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Stella is a new musical about the life of Stella Miles Franklin.

Defiant and daring, this new musical takes on the story of a literary giant

Creating a musical from scratch is a difficult and laborious challenge. Stella refuses to set its sights low, and quite rightly.

  • Cameron Woodhead and Tony Way

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The artist at the opening of his 2016 exhibition David Hockney: Current at the National Gallery of Victoria.

David Hockney said he would keep painting until the very end. He was true to his word

“I’m just going to go on working ’til I fall over,” said the renowned British artist at the opening of his exhibition in Australia in 2016. He did just that.

  • Debbie Cuthbertson
Cartier at NGV

Beautiful but shallow: The NGV’s new blockbuster is big on celebrity but light on insight

Mostly, the pieces are designed to showcase the wealth of the wearer, and a jewel is nothing if not draped across a powerful figure.

  • Will Cox
Grace Carroll as Juliet and Joseph Caley as Romeo.

Catastrophe and drama collide in this lavish production

John Cranko’s 1962 Romeo and Juliet is most admired – among those who do admire it – for the ensemble grandeur of its large set-piece scenes.

  • Andrew Fuhrmann, Cameron Woodhead, Tony Way, Sonia Nair and Jessica Nicholas
William Torres Patino performing in the Wheel of Death.

This show is already packed with wow factor. Then comes the Wheel of Death

Of all the Cirque du Soleil I’ve attended over the years, Kooza remains my favourite and the one I’d take kids to see.

  • Cameron Woodhead, Sonia Nair, Elizabeth Flux and Tony Way
Rising artistic director Hannah Fox, centre, with breakdancers Michael Fox and Demi Sorono in the Flinders Street Station ballroom.

Rising festival 2026

This year’s festival has kicked off. Here, our writers take a closer look.

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The Shepherds at Rising festival

This is the best dance work I’ve seen at this year’s Rising

The show runs for little more than an hour – with an ensemble of just four dancers – but nonetheless gives the impression of an epic drama.

  • Andrew Fuhrmann, Nick Buckley, Will Cox and Cameron Woodhead
‘No makeup required for this role’: Micallef will play a stately professor.

‘A story of boomers’: Shaun Micallef to star in classic Russian play

The man who brought us the much-loved (and missed) Mad As Hell is back – in his first theatrical role in a decade.

  • Karl Quinn
 Patricia Piccinini is revisiting her early works in a new exhibition.

The sculptor who brought us the blob-like babies is back – and the blobs have evolved

The acclaimed artist’s new commission for Science Gallery Melbourne is a call-back to her first hyperrealistic sculpture from 24 years ago.

  • Kylie Northover
Daniel Mateo.

When Daniel lost his brother, nobody spoke of it. A new film aims to change that

The 25-year-old describes the work as a “beacon of hope for brown boys” in the Bangarra production Sheltering.

  • Kayla Olaya