Backstage

Come Backstage with Giuseppina Grech.

The Phantom of the Opera is back on Sydney Harbour from 27 March, and this episode goes behind the scenes with one of its most delightfully outrageous characters: Carlotta Giudicelli.

Australian‑Italian soprano Giuseppina Grech brings the temperamental prima donna to life on the spectacular Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour stage. She previously performed the role in the in‑theatre national tour ...

Regina Botros goes Backstage with award‑winning writer, actor and adaptor Sheridan Harbridge, diving into her acclaimed adaptation of My Brilliant Career, now on at Sydney Theatre Company. Sheridan talks about re‑imagining Miles Franklin’s iconic novel for the stage — the choices, challenges and freedoms of adaptation, and why the story still resonates so strongly today.

We also touch on Amplified: The Rock & Rage of Chrissy ...

Regina Botros is joined backstage by Mark Leonard Winter, whose Mark Antony has emerged as the standout performance in Bell Shakespeare’s bold 2026 production of Julius Caesar. Making his Bell Shakespeare debut, Mark brings a volatile, magnetic energy to Antony in a contemporary staging set in 1990s Eastern Europe and directed by Peter Evans.

A Helpmann Award winner and founding member of independent theatre company Black Lung,...

Mitchell Butel joins Regina Botros Backstage. He's an acclaimed actor, four‑time Helpmann Award‑winner, and Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company — and he's here to talk about STC’s powerful new production of The Normal Heart, on stage at the Drama Theatre in the Sydney Opera House.

Timed for Sydney Mardi Gras, this landmark play by Larry Kramer is set in early 1980s New York, during the terrifying, grief‑stricken and polit...

Director Zindzi Okenyo joins Regina Botros to talk about Purpose — the most awarded new American play of 2025, now on at Sydney Theatre Company in its first production since Broadway. Branden Jacobs‑Jenkins’ drama centres on a powerful African American family whose public legacy begins to crack when the estranged youngest son returns home with an unexpected guest.

Stepping into this sharp, funny, emotionally volatile play: what d...

In this episode, we dive into Fitz Happens — a bold new initiative by New Ghosts Theatre Company designed to launch and raise funds for their Playwright Fund. This unique monologue showcase, part of the company’s Mainstage program, brings together five original 10-minute monologues inspired by the haunting theme: “Home is Where the Haunt Is.”

We explore how this project came to life, the creative risks involved, and the spirit of g...

In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros speaks with Gabrielle Scawthorn, the writer and director of The Edit, and Matilda Ridgeway, one of its powerhouse performers.

The Edit, now on stage at Belvoir, is a sharp, provocative work born from Gabrielle’s deep dive into the world of reality television. Drawing on countless interviews, the play explores the blurred lines between truth and performance, and what happens when our lives...

In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros sits down with Joseph Althouse, the Pertame and Tiwi actor captivating audiences in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg.

Set in the early 19th century, Whitefella Yella Tree is a tender and devastating love story between two young Aboriginal men, Ty and Neddy, from neighbouring mobs. Meeting under the branches of a lemon tree, their roman...

Photographer Alex McClintock joins Regina Botros on Backstage to talk about his latest collaboration with audio documentarian Mike Williams: 24 Hours in Kings Cross, a genre-bending live documentary showing at Sydney Fringe Festival. Captured over a single sleepless day, the show is a gritty, glamorous tribute to Sydney’s infamous red-light district, blending McClintock’s evocative street photography with Williams’ immersive audio ...

In this episode, Regina Botros sits down with legendary lighting and set designer Nick Schlieper to explore the hauntingly beautiful world of Grief is the Thing with Feathers, now playing at Belvoir Theatre. Co-adapted by Schlieper alongside Simon Phillips and Toby Schmitz, this theatrical reimagining of Max Porter’s acclaimed verse novel dives deep into the surreal and poetic terrain of grief, memory, and transformation.

Nick shar...

Peter Evans, Artistic Director of Bell Shakespeare, talks with Regina Botros about his new production of Coriolanus as well as, how he came to be the Artistic Director of the company.

One of Shakespeare’s least performed and most politically charged plays, it's staged at the Neilson Nutshell Theatre at Wharf 2/3—Bell Shakespeare’s home.

Evans has long been a driving force in Australian theatre, with a career spanning decades and st...

In this episode, Regina Botros speaks with Jessica Arthur, director and dramaturg of Koreaboo, a bold new work for Griffin Theatre Company. 

Currently the New Work Associate - Artist Development at Malthouse Theatre, Jess has held key creative roles at Sydney Theatre Company, including Resident Director (2019–2022), Directing Associate, and Richard Wherrett Fellow.

Her directing credits span Belvoir, Griffin, La Mama, Kings Cross T...

I’m joined by one of Australia’s most celebrated actors—Pamela Rabe. With a career spanning decades, Pamela has earned acclaim across stage and screen, and is also a respected stage director. Her versatility shines through in a wide range of genres—from musicals and comedies to powerful dramas.

You may have seen her in unforgettable productions such as:

• August: Osage County
• Seventeen
• The Cherry Orchard
• Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
• Th...

In this colourful episode, Regina Botros is joined by the talented Alexander Berlage, the award-winning director and lighting designer, to dive into his dazzling new production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown at the Hayes Theatre.

How do you take a cult Almodóvar classic and reimagine it for the stage? Alex shares the creative journey behind bringing this bold, emotional, and hilariously chaotic story to life. From nav...

🎙️ Regina Botros in Conversation with Jess Fuchs On this episode, Regina chats with the brilliantly chaotic Jess Fuchs about her upcoming comedy festival show, Sex Jokes for Women.

Jess is an Australian stand-up comedian, writer, actress — and self-proclaimed forgotten middle child. Known for her razor-sharp wit and unfiltered storytelling, she’s been called “whip smart,” “boisterous,” and “pure chaos” (in the best way possible).

...

Izabella joins Regina to talk about her play These Youths Be Protesting a finalist for the 2024 Martin Lysicrates playwriting award.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off meets Don’t Look Up, this new Australian play is a comedy about climate change, about the chaos of youth and how these intersect with the campaign trail of a federal election. The production will have its world premiere at Kings Cross Theatre (KXT) on Broadway, and will play f...

Lucy Clements joins Regina Botros to talk about her latest show Iphigenia in Splott at Old Fitz Theatre and her position as the Artistic Director of the theatre space.

Lucy is the Founder, Managing Director and CEO of New Ghosts Theatre Company Inc, and the Artistic Director of the Old Fitz Theatre. She specialises in the creation and presentation of new theatrical works and strives to champion playwrights & women in theatre. I...