December 16, 2025 • 26 mins
Chris Thompson from Behind The Scenes chats with Karen Bryant, Chief Executive & Creative Director with Midsumma, about what next years festival entails. Karan Nagrani also joins Chris and they discuss his upcoming show, From Grindr to Blindr.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
Well, uh, if you're looking for things to do in January, um,
through to the first week of February, you can always
count on Midsummer Festival to have more events than you
can poke a stick at. Um, kicks off on the
18th of January. Runs till the 8th of February. Uh, and, uh,
(00:34):
the creative director and CEO of midsummer is Karen Bryant,
who's on the line to have a chat about it.
Welcome to the show, Karen.
S2 (00:41):
Hi. Lovely to be here.
S1 (00:43):
Um, wow, what a huge festival. Where do we start?
S2 (00:48):
There's a lot of events.
S1 (00:50):
Um, more events than we can possibly cover. So let's
talk in in bigger picture generalities. How much of the
festival is stuff that midsummer is directly supporting and making happen,
and how much of the festival is curated works that
(01:13):
come to you?
S2 (01:14):
Sure. Um, look, we're a large portion of the festival,
what's called an open access festival. So anybody can put
on any event and register and be part of it,
and then we support them. Um, traditionally, about 20% of
the program is curated by us. Um, and that's usually
to make sure that we're covering a whole range of
(01:36):
different art forms and events and, and also making sure
that a lot of the, the different intersectional parts of
our community are represented. Um, over the last couple of years,
we've probably been presenting and curating a bit more than 20%.
I think it's, you know, a lot of independent artists,
particularly out there, have been doing it really tough. Arts
funding has been reducing and costs have been going up.
(01:57):
So we've been trying to support a few more, more
artists and more events in the last few years.
S1 (02:03):
And, uh, I guess we've come to expect certain events
will always happen. Um, so it's no surprise that we
would see, um, the Gertrude Street, Smith Street, um, uh,
Victoria's Pride Street party happening, um, again. Um.
S2 (02:22):
And of course, there's Carnival as well.
S1 (02:24):
And carnival, of course. Yes.
S2 (02:26):
So Vic Pride finishes our event on the final day,
and Carnival opens it on our first day on the
18th of Jan. And so the festival's kind of bookmarked.
S1 (02:33):
By this.
S2 (02:34):
Really big community events.
S1 (02:36):
Yeah. Um, so how many other regular touchstones are there
in the festival? Things that. Things that we go. If
that's not in the program, I'm going to have words.
S2 (02:51):
Um, well, there's Pride March, obviously, which sort of is
towards the middle. So, you know, we've sort of got that,
that big opening then pride march in the middle and
then Vic Pride. Um, there's also, you know, throughout the
22 days, there's so much there's theatre and there's dance
and there's parties and lots of visual arts and lots of, um,
different kinds of talks and just gatherings. Um, you know,
(03:15):
large and small throughout the entire festival.
S1 (03:18):
And I note in that list of subcategories, let's say
of the festival, the word sport, um, pops up. Um,
has that always been the case that sport's been a
feature of midsummer?
S2 (03:31):
Yeah. Well, I mean, obviously we're an arts and culture festival. Yeah.
So when we're presenting work, you know, we started off
talking about the things that we curate, and they are
always in the arts spectrum. Um, but it is a
it's a time where we want our community to come
together and celebrate and tell stories in whatever way that, um,
is really meaningful for them. And, and sport is a
(03:52):
part of our community, and it is part of our
cultural offerings in our community. So, you know, for example,
there's a sports zone at Carnival, um, along with, you know,
all the stages and all the stalls areas at Carnival,
there's a sports area as well, which is, you know,
it's got a lot of grassroots community groups there profiling
the work that they're doing and opportunities for people to
(04:13):
come and try things. Um, and then, you know, usually
each year there's a couple of sporting groups that run
events as well through the festival. So whilst it's not
something that we curate, it's it's a really important part
of the celebrations.
S1 (04:26):
Mm. I really love the image on the front of the,
of this year's programme. Tell me a little bit about
how you arrive at what that, you know, quite kind
of captivating image will be each year.
S2 (04:40):
Sure. We we call it our hero image. So we
have one of those fresh every year. Um, and we
actually go out to community and particularly to visual artists,
to graphic artists, um, and invite them to initially just
submit an idea. So really basic don't don't spend a
lot of time on it, but just tell us what
your idea is. And from that we and we'll give
(05:01):
them some a brief. So this is our theme for
this year. These are the things we need to represent.
And then they'll come back to us with their ideas
and we shortlist those. And when we've got a shortlisted
group of artists, we go back to them with some
thoughts on this is why we liked the original idea.
These are the things we'd like you to explore a
bit more. That really captures what our theme for the
(05:25):
year is, and we give them a fee to do that,
and they go away and develop that, and then they'll
present that, and then from that we will pick the
one that we really like, um, and pay them a
little bit more of a commission fee to, to further
develop that so that it's ready for, because that design
goes on everything from posters to T-shirts to a tram. So, um,
(05:49):
there's obviously a bit of work to then, you know,
get it right so that it can be used on,
on a whole range of different things. Um, through our
marketing campaign.
S1 (05:58):
I think this is a question I ask every year. Um,
rather than asking what venues is the festival happening in?
I tend to look at the programme and go, what?
What venues is the festival not happening in?
