindependent.com.au/clp-pledge-changes-to-payroll-tax-for-small-businesses-if-elected/  7. Contract to recommission Manton Dam awarded, new water treatment plant includedhttps://ntindependent.com.au/contract-to-recommission-manton-dam-awarded-new-water-treatment-plant-included/  8. Palmerston to host two-day Darwin Festival programhttps://ntindependent.com.au/palmerston-to-host-two-day-darwin-festival-program/  9. Job of the week - https://www.seek.com.au/job/75508630?savedSearchID=3a06b5cc-a1de-11e8-93a9-0bd920cd47b0&tracking=JMC-SavedSearch-anz-1-JYMHM The Territory Story podcast thanks to Oppidanus Digital Marketing, your local digital marketing agency. For more information about web design, search engine optimisation, social media management, video marketing or to discuss your digital marketing needs go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.oppidanus.com.au.⁠⁠⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/territorystory/message

How important is the 'social license' provided by arts events to fossil fuel companies? How significant is the money provided to art festivals by those companies? A recent study examines the current involvement of coal, gas, and oil corporations in arts sponsorship in Australia. Daniel speaks with the report's co-author Dr Adam Karg, Anna Weekes from a group that spearheaded a campaign to end fossil fuel funding of the Darwin Festival, and filmmaker Alex Kelly.My Thing is... nuclear test sites. Before the film Oppenheimer drew attention to Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico, photographer Brett Leigh Dicks was there. The Australian-born artist has spent a lifetime photographing the deserted towns and landscapes of former nuclear testing grounds, including in Australia.Spencer Tunick has been asking people to take their kit off for his mass nude photographs for decades, and Australians are among his most enthusiastic volunteers. But is it Art? Daniel chats to Spencer about the 'people power' behind his ambitious projects.

