Backstage

Rebecca Massey joins me on Backstage to discuss Belvoir's revival of The Book of Everything , returning to the stage for the first time in more than a decade. An acclaimed actor, writer and director, Massey was also part of the original cast, giving her a unique insight into a production that has become one of Belvoir's most cherished works. We talk about revisiting the play years later, reuniting with director Neil Armfield, and why this remarkable story continues to resonate with audiences today. The Book of Everything runs at Belvoir St Theatre from 22 August to 20 September.

On this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros is joined by Trisha Starrs and Roderick Chambers for a compelling conversation with one of Australia's most celebrated actors, Pamela Rabe . Currently starring as Sister Aloysius in John Patrick Shanley's Doubt: A Parable, Rabe brings her formidable intelligence, emotional depth and commanding stage presence to a role that sits at the heart of one of modern theatre's most gripping dramas. Together, we explore the play's enduring themes of certainty, suspicion, faith and power, and discusses why this Pulitzer Prize-winning work continues to resonate so strongly with contemporary audiences. Insightful, erudite and endlessly engaging a remarkable production—this is an episode not to miss.

Yve Blake 's new play Mackenzie takes Shakespeare's Macbeth and gives it a gloriously camp, darkly comic makeover. Best known as the award-winning creator of FANGIRLS, Blake turns her attention to the cut-throat world of child stardom, stage parents and celebrity obsession. Mackenzie is 13 and has just landed her first television role. It's only a small part, but her ambitious mother is convinced greatness awaits. When a make-up artist delivers a prophecy that Mackenzie will become the world's biggest pop star, a chain of events is set in motion that echoes Shakespeare's classic tragedy. Directed by Virginia Gay, the play mixes comedy, music and horror to explore what happens when ambition takes hold. In this conversation, Yve Blake joins Backstage to discuss the origins of the work, her decision to reimagine Macbeth through the lens of early 2000s celebrity culture, and the themes of ambition, power and corruption that continue to make Shakespeare's play resonate today. She also reflects on balancing comedy with darkness, and why Mackenzie might leave audiences laughing one moment and deeply unsettled the next. Yve Blake is a writer, composer, lyricist and performer whose hit musical FANGIRLS has become one of Australia's most acclaimed new theatre works. Her latest play, Mackenzie, is a hilarious and macabre exploration of fame, family and the costs of getting exactly what you wish for.

On this episode of Backstage, award-winning director and lighting designer Alexander Berlage , currently directing Sonder joins Regina. Alexander has become one of the most distinctive voices in Sydney’s independent theatre scene. He is a two-time Sydney Theatre Award winner for Best Direction of a Musical, for American Psycho and Cry-Baby at Hayes Theatre Co, and won Best Direction of an Independent Production in 2023 for A Streetcar Named Desire at the Old Fitz Theatre. From 2020 to 2023, he served as Co-Artistic Director of Redline Productions at the Old Fitz. Now, with Sonder, Alexander brings that same precision and visual imagination to a new production — and joins us to talk about directing, design, and what draws him to a work in the first place.

In this episode I'm taking you backstage at Belvoir Street Theatre for a closer look at The Birds — not Hitchcock, but a tense, immersive stage adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s story. This striking one‑woman work, performed by Paula Arundell, is as much about sound and atmosphere as it is about narrative, pulling the audience into a world of unease and sensory intensity. I’m joined by writer Louise Fox and director Matthew Lutton to talk about how this adaptation came together — from shaping the text for a solo performer to building a sonic landscape that carries so much of the storytelling weight.

The fabulous Nancye Hayes joins me to talk about Anastasia , now playing at the Lyric Theatre — a truly spectacular production. Loosely inspired by the Romanov family and set in early‑20th‑century Russia, the show is a visual feast, complete with cinematic projections and even a Swan Lake ballet in the middle. Nancye plays the Dowager Empress, bringing immense gravitas to the role. We talk about the history behind the story and what still excites her after more than 60 years in theatre. From being drawn to the stage at the age of three to still discovering new things as a performer, this is a conversation with a true Australian theatre icon. 🎭 Anastasia is now playing at the Lyric Theatre 🔗 https://anastasiathemusical.com.au/

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 across Sydney and Melbourne, but this marks her first time tackling Carlotta outdoors, on one of the biggest and boldest stages in the world. Known for her razor‑sharp comic timing and fearless embrace of Carlotta’s larger‑than‑life ego, Giuseppina talks about why she loves leaning into the character’s outrageousness, how comedy shifts on a vast open‑air stage, and what changes when a famously dramatic diva performs against the Sydney skyline.

