John Shand Posts

February 6, 2024 / Theatre Reviews - Archive

Ensemble Theatre, January 31 8.5/10 This is rare: a play that has a beating heart as big as a hug from your mum, and yet is not even slightly mawkish. Even rarer, it has that heart, and yet is about the skull-splintering game of rugby union. Rarer still, it’s the…

January 31, 2024 / Features - Archive

Olivia Ansell has proved a shrewd appointment as Sydney Festival’s artistic director. If arts festivals are intended to surprise us and present performances we’d otherwise be unlikely to see, then Ansell’s three events accumulatively outshine all since Fergus Linehan’s 2006-09 burst. But 2024 was not her best. It’s not just…

January 30, 2024 / Features - Archive