This week Phil Rickaby chats with Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim about asses.masses, a unique theatrical experience that sits at the intersection of video game and theatre. This episode promises to uncover the layers of this innovative game-meets-stage play and will leave you questioning your perceptions of traditional theatrical conventions. Expect to be drawn into a world where the audience becomes the performers, engaging in a live, interactive video game that requires the negotiation of power within the story, all while remaining enjoyable to watch for the non-participants. As we navigate through the mechanics and origin of asses.masses, you will also find yourselves questioning prevalent stereotypes about the humble donkey. Commonly misconceived as stubborn and unsmart, our fascinating exploration of the donkey as a symbol of labor initiates insightful discussions about digital labor and its implications today. Coupled with the intriguing concept of game show mediation and audience involvement, this episode will certainly broaden your understanding of performance art, digital labor, and animal symbolism. Our discussion extends beyond the boundaries of performance, delving into the debate over video games as an art form. You'll be immersed in the collaborative process of game development and storytelling as we dissect the structure of Asses Masses and its influence from other famous titles. We also reflect on the changing attitudes towards art consumption and its impact on the reception of such innovative works. As we conclude, you'll be left with a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of game development, the symbolism of labor, and the power of audience engagement in redefining performance art. Patrick Blenkarn is an artist working at the intersection of performance, game design, and visual art. His research-based practice revolves around the themes of language, labour, and economy, with projects ranging in form from video games and card games to stage plays and books. His work and collaborations have been featured in performance festivals, galleries, museums, and film festivals, including the Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires, the Humboldt Forum (Berlin), Festival of Live Digital Art (Kingston), STAGES Festival (Halifax), Banff Centre for the Arts, Risk/Reward (Portland), SummerWorks (Toronto), rEvolver (Vancouver), RISER Projects (Toronto), and the Festival of Recorded Movement (Vancouver). In 2020, he was nominated for Best Projection Design at Toronto's Dora Awards. In 2022, his work with Milton Lim, asses.masses, received the National Creation Fund from the National Arts Centre of Canada. Patrick has frequently been an artist in residence at galleries and theatres around the world, including The Arctic Circle (Svalbard), the Spitsbergen Artist Center (Svalbard), GlogauAIR (Berlin), Fonderie Darling (Montreal), Malaspina Printmakers (Vancouver), Skaftfell Center for Visual Art (Iceland), VIVO Media Arts (Vancouver), and The Theatre Centre (Toronto). Patrick is also the co-founder of and a key archivist for videocan, Canada's video archive of performance documentation, and one half of Guilty by Association with Cole Lewis. He has a degree in philosophy, theatre, and film from the University of King's College and an MFA from Simon Fraser University. patrickblenkarn.com Instagram: @patrickblenkarn Milton Lim (he/him) is a digital media artist, game designer, and performance creator based in Vancouver, Canada: the traditional, unceded, and occupied territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. His research-based practice entwines publicly available data, interactive digital media, and gameful performance to create speculative visions and candid articulations of social capital. This line of inquiry aims to reconsider our repertoires of knowledge aggregation and political intervention in the contemporary context of big data and algorithmic culture. Often cheeky and audience/participant driven, his work challenges standard performance traditions including duration, linearity, and repeatability. Milton holds a BFA (Hons.) in theatre performance and psychology from Simon Fraser University. He has created works for and performed in various international festivals and venues including PuSh International Performing Arts Festival (Vancouver), CanAsian Dance Festival (Toronto), Carrefour international de théâtre festival (Quebec City), IMPACT Festival (Kitchener), Seattle International Dance Festival, Risk/Reward Festival (Portland), Festival Internacional de Buenos Aires, artsdepot (London), Battersea Arts Centre (London), New Theatre Royal (Portsmouth), Strike a Light Festival (Gloucester), Hong Kong Arts Festival, soft/WALL/studs (Singapore), and Darwin Festival. Performance credits include The Arts Club's The Great Leap, Gateway Theatre's King of the Yees at Canada's National Arts Centre, and Theatre Conspiracy's award-winning immersive show: Foreign Radical at CanadaHub (Edinburgh Fringe). Milton's media artworks have been presented at the Vancouver Art Gallery, San Francisco State University, F-O-R-M, VIVO Media Arts Centre, and The New Gallery. In 2016, he was awarded the Ray Michal Prize for Outstanding Body of Work at the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. He is a co-artistic director of Hong Kong Exile, an artistic associate with Theatre Conspiracy, a co-founder and key archivist with the videocan national archive, an infrequent Sessional Instructor with Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts, one of the co-creators behind culturecapital: the performing arts economy trading card game, and a founding member of Synectic Assembly—an Artificial Intelligence focused art collective. Upcoming: Milton is part of an 18-month Artistic Leadership Residency with the National Theatre School (Canada); his work on the asses.masses video game project recently received the prestigious National Creation Fund and premiered in Buenos Aires in February 2023; along with Patrick Blenkarn, he will be doing a self-directed residency in South America (February-April 2023) as well as continuing work with Darren O'Donnell, Alice Fleming, and a dedicated group of young people at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin over the next few years. www.miltonlim.com Instagram: @miltonlim About asses.masses: Labour, technophobia, donkeys, and sharing the load of revolution: asses.masses is a long form participatory performance that follows the epic journey of unemployed asses as they navigate the perils of a post-Industrial society in which they've been made redundant. At its core, asses.masses is a custom-made video game designed to be played on stage by a live audience. Brave spectators take turns each night stepping forward from the herd to seize the means of production and become the player. There are no instructions. It is up to the audience and their self-elected leaders to make decisions and play out their version of the game. Cheeky, political, and best described as Animal Farm meets Aesop's Fables retold by Franz Kafka, Karl Marx, and Sonic the Hedgehog, asses.masses puts the control(ler) in its audience's hands and asks them to discover the space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us. www.assesmasses.work Tickets to asses.masses at the Theatre Centre: https://theatrecentre.org/event/asses-masses-23/ Support Stageworthy Donate: tips.pinecast.com/jar/stageworthy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on All The Best, stories about family - the messy, complicated and gorgeous humans who make us who we are. Sounds of Family by Michael Everitt Our first story is an exploration of the sounds that a new parent encounters in everyday life. The story's producer, Michael, calls it a love letter to mark the arrival of his daughter.  This story was produced by Michael Everitt. Daniel Semo was the supervising producer.  No such thing as normal by John Price Our next story takes another look at family and parenthood, illustrating how community care can stand in for family structure.  John grew up in Geelong as the middle child in a family of seven. His home was always full of people coming and going. One evening, at a party in Katherine, a dark-haired woman caught his eye and almost two decades on, John has his own story about big family... This story was told by John Price in August 2017 at SPUN's Darwin Festival themed 'Home'. SPUN is a live storytelling event showcasing some of the extraordinary people and their stories that make up the Northern Territory. You can listen to more at www.spunstories.net  ‘Migrant Mums: Far From Ordinary' by Heidi Tai Growing up, Heidi always thought that her mum was ordinary. She never finished high school, never went to university, and held the same job in the same industry for over 30 years.  Heidi shares the challenges of migration and how, through all the struggles, she was able to learn that her mum was far from ordinary. That story was produced by Heidi Tai. Allison Chan was the supervising producer. Sound design was by Gregory Thorsby.   Become an All The Best Storymaker! FBi Radio's premier storytelling programme All The Best is looking for its next round of UNHEARD stories and everyone is welcome! Selected story-makers will receive $200, the support of an All The Best Supervising Producer Mentor, access to resources to make an audio story and the opportunity to have your finished work nationally broadcast. All levels of experience and story-genres are welcome. Applications close on Monday August 28th - apply here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Un pols de sacs de gemecs elàstics. Crítica teatral de l'espectacle «The Pulse (El pols)», Gravity & Other Myths i Cor de Noies de l’Orfeó Català. Intèrprets de la companyia: Alyssa Moore, Andre Augustus, Annalise Moore, Axl Osborne, Dylan Phillips, Emily Gare, Jackson Manson, Jacob Randell, Jascha Boyce, Joanne Curry, Jordan Hart, Joren Dawson, Joshua Strachan, Kevin Beverley, Lachlan Binns, Lachlan Harper, Lewis Rankin, Louis Gift, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Schreiber, Maya Tregonning, Megan Giesbrecht, Shani Stephens, Simon McClure. Intèrprets del Cor de Noies de l'Orfeó Català. Creació de l'espectacle: Direcció: Darcy Grant. Il·luminació i disseny del decorat: Geoff Cobham. Composició musical: Ekrem Eli Phoenix. Director i solista: Christie Anderson. Disseny del sistema de so: Mik Lavage. Producció de la companyia: Jascha Boyce, Jacob Randell, Darcy Grant. Producció executiva: Torben Brookman. Disseny del so: Mik Lavage. Producció: Belinda Respondeck. Direcció tècnica: Marko Respondeck. Una producció de Gravity & Other Myths. Espectacle guanyador del premi a la millor producció, millor disseny i millor circografia als Premis Internacionals de Circ 2021. En aquest projecte hi han col·laborat: The Australian Government's Major Festivals Initiative, gestionada per l'Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, en associació amb la Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc. Espectacle encarregat per l'Adelaide Festival, Sydney Festival, Darwin Festival i GWB Entertainment Pty Ltd. El Govern australià a través de l'Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. MM Electrical Merchandising. House of Oz. El Govern del sud d'Austràlia, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure through Arts South Australia. Direcció del cor de noies de l'Orfeo Català: Buia Reixach i Feixes. Direcció de la companyia: Darcy Grant. Festival Grec'23. Teatre Grec, Barcelona, 29, 30 juny i 1 juliol. Veu: Andreu Sotorra. Música: Lamento della ninfa. Interpretació: Hespérion XX, Jordi Savall i Montserrat Figueras. Composició: Claudio Monteverdi. Àlbum: Monteverdi - Madrigali e lamenti, 2011.

