Australia
The future of games festival Freeplay is in doubt after major funding loss
Freeplay's organisers have confirmed the long-running festival lacks ongoing funds, and may cease after 2026.
WAKE review: queer cabaret from the Emerald Isle
WAKE brings a riot of colour and music to the Sydney Festival.
Hot Chip review: joy in repetition at the Sydney Opera House
Returning to Australia as part of Sydney Festival, Hot Chip showed why they are such beloved musical icons.
Mama Does Derby review: wheeling onto stage with brutal tenderness
Despite the roller derby chaos, the real heart of Mama Does Derby is in how it portrays a complex mother-daughter…
Cultural safety isn’t a shield, it’s a mirror, and organisations need to look into it
Amid debates about the right to freedom of expression, we are losing our sense of what cultural safety in practice…
Pants down: how it feels to publish your first book
Miriam Webster, whose debut short story collection The Slip was published in July 2025, reflects on the experience of releasing…
Creative Victoria: backing or backing away?
Creative Victoria’s recently delivered Creative Enterprise Program funding stunned some organisations and alarmed others: are the outcomes a warning sign…
On the move: latest arts sector appointments
Your weekly round-up of Australian arts sector appointments.
Best opportunities, grants and awards for creatives: 18-25 January 2026
A new creative residency in Waterloo, plus development opportunities for dancers, performance artists, and more.
Sugar review: a frothy, fun and fearless Midsumma treat
This whirlwind production works Chappell Roan into Pretty Woman by way of Tomáš Kantor’s commanding queerness.