S2 (06:12):
And it's a really good question, because one of the
things that we've really worked hard on in the last
few years is identifying which venues aren't doing things, particularly
those that regularly have arts experiences, and going out to
them and sort of saying, why aren't you part of
midsummer and how can we get you involved? And I
think that that's worked really well. And so, you know,
every year now there's, you know, 120 plus venues, um,
(06:36):
across not just the CBD, but outer suburbs and even
into the region. Um, and we've commissioned um, 14 projects
now in the regions as well. So really trying to
make sure that it can be a true statewide celebration
and everyone can get involved.
S1 (06:52):
I was interested in something you say in your welcome, um,
in the front of the program. Um, the words time
speaks to urgency and history. So really, every time I
read it, I have to stop and really think about
what you mean by that? Because it's such a really
(07:13):
kind of profound statement.
S2 (07:15):
Oh. Thank you. Um, anything that gets attention on that
theme is a great thing. Um, so the theme is
Time and Place this year, and we arrived at that theme.
We usually come up with a theme, um, at the latest,
straight after the previous festival. I've actually already developed the
27 festival theme, but, um, and at that time, you know,
(07:35):
we were a whole range of things were sort of
coming together as, as the state was working towards, um,
you know, treaty, which of course has just happened. But, um,
knowing that that was was something that was really strong
on the agenda in this state and the importance of
place and the importance of gathering physically, which I think
has been really important to our communities. Um, more and
(07:57):
more so since Covid, when we realised how important it
was to be able to come together and and then
at the same time, there's so many things happening globally
which is seeing parts of our communities really targeted and
really under threat. And and so we were kind of
looking at, you know, it is it feels like it's
a really critical time. Um, you know, there's been so
(08:19):
many hard won rights for our LGBTQ communities that have
been won. And then around the world, we're seeing some
of those being stripped back, and we're seeing the impact
of that here, here in Australia and here in Victoria
now as well. And um, and so it felt like
we're almost at these crossroads where we are at this
crossroad of time where, um, it was important to sort
(08:43):
of look back and look at the struggle of our
communities and the things that we have won and celebrate those,
but also not take them for granted and understand that,
you know, we're we're at a time where parts of
our communities are still facing discrimination. Some are feeling, you know,
and are being, um, that sort of sense of having
been seen now attempts to erase them again and erase
(09:05):
our stories. And, and so it felt like this was
the festival where it was really important to sort of
look at where we are now, where we've come from,
and more importantly, where we're going and where we need
to go.
S1 (09:17):
Mm. You used the word before statewide when you were
talking about the festival. You're not kidding about that, are
you know, when you look at the map of Victoria
and how many events are happening out of metropolitan Melbourne,
it's pretty impressive because that's hard to coordinate.
S2 (09:38):
We do work with a lot of partners. Um, because
we're actually one of. In terms of we're the largest,
one of one of the largest festivals in the state. Um,
but we're one of the smallest teams. And, um, and
so in terms of, you know, people on the ground
in the office making things happen, there's not a lot
of us, um, we also have, you know, usually upwards
of 400 volunteers that help deliver events. Um, and beyond that,
(10:02):
we have a lot of partner venues and a lot
of partner organisations, particularly when we're looking at works in
suburban and regional areas. We don't want. We don't want
to just plonk a project in those areas. We want
those those areas to have developed what they want and
develop their own projects and run their own projects so that,
you know, it's having a long lasting legacy in those
(10:23):
areas as well.
S1 (10:24):
Mm. Tell me a little bit about, uh, access to
the festival. I know there's quite a wide range of
ways that people can engage. Um.
S2 (10:35):
Maybe if we start with Carnival. Um, and I guess
in a broader sense, access is something that midsummer is
really committed to. And, you know, about ten years ago,
we really sort of branched out and said, okay, we
want to be a leader in this space and we
want to be, you know, not just making the festival accessible.
And that's really important, but also making sure we're telling
the stories, um, of lived experiences of members of our
(10:58):
community who live with disability. A deaf are blind, are
neurodiverse or autistic. And so we've worked really hard with
a lot of those communities, um, we've empowering the development
of artists in those communities to develop their own stories
through art. We actually have run over four years. We
ran a mentorship program called pathways, which was for LGBTQ
(11:21):
people with a disability. And, um, and those alumni of
those projects over those multiple years have been producing work, um,
in increasing ways through our festival. We've got quite a
few projects this year that are coming out of that.
So there's I guess access for this year's festival is to,
you know, is multifaceted because you've got a lot of
(11:42):
work that's actually coming from those communities. Um, that's uh, so, um,
asphyxia has got a work that's focused on, um, music
for deaf people. And we've got the Pathfinder, which is
a regional, um, playwright and disabled playwright from Bendigo who's
telling their theatre their script is being presented, um, premiering
(12:04):
for the first time. But at the same time, we've
also looked at everything across our program and gone, how
do we make everything as accessible as we can do? Um,
so if we start with Carnival, for example, we we're
we're partnering both with Vita Veritas and also I can
explore and there'll be, you know, representatives on site from
those two organizations through the sort of core part of
(12:26):
the day from 11 to 3. Um, and there'll be
structured tours for blind and low vision folks that'll be
happening around for an hour in the one in the
1 to 3 p.m. period. We'll have more details of
that sort of in January. But outside of that Vita
Veritas will do 1 to 1 tours. Um, there'll be
meeting places specifically that, um, for access. And we do
(12:49):
that with all of our, um, major events that have
drop off zones for access. We have people who come
on board to really help us with community engagement. So
it's embedded with the community. Um, and so those things
become really, really important to us that, um, we're we're
really meeting the community where their needs are as much
as we can do, given the resources we've got. And then,
(13:11):
as I say, and then, you know, there's a whole
lot of there's a number of shows that we've worked
with that are audio described or have been developed with
embedded audio description within them. Um, and so, you know,
there are opportunities that people can go on to our
website or give us a ring and get some information on, um, and,
and hopefully really find ways that they can participate and enjoy,
(13:33):
you know, work across the festival in different ways.
