News

RISING launches 2024 festival program

Provocative theatre, a notorious rap group from Western Sydney and an Aboriginal rock ’n’ roll musical are among the highlights of this year’s RISING.

12 Mar 2024

Richard Watts

RISING. A woman in a slip sits on a mattress on the floor, while a man at the foot opens a can of drink. Behind the mattress is a panel with the words SHE GOT LOVE daubed on in red paint.

All Arts

Carolina Bianchi and José Artur in a scene from the RISING exclusive, ‘Trilogia Cadela Força – Capitulo’. Photo: Christophe Raynaud.

Gideon Obarzanek, co-Artistic Director of Melbourne’s winter arts festival RISING, is in a reflective mood as he explains what he and co-Artistic Director Hannah Fox have learned from previous editions of the festival and what is different about this year’s program.

‘In a city of five million people that’s very, very spread out, having a critical mass and having a walkable footprint is really important for a festival. We didn’t begin with that last year, so now we’ve really reinforced our commitment to that [concept],’ Obarzanek explains.

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Join Now Login

Richard Watts

Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts