Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts

Richard Watts's Latest Articles

Crying with laughter at the Brisbane Comedy Festival.
Features

Laugh your cares away at Brisbane Comedy Festival 2025

Like a swarm of LOLcusts, the country’s best comedians – and local talents aplenty – are about to descend on…

On the move.
News

On the move: latest arts sector appointments

Our weekly round-up of appointments and departures in the Australian arts sector.

Miss Ellaneous (Ben Graetz) as Miss Tina at Moogahlin Performing Arts’ ‘Koori Gras: Black Nulla’. Graezt is in character as Tina Turner, resplendant in an 80s-style wig and shimmering, beaded sleveless dress, and is photographed mid-song, arms outstretched and singing into a microphone. A sequined version of the Aboriginal flag in split bands of black and red, bisected by a golden circle, hangs behind her.
Sponsored

Simply the best: ‘TINA – A Tropical Love Story’ celebrates the late, great Tina Turner

Everyone has their own Tina story, says First Nations performer Ben Graetz, who’s sharing his – and sharing the spotlight…

L-R: Dancer, musician, composer, songman, didgeridoo player, cultural consultant and educator, Uncle Matthew Doyle and Sydney Festival's Blak Out curator and Creative Artist in Residence Jacob (Jake) Nash.
News

Sydney Festival seeks Creative Producer – First Nations, as Jake Nash prepares to move on

Sydney Festival’s Creative Artist in Residence Jacob (Jake) Nash will depart after the 2026 Blak Out program; a new role…

One of the plays being staged as rehearsed readings for the La Boite Encores program: 2015’s visceral ‘Prize Fighter’ by Future D. Fidel. The image shows a young Congolese man wearing boxing shorts and boxing gloves as he throws a punch with his left hand.
Features

La Boite Encores brings the 100-year-old company’s past to vivid life

Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre has announced the titles of 10 plays selected for its 10-week Encores play reading series.

'Back to the Future: The Musical', original Broadway cast. A young man leaps into the air while playing an electric guitar, accompanied by a blaze of sparks.
News

Back to the Future: The Musical set for 2025 Sydney premiere

Everything you need to know about the Olivier Award-winning musical, which is based on the 1985 film starring Michael J…

REMIX London. A gathering of arts, government, technology and media professionals sit watching a well dressed male speaker at a podium on a brightly lit stage. A large banner behind the speaker features the REMIX logo and the logos of the event's many sponsors and supporters.
Sponsored

From Coachella to the Sunshine Coast: exploring the impact of Desert X at REMIX Academy

Jenny Gil, Executive Director of the outdoor sculpture biennale Desert X, is flying from California to Australia to discuss her…

A close-up photo of waves crashing on a beach, illustrating ArtsHub's weekly On the move column, a wrap-up of arts sector appointments and departures.
News

On the move: latest arts sector appointments

Our weekly round-up of appointments and departures in the Australian arts sector – and, sometimes, further afield.

'Garry Starr: Classic Penguins' at The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide Fringe 2025. A photoshopped image of a fair-skinned man with curly black hair and a neat beard wearing an orange-coloured Elizabethan ruff. His arms from the elbows down, and his body from the waist down, have been photoshopped to appear like a penguin. He leans on his left flipper and sits on his left penguin hip, his orange penguin feet and right flipper raised.
StarsStarsStarsStarsStars

Comedy review: Garry Starr: Classic Penguins, Beckett Theatre, MICF 2025

Brilliant, in-your-face clowning that leans heavily into the concept of enthusiastic consent.

Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) Territory Tour hero image. A casually dressed conductor, wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap, leads members of the DSO in an outdoor performance in a park. Cars, families on picnic rugs, and childfren playing footy on the grass are visible in the background.
News

Darwin Symphony Orchestra prepares for its first regional NT tour in a decade

This month, DSO is travelling across the NT to perform in three different locations, including a festival concert under the…

1 2 3 4 5 6 239