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
Simon Stone on luring film stars on stage, family tragedy and staging Chekhov in Korean: ‘It’s one of the proudest moments in my career’
Directing the likes of Alicia Vikander, Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman on stage, the Australian director is returning to Adelaide festival with a bold new take on The Cherry Orchard
www.theguardian.com
I yarn with expat Australian writer and director Simon Stone about his life and career ahead of his Korean-language The Cherry Orchard coming to Adelaide Festival.
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Reposted by Steve Dow
Melissa McIntosh is more worried about kids singing about being locked up than kids being locked up.
January 30, 2026 at 6:27 AM
Melissa McIntosh is more worried about kids singing about being locked up than kids being locked up.
More than #$A100 million to licence and market doco Melania.
One ticket sold across Hoyts cinemas so far, back row in Cronulla.
Is Scotty from Marketing back in town?
mumbrella.com.au/hoyts-has-so...
One ticket sold across Hoyts cinemas so far, back row in Cronulla.
Is Scotty from Marketing back in town?
mumbrella.com.au/hoyts-has-so...
January 28, 2026 at 5:52 AM
More than #$A100 million to licence and market doco Melania.
One ticket sold across Hoyts cinemas so far, back row in Cronulla.
Is Scotty from Marketing back in town?
mumbrella.com.au/hoyts-has-so...
One ticket sold across Hoyts cinemas so far, back row in Cronulla.
Is Scotty from Marketing back in town?
mumbrella.com.au/hoyts-has-so...
Reposted by Steve Dow
This is how the administration is maligning Alex Pretti
A caring, 37 year old male US citizen who worked in the Minneapolis VA ICU as a nurse caring for sick veterans.
This is shameful and indefensible.
A caring, 37 year old male US citizen who worked in the Minneapolis VA ICU as a nurse caring for sick veterans.
This is shameful and indefensible.
January 24, 2026 at 8:08 PM
This is how the administration is maligning Alex Pretti
A caring, 37 year old male US citizen who worked in the Minneapolis VA ICU as a nurse caring for sick veterans.
This is shameful and indefensible.
A caring, 37 year old male US citizen who worked in the Minneapolis VA ICU as a nurse caring for sick veterans.
This is shameful and indefensible.
Saw Khalid Abdalla’s one-man work Nowhere for Sydney Festival last night.
Highly recommend. A skilled, engaging actor who acknowledges traumas across the divide.
Here is a conversation we had about his life, career and ominous censorship of such voices of late. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Highly recommend. A skilled, engaging actor who acknowledges traumas across the divide.
Here is a conversation we had about his life, career and ominous censorship of such voices of late. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
‘An Arab in a post-9/11 world’: Khalid Abdalla’s one-man play about belonging comes to Australia
In Nowhere, The Crown actor interweaves personal experience and family history with commentary on western colonialism and the Israel-Gaza war
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Saw Khalid Abdalla’s one-man work Nowhere for Sydney Festival last night.
Highly recommend. A skilled, engaging actor who acknowledges traumas across the divide.
Here is a conversation we had about his life, career and ominous censorship of such voices of late. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Highly recommend. A skilled, engaging actor who acknowledges traumas across the divide.
Here is a conversation we had about his life, career and ominous censorship of such voices of late. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
Reposted by Steve Dow
🔵 This week's Tom the Dancing Bug
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A Calvinesque and Hobbesian look at a Venezuela invasion
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Brought to you by the proud and mighty Inner Hive, including longtime member G.L. Waters and new member Laura Testa-Reyes.
( bit.ly/theInnerHive )
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READ IT RIGHT HERE👇
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A Calvinesque and Hobbesian look at a Venezuela invasion
-
Brought to you by the proud and mighty Inner Hive, including longtime member G.L. Waters and new member Laura Testa-Reyes.
( bit.ly/theInnerHive )
-
READ IT RIGHT HERE👇
January 6, 2026 at 7:04 PM
🔵 This week's Tom the Dancing Bug
-
A Calvinesque and Hobbesian look at a Venezuela invasion
-
Brought to you by the proud and mighty Inner Hive, including longtime member G.L. Waters and new member Laura Testa-Reyes.
( bit.ly/theInnerHive )
-
READ IT RIGHT HERE👇
-
A Calvinesque and Hobbesian look at a Venezuela invasion
-
Brought to you by the proud and mighty Inner Hive, including longtime member G.L. Waters and new member Laura Testa-Reyes.
( bit.ly/theInnerHive )
-
READ IT RIGHT HERE👇
Reposted by Steve Dow
A whole bunch of artists and cultural workers have lost work because of the implosion of Adelaide Writers week — writers, producers, stage crew, front of house. None of this was their fault. Something for the Labor premier to think about
January 13, 2026 at 5:48 AM
A whole bunch of artists and cultural workers have lost work because of the implosion of Adelaide Writers week — writers, producers, stage crew, front of house. None of this was their fault. Something for the Labor premier to think about
Louise Adler resigns amid Adelaide Writers’ Week fiasco.
