Rita Bratovich

Art is powerful. It can change things: perspectives, politics, people. Humans have an inherent need to be creative, to express themselves beyond the practical; we have an inherent right to be creative. No one understands that more than the people behind Milk Crate Theatre. For 23 years, this unique performing arts organisation has been returning the right to be creative to those in our community who have been disenfranchised.  Milk Crate Theatre is a leader in the practice of using art to help people dealing with homelessness, mental health issues, and disability regain confidence and their sense of self, and actively participate in society.  Margot Politis is the artistic director of Milk Create Theatre and has been with the organisation for seven years. Her core practice is around arts in disability. Prior to joining Milk Crate she had been a performer with Restless Dance Theatre in Adelaide (for dancers with or without a disability), and Shopfront Theatre, Sydney’s only cross-art form organisation dedicated to the artistry of young people. Politis is a true believer in the power of art to change people.  Photograph: Anna Kucera | The cast of 'Dust' “When I see [a participant] work through this creative process and that fear drops away, week by week or month by month –  and then they’re on stage and you can just see physically, spiritually, in someone’s eyes… They might be standing taller, their vision is more direct, you know, there’s a real strength in their presence and

Dolly Parton would agree she has "little feet", but it's hard to dispute that she has created a pair of very big shoes to fill. This is the task faced by musical theatre star Erin Clare, who is playing the role of Doralee Rhodes in the Australian stage musical version of 9 to 5 – a role played by Parton herself in the hugely successful 1980 film of the same name. Clare spoke to us about the themes, the songs and slipping into Dolly Parton’s “teeny, tiny little shoes”.  Apart from playing a lead role in the film, Parton wrote the iconic theme song for the movie and has also written all the songs for the musical. The country star clearly casts a long shadow over the 9 to 5 brand, and it's something that’s very present for Clare.  “Doralee Rhodes, she’s a bright and beautiful country girl, obviously made famous and iconic by Dolly Parton herself," she says. "And she really is the essence of Dolly without actually being an autobiographical character of Dolly Parton.”  The performer, who recently starred in the hit production of American Psycho the Musical, watched a lot of interviews with Parton, trying to glean her essence in portraying Doralee without creating a caricature.  “[Doralee] is often undermined and underestimated because of the way she looks, but she is smart as a whip and she stands up for what is right. So she really brings a fun, comedic, country element that is so reflective of the score and this whole piece in general, and of Dolly,” she explains.  Clare is one

It has been performed in the most prestigious theatres around the world but never in an auditorium like this: no walls, no ceiling, not even stable ground beneath the stage; city lights and two world-famous landmarks in the background and the salty tang of seawater in the air. Opera Australia is staging one of the most successful musicals of all time, The Phantom of the Opera, as this year’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production. It’s the first time in its 35 year history that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s timeless masterpiece will be performed outdoors on such a scale. Written by Webber (music/libretto), Richard Stilgoe (libretto) and Charles Hart (lyrics), The Phantom of the Opera premiered in London’s West End in 1986, remaining there for an astounding 13,629 performances. Its run on Broadway began in 1988 and still continues, with a record-making 13,509 shows clocked up so far. The 2022 Sydney production will rival all others in scope and opulence. “The way that Gabriela Tylesova, the designer, has reimagined the set and the costumes for this scale is so impressive and so grand,” says Georgina Hopson, who plays the principal role of Christine Daaé. Hopson is reluctant to give away any spoilers, but does share some teasers. There’s fireworks and pyrotechnics and all sorts of crazy things. It’s really going to be epic “I can tell you that there’s going to be a chandelier and it’s huge and it’s going to be hanging over the stage – that’s going to be magic! And there’s fireworks

Dolly Parton would agree she has "little feet", but it's hard to dispute that she has very big shoes to fill. This is the task faced by musical theatre star Erin Clare. She’s playing the role of Doralee Rhodes in the Australian stage musical version of 9 to 5, the role played by Parton in the hugely successful 1980 film of the same name. After a long postponement, 9 to 5 the Musical will have its Sydney premiere at the Capitol Theatre this February before heading to Melbourne in July. Clare spoke to us about the themes, the songs and slipping into Dolly Parton’s “teeny, tiny little shoes”.  Apart from playing a lead role in the film, Parton wrote the iconic theme song for the movie and has written all the songs for the musical, so she casts a long shadow over the 9 to 5 brand. It is something that’s very present for Clare.  “Doralee Rhodes, she’s a bright and beautiful country girl, obviously made famous and iconic by Dolly Parton herself. And she really is the essence of Dolly without actually being an autobiographical character of Dolly Parton,” says Clare.  The performer, who recently starred in the hit production of American Psycho the Musical, watched a lot of interviews with Parton, trying to glean her essence in portraying Doralee without creating a caricature.  “[Doralee] is often undermined and underestimated because of the way she looks, but she is smart as a whip and she stands up for what is right. So she really brings a fun, comedic, country element that is so re