What I mean

You know, I get tired of sniping over the bows. On Planet Alison it seems a necessary evil, silence being a slow, deadly acid, but in all th...

Wrapping the wraps

My, we're a reflective bunch; it's a regular hall of mirrors out there in cyberland, where us "non-professional critics" (...

Review: Entertaining Mr Sloane

Entertaining Mr Sloane by Joe Orton, directed by Simon Phillips. Designed by Shaun Gurton, lighting design by Matt Scott, music by David Che...

2006: The Wrap

As I lay champagne on ice and chill the flutes, preparing for my Olympian end-of-year reflections, I realise that I've had a good year h...

Hmmmmmm

For reasons that utterly escape me, my feed is popping up old posts that I haven't touched at all. Is there a doppelganger reposting whi...

Blood sport

Over in his virtual Berlin, Daniel Schlusser thinks that artistic argument is all too polite. He wants blood. Says Daniel:I suppose I am ac...

Holly, mistletoe and other un-antipodean things

As you all know, TN is a stickler for tradition. I even managed to arrange some snow for our bushfire-stricken Alpine regions and, since I b...

In Which Little Alison Gets Cross

Here is a picture of TN this week. Not a happy blogger, is she?To drive away the clouds louring o'er this house (and just before Christm...

Debate? What debate?

Asks Supernaut (aka dancer Frances D'Ath) of the so-called "controversy" around the Melbourne Festival.Slagging match of the ...

That "entertainment" word

Prompted in part by a glum viewing of the Short & Sweet website, our favourite New York tragedian George Hunka lets rip on the commodifi...

Strong action

Signs of hope? James Strong, the new(ish) chair of the Australia Council, has put his weight behind yet another inquiry into the "troub...

Review: Short & Sweet

Short & Sweet 2006: Week 3 Top 30. Various artists. Fairfax Studio, Victorian Arts Centre.As everyone knows who is not from Mars (or out...

Exploding Melbourne blogs

Metaphorically speaking, of course...A number of new theatre blogs - mainly by theatre practitioners - are crossing my screen, and it occurs...

MIAF: The thrashing begins

Predictably, the guns are out already on the Melbourne Festival's decision to extend Kristy Edmunds' term as festival director. Of ...

MIAF: Edmunds scores another year

It's official. After much speculation, it was announced today that Kristy Edmunds, Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Arts...

More geek stuff

Technophobes can shut their eyes now ...I can't work out how to solve the post feed issue. Blogger has removed the handy "recent po...

Crampton on criticism

UPDATE: Just caught up with Rat Sass's take on what he calls blogosphere "theatre talk" and the "contra-review". Am...

Housekeeping

Since we've been talking about fairness all week, I feel obliged to point to this. I've given Cameron Woodhead some curry in these p...

Review: A Mile in her Shadow

A Mile in her Shadow by Robert Reid, directed by Aidan Fennessy. Design by Anna Cordingley, lighting design by Matt Scott, original music an...

On being nice

UPDATES: Some well-considered words from Ben Ellis over at Parachute of a Playwright and gobsmacked disbelief from our man in berlin Daniel...

Review: Translations

Translations by Brian Friel, directed by David Mealor. Design by Kerry Reid, lighting design Geoff Cobham. With William Allert, Michaela Can...

Criticism and audiences

UPDATE: In the comments, Ben makes clear that Chris Bendall's howl that he was taken out of context is perfectly just. My sincere apolo...