S1 (13:35):
There's a pretty impressive list at the back of the program, um, of,
as you say, Auslan interpreted events and audio, described events
and tactile tours and captioned events. Um. Um, I'm guessing
that list grows every year.
S2 (13:52):
Yeah, we certainly try to, um, you know, it's one
of those things you don't want to sort of, you know,
sit on your laurels. You want to kind of go, okay,
every year we'll be really proud of what we've done,
but we'll always get feedback of, oh, you know, we
could have done this, this a little bit better, or
we could have made this a bit, a bit more accessible.
So we try and work really close with our access
partners to develop that each year. And then also because
(14:12):
so many of our events are not managed by us,
they're open access, also helping to provide information to those
venues and event producers and artists to help them to
develop their own access offerings as well. And that's something
we're really committed to doing over the next few years.
S1 (14:27):
Well, it is midsummer, um, happening in midsummer, of course. Um,
running from the 18th of January, uh, to the 8th
of February. I guess everything's online, Karen, isn't it?
S2 (14:42):
Yes, it is, absolutely. And if people have any queries,
they can always give our ticketing, um, line a call
also to get some more information. Um, our website does
have specific access information, as you said. So you can
sort of go and look at everything, but you can also, um,
get information. And that access information will just be keep getting,
particularly for our big events like Carnival Pride will become
(15:02):
more and more detailed as we get closer to those events.
So we encourage people not just to look now for
those free events, but but also have a look a
bit closer to them just to really become familiar with
what's on offer.
S1 (15:13):
Well, I have to say, Karen, I did just ring
the festival because, as you know, I had the wrong
number for you. How lovely is the person who answered
the phone? How easy to deal with. You've got some
great stuff there.
S2 (15:26):
We do? We? I think we've got the best team
we've ever had. And, um, we've got some people that
we talk about in terms of one of them that
they seem to greet everyone with a smile, whether that's
in person, whether it's on the phone or even in
an email. This seems to, you know, that that warmth
comes through. And, um, it's a it's a lovely place
to work and a lovely group of people to work with.
S1 (15:47):
Well, that's certainly the impression I got. Karen Bryant, thanks
so much for making the time for us and took
us for a great festival.
S2 (15:54):
Thank you very much. Lovely talking to you.
S1 (15:56):
Well, um, the festival may seem huge, but its component
parts are quite particular. Um, and we're going to talk
about one of those at the moment, one that's happening
right near the end of the festival, so not until
the 7th of February. But that's no reason not to
get your tickets straight away. The show is called From
(16:17):
Grindr to Blinder, and it's Karen Negroni, who was on
the show this time last year talking about the festival.
Now a performer in the festival. Welcome back to the show, Karen.
S3 (16:30):
Thank you, thank you. Love that introduction. And it's a
bit of a pinch me moment for me as well.
The second you say entertainer or performer, I'm like, ah,
who are you talking about? And it's like, oh, it's me,
I've got my own show now.
S1 (16:44):
I love the byline. I mean, I love the title
from Grindr to Blinder. Very clever. Um, but I also
love the byline you use in your media release experience
storytelling like never before, through the eyes of someone who's
learning to live without sight. That's, uh. That's a pretty
(17:04):
compelling reason to come and see the show.
S3 (17:07):
Well, it is. And, you know, I mean, how do
I you know, it's just one of those things where
I feel like my story is quite unique. Uh, you know,
I was on, uh, SBS insight, uh, the diversity dilemma.
And I didn't think of myself as a diversity jackpot
till that episode happened, because they published an article after that. And,
(17:30):
you know, it was, um, that's what they called me
a diversity jackpot. And that just sort of had me thinking.
It's like, okay, so I do take a lot of
diversity boxes and I'm like, it's quite a unique story.
And I do feel like, you know, there's been the POC,
the person of color side, there's been the queer side,
there's been the disabled side, you know, also being hard
(17:52):
of hearing. But I do feel like my stories are
quite unique. Like I like I said, you know, I
never thought of myself as a storyteller or anything like that, but, uh,
every time I'm with friends or there's like an interview happening,
I'll just say something and they're like, oh my God,
that's so crazy. I can't even believe that happened to you.
You know, little things like that. So I just put
(18:12):
all of that together. Um, and some of the stories
are just so mind boggling. Like, you're not going to
believe that this actually happened. Which is why I really
feel like it's storytelling like never before. Because you're going
to hear things from my unique perspective. Uh, as a
diversity jackpot winner, if you want to call me that.
S1 (18:36):
Yeah. Well, so is this just you on stage telling
us these stories? Is that the way that you're approaching it?
S3 (18:45):
Oh, yeah. You wouldn't want to torture the audience anymore.
I think I'm enough. Uh, yes. Just going to be me.
It's quite an intimate setting. I intentionally want not many
people there. Um, because the whole concept is you're going
on a date with me. Uh, which is why the
name from Grindr to Blinder. So, yeah, it is just me,
(19:05):
and it's all my, uh. let me just say it's
not a show for kids. There's a lot of inappropriate.
Point taken. So, yeah, if you're if you're a prude,
I would say don't come.
S1 (19:22):
Uh, we never have people on this show saying reasons
not to come and see your performance. Well.
