Steve Dow
@dowsteve.bsky.social
Arts journalo, everywhere I go - Guardian, Saturday Paper, The Monthly, Sunday Life, The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Art Guide Australia, Limelight, Vault, Meanjin. http://stevedow.com.au/default.aspx
Pinned
Steve Dow
@dowsteve.bsky.social
· Sep 21
Given her own father-daughter road story, actor and playwright Kate Mulvany seemed destined to adapt D'Arcy Niland's classic novel The Shiralee for Sydney Theatre Company.
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
They cheered the horse and booed the consul. #WhitlamDismissal www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqes...
Sir John Kerr Drunk At The Melbourne Cup (1/11/77)
YouTube video by Malcolm Farnsworth
www.youtube.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:13 AM
They cheered the horse and booed the consul. #WhitlamDismissal www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqes...
Finally, after the collapse in new Oz drama …
Fed Govt to introduce a Bill to “mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers … to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local … programs”.
Fed Govt to introduce a Bill to “mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers … to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local … programs”.
November 4, 2025 at 4:51 AM
Finally, after the collapse in new Oz drama …
Fed Govt to introduce a Bill to “mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers … to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local … programs”.
Fed Govt to introduce a Bill to “mandate streaming services with more than one million Australian subscribers … to invest at least 10 per cent of their total expenditure for Australia – or 7.5 per cent of their revenue – on new local … programs”.
I had a yarn with Madeline Li, midway through her three-month Australian tour of 26 venues as Juliet for Bell Shakespeare.
“She’s a young woman who’s vulnerable and very emotional but look at the language and you see the strength that underwrites all of that ...” www.smh.com.au/culture/thea...
“She’s a young woman who’s vulnerable and very emotional but look at the language and you see the strength that underwrites all of that ...” www.smh.com.au/culture/thea...
How a ‘depressing Tin Man’ took Madeline to Romeo and Juliet
When Madeline Li scored a lead role in a school play as a 12-year-old, it put her on a path she still follows.
www.smh.com.au
October 27, 2025 at 5:19 AM
I had a yarn with Madeline Li, midway through her three-month Australian tour of 26 venues as Juliet for Bell Shakespeare.
“She’s a young woman who’s vulnerable and very emotional but look at the language and you see the strength that underwrites all of that ...” www.smh.com.au/culture/thea...
“She’s a young woman who’s vulnerable and very emotional but look at the language and you see the strength that underwrites all of that ...” www.smh.com.au/culture/thea...
“We carry ceremony with us that keeps that fire alive and keeps us connected and grounded.”
I caught up with yidaki master William Barton & choreographer and former Bangarra leader Stephen Page during rehearsals for their first collaboration, at Sydney Dance Company
www.smh.com.au/culture/danc...
I caught up with yidaki master William Barton & choreographer and former Bangarra leader Stephen Page during rehearsals for their first collaboration, at Sydney Dance Company
www.smh.com.au/culture/danc...
How William Barton’s yidaki meets Stephen Page’s vision in new dance work
The musician and the choreographer have collaborated on a new work for Sydney Dance Company’s triple bill Continuum.
www.smh.com.au
October 19, 2025 at 7:53 PM
“We carry ceremony with us that keeps that fire alive and keeps us connected and grounded.”
I caught up with yidaki master William Barton & choreographer and former Bangarra leader Stephen Page during rehearsals for their first collaboration, at Sydney Dance Company
www.smh.com.au/culture/danc...
I caught up with yidaki master William Barton & choreographer and former Bangarra leader Stephen Page during rehearsals for their first collaboration, at Sydney Dance Company
www.smh.com.au/culture/danc...
Bernie Sanders: “The establishment want you to believe you are powerless, but that is a lie.” youtu.be/W2wbSUQxp48?...
WATCH: At 'No Kings' rally, Sen. Sanders says U.S. experiment of democracy 'in danger' under Trump
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
youtu.be
October 18, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Bernie Sanders: “The establishment want you to believe you are powerless, but that is a lie.” youtu.be/W2wbSUQxp48?...
Took a walk with ABC host Hamish Macdonald around Parramatta and we talked about him getting married, being type A, and learning to deal with intolerance www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Hamish Macdonald: ‘The experience of hosting Q+A was totally overwhelming’
The ABC radio host talks about copping abuse, being driven, and the rise of political violence around the world
www.theguardian.com
October 17, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Took a walk with ABC host Hamish Macdonald around Parramatta and we talked about him getting married, being type A, and learning to deal with intolerance www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
“I’m very passionate about having a First Nations storyline in such a huge show with such a huge reach.”
