Today
In Pictures: June 2025
As exciting as EOFY gets, our photographers managed to capture all the stories from retail, politics and pubs. Click through the links to read more.
This Month
Sydney Theatre Company’s $500k bet on Dorian Gray pays off big
Receipts soared in 2024 thanks to the West End success of one of its plays, and more self-presenting tours, but a boycott from some Jewish donors hit hard.
Sarah Snook’s Wilde turn on Broadway wins top gong
“This means so much for a little Australian girl,” she said. She thanked her husband, Dave Lawson, for “holding down the fort”.
May
The Aussie ‘messenger girls’ who changed art
Patronised and often ignored in their lifetimes, the female artists who travelled to pre-war Europe and brought modernism back home are being celebrated in a new exhibition.
More arts red ink as The Australian Ballet loses $9.1m
The forced move out of Melbourne’s State Theatre has proved costly, even for its side-hustle as a carpark operator.
‘We need the energy’: Gen Zs to get a seat on NSW cultural boards
In an Australian first, the NSW government creates a directorship at the likes of Sydney Opera House and Art Gallery of NSW explicitly for those aged 18 to 28.
April
Billionaire Gretel Packer has plans for this historic Kings Cross site
She paid $26 million for the art deco Metro-Minerva Theatre last year, but had been schtum on plans for the beloved venue. Until now.
March
From Annie to Zimmer: the must-see shows to catch in April
Take a break from the hard-knock life with our monthly selection of the best live entertainment around the country.
Art Gallery Of NSW gets first female director after 154 years
Maud Page, the long-time deputy of outgoing director Michael Brand, has been selected to step up at the institution, which gets 2 million visitors annually.
How to direct a musical on a ‘football field’
There’s a lot riding on Opera Australia’s annual outdoor production but Shaun Rennie is more worried about actors getting to their marks, and nothing getting blown into Sydney Harbour.
February
Seven shows you must see in March
From a Michael Jackson musical to an anniversary tour of Green Day’s breakthrough album, there are plenty of performances to get you off the couch.
Australia dumps Biennale artist in late-night crisis
Khaled Sabsabi had previously depicted a Hezbollah leader while also protesting Islamic State - but his invite to Venice Biennale next year has been ripped up.
Why this Archibald winner keeps painting pictures that won’t sell
Wendy Sharpe says Australian society’s disdain for all but young and beautiful naked bodies is as strong as ever, but “normal” nudes remain a muse for her nonetheless.
January
The Millennial maintaining an Archibald winner’s legacy
The artist Nicholas Harding, who died in 2022, famously didn’t “do” finances. For posterity’s sake, it’s lucky son Sam took after his mum.
Opera Australia took director loan amid cash crunch
CEO Fiona Allan is leaving Australia’s largest performing arts company, as the fallout from its staging of Sunset Boulevard widens with the revelation it accepted a director loan to stave off a cashflow crisis.
A wave of new commercial galleries is shaking up the establishment
A changing of the guard in contemporary art venues means there’s plenty of room for new artists – but will the customers follow?
December 2024
Major Sydney gallery to charge entry fee for first time in 25 years
From January 31, visitors to the Museum of Contemporary Art will have to pay $20 to get in. Chairwoman Lorraine Tarabay blames a decline in government funding.
Why this CEO reckons networking is ‘BS’
For Australian Museum boss Kim McKay, work and life are about having meaningful conversations. Social media chit-chat doesn’t cut it.
How a billionaire and government saved a key Sydney theatre
Griffin Theatre Company gave the world Cate Blanchett and David Wenham, but a soaring budget for a much-needed rebuild almost took it away.
November 2024
Tim Olsen launches secondary art business
The son of one of Australia’s greatest landscape painters says the market is oversupplied with galleries selling new art.