S3 (19:28):
Hey, I've been known to, like, shock people with the
things I say. Uh, and, you know, usually I get
away with it because it's like, oh, he's blind. He
can't say anything, so. But yeah, like, the stories are
quite unique and they're really personal. And these are actual
experiences that I've, you know, um, written down over the years.
And I'm just like, wow, okay, now it's time to
share them. But like, a lot of my humor is
(19:49):
crass and crude. So, yeah, if you are a prude
or goody two shoes, I do recommend not coming to
my show. But if you like, if you like having
a good time and you want to just, you know,
hear some stories and you're like, oh my God, that
is insane. Uh, please do come. And you know, like
I said to midsummer because it's a date. Uh, the
(20:09):
first everyone's first drink is on me, so it's like,
you know, it's one of those things. I'm really trying
to make it like a date.
S1 (20:15):
Um, with such a kind of personally based story or
series of stories. And you say you've written them down
over the years, but now you're here. You are on
a date with us, sharing the stories to us. Um,
do you have to reach a certain point within yourself,
(20:37):
a kind of sense of self, a confidence within yourself
to move from having these stories just be words on
a page to being you in the space with real
people relating these stories to us. Is that a process
for you?
S4 (20:54):
Uh, I feel like.
S3 (20:56):
A lot of people with a disability can relate to this.
A stage just comes where you don't give a damn anymore.
You're just like, you know what? Initially it hurts. Or
initially someone says something and it's quite shocking. And then
you process it and then over time you just get
like thicker skin and armor. And you know, if I
do believe laughter is the best medicine, and I found
(21:18):
that laughing at these ridiculous things that were said, uh,
was a way of healing myself. Uh, and I would
love to share that with other people. So it is
quite personal. And like I said, you know, when it's
raw and fresh, in that moment, I was probably pretty
hurt and upset. But now, in retrospect, I'm like, amazing,
(21:39):
you've given me content. Give me more.
S1 (21:43):
Now I note that, um, well, you seem to be
the ambassador for everything. You're the Darwin Pride ambassador a
couple of years ago. Um, the Chill Out Festival ambassador
before that. And is this 2026 festival three years in
a row that you are community ambassador for Midsummer Festival?
S4 (22:01):
Yes.
S3 (22:02):
Yes, I know, way to make me feel old. I
can't believe it's been three years. But honestly, it has been.
I'm not just saying this for the sake of it,
but as a, you know, as a queer person with
a disability, I've talked about this before. I feel like,
you know, the queer community are constantly saying, you know,
love is love. And we want to be accepted and
(22:24):
appreciated for who we are. And I feel like within
the queer space, there's so much discrimination. And, you know,
there's so much, um, I wouldn't say hatred, but there's
a lot of shallow judgment when it comes to appearance and,
you know, just just telling people shamelessly, like you're unattractive
because of this or I don't want to hook up
(22:45):
with you because you're this. So I just feel like,
you know, me being a community ambassador and sort of
really embracing that with midsummer has just been an incredible journey,
not just for me, but for other people as well.
Like till, you know, till today I'll be at a
midsummer event and I'll talk about, um, accessibility and being
disabled and I'll get messages on Instagram directly saying, you know,
(23:08):
heard you speak. That was amazing. I didn't want to
come up to you because I have an invisible disability,
and I didn't want my friends to think I have
a disability because of everything that comes with it within
the gay community. So I just feel like being in
a position where, as someone who is not ashamed of
being disabled, I'm, you know, out and proud and like
talking about living life to the fullest, I feel like
(23:31):
it has really made a difference, um, because of the
messages that I get. I also feel like the little
things that they're not even little things, they're such big
things that, uh, that midsummer are doing to make their
events more accessible. Like just just my event itself. Like,
there'll be, uh, you know, someone interpreting Auslan there. There
(23:53):
will be a hearing loop. There's going to be, you know, uh,
what do you call it? Um, obviously there's going to
be like wheelchair access. There's a few other things that
I can't remember now, but it's just so. It's such
a moment of, you know, I'm so proud to say
that I'm. I'm part of a festival that's going above
and beyond to make things more accessible. I noticed that,
(24:16):
you know, like, even at the launch, uh, where I
did the red carpet, every person that went up on
stage described their appearance. And, you know, we had fun
with it. It was a lot of fun. It's these
little things. I was on the red carpet interviewing guests.
You know, here's a blind guy with a cane, uh,
for people to see that. And this is all because
of midsummer. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's such.
(24:37):
It's such a big deal to me that you're showing
people that are not disabled within the queer space, that
there's a blind guy, uh, would not have thought a
blind guy would be out and about, let alone be
hosting a red carpet, let alone be hosting his own show.
You know, it's just I'm eternally grateful to midsummer because
they have not just done this for the queer space.
(24:59):
I feel like it was a message to me as
well that, you know, there is hope. Uh, there is
room for change within our community. So it's just. It's
just a lovely feeling.
S1 (25:09):
Fantastic. Well, the show is from grinder to blinder. Um.
It is Karan. Nagrani. Um, did you tell me there's
an early bird ticket deal going at the moment?
S4 (25:21):
Yes, there is an early bird.
S3 (25:22):
If you get your tickets by 5 p.m. on the
16th of December, you're going to get 15% off. And
there's also a concession discount, uh, for people with disabilities.
And the companion ticket, uh, for free. As long as
you have the companion card.
S1 (25:37):
Fantastic. Well, it is on on the 7th of February,
second last day of the festival. But don't leave it
too late. Get your early bird tickets now. Karen. Great
having you back on the show and sugars for the season.
S3 (25:52):
My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me and
I hope to see you all there. It'll be probably
the most unforgettable blind date you've been on.