Internationally renowned choreographer Edgar Zendejas on his collaboration with NICA graduates to create circus performance, ‘Oneiric'; Artist Yvette Coppersmith on her exhibition ‘Carnelian', a response to the Jewish Museum of Australia's exploration of Jewish artist, Chagall; An exciting overview of the Darwin Festival 2023 program, by program designer Kate Fell.

Each week we speak with Chris Walsh, Editor of the NT Independent online newspaper, about some of the stories making news in the Territory. This week's stories are: 1. ‘At least we do not have paedophiles': Lambley's comment in Parliament ‘offends' Labor  2. Federal Liberal Leader Peter Dutton's Darwin appearance at risk due to lack of interest: CLP  3. Government hired company that engineered TIO Stadium fire system to ‘investigate' its own work  4. Man who sexually assaulted toddler through fence in Karama front yard given suspended sentence  5. Fyles Government announces crime action plan for Alice Springs  6. ‘He was there at the site': Key figures connected to helicopter crash that killed ‘Outback Wrangler' cast member revealed in court  7. Coroner rejects calls for other senior officers' phones to be checked for racist comments  8. Santos pulls Darwin Festival funding after campaign by environmentalists  9. Public servant ‘academy' to open in Darwin --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/territorystory/message

Katie Woolf is joined in the studio by Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison, the CLP's Member for Brennan Marie-Clare Boothby, Independent Member for Goyder Kezia Purick and Sky News reporter Matt Cunningham for the Week that Was. The government's Alice Springs crime plan and recent incidents in the Top End, Santos' move to withdraw sponsorship from the Darwin Festival and the Bureau of Meteorology's name change are among the hot topics discussed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie Woolf is joined in the studio by Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison, the CLP's Member for Brennan Marie-Clare Boothby, Independent Member for Goyder Kezia Purick and Sky News reporter Matt Cunningham for the Week that Was.  The government's Alice Springs crime plan and recent incidents in the Top End, Santos' move to withdraw sponsorship from the Darwin Festival and the Bureau of Meteorology's name change are among the hot topics discussed. 

Waŋa (Spirit), Gary Lang's response to the tragedy of young lives lost in remote Indigenous communities fuses traditional lore with contemporary movement to create an evocative new dance work. Waŋa is Presented by NT Dance Company and Darwin Entertainment Centre in association with Darwin Festival (05-06/08/2022).

Catherine McClements has transformed into a vast range of characters during her celebrated career on stage and screen. So, with each role, where does that act of transformation begin? We find out as she prepares for the new laugh-out-loud comedy, Chalkface.Also, Larrakia founder of the NT Dance Company, Gary Lang, shares what's on his Top Shelf and we examine the role of the dramaturg with Chris Mead, head of theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts and author of Wondrous Strange.

Catherine McClements has transformed into a vast range of characters during her celebrated career on stage and screen. So, with each role, where does that act of transformation begin? We find out as she prepares for the new laugh-out-loud comedy, Chalkface. Also, Larrakia founder of the NT Dance Company, Gary Lang, shares what's on his Top Shelf and we examine the role of the dramaturg with Chris Mead, head of theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts and author of Wondrous Strange.

Acknowledgement of Country// News Headlines// 7:15am - Barbara Shaw (IRAG) - Karrinjarla Muwajarri Mparntwe Rally//Arrernte activist Barbara Shaw from the Intervention Rollback Action Group or IRAG spoke at a rally on Saturday the 18th of June in Mparntwe Alice Springs calling for Karrinjarla Muwajarri, no guns in community. The Karrinjarla Muwajarri campaign, organised by members of the Yuendumu community, demands a ceasefire and the restoration of self-determination to Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. In this speech, Barbara Shaw connects the 15th anniversary of the Northern Territory Intervention with state violence in Aboriginal communities. Our thanks to the Punk Tree Hour crew on 8CCC Community Radio Alice Springs and Tennant Creek for sharing this recording with us! You can find out how to support the Karrinjarla Muwajarri campaign at karrinjarlamuwajarri.org, and more information about IRAG is available via their Facebook page - Intervention Rollback Action Group.// 7:30am - Music and Promotion//Event promotion: Emerging Writers Festival and Schizy Inc: Gnarly Writers, showing tonight at EWF Thursday 23rd of June from 7:30-8:30PM at Loop Project Space & Bar// Gnarly Writers celebrates storytellers who've been in the public mental health system for decades. These artists will bring you insights into the system and into healing, which might just come in handy to anyone starting out on a mental health lived experience apprenticeship or seeking validation for a lifetime of service. This event emphasizes that writing one's own story can be more than a chance to impart words of wisdom: it's also an act of freedom from a lifetime of being recorded. Find out more here // Radiothon promotion: Thursday Breakfast is raising money for 3CR's 2022 Radiothon!//Donate over the phone: CALL 03 9419 8377 OR SMS 0488 809 855//Donate online at 3cr.org.au/donate, or via our CrowdRaiser at givenow.com.au/cr/breakfast.//Don't forget to nominate Thursday Breakfast when you make your donation!// 7:45am - Zianna Fuad - Blockade Australia//Then we are joined by Zianna Fuad, a member of the climate activist group Blockade Australia. To speak on the heavily armed police raid at a NSW property on Sunday the 19th of June. The raid was triggered after activists spotted camouflaged, unmarked police officers filming them. Followed by dozens of police storming the site and detaining protesters. 7 protesters were charged on Sunday with a range of offences, 5 of them have been slammed with extremely punitive conditions such as being denied bail and maximum sentences of 10 years. Join their event on Monday 27th of June in Sydney DAY ONE here// 8:00am - Anna Weekes//We also speak to Anna Weekes from Frack Free Arts NT about the continued sponsorship of arts programming from fossil fuel giants such as Santos who is a sponsor of the upcoming Darwin Festival. Anna is a community cultural artist who has worked within Australia and internationally on community directed arts projects for social justice. Anna has a passion for the creation of personal and group expression through the arts with a focus on art as a passage for social commentary to provoke thought and change. Anna has also received the Kirk Robson Community Cultural Arts Development award for her work over the past 10 years in the field. Sign the open letter to end funding by Santos here// 8:15am - Mammad Aidani//Finally, we are joined by Mammad Aidani, who is a human rights advocate, poet, playwright, theatre director and psychosocial resarcher. He speaks with us today about the play 'I said this to the bird', which is currently showing at the Institute of Postcolonial Studies with upcoming performances from the 24th to 26th of June.Ticket details are available here.//Mammad's research investigates the violence, torture, trauma and suffering experienced by Iranian and Middle Eastern immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who have resettled in Australia and the West. He is currently the vice president of PEN International Melbourne. He teaches Hermeneutics and Phenomenological philosophy at the Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy, and his writings have been banned in Iran. You can read an essay by Mammad on exile, '300 words for truth,' here in Overland.// Songs//R U My Love - ParvynNilotic - Elsy WameyoKush (Amadou Suso Replay) - SO.Crates//