In Sunday Life today I profile Tuuli Narkle about her life, Noongar ancestry and ongoing role as Evie in NCIS: Sydney as well as Mary in Mystery Road: Origin.
www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
In Sunday Life today I profile Tuuli Narkle about her life, Noongar ancestry and ongoing role as Evie in NCIS: Sydney as well as Mary in Mystery Road: Origin.
www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
October 11, 2025 at 6:53 PM
“I’m very passionate about having a First Nations storyline in such a huge show with such a huge reach.”
In Sunday Life today I profile Tuuli Narkle about her life, Noongar ancestry and ongoing role as Evie in NCIS: Sydney as well as Mary in Mystery Road: Origin.
www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
In Sunday Life today I profile Tuuli Narkle about her life, Noongar ancestry and ongoing role as Evie in NCIS: Sydney as well as Mary in Mystery Road: Origin.
www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
Just seen Dangerously Modern at Art Gallery of NSW, presenting the art of 50 Australian women artists who pursued their passions in Europe between 1890 and 1940
Here, I talk to the curators about Bessie Davidson and Agnes Goodsir and their works made against the odds artguide.com.au/cultural-exc...
Here, I talk to the curators about Bessie Davidson and Agnes Goodsir and their works made against the odds artguide.com.au/cultural-exc...
Cultural exchange on the international stage
Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890–1940, co-curated by the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, celebrates 50 Australian women artists who tr...
artguide.com.au
October 10, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Just seen Dangerously Modern at Art Gallery of NSW, presenting the art of 50 Australian women artists who pursued their passions in Europe between 1890 and 1940
Here, I talk to the curators about Bessie Davidson and Agnes Goodsir and their works made against the odds artguide.com.au/cultural-exc...
Here, I talk to the curators about Bessie Davidson and Agnes Goodsir and their works made against the odds artguide.com.au/cultural-exc...
Great to catch up with Uncle Kutcha Edwards for a yarn ahead of his debut with the Sydney Symphony at the Opera House.
The concert, Ngarli-Wangu (Our Song) takes Edwards’s poem My Favourite Drop as inspiration, featuring river-themed landscapes and soundscapes.
www.smh.com.au/culture/musi...
The concert, Ngarli-Wangu (Our Song) takes Edwards’s poem My Favourite Drop as inspiration, featuring river-themed landscapes and soundscapes.
www.smh.com.au/culture/musi...
‘Us’ and ‘them’ is far from my spirit: Why Kutcha Edwards is building bridges
As he mourns the recent death of his brother Dave, Edwards is in a period of reflection ahead of his debut with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
www.smh.com.au
October 8, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Great to catch up with Uncle Kutcha Edwards for a yarn ahead of his debut with the Sydney Symphony at the Opera House.
The concert, Ngarli-Wangu (Our Song) takes Edwards’s poem My Favourite Drop as inspiration, featuring river-themed landscapes and soundscapes.
www.smh.com.au/culture/musi...
The concert, Ngarli-Wangu (Our Song) takes Edwards’s poem My Favourite Drop as inspiration, featuring river-themed landscapes and soundscapes.
www.smh.com.au/culture/musi...
Ahead of her first season launch as artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, I talk to artistic director Petra Kalive about her life, career and community ethos www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/thea... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Artistic director Petra Kalive
State Theatre Company South Australia’s artistic director, Petra Kalive, brings seldom-heard voices to her imminent first season.
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
October 3, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Ahead of her first season launch as artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, I talk to artistic director Petra Kalive about her life, career and community ethos www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/thea... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au
Speaking of local content, when is Bluesky going to introduce regional topics?
We need a trending chart to keep us informed of Australia's biggest arsehats and bitter disappointments of the day.
We need a trending chart to keep us informed of Australia's biggest arsehats and bitter disappointments of the day.
September 22, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Speaking of local content, when is Bluesky going to introduce regional topics?
We need a trending chart to keep us informed of Australia's biggest arsehats and bitter disappointments of the day.
We need a trending chart to keep us informed of Australia's biggest arsehats and bitter disappointments of the day.
"The FANGs [Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google] don’t pay tax in Australia. They commission very little content. ... they’re not dissimilar to the crown-of-thorns starfish ... bleaching Australian content from our screens.”
Agree. Zero Oz content on HBO Max, too.
mumbrella.com.au/michael-cord...
Agree. Zero Oz content on HBO Max, too.
mumbrella.com.au/michael-cord...