S1 (26:03):
Good on you, Karen.
S4 (26:04):
All right. Thank you.
Well, uh, if you're looking for things to do in January, um,
through to the first week of February, you can always
count on Midsummer Festival to have more events than you
can poke a stick at. Um, kicks off on the
18th of January. Runs till the 8th of February. Uh, and, uh,
(00:34):
the creative director and CEO of midsummer is Karen Bryant,
who's on the line to have a chat about it.
Welcome to the show, Karen.
S2 (00:41):
Hi. Lovely to be here.
S1 (00:43):
Um, wow, what a huge festival. Where do we start?
S2 (00:48):
There's a lot of events.
S1 (00:50):
Um, more events than we can possibly cover. So let's
talk in in bigger picture generalities. How much of the
festival is stuff that midsummer is directly supporting and making happen,
and how much of the festival is curated works that
(01:13):
come to you?
S2 (01:14):
Sure. Um, look, we're a large portion of the festival,
what's called an open access festival. So anybody can put
on any event and register and be part of it,
and then we support them. Um, traditionally, about 20% of
the program is curated by us. Um, and that's usually
to make sure that we're covering a whole range of
(01:36):
different art forms and events and, and also making sure
that a lot of the, the different intersectional parts of
our community are represented. Um, over the last couple of years,
we've probably been presenting and curating a bit more than 20%.
I think it's, you know, a lot of independent artists,
particularly out there, have been doing it really tough. Arts
funding has been reducing and costs have been going up.
(01:57):
So we've been trying to support a few more, more
artists and more events in the last few years.
S1 (02:03):
And, uh, I guess we've come to expect certain events
will always happen. Um, so it's no surprise that we
would see, um, the Gertrude Street, Smith Street, um, uh,
Victoria's Pride Street party happening, um, again. Um.
S2 (02:22):
And of course, there's Carnival as well.
S1 (02:24):
And carnival, of course. Yes.
S2 (02:26):
So Vic Pride finishes our event on the final day,
and Carnival opens it on our first day on the
18th of Jan. And so the festival's kind of bookmarked.
S1 (02:33):
By this.
S2 (02:34):
Really big community events.
S1 (02:36):
Yeah. Um, so how many other regular touchstones are there
in the festival? Things that. Things that we go. If
that's not in the program, I'm going to have words.
S2 (02:51):
Um, well, there's Pride March, obviously, which sort of is
towards the middle. So, you know, we've sort of got that,
that big opening then pride march in the middle and
then Vic Pride. Um, there's also, you know, throughout the
22 days, there's so much there's theatre and there's dance
and there's parties and lots of visual arts and lots of, um,
different kinds of talks and just gatherings. Um, you know,
(03:15):
large and small throughout the entire festival.
S1 (03:18):
And I note in that list of subcategories, let's say
of the festival, the word sport, um, pops up. Um,
has that always been the case that sport's been a
feature of midsummer?
S2 (03:31):
Yeah. Well, I mean, obviously we're an arts and culture festival. Yeah.
So when we're presenting work, you know, we started off
talking about the things that we curate, and they are
always in the arts spectrum. Um, but it is a
it's a time where we want our community to come
together and celebrate and tell stories in whatever way that, um,
is really meaningful for them. And, and sport is a
(03:52):
part of our community, and it is part of our
cultural offerings in our community. So, you know, for example,
there's a sports zone at Carnival, um, along with, you know,
all the stages and all the stalls areas at Carnival,
there's a sports area as well, which is, you know,
it's got a lot of grassroots community groups there profiling
the work that they're doing and opportunities for people to
(04:13):
come and try things. Um, and then, you know, usually
each year there's a couple of sporting groups that run
events as well through the festival. So whilst it's not
something that we curate, it's it's a really important part
of the celebrations.
S1 (04:26):
Mm. I really love the image on the front of the,
of this year's programme. Tell me a little bit about
how you arrive at what that, you know, quite kind
of captivating image will be each year.
S2 (04:40):
Sure. We we call it our hero image. So we
have one of those fresh every year. Um, and we
actually go out to community and particularly to visual artists,
to graphic artists, um, and invite them to initially just
submit an idea. So really basic don't don't spend a
lot of time on it, but just tell us what
your idea is. And from that we and we'll give
(05:01):
them some a brief. So this is our theme for
this year. These are the things we need to represent.
And then they'll come back to us with their ideas
and we shortlist those. And when we've got a shortlisted
group of artists, we go back to them with some
thoughts on this is why we liked the original idea.
These are the things we'd like you to explore a
bit more. That really captures what our theme for the
(05:25):
year is, and we give them a fee to do that,
and they go away and develop that, and then they'll
present that, and then from that we will pick the
one that we really like, um, and pay them a
little bit more of a commission fee to, to further
develop that so that it's ready for, because that design
goes on everything from posters to T-shirts to a tram. So, um,
(05:49):
there's obviously a bit of work to then, you know,
get it right so that it can be used on,
on a whole range of different things. Um, through our
marketing campaign.
S1 (05:58):
I think this is a question I ask every year. Um,
rather than asking what venues is the festival happening in?
I tend to look at the programme and go, what?
What venues is the festival not happening in?
S2 (06:12):
And it's a really good question, because one of the
things that we've really worked hard on in the last
few years is identifying which venues aren't doing things, particularly
those that regularly have arts experiences, and going out to
them and sort of saying, why aren't you part of
midsummer and how can we get you involved? And I
think that that's worked really well. And so, you know,
every year now there's, you know, 120 plus venues, um,
(06:36):
across not just the CBD, but outer suburbs and even
into the region. Um, and we've commissioned um, 14 projects
now in the regions as well. So really trying to
make sure that it can be a true statewide celebration
and everyone can get involved.
