Richard Watts

Melbourne

Arts journo. 3RRR broadcaster. Hibernophile. Antifascist. Godless sodomite (versatile). Pink Magpies/Collingwood Pride founder. On Wurundjeri Country. OAM.

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Articles

Arts news watch: this week’s trending topics

1 week ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

Each Saturday, we summarise ArtsHub’s most-read stories of the week in order to bring you up to speed with the latest arts news you may have missed. Here are the news stories – both industry oriented and public facing – reviews and career stories that caught our readers’ eyes over the last seven days.
New song cycle commemorates 25th anniversary of the Childers Backpackers Hostel fire

1 week ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

The deaths of 15 young backpackers in a deliberately lit fire at The Palace Backpackers Hostel on 23 June 2000 shocked the residents of the small regional Queensland town of Childers, and deeply traumatised the survivors. Rod Ainsworth is a creative producer, writer and director working in Bundaberg in regional Queensland, and has written a new song cycle – in collaboration with composer John Babbage of Brisbane ensemble Topology – to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fire.
What I learned from 12 years at Sydney Fringe Festival: Kerri Glasscock

1 week ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

After 12 years as the CEO and Festival Director of Sydney Fringe Festival – during which time the Fringe has grown from a small community event into New South Wales’ largest independent arts festival – Kerri Glasscock has decided it’s time to call it a day. Her decision to move on – and her appointment as the new Executive Director of Create NSW, the NSW State Government’s arts and cultural driver – was announced earlier this year.
On the move: latest arts sector appointments

1 week ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are advised that the following article contains the name of a person who has died. Three new staff have joined the team of Melbourne contemporary dance company Chunky Move. Benjamin Beare has joined the company as Production and Operations Coordinator, Eloise Coomber takes on the Marketing and Development Coordinator role, and Nic Ramsay is Chunky Move’s new Office and Program Coordinator.
The art of intimacy: how cabaret artists connect with you from the stage

1 week ago | artshub.co.uk | Richard Watts

In many ways, cabaret is the most intimate of art forms. Even when they’re performing in large theatres and concert halls, the best cabaret artists successfully craft a sense of connection between themselves and you, the audience, which not only breaks the fourth wall but demolishes it completely – all with a song and a smile.
Australian Festival of Chamber Music moving to Cairns in 2026

1 week ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

The Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) this morning (16 June) announced its relocation from Townsville – the Northern Queensland city it has called home since 1991 – to Cairns, 347 kilometres further north on Yirrganydji Country. “This is not a departure from northern Queensland – it is an evolution within it,” Mary Jo Capps AM, AFCM Chair, said in a media statement today.
Fighting zombies and pirates and having fun with your friends: Zero Latency VR celebrates its 10th anniversary

2 weeks ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

“Zero Latency very much started in a garage with just a concept – basically, to prove that we could start making virtual reality something that you can actually walk around in, rather than something where you were tied to a PC and you couldn’t move anywhere at all, which was certainly the case with the early VR headsets,” says Scott Vandonkelaar, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and co-founder of Zero Latency VR.
Flying Fruit Fly Circus appointed head tenant of state-of-the-art circus centre in Melbourne

2 weeks ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

One of Australia’s most successful regional creative companies will lead a new, state-of-the-art circus hub in Melbourne, backed by the Allan Labor Government. The Victorian Government – which owns the former Circus Oz HQ and circus training and rehearsal centre at 50 Perry Street, Collingwood – announced it was seeking a new and experienced operator to manage the venue in October last year.
The art of intimacy: how cabaret artists connect with you from the stage

2 weeks ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

In many ways, cabaret is the most intimate of art forms. Even when they’re performing in large theatres and concert halls, the best cabaret artists successfully craft a sense of connection between themselves and you, the audience, which not only breaks the fourth wall but demolishes it completely – all with a song and a smile.
Louise Bezzina’s 2025 Brisbane Festival program revealed

2 weeks ago | artshub.com.au | Richard Watts

Artistic Director Louise Bezzina “absolutely did not” know that the 2025 Brisbane Festival would be her sixth and final edition of the city-spanning multi-arts festival when she began programming it. “But I think that it’s important to always work as if it’s your last, so that you make the most of every opportunity. And I’m glad that this festival is achieving and delivering a few things that I’ve been wanting to do for many years,” she explains.