“Now religious leaders are to be policed, universities monitored … and the arts starved. Are you or have you ever been a critic of Israel? Joe McCarthy would be cheering on the inheritors of his tactics.” 🔥
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
“Now religious leaders are to be policed, universities monitored … and the arts starved. Are you or have you ever been a critic of Israel? Joe McCarthy would be cheering on the inheritors of his tactics.” 🔥
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I cannot be party to silencing writers, which is why I am resigning as director of Adelaide Writers’ Week | Louise Adler
Cancelling the Australian Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah weakens freedom of speech and is the harbinger of a less free nation
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Louise Adler resigns amid Adelaide Writers’ Week fiasco.
“Now religious leaders are to be policed, universities monitored … and the arts starved. Are you or have you ever been a critic of Israel? Joe McCarthy would be cheering on the inheritors of his tactics.” 🔥
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
“Now religious leaders are to be policed, universities monitored … and the arts starved. Are you or have you ever been a critic of Israel? Joe McCarthy would be cheering on the inheritors of his tactics.” 🔥
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Steve Dow
Unbelievable. I told the Sky News guy to fuck off with his questions and now *that* is the story.
This hungry beast is insatiable.
How’s that Royal Commission into Murdoch media going?
This hungry beast is insatiable.
How’s that Royal Commission into Murdoch media going?
January 12, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Unbelievable. I told the Sky News guy to fuck off with his questions and now *that* is the story.
This hungry beast is insatiable.
How’s that Royal Commission into Murdoch media going?
This hungry beast is insatiable.
How’s that Royal Commission into Murdoch media going?
Reposted by Steve Dow
January 12, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Nation builders rejoice, the Downers are on the job to rebuild Adelaide Writers’ Week bsky.app/profile/nina...
January 12, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Nation builders rejoice, the Downers are on the job to rebuild Adelaide Writers’ Week bsky.app/profile/nina...
These men talk about trauma and healing. “We pull the oars of truth, with strength from our ancestors,” they repeat, acknowledging society-wide problems of toxic masculinity while conveying how government policies and media dehumanise them.
My review of Dear Son www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
My review of Dear Son www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Dear Son review – essays by famous Indigenous fathers make for incredibly moving theatre
Belvoir Street Theatre, Sydney festivalAdapted from essays by the likes of Stan Grant, Troy Cassar-Daley and NRL player Joe Williams, Dear Son generously invites the audience into its warm and vulnera...
www.theguardian.com
January 11, 2026 at 12:27 AM
These men talk about trauma and healing. “We pull the oars of truth, with strength from our ancestors,” they repeat, acknowledging society-wide problems of toxic masculinity while conveying how government policies and media dehumanise them.
My review of Dear Son www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
My review of Dear Son www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Albanese calls Grok abhorrent, yet he still posts on hellsite X. Why? www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
‘Abhorrent’: PM slams Elon Musk’s X over sexually explicit images
As the wave of AI generated sexual material grows, international leaders are demanding action by tech companies to stop images generated without consent.
www.smh.com.au
January 10, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Albanese calls Grok abhorrent, yet he still posts on hellsite X. Why? www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Roller derby in Australia is a force, featuring face-painted skaters such as Bionic Mayhem, Frill Seeker and Judge Juicy.
I talk to jammer Maddy "BB Gun" Wilkinson and theatre makers Clare Watson & Virginia Gay about taking over Sydney Town Hall next week. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
I talk to jammer Maddy "BB Gun" Wilkinson and theatre makers Clare Watson & Virginia Gay about taking over Sydney Town Hall next week. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Fast skates, high stakes: the raucous roller derby show taking over Sydney town hall
Mama Does Derby, based on theatre-maker Clare Watson’s experiences as a single mum searching for community, is bringing the sport to the stage
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Roller derby in Australia is a force, featuring face-painted skaters such as Bionic Mayhem, Frill Seeker and Judge Juicy.
I talk to jammer Maddy "BB Gun" Wilkinson and theatre makers Clare Watson & Virginia Gay about taking over Sydney Town Hall next week. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
I talk to jammer Maddy "BB Gun" Wilkinson and theatre makers Clare Watson & Virginia Gay about taking over Sydney Town Hall next week. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Community and ritual are needed right now: I talk to artists behind three Sydney Festival events that deliver just that. artguide.com.au/sydney-festi...
Sydney Festival: Communal Rituals
Three presentations at the Sydney Festival highlight communal ritual and ceremony, encouraging viewers and participants to consider different approaches to life, and death.
artguide.com.au
January 8, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Community and ritual are needed right now: I talk to artists behind three Sydney Festival events that deliver just that. artguide.com.au/sydney-festi...
Adelaide Festival board masks censorship as cohesion.
January 8, 2026 at 5:47 AM
Adelaide Festival board masks censorship as cohesion.
One Nation supporter Dawn Fraser a curious media go-to for her opinion she’s “never seen so much hatred and division” in Australia.
To be fair, she was well ahead of the curve.
To be fair, she was well ahead of the curve.
January 4, 2026 at 8:51 PM
One Nation supporter Dawn Fraser a curious media go-to for her opinion she’s “never seen so much hatred and division” in Australia.