S1 (06:52):
I was interested in something you say in your welcome, um,
in the front of the program. Um, the words time
speaks to urgency and history. So really, every time I
read it, I have to stop and really think about
what you mean by that? Because it's such a really
(07:13):
kind of profound statement.
S2 (07:15):
Oh. Thank you. Um, anything that gets attention on that
theme is a great thing. Um, so the theme is
Time and Place this year, and we arrived at that theme.
We usually come up with a theme, um, at the latest,
straight after the previous festival. I've actually already developed the
27 festival theme, but, um, and at that time, you know,
(07:35):
we were a whole range of things were sort of
coming together as, as the state was working towards, um,
you know, treaty, which of course has just happened. But, um,
knowing that that was was something that was really strong
on the agenda in this state and the importance of
place and the importance of gathering physically, which I think
has been really important to our communities. Um, more and
(07:57):
more so since Covid, when we realised how important it
was to be able to come together and and then
at the same time, there's so many things happening globally
which is seeing parts of our communities really targeted and
really under threat. And and so we were kind of
looking at, you know, it is it feels like it's
a really critical time. Um, you know, there's been so
(08:19):
many hard won rights for our LGBTQ communities that have
been won. And then around the world, we're seeing some
of those being stripped back, and we're seeing the impact
of that here, here in Australia and here in Victoria
now as well. And um, and so it felt like
we're almost at these crossroads where we are at this
crossroad of time where, um, it was important to sort
(08:43):
of look back and look at the struggle of our
communities and the things that we have won and celebrate those,
but also not take them for granted and understand that,
you know, we're we're at a time where parts of
our communities are still facing discrimination. Some are feeling, you know,
and are being, um, that sort of sense of having
been seen now attempts to erase them again and erase
(09:05):
our stories. And, and so it felt like this was
the festival where it was really important to sort of
look at where we are now, where we've come from,
and more importantly, where we're going and where we need
to go.
S1 (09:17):
Mm. You used the word before statewide when you were
talking about the festival. You're not kidding about that, are
you know, when you look at the map of Victoria
and how many events are happening out of metropolitan Melbourne,
it's pretty impressive because that's hard to coordinate.
S2 (09:38):
We do work with a lot of partners. Um, because
we're actually one of. In terms of we're the largest,
one of one of the largest festivals in the state. Um,
but we're one of the smallest teams. And, um, and
so in terms of, you know, people on the ground
in the office making things happen, there's not a lot
of us, um, we also have, you know, usually upwards
of 400 volunteers that help deliver events. Um, and beyond that,
(10:02):
we have a lot of partner venues and a lot
of partner organisations, particularly when we're looking at works in
suburban and regional areas. We don't want. We don't want
to just plonk a project in those areas. We want
those those areas to have developed what they want and
develop their own projects and run their own projects so that,
you know, it's having a long lasting legacy in those
(10:23):
areas as well.
S1 (10:24):
Mm. Tell me a little bit about, uh, access to
the festival. I know there's quite a wide range of
ways that people can engage. Um.
S2 (10:35):
Maybe if we start with Carnival. Um, and I guess
in a broader sense, access is something that midsummer is
really committed to. And, you know, about ten years ago,
we really sort of branched out and said, okay, we
want to be a leader in this space and we
want to be, you know, not just making the festival accessible.
And that's really important, but also making sure we're telling
the stories, um, of lived experiences of members of our
(10:58):
community who live with disability. A deaf are blind, are
neurodiverse or autistic. And so we've worked really hard with
a lot of those communities, um, we've empowering the development
of artists in those communities to develop their own stories
through art. We actually have run over four years. We
ran a mentorship program called pathways, which was for LGBTQ
(11:21):
people with a disability. And, um, and those alumni of
those projects over those multiple years have been producing work, um,
in increasing ways through our festival. We've got quite a
few projects this year that are coming out of that.
So there's I guess access for this year's festival is to,
you know, is multifaceted because you've got a lot of
(11:42):
work that's actually coming from those communities. Um, that's uh, so, um,
asphyxia has got a work that's focused on, um, music
for deaf people. And we've got the Pathfinder, which is
a regional, um, playwright and disabled playwright from Bendigo who's
telling their theatre their script is being presented, um, premiering
(12:04):
for the first time. But at the same time, we've
also looked at everything across our program and gone, how
do we make everything as accessible as we can do? Um,
so if we start with Carnival, for example, we we're
we're partnering both with Vita Veritas and also I can
explore and there'll be, you know, representatives on site from
those two organizations through the sort of core part of
(12:26):
the day from 11 to 3. Um, and there'll be
structured tours for blind and low vision folks that'll be
happening around for an hour in the one in the
1 to 3 p.m. period. We'll have more details of
that sort of in January. But outside of that Vita
Veritas will do 1 to 1 tours. Um, there'll be
meeting places specifically that, um, for access. And we do
(12:49):
that with all of our, um, major events that have
drop off zones for access. We have people who come
on board to really help us with community engagement. So
it's embedded with the community. Um, and so those things
become really, really important to us that, um, we're we're
really meeting the community where their needs are as much
as we can do, given the resources we've got. And then,
(13:11):
as I say, and then, you know, there's a whole
lot of there's a number of shows that we've worked
with that are audio described or have been developed with
embedded audio description within them. Um, and so, you know,
there are opportunities that people can go on to our
website or give us a ring and get some information on, um, and,
and hopefully really find ways that they can participate and enjoy,
(13:33):
you know, work across the festival in different ways.
