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The Poltergeist at La Mama, Gertrude Studios' 2024 exhibition, The Tina Turner Musical, Perth Festival 2025 & Your Name Means Dream at Red Stitch

Richard speaks to actor Tamblyn Lord on the Australian premiere of Philip Ridley's play The Poltergeist, at La Mama Theatre.

Gertrude Studios curator, Dr Amelia Winata, introduces the 2024 exhibition.

Giovanni Adams joins…

Podcast

MQFF, Dominic Kavanagh, Rhinoceros & Sydney Festival 2025

Buckle in for another ride of the SmartArts-coaster! Richard Watts OAM, is here to guide you through all the twists, turns and thrills of this weeks episode…

Kicking off with a Melbourne Queer…

Podcast

An Evening with Stephen Fry! Irish Film Festival, Adam Elliot, Victorian Opera 2025, The Rabble’s Wake AND Golden Blood

This week on SmartArts with Richard Watts,

As we all know, Melbourne is the most Irish city in Australia, and Dr Enda Murray, the Festival Director of the 2024 Irish Film Festival is…

Podcast

Malthouse 2025, Amanda Haskard on ACMI, plus MELBOURNE FRINGE MINI SPECIAL: Alix Kuijpers' Grim Grinning Ghosts, Mitch Jones' Apocrypha and choreographer Oli Mathiesen

Richard starts off this week's show with a Malthouse Theatre 2025 season overview with Artistic Director Matt Lutton.

Gunai/Kurnai woman and curator Amanda Haskard talks ACMI's major exhibition The Future and Other Fictions

Podcast

Poster Protest Art, The Cost of Living & Mother

Richard Watts is joined by Director Anthea Williams and Actor Rachael Edmonds to talk about upcoming Melbourne Theatre production "The cost of Living" which won the 2018 Pulitzer prize for drama, written by…

Podcast

Disability advocacy in the arts, MAGMA exhibitions, PURE oil paintings, You're the Man and Around the World in 80 Days.

Richard is joined in today's show of Smartarts by a whirlpool of talent including: artist Cindy Campbell, Sharmini Kumar & Arthur Pontonio of Around the World in 80 Days and Paul Mitchell &amp…

Podcast

And This Time the Well Is Alive, Secret Mall Apartment, Frankenstein, Stephen Cummins Retrospective and the Clyde Chabot Trilogy

Richard Watts OAM has a plentiful basket of curators, directors, artists and critics for you to choose from this week.

If you’re looking for an art exhibition, and perhaps you’ve been chewed up…

Podcast

Drawn Out Comics, Fox Galleries, the heart whispers and whirls, Asia TOPA, MIFF and AG Founder Andrew Gyopar

Richard is joined by a whole slew of guests including: Bernard Caleo to talk all things comics, Tai Snaith with the fortnightly Art Attack, Nela Trifkovic who is the vocalist behind new performance…

Podcast

Irish rappers KNEECAP, Circus Arts, SCI-FI Exhibitions & National Poetry Month

Richard Kicks off this jam packed episode with Simona Jobbagy of NICA and Sam Jacob, CEO of Collarts as they talk about Australia's only Bachelor of Circus Arts finding a new home for…

Podcast

Scandinavian Film Festival, How do we remain; at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Ānanda: Dance of Joy and Two Remain.

Host Richard Watts is joined by Christof Wehmeier, head of international & festival promotion at the Icelandic Film Centre, and they discuss the 2024 Scandinavian film Festival program and highlights.

We also have…

About this program

Visual art, theatre, film and literature. Segments include:

  • 'Art Attack' - fortnightly visual arts reviews with Ace Wagstaff and Tai Snaith.
  • 'Shoot the Messenger' - fortnightly theatre news & reviews with Fleur Kilpatrick.
  • 'Drawn Out' - monthly chat about comic books and graphic novels with Bernard Caleo.

Please email talks@rrr.org.au for all interview requests.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Richard Watts has many years experience working in the arts industry, including five years as the Artistic Director of the youth arts organisation Express Media, seven years on the Board of Melbourne Fringe (including three years as Chair), and six years on the Committee of Management at La Mama Theatre, where he currently serves as Chair. Richard has helped program a range of festivals including Next Wave, the National Young Writers' Festival, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and the Emerging Writers' Festival (which he founded) and he has written for various broadsheets, journals, zines and magazines. Currently he pays the rent by working as the Performing Arts Editor at www.artshub.com.au. In his spare time he watches old Doctor Who episodes.


The podcast intro and outro theme is Soft Illusion and was generously provided by Andras.

https://andras.bandcamp.com/track/soft-illusion

Presenters