'Crown-of-thorns starfish bleaching Australian content': Michael Cordell blasts tech giants
Award-winning producer and director Michael Cordell has likened Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google (“the FANGs”) to the crown-of-thorns starfish – coming in and destroying the local content environm...
mumbrella.com.au
September 22, 2025 at 9:33 PM
"The FANGs [Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google] don’t pay tax in Australia. They commission very little content. ... they’re not dissimilar to the crown-of-thorns starfish ... bleaching Australian content from our screens.”
Agree. Zero Oz content on HBO Max, too.
mumbrella.com.au/michael-cord...
Agree. Zero Oz content on HBO Max, too.
mumbrella.com.au/michael-cord...
Given her own father-daughter road story, actor and playwright Kate Mulvany seemed destined to adapt D'Arcy Niland's classic novel The Shiralee for Sydney Theatre Company.
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
September 21, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Given her own father-daughter road story, actor and playwright Kate Mulvany seemed destined to adapt D'Arcy Niland's classic novel The Shiralee for Sydney Theatre Company.
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
I profile Mulvany about her life and career for Limelight's October issue [subscriber].
limelight-arts.com.au/features/cro...
Reposted by Steve Dow
Had a yarn with NZ artist Lisa Reihana, whose works welcome visitors entering Ngununggula in the Southern Highlands and Sydney Contemporary at Carriageworks.
"I try to demonstrate caring for others," she says, her survey at Bowral collecting her stunning recent video art.
artguide.com.au?p=219231
"I try to demonstrate caring for others," she says, her survey at Bowral collecting her stunning recent video art.
artguide.com.au?p=219231
Looking Forward, Looking Back with Lisa Reihana
Auckland-born and raised artist Lisa Reihana is ever the optimist, creating two new works signifying social cohesion to hang outside two Australian arts venues—Ngununggula, and Sydney Contemporary at ...
artguide.com.au
September 12, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Had a yarn with NZ artist Lisa Reihana, whose works welcome visitors entering Ngununggula in the Southern Highlands and Sydney Contemporary at Carriageworks.
"I try to demonstrate caring for others," she says, her survey at Bowral collecting her stunning recent video art.
artguide.com.au?p=219231
"I try to demonstrate caring for others," she says, her survey at Bowral collecting her stunning recent video art.
artguide.com.au?p=219231
On motherhood, career and rejection: my profile of Philippa Northeast, from The Newsreader and Territory to the ABC’s new drama The Family Next Door and her upcoming lead in a Netflix remake of an iconic Australian story. In today’s Sunday Life magazine. www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
You mightn’t know her yet, but actor Philippa Northeast is a star to watch
After a COVID career setback, the 30-year-old star of The Newsreader and Territory appears in a new ABC drama based on a Sally Hepworth bestseller.
www.smh.com.au
August 10, 2025 at 3:32 AM
On motherhood, career and rejection: my profile of Philippa Northeast, from The Newsreader and Territory to the ABC’s new drama The Family Next Door and her upcoming lead in a Netflix remake of an iconic Australian story. In today’s Sunday Life magazine. www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
He eschewed “the lie” of naturalism on stage and saw artificiality as “more honest”. Visionary theatre and opera director Robert Wilson has died aged 83.
In 2015, he was ever the showman when I interviewed him, and he spoke of divas Gaga, Dietrich and Abramović. www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/d...
In 2015, he was ever the showman when I interviewed him, and he spoke of divas Gaga, Dietrich and Abramović. www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/d...
Robert Wilson: the art my generation produced won’t be seen in 50 years
Avant-garde theatremaker on the genius of Lady Gaga and why contemporary artists such as Marina Abramović will become a ‘footnote’ in history
www.theguardian.com
July 31, 2025 at 10:50 PM
He eschewed “the lie” of naturalism on stage and saw artificiality as “more honest”. Visionary theatre and opera director Robert Wilson has died aged 83.
In 2015, he was ever the showman when I interviewed him, and he spoke of divas Gaga, Dietrich and Abramović. www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/d...
In 2015, he was ever the showman when I interviewed him, and he spoke of divas Gaga, Dietrich and Abramović. www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/d...
“I always want a painting or drawing I do to have a little energy and a sense of self."
Pleasure to spend time with rule-breaking artist Janet Dawson at her first state museum retrospective, at age 90, at Art Gallery of NSW.
My interview for Art Guide Australia: artguide.com.au/resisting-ru...
Pleasure to spend time with rule-breaking artist Janet Dawson at her first state museum retrospective, at age 90, at Art Gallery of NSW.
My interview for Art Guide Australia: artguide.com.au/resisting-ru...
July 23, 2025 at 4:38 AM
“I always want a painting or drawing I do to have a little energy and a sense of self."
Pleasure to spend time with rule-breaking artist Janet Dawson at her first state museum retrospective, at age 90, at Art Gallery of NSW.