To be fair, she was well ahead of the curve.
To be fair, she was well ahead of the curve.
Reposted by Steve Dow
No notes.
January 4, 2026 at 3:28 PM
No notes.
I yarn with expat Australian writer and director Simon Stone about his life and career ahead of his Korean-language The Cherry Orchard coming to Adelaide Festival.
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Simon Stone on luring film stars on stage, family tragedy and staging Chekhov in Korean: ‘It’s one of the proudest moments in my career’
Directing the likes of Alicia Vikander, Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman on stage, the Australian director is returning to Adelaide festival with a bold new take on The Cherry Orchard
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:55 PM
I yarn with expat Australian writer and director Simon Stone about his life and career ahead of his Korean-language The Cherry Orchard coming to Adelaide Festival.
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
Stone says he is “obsessed with Korean culture” and its “embrace of peculiarity and weirdness”.
www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/j...
“Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
Sussan Ley says Ukraine occupied by ‘Soviet Union’
In a slip of the tongue, the opposition leader said Ukraine was illegally occupied by “the USSR”, which was formally dissolved over 34 years ago.
www.theage.com.au
January 2, 2026 at 5:05 AM
“Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
“As we’re in a so-called ceasefire, here is where we set the ground for the journey of the next 10 years, so that it is truly the anti-apartheid civil rights movement of our time.”
I talk to Khalid Abdalla about his one-man play Nowhere, coming to Sydney Festival
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
I talk to Khalid Abdalla about his one-man play Nowhere, coming to Sydney Festival
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
‘An Arab in a post-9/11 world’: Khalid Abdalla’s one-man play about belonging comes to Australia
In Nowhere, The Crown actor interweaves personal experience and family history with commentary on western colonialism and the Israel-Gaza war
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
“As we’re in a so-called ceasefire, here is where we set the ground for the journey of the next 10 years, so that it is truly the anti-apartheid civil rights movement of our time.”
I talk to Khalid Abdalla about his one-man play Nowhere, coming to Sydney Festival
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
I talk to Khalid Abdalla about his one-man play Nowhere, coming to Sydney Festival
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
I interviewed French theatre maker and choral storyteller Caroline Guiela Nguyen about her play Lacrima, a tale of a bridal gown and the unseen sweat of lacemakers and embroiderers, coming to Sydney and Perth festivals, for Limelight magazine's Jan/Feb issue: limelight-arts.com.au/features/cho...
December 19, 2025 at 2:40 AM
I interviewed French theatre maker and choral storyteller Caroline Guiela Nguyen about her play Lacrima, a tale of a bridal gown and the unseen sweat of lacemakers and embroiderers, coming to Sydney and Perth festivals, for Limelight magazine's Jan/Feb issue: limelight-arts.com.au/features/cho...
This year, playwright Jordan Shea threw down a challenge: how many Australian voices are yet to be heard on main stages?
I preview the 2026 seasons for Limelight's Jan/Feb issue, searching for homegrown voices and those rare playwright debuts in the big spaces: limelight-arts.com.au/features/sea...
I preview the 2026 seasons for Limelight's Jan/Feb issue, searching for homegrown voices and those rare playwright debuts in the big spaces: limelight-arts.com.au/features/sea...
December 19, 2025 at 1:20 AM
This year, playwright Jordan Shea threw down a challenge: how many Australian voices are yet to be heard on main stages?
I preview the 2026 seasons for Limelight's Jan/Feb issue, searching for homegrown voices and those rare playwright debuts in the big spaces: limelight-arts.com.au/features/sea...
I preview the 2026 seasons for Limelight's Jan/Feb issue, searching for homegrown voices and those rare playwright debuts in the big spaces: limelight-arts.com.au/features/sea...
A preview here of the Namatjira room at the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial opening at the National Gallery of Australia.
A collaboration including 57 artists from Namatjira's family and community, it features a beautiful glasshouse reproduction of Namatjira's house, which still stands today.
A collaboration including 57 artists from Namatjira's family and community, it features a beautiful glasshouse reproduction of Namatjira's house, which still stands today.
December 4, 2025 at 7:37 PM
A preview here of the Namatjira room at the 5th National Indigenous Art Triennial opening at the National Gallery of Australia.
A collaboration including 57 artists from Namatjira's family and community, it features a beautiful glasshouse reproduction of Namatjira's house, which still stands today.
A collaboration including 57 artists from Namatjira's family and community, it features a beautiful glasshouse reproduction of Namatjira's house, which still stands today.
It’s the eyes that greet you first as you pop out of the elevator on the second floor of the National Gallery of Australia.
Instantly, I was smitten. Who was she, among these luminaries. I needed to know.
Instantly, I was smitten. Who was she, among these luminaries. I needed to know.
December 2, 2025 at 12:13 AM
It’s the eyes that greet you first as you pop out of the elevator on the second floor of the National Gallery of Australia.
Instantly, I was smitten. Who was she, among these luminaries. I needed to know.
Instantly, I was smitten. Who was she, among these luminaries. I needed to know.