‘It's big, it's bold and it says to the world “we're back”': Darwin Festival line-up unveiled

Day Four of our coverage of The Darwin festival brings us to Bear Step Gallery in the heart of Shrewsbury Town. We are hear to listen to a lecture by Bibbs Cameron titled Darwin & HMS Beagle A Journey Of A Lifetime.  Bibbs talks about the very famous voyage on the Beagle, the journey of a lifetime (as titled) where Charles discovered so much that it changed the face of science forever. This lecture looks at some of the finer details of the voyage that you may not have know. Bibbs you are a star and I always enjoy hearing you talk. My apologies for the technical error but we made it through and this sounds fantastic. 

In this special episode you will get to listen to AL as he gets shown around Shrewsbury School's Darwin collection, courtesy of a tour put together by the school in aid of The Darwin festival. You will hear Dr Robin Brooke-Smith and Naomi Nicholas as they talk you through various areas of the library and context behind some of the exhibits in the archive, including letters and books. This episode was put together with both an audio and visual audience in mind. However if you would prefer to see this as well as hear it please visit our YouTube page right here and take a look, don't forget to subscribe:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTxWmPrOLrJDYXEHH-nuqg Thank you so much the staff at Shrewsbury School for letting me come and do my thing during this fantastic tour. It was a genuine honour to get the opportunity to soak all of this history up in such close quarters. Dr Brooke-Smith and Naomi Nicholas, you were fantastic. Also thank you for telling me about Charles Darwin being hoodwinked by his friends into trying to 'acquire' a free Shrewsbury Cake (later known as biscuit) from the bakery on Castle street, made my day. 

Here is our second instalment of our coverage of 2022's Darwin Festival. Today we focus on a great lecture by Nigel Hinton titled "Darwin's Life". Recorded in the Hobbs Room at Shrewsbury Library Nigel brings us some interesting information about the life of Charles Darwin. Despite the poor audio this lecture is at least audible so listeners from afar can enjoy Nigel's work. This lecture is Nigel Hinton's work so I ask that this podcast not be recreated and used in other media without contacting us at The Shrewsbury Biscuit or Nigel himself, thank you.

Welcome to the first episode of our coverage of The Darwin Festival 2022. Our job as always is to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy the words of wisdom that will be shared during this week of celebrating Charles Darwin, science and the evolution of many aspects of our lives. We start with a lecture by Darwin Festival founder Jon King the lecture is called "Charles Darwin The Making of a Marvellous Mind"  This lecture explores the 3 pillars of what makes Charles Darwin so unique in the way he became one of the greatest minds in history. Thank you Jon for letting me record this lecture, thank you to the Unitarian Church for letting me do my thing and thank YOU the listeners. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