S1 (13:35):
There's a pretty impressive list at the back of the program, um, of,
as you say, Auslan interpreted events and audio, described events
and tactile tours and captioned events. Um. Um, I'm guessing
that list grows every year.
S2 (13:52):
Yeah, we certainly try to, um, you know, it's one
of those things you don't want to sort of, you know,
sit on your laurels. You want to kind of go, okay,
every year we'll be really proud of what we've done,
but we'll always get feedback of, oh, you know, we
could have done this, this a little bit better, or
we could have made this a bit, a bit more accessible.
So we try and work really close with our access
partners to develop that each year. And then also because
(14:12):
so many of our events are not managed by us,
they're open access, also helping to provide information to those
venues and event producers and artists to help them to
develop their own access offerings as well. And that's something
we're really committed to doing over the next few years.
S1 (14:27):
Well, it is midsummer, um, happening in midsummer, of course. Um,
running from the 18th of January, uh, to the 8th
of February. I guess everything's online, Karen, isn't it?
S2 (14:42):
Yes, it is, absolutely. And if people have any queries,
they can always give our ticketing, um, line a call
also to get some more information. Um, our website does
have specific access information, as you said. So you can
sort of go and look at everything, but you can also, um,
get information. And that access information will just be keep getting,
particularly for our big events like Carnival Pride will become
(15:02):
more and more detailed as we get closer to those events.
So we encourage people not just to look now for
those free events, but but also have a look a
bit closer to them just to really become familiar with
what's on offer.
S1 (15:13):
Well, I have to say, Karen, I did just ring
the festival because, as you know, I had the wrong
number for you. How lovely is the person who answered
the phone? How easy to deal with. You've got some
great stuff there.
S2 (15:26):
We do? We? I think we've got the best team
we've ever had. And, um, we've got some people that
we talk about in terms of one of them that
they seem to greet everyone with a smile, whether that's
in person, whether it's on the phone or even in
an email. This seems to, you know, that that warmth
comes through. And, um, it's a it's a lovely place
to work and a lovely group of people to work with.
S1 (15:47):
Well, that's certainly the impression I got. Karen Bryant, thanks
so much for making the time for us and took
us for a great festival.
S2 (15:54):
Thank you very much. Lovely talking to you.
S1 (15:56):
Well, um, the festival may seem huge, but its component
parts are quite particular. Um, and we're going to talk
about one of those at the moment, one that's happening
right near the end of the festival, so not until
the 7th of February. But that's no reason not to
get your tickets straight away. The show is called From
(16:17):
Grindr to Blinder, and it's Karen Negroni, who was on
the show this time last year talking about the festival.
Now a performer in the festival. Welcome back to the show, Karen.
S3 (16:30):
Thank you, thank you. Love that introduction. And it's a
bit of a pinch me moment for me as well.
The second you say entertainer or performer, I'm like, ah,
who are you talking about? And it's like, oh, it's me,
I've got my own show now.
S1 (16:44):
I love the byline. I mean, I love the title
from Grindr to Blinder. Very clever. Um, but I also
love the byline you use in your media release experience
storytelling like never before, through the eyes of someone who's
learning to live without sight. That's, uh. That's a pretty
(17:04):
compelling reason to come and see the show.
S3 (17:07):
Well, it is. And, you know, I mean, how do
I you know, it's just one of those things where
I feel like my story is quite unique. Uh, you know,
I was on, uh, SBS insight, uh, the diversity dilemma.
And I didn't think of myself as a diversity jackpot
till that episode happened, because they published an article after that. And,
(17:30):
you know, it was, um, that's what they called me
a diversity jackpot. And that just sort of had me thinking.
It's like, okay, so I do take a lot of
diversity boxes and I'm like, it's quite a unique story.
And I do feel like, you know, there's been the POC,
the person of color side, there's been the queer side,
there's been the disabled side, you know, also being hard
(17:52):
of hearing. But I do feel like my stories are
quite unique. Like I like I said, you know, I
never thought of myself as a storyteller or anything like that, but, uh,
every time I'm with friends or there's like an interview happening,
I'll just say something and they're like, oh my God,
that's so crazy. I can't even believe that happened to you.
You know, little things like that. So I just put
(18:12):
all of that together. Um, and some of the stories
are just so mind boggling. Like, you're not going to
believe that this actually happened. Which is why I really
feel like it's storytelling like never before. Because you're going
to hear things from my unique perspective. Uh, as a
diversity jackpot winner, if you want to call me that.
S1 (18:36):
Yeah. Well, so is this just you on stage telling
us these stories? Is that the way that you're approaching it?
S3 (18:45):
Oh, yeah. You wouldn't want to torture the audience anymore.
I think I'm enough. Uh, yes. Just going to be me.
It's quite an intimate setting. I intentionally want not many
people there. Um, because the whole concept is you're going
on a date with me. Uh, which is why the
name from Grindr to Blinder. So, yeah, it is just me,
(19:05):
and it's all my, uh. let me just say it's
not a show for kids. There's a lot of inappropriate.
Point taken. So, yeah, if you're if you're a prude,
I would say don't come.
S1 (19:22):
Uh, we never have people on this show saying reasons
not to come and see your performance. Well.
S3 (19:28):
Hey, I've been known to, like, shock people with the
things I say. Uh, and, you know, usually I get
away with it because it's like, oh, he's blind. He
can't say anything, so. But yeah, like, the stories are
quite unique and they're really personal. And these are actual
experiences that I've, you know, um, written down over the years.
