Introductory Blog
Welcome to the new Currency House blog! A space for the next generation of theatre critics. As the national critic for the Australian in the 1960s and 70s, our founder, Katharine Brisbane, knew that whatever she wrote, whether she was reviewing a show in Sydney, Perth or Hobart, it had to be important enough for the rest of the country to want to read about it. Her reviews transformed Australian theatre criticism by putting the performing arts in the context of a national culture that was radically changing. Katharine is now in her 90s. This blog is an opportunity for us to pass on her critical skills and principles for writing to new reviewers and to restart the national conversation on the performing arts in Australia.
Few opportunities remain for writers in the media today to reflect on the performing arts; and even fewer for writers to develop their craft. This blog will provide the time and space for critics to hone their skills with the support and advice of our Editorial Committee and the Currency House Authors Group.
We will be publishing contributions that reflect on current issues in the Australian arts and humanities, led by our flagship essays in the New Platform Papers. The first full-length blog will be posted to coincide with the launch of issue no. 5, ‘Diversity and Inclusion: Building the Good Life in Australia’, at Sydney University on June 14. It includes two new essays: ‘More Risk, More Play: Creating an Inclusive Culture’ by Morwenna Collett and ‘Queer(y)ing the Australian Way of Life’ by Jeremy Neideck.
Overall, the purpose of this blog, and the whole of our website as it continues to evolve, is to keep developing the ideas that are contributed by our authors, and to embed their recommendations in our policies and practices. In this spirit, we will be making accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusiveness, a priority in our blog, our website and all our future publications.
The website itself will be undergoing some light reconstruction over the coming months as we make a few changes and start to expand it to provide new opportunities for long-form writing.
We’re looking forward to the discussion.