What an absolute honour to have this legend on the poddy: Nick Power!!Nick is an Australian B*boy and Choreographer whose work draws on the rituals and culture of hip hop to create contemporary performances.  His practice spans from remote Aboriginal communities in the desert to the stages of the most prestigious contemporary dance festivals in Europe.  Crossing complex divides of place, culture, language and form is Nick's forté.Nick's most recent work, Two Crews, was commissioned by Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane Festivals, featuring two hip hop dance crews: Sydney's Riddim Nation, and all-women Paris crew Lady Rocks.Between Tiny Cities, was a duet developed over 3 years through a cross-cultural exchange between Australia & Cambodia. It premiered at Dance Massive 2017 and has toured to more than 20 venues nationally from Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne, to remote NT communities, and through Asia & Europe.Between Tiny Cities was nominated for Green Room & Australian Dance awards.In 2012 Nick was recipient of the Australia Council dance residency at the Cite International Des Arts in Paris, which inspired his first full length independent work, Cypher, which premiered at Darwin Festival in 2014 and toured Sydney, Melbourne, Berlin) and Helsinki, as well as remote NT communities and far western Queensland.Nick has also worked with Tracks Dance as guest choreographer on four Darwin Festival shows, and has a long term relationship with the remote Indigenous community of Lajamanu as collaborating choreographer on the Milpirri project 2005-15, creating six performances, with community Elders through to uninitiated youth.Stalker Physical Theatre commissioned Nick to create shows such as Stiltbreak (2006) and Elevate (2010), which toured Australia, Europe, Hong Kong and Mexico.Nick was founding Artistic Director of Platform Hip Hop Festival presented by Carriageworks from 2008–2012, a 3 weeks event becoming the largest hip hop festival in Australia.Nick is the recipient of the prestigious 2018 Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship.In this conversation, we dived into the following:Finding dance in high school.Learning from the Bboy All Starz.Stepping into the studio for the first time as a teacher.Discovering how dance works in different settings.The hip-hop activism radio show he used to run.Working with the Lajamanu community.Being inspired from other dance/art scenes.Story-telling with hip-hop movement.Why the process is so important.Advice on risk-taking and giving things a go.Seeing his shows in different contexts.Logo: @lawrencetandesignsAnimation: @cold_tea_artIntro track: melaniac. - we're just some motherf***ing kids

Justin Levine is the man behind the music of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The Broadway production, nominated for 14 Tony Awards, is soon to open in Melbourne. Justin joins us at the keyboard to demonstrate how he updated some of the film's most iconic moments. Also, Trent Dalton's acclaimed novel Boy Swallows Universe comes to the Queensland Theatre stage and we check in on the challenges faced by and support on offer to artists and event organisers amid border closures, lockdowns and surging COVID-19 cases.

Justin Levine is the man behind the music of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The Broadway production, nominated for 14 Tony Awards, is soon to open in Melbourne. Justin joins us at the keyboard to demonstrate how he updated some of the film's most iconic moments. Also, Trent Dalton's acclaimed novel Boy Swallows Universe comes to the Queensland Theatre stage and we check in on the challenges faced by and support on offer to artists and event organisers amid border closures, lockdowns and surging COVID-19 cases.

Justin Levine is the man behind the music of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. The Broadway production, nominated for 14 Tony Awards, is soon to open in Melbourne. Justin joins us at the keyboard to demonstrate how he updated some of the film's most iconic moments.Also, Trent Dalton's acclaimed novel Boy Swallows Universe comes to the Queensland Theatre stage and we check in on the challenges faced by and support on offer to artists and event organisers amid border closures, lockdowns and surging COVID-19 cases.