And I'm just like, wow, okay, now it's time to
share them. But like, a lot of my humor is
(19:49):
crass and crude. So, yeah, if you are a prude
or goody two shoes, I do recommend not coming to
my show. But if you like, if you like having
a good time and you want to just, you know,
hear some stories and you're like, oh my God, that
is insane. Uh, please do come. And you know, like
I said to midsummer because it's a date. Uh, the
(20:09):
first everyone's first drink is on me, so it's like,
you know, it's one of those things. I'm really trying
to make it like a date.
S1 (20:15):
Um, with such a kind of personally based story or
series of stories. And you say you've written them down
over the years, but now you're here. You are on
a date with us, sharing the stories to us. Um,
do you have to reach a certain point within yourself,
(20:37):
a kind of sense of self, a confidence within yourself
to move from having these stories just be words on
a page to being you in the space with real
people relating these stories to us. Is that a process
for you?
S4 (20:54):
Uh, I feel like.
S3 (20:56):
A lot of people with a disability can relate to this.
A stage just comes where you don't give a damn anymore.
You're just like, you know what? Initially it hurts. Or
initially someone says something and it's quite shocking. And then
you process it and then over time you just get
like thicker skin and armor. And you know, if I
do believe laughter is the best medicine, and I found
(21:18):
that laughing at these ridiculous things that were said, uh,
was a way of healing myself. Uh, and I would
love to share that with other people. So it is
quite personal. And like I said, you know, when it's
raw and fresh, in that moment, I was probably pretty
hurt and upset. But now, in retrospect, I'm like, amazing,
(21:39):
you've given me content. Give me more.
S1 (21:43):
Now I note that, um, well, you seem to be
the ambassador for everything. You're the Darwin Pride ambassador a
couple of years ago. Um, the Chill Out Festival ambassador
before that. And is this 2026 festival three years in
a row that you are community ambassador for Midsummer Festival?
S4 (22:01):
Yes.
S3 (22:02):
Yes, I know, way to make me feel old. I
can't believe it's been three years. But honestly, it has been.
I'm not just saying this for the sake of it,
but as a, you know, as a queer person with
a disability, I've talked about this before. I feel like,
you know, the queer community are constantly saying, you know,
love is love. And we want to be accepted and
(22:24):
appreciated for who we are. And I feel like within
the queer space, there's so much discrimination. And, you know,
there's so much, um, I wouldn't say hatred, but there's
a lot of shallow judgment when it comes to appearance and,
you know, just just telling people shamelessly, like you're unattractive
because of this or I don't want to hook up
(22:45):
with you because you're this. So I just feel like,
you know, me being a community ambassador and sort of
really embracing that with midsummer has just been an incredible journey,
not just for me, but for other people as well.
Like till, you know, till today I'll be at a
midsummer event and I'll talk about, um, accessibility and being
disabled and I'll get messages on Instagram directly saying, you know,
(23:08):
heard you speak. That was amazing. I didn't want to
come up to you because I have an invisible disability,
and I didn't want my friends to think I have
a disability because of everything that comes with it within
the gay community. So I just feel like being in
a position where, as someone who is not ashamed of
being disabled, I'm, you know, out and proud and like
talking about living life to the fullest, I feel like
(23:31):
it has really made a difference, um, because of the
messages that I get. I also feel like the little
things that they're not even little things, they're such big
things that, uh, that midsummer are doing to make their
events more accessible. Like just just my event itself. Like,
there'll be, uh, you know, someone interpreting Auslan there. There
(23:53):
will be a hearing loop. There's going to be, you know, uh,
what do you call it? Um, obviously there's going to
be like wheelchair access. There's a few other things that
I can't remember now, but it's just so. It's such
a moment of, you know, I'm so proud to say
that I'm. I'm part of a festival that's going above
and beyond to make things more accessible. I noticed that,
(24:16):
you know, like, even at the launch, uh, where I
did the red carpet, every person that went up on
stage described their appearance. And, you know, we had fun
with it. It was a lot of fun. It's these
little things. I was on the red carpet interviewing guests.
You know, here's a blind guy with a cane, uh,
for people to see that. And this is all because
of midsummer. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's such.
(24:37):
It's such a big deal to me that you're showing
people that are not disabled within the queer space, that
there's a blind guy, uh, would not have thought a
blind guy would be out and about, let alone be
hosting a red carpet, let alone be hosting his own show.
You know, it's just I'm eternally grateful to midsummer because
they have not just done this for the queer space.
(24:59):
I feel like it was a message to me as
well that, you know, there is hope. Uh, there is
room for change within our community. So it's just. It's
just a lovely feeling.
S1 (25:09):
Fantastic. Well, the show is from grinder to blinder. Um.
It is Karan. Nagrani. Um, did you tell me there's
an early bird ticket deal going at the moment?
S4 (25:21):
Yes, there is an early bird.
S3 (25:22):
If you get your tickets by 5 p.m. on the
16th of December, you're going to get 15% off. And
there's also a concession discount, uh, for people with disabilities.
And the companion ticket, uh, for free. As long as
you have the companion card.
S1 (25:37):
Fantastic. Well, it is on on the 7th of February,
second last day of the festival. But don't leave it
too late. Get your early bird tickets now. Karen. Great
having you back on the show and sugars for the season.
S3 (25:52):
My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me and
I hope to see you all there. It'll be probably
the most unforgettable blind date you've been on.
S1 (26:03):
Good on you, Karen.
S4 (26:04):
All right. Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.