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 Amphlett, Sheridan’s powerful tribute to the Divinyls frontwoman, which is returning soon to teh Seymour Centre. Later this year she's back with the acclaimed Prima Facie for Sydney Theatre Company. What a powerhouse!!

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, Mark is known for his fearless, risk‑taking performances across Australia’s major stages, including Sydney Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company. His acclaimed turn as Antony has drawn glowing reviews, with critics praising its wild charisma, mercurial shifts, and unsettling modernity — a performance that commands attention and divides opinion in all the right ways. We talk about Antony as both Caesar’s confidant and political operator, the choices behind finding the character’s duplicity, and how Mark approached a role often overshadowed by Brutus. He also reflects on breaking the fourth wall, including the production’s much‑discussed funeral speech moment, and what it means to play Shakespeare with such direct audience connection. Bell Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar runs at • Sydney Opera House: 7 March – 5 April 2026 • Canberra Theatre Centre: 10 – 18 April 2026 • Arts Centre Melbourne: 23 April – 10 May 2026

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 politically charged rise of the AIDS epidemic. The story follows a group of activists, lovers, friends, and fighters demanding to be seen, heard, and protected in a world that refused to acknowledge the crisis.

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 drew Zindzi to it, how did she navigated the tension between public image and private truth, and how did she shaped the dynamic between a civil‑rights patriarch and the matriarch trying to hold everything together, while it falls apart. Featuring Grace Bentley‑Tsibuah, Deni Gordon, Markus Hamilton, Tinashe Mangwana, Maurice Marvel Meredith, and Sisi Stringer.

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 generosity that fuels it — from seasoned legends like Kate Mulvany, Louis Nowra, and Belinda Giblin, to emerging talents like Justin Li (making his Mainstage stage management debut) and Finlay Hogan (currently studying at NIDA while designing sound for the show). Mehhma Malhi, director of Fitz Happens, returns to Sydney from New York with a rich background in philosophy, bioethics, and journalism. With degrees from NYU and Columbia University, we explore how her academic lens informs her directorial approach — especially in a project that grapples with themes of memory, identity, and home.

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 become content.

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 romance blooms just as the colonial world begins to encroach on their lives. Joseph plays Ty, a young man learning to be his mob’s storyteller, navigating the tension between tradition, love, and the looming threat of colonisation. Sydney Theatre Company : Wharf 1 Theatre, until 18 October 2025

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 storytelling. Together, they shine a spotlight on the misfits, lovers, drag queens, tattoo artists, and party-goers who make the Cross pulse with life. From sunrise to sunrise, this multimedia experience is a love letter to a suburb that never sleeps. 📍 24 Hours in Kings Cross runs from September 10–20 at Sean & Dolly’s, as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival .

Regina Botros sits down with actor Mayu Iwasaki, who stars as Mitsue in The Face of Jizo at the Seymour Centre. This poignant play, written by Hisashi Inoue, explores the emotional aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing through the eyes of a young librarian and her father’s ghost. Mayu shares her journey into producing this play and the role, plus the emotional weight of portraying a survivor. Don't miss this one.

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 shares insights into the creative process, the challenge of translation, and the character of Crow. On at Belvoir Theatre.

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 stages across the country. Come Backstage!

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 Theatre, Old Fitz, Melbourne Theatre Company. In this conversation, we dive into the making of Koreaboo, its cultural resonance, and Jess’s process of developing new work that speaks to contemporary audiences. From The Dictionary of Lost Words to The Wolves, Jess’s career is a testament to innovation, collaboration, and the heart of storytelling.

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 The Dance of Death My Fair Lady The Glass Menagerie ...and so many more. She’s tackled the works of Shakespeare, Molière, Chekhov, Brecht, Noël Coward, Patrick White, and David Mamet—just to name a few. Today, Pamela joins me to talk about her latest role as Winnie in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, now playing at the Sydney Theatre Company . It’s a demanding and iconic role, and we’ll dive into what it means to bring Beckett’s vision to life on stage. Reginabotros.com