A driving special of sorts! Travel Editor Stephen Scourfield and travel journalists Mogens Johansen and Will Yeoman recount recent road trips and other assorted experiences including taking in some shows at this year's spectacular Darwin Festival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IT'S OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! And no better way to celebrate than to have the iconic cabaret artist and musical director Victoria Falconer on the show. We dive into Victoria's career as a cabaret artist, travelling the world with her feminist power trio, her flavour of musical direction and the incredible People of Cabaret initiative. Join Tiana as she rides solo this week (Giorgia was busy being a superstar in Cry Baby rehearsals!), and hear about the lady who can seriously do it all! A little bit more about Victoria: Victoria Falconer is a cabaret artist, multi-instrumentalist, theatre maker and musical director. Her most recent projects include co-creating and hosting Smashed: The Brunch Party, a femme-fronted, fiercely diverse drag cabaret show that received 5 star reviews and won a Pick of the Fringe Award for its debut season at Adelaide Fringe, whilst concurrently performing in The Boy Who Talked To Dogs, a co-production by Slingsby Theatre and State Theatre South Australia for Adelaide Festival 2021. She is co-creator & performer with acclaimed feminist firebrands Fringe Wives Club, whose debut show Glittery Clittery has been presented on stages including Southbank Centre, Soho Theatre (London), Griffin Theatre (Sydney), Darwin Festival, Bats Theatre (Wellington) and at Edinburgh Fringe, where it received the Spirit of the Fringe Award in 2018. Victoria is a founding director for The People of Cabaret, an initiative formed in 2020 to amplify and advocate for artists who identify as Indigenous and/or Bla(c)k and/or people of colour working in cabaret, circus, burlesque and associated disciplines. In their first six months of existence, they have curated a two week residency of shows at Darlinghurst Theatre Company, presented an online extravaganza for Melbourne Fringe (winning their Spirit of the Fringe Award), and hosted/produced their first Sydney Festival show We Are Here. Victoria also leads the Mentorship Program, empowering and upskilling IBPOC artists across the country. She has twice received the Best Cabaret Award at Adelaide Fringe (2018 & 2011). In 2019 she was nominated for a Sydney Theatre Award (Once, Darlinghurst Theatre Company) and a Green Room Award (Glittergrass, Malthouse Theatre) for musical direction. Other MD credits include Insane Animals (HOME Manchester), Courtney Act's Under The Covers (Underbelly, London) Unroyal Variety (Hackney Empire), Sasquatch The Opera (Summerhall, Edinburgh) and Oklahoma! (Black Swan State Theatre Company). If you would like to follow Victoria's work, you can find her @victoria_falconer on instagram, Victoria Falconer on Facebook, or at www.maestramusic.org/profile/victoria-falconer for her artist page. Additionally this is the link to the mentorship program with People of Cabaret https://www.thepeopleofcabaret.com/the-mentorship We'd love to hear your thoughts from this episode on our instagram @companypod, or Facebook Company Podcast. Hosted and Created by Giorgia Kennedy and Tiana Catalano Edited and Produced by David Duketis Music by David Duketis Graphic Design by David Duketis

A completely new restaging of John Harvey's two-hander Heart Is A Wasteland is heading to Darwin Festival.

When it comes to the Darwin Festival, there is no one better to talk to other than the guy who started it all. AL and Shane talk to Jon King who started and then organised the Darwin Festival. Planning was then taken up by Shropshire Wildlife Trust and now Shrewsbury BID puts all of this together. Leaving Jon to do what he loves. Every year Jon invites people to join him in a toast on Charles' birthday on the 12th February, which is usually followed by one of the best Darwin themed tours in town. For obvious reasons the tour isn't taking place this year but you can still join him in the toast. Jon offers the toast via Zoom this year on February 12th at 12pm. You can book your place for this by clicking on this link - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkdOyrpz4pHNPs9MwTvgYaznjIwCdph3dz

AL and Jules speak to Marianne Blaauboer and Penny Ward about the Flaxmill Maltings in Ditherington. Why is this such an important building to the world and why is so much effort being made to restore it? Of course the real answer is because our heritage tells us important stories from the past and offer us an identity. There is no one better to talk to about this than Penny who has been hard researching to try and offer us a glimpse of what life was like way back then. Penny is offering a lecture on Tuesday 16th Feb at 7.30pm called Innovative, Pioneering and Collaborative Figures at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings. If you would like to book a place for the lecture here is the link https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JkU3VKidTXmwAjX0DH-FAA    

AL sits with Tim Dawes for a short catch up. Tim has always shown a serious amount of enthusiasm when it comes to The Darwin Festival and over the past few years he had brought in intellectuals for Sci-Bars and lectures. This year Tim brings a virtual quiz that people can take part in. Why does this festival mean so much to Tim and what makes this year such and important opportunity? If you would like to take part in the quiz and challenge yourself there is a link right here where you can book a place -  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FGDXnwIASkWwy9aJMNduAA

AL speaks to John Hughes from Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Sharon, who literally lived in Darwin's garden for many years. We discuss the young Charles Darwin who developed a curiosity about the life that blossomed in that same garden 200+ years ago. That is the Charles Darwin that Shrewsbury owns and we can all take a huge amount of inspiration from his journey. Sharon is offering a talk titled Living In Darwin's Garden on Weds 17th Feb at 7.30pm. I am certain this talk will offer some magnificent insight. Here is the link if you'd like to book a place - https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select/qEHtjUSJzMQW