My interview for Art Guide Australia: artguide.com.au/resisting-ru...
Pleasure to spend time with rule-breaking artist Janet Dawson at her first state museum retrospective, at age 90, at Art Gallery of NSW.
My interview for Art Guide Australia: artguide.com.au/resisting-ru...
Reposted by Steve Dow
🔥 Rosie O’Donnell, an American, responds to Trump threatening to revoke her citizenship — showing he is coming for anyone who opposes him eventually: “You are everything that is wrong with 🇺🇸… King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
July 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM
🔥 Rosie O’Donnell, an American, responds to Trump threatening to revoke her citizenship — showing he is coming for anyone who opposes him eventually: “You are everything that is wrong with 🇺🇸… King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan. I’m not yours to silence. I never was.”
Took a walk with choreographer Stephen Page and we spoke of grief, creativity and renewal as well as plans to make a feature film about his late brother, composer David Page www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Stephen Page: ‘Am I old? Am I not old? Can I still create?’
The acclaimed choreographer on leaving Bangarra, losing family and finding sacred stability
www.theguardian.com
June 13, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Took a walk with choreographer Stephen Page and we spoke of grief, creativity and renewal as well as plans to make a feature film about his late brother, composer David Page www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
“As an older woman, courage starts to wobble,” Marta Dusseldorp tells me in this interview ahead of her Tassie-noir romp Bay of Fires season two on the ABC.
“I want to keep my courage until the very end, and I’m finding right now I’m having to remind myself of that.” www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
“I want to keep my courage until the very end, and I’m finding right now I’m having to remind myself of that.” www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
‘As an older woman, courage starts to wobble’: How Marta Dusseldorp finds her strength
Since moving to Tasmania, the actor and co-creator of Bay of Fires has embraced a more connected life.
www.smh.com.au
June 8, 2025 at 1:44 AM
“As an older woman, courage starts to wobble,” Marta Dusseldorp tells me in this interview ahead of her Tassie-noir romp Bay of Fires season two on the ABC.
“I want to keep my courage until the very end, and I’m finding right now I’m having to remind myself of that.” www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
“I want to keep my courage until the very end, and I’m finding right now I’m having to remind myself of that.” www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/li...
Light as life: I review Bangarra Dance Theatre’s new show Illume last night at the Opera House, ahead of its national tour www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/j...
Bangarra: Illume review – exquisite dance show makes for an astonishing visual feast
In the 1,500-seat Joan Sutherland theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre finally has the space it deserves – and this ambitious production makes the most of it
www.theguardian.com
June 6, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Light as life: I review Bangarra Dance Theatre’s new show Illume last night at the Opera House, ahead of its national tour www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/j...
In Janenne Eaton’s art lies an implicit critique of our over-reliance on digital technology, a musing on the collision of our physical and virtual worlds.
I talk to the Melbourne artist for Art Guide Australia artguide.com.au/janenne-eato...
I talk to the Melbourne artist for Art Guide Australia artguide.com.au/janenne-eato...
Janenne Eaton reflects the impact of the digital world on the natural
Janenne Eaton’s first major career survey, Lines of Sight—Frame and Horizon opens at Geelong Gallery. With a lifetime of environmental work and appreciation, the work reflects on the omnipotence of te...
artguide.com.au
May 23, 2025 at 11:04 PM
In Janenne Eaton’s art lies an implicit critique of our over-reliance on digital technology, a musing on the collision of our physical and virtual worlds.
I talk to the Melbourne artist for Art Guide Australia artguide.com.au/janenne-eato...
I talk to the Melbourne artist for Art Guide Australia artguide.com.au/janenne-eato...
Marina Otero drew on her breakdown to create Kill Me, her show about “madness for love” (or, as she puts it, “locura por amor”), coming to Melbourne’s Rising festival. I spoke to Otero in Madrid for @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
‘I was sure salvation lay in art’: Marina Otero on death, dance and mental illness
The Argentinian choreographer, known for working out her traumas and neuroses on stage, is bringing her provocative new work, Kill Me, to Australia
www.theguardian.com
May 23, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Marina Otero drew on her breakdown to create Kill Me, her show about “madness for love” (or, as she puts it, “locura por amor”), coming to Melbourne’s Rising festival. I spoke to Otero in Madrid for @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Reposted by Steve Dow
Michael B Tretow 1944-2025.
Svensk kulturkanon. ❤️
Svensk kulturkanon. ❤️
May 21, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Michael B Tretow 1944-2025.
Svensk kulturkanon. ❤️
Svensk kulturkanon. ❤️