Throughout his childhood, Eamon felt like there was something "different" about him, something that he felt couldn't fully be explored or talked about. But once Eamon witnessed Bille Brown's rendition of Oscar Wilde in 'The Judas Kiss', his interest in the creative industry opened up a realm of possibility for him. Eamon has since worked as a director, actor, writer and dramaturg for Belvoir, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse Theatre, Bell Shakespeare's Mind's Eye, Perth International Arts Festival, Darwin Festival, Playwriting Australia and various other companies. His production of 'Counting & Cracking' won seven Helpmann Awards in 2019, including Best New Australian Work, Best Production of a Play and Best Direction of a Play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deedee attended a brilliant talk at The Guildhall that was put on as a part of The Darwin Festival. The title of the talk was Workforce of the Future-Evolution of the Workplace. The talk was all about how businesses should adapt to keep moving forward. Dee collects 2 great interviews. One with John O'Brien, who talks with Dee about his love for Shropshire and the importance of this subject. Two is with Paul Lindley OBE, award winning entrepreneur and founder of Ella's Kitchen. Paul gives us some important advice on how to keep a workforce happy in their work. This was Deedee's first solo outing as a Biscuiteer and I think she did a fantastic job well done Dee!!

We have been dying to get Jamila Walker on the show for a long time. Knowing that Jamila is putting on a workshop for the Darwin Festival was the perfect opportunity to get her in for a chat. We find out how Jamila started out in her career, what inspires her and what motivates her. We love getting inside the minds of creators and I have to say, how Jamila see's the world is kinda nice. Whether it be romanticising about the warmth of the ideal living room scene, noticing a new hat on that person you walk past everyday or seeing the beauty in everyday tasks. That's the inspiration I took from this interview. Jamila is holding a workshop at the Unitarian Church on Saturday 15th of Feb called 'Patterns in Nature' it says its great for 6-107 year olds! Go to www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk to find out more.

David Waterhouse is the Chairman of, Friends of Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery. We talk about all of the hard work that goes into raising money to maintain the Museum and Art Gallery and to keep things interesting. David tells me how important it is to support your local museums and having not been for about a year myself, he quite rightly gives me a bit of a grilling over it.  Every year there is a Darwin Memorial Lecture at the Severn Theatre that sells out very quickly. This year's is on Sunday 16th February and David tells us a bout about what this year has to offer. David is right we all must support our local Museums. To spark your interests in local history, as part of the Darwin Festival, the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery are inviting people to the museum for free between Fri 14th - Sun 16th Feb. It's a great opportunity to take the family out and witness the wonders inside.

Richard Cheal is a great guy who is bringing something special to Shrewsbury, Cafe Scientific. Picture yourself sat in a comfortable place drinking coffee, beer or whatever you choose to drink. Listening to a talk on psychology, Artificial Intelligence or medical research. Slowly digesting the information in a setting that is relaxed and sociable. Richard is starting his first Cafe Scientific on the 10th of February to link in with the Darwin Festival. Make sure you www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk to find out more about this particular event or go to www.cafescientific.org to look for future talks. Listen to Richard's amazing story, the passion he has for his field of Geology and the desire the share knowledge with others.

AL and DeeDee sit and chat with Bibbs from the Civic Society/Bear Steps about the important work that the Civic Society does for the town. Protecting important historical buildings and making sure our heritage isn't lost. From the beginning, The Civic Society have worked hard to keep Shrewsbury looking like Shrewsbury, they are a collective that are all very passionate about it too.  Bear Steps Art Gallery and Medieval Hall are throwing some great events during the Darwin Festival and Bibbs tells us all about them. Bibbs is lovely and full of amazing facts and she is absolutely welcome back anytime. Make sure you go to www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk to find out more about the Darwin Festival, it's such a brilliant event!

On this episode we speak to Marianne from "Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings. On the run up to the Darwin Festival it is important to talk about Shrewsbury's heritage. Shrewsbury's heritage doesn't come much more important than our contribution to the future of modern day architecture. The Flaxmill is the worlds first iron framed building and in-fact the precursor to the modern day sky scraper some might say.   Being recognised as such an important landmark and saved just in the nick of time, the careful restoration of this wonderful building is nearly complete and we discuss what we can look forward to when it is finished. During this festival we celebrate not just Darwin, but his town too and Marianne explains how the Flaxmill will be used to educate and inspire, for many years to come.

We are all super excited about the Darwin Festival, there is so much to look forward to. On today's episode we speak to Paul Kirkbright who is the Deputy Provost from UCS, about what this festival means to the town. Before that though we spend 20 minutes speaking to new Biscuiteer DeeDee! Before she was thrown in the deep end with the Darwin Fest talk, AL and Jules spend a bit of time getting to know their new co-host. I encourage absolutely everyone that is a fan of the show to get out to see some of the amazing events that are coming up as part of the Darwin Festival. There are many fascinating things taking place, a lot of which are free! Go to www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk and check it out!