Sideshow
Join presenters Anthea Williams and Liz Cooper for discussions with artists and arts workers from across the creative spectrum for entertaining, enlightening and provocative discussions about art, culture and disability. Each program we examine a specific topic, bringing in guests to unpack that topic in creative and surprising ways, while discussing their work and arts practices. The program also includes a round-up of relevant news and events. So switch on and transform your understanding of art, culture and creativity. Activated Arts is produced in association with Accessible Arts, NSW’s peak arts and disability organisation.
Episodes
A massive project has been brewing over the last six years: the Disability Arts History Australia website, spearheaded by academics from across the country. This month Anthea talks to two of them: Bree Hadley and Eddie Paterson.
https://disabilityartshistoryaustralia.net/
Click here to access a transcript of this episode.
What’s on:
Australian Museum - Unfinished Business
This month Anthea talks with Wollongong’s only professional theatre ensemble – The Stangeways Ensemble. They are a company of neurodiverse actors who have been devising theatre together for over a decade. This month they open their new work, The Seven, at The Wollongong Town Hall.
You can access a transcript of this episode here.
The Strangeways Ensemble:
This month Anthea talks with award-winning nature writer, memoirist, and poet Polly Atkin about her remarkable body of work, Nature Cures and the owls of Grasmere. Click here to access a transcript of this episode.
Polly Atkin’s website:
Polly Atkin’s article on Lit Hub about The Salt Path:
https://lithub.com/nature-is-not-going-to-cure-you-on-raynor-winns-fabricated-memoir/
Polly has previ...
This month Anthea talks with singer, songwriter and disability advocate Elly May Barnes about her life as a musician and work to make the music industry more accessible ahead of her headlining show at the Sydney Fringe Festival.
https://sydneyfringe.com/events/elly-may-barnes/
You can access a transcript of this episode here.
What’s on:
Embodied – A Deaf Perspective
This month Anthea talks with musician, writer and activist Eliza Hull about her life as a songwriter while trying not to fangirl too hard! Eliza is also the Powerd Media Lead at the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. Powerd media is a media platform created by and for people with disabilities.
What’s on:
Limitless – Sydney Fringe
This month Anthea talks to multi-disciplinary artist and double doctor Debra Keenahan about her life, dehumanisation and the athletics of access.
https://debrakeenahan.com.au/the-artist-and-her-art/
You can access a transcript of this episode here.
What’s on:
Beacon Exhibition
https://www.artsaccess.com.au/whats-on/beacon/
Are You Pulling My Leg?
https://artsontour.com.au/tours/are-you-pulling-my-leg-2025/
Music Sample
No...
Undercover Artist Festival has been running in Brisbane since 2014. Current Festival Director Madeleine Little discusses the festival and her creative practice with Anthea this month.
https://undercoverartistfest.com/
You can access a full transcript of this episode here.
What’s on
Charge! Agincourt by Back to Back at ACMI showing till February 2026
Rawcus is a critically acclaimed long term ensemble of 14 performers with diverse minds, bodies and imaginations. For over 22 years, the company has been creating audacious performances and arts experiences. You can access a transcript of this episode here.
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What’s on:
Sydney Film Festival – Life After
www.sff.org.au/program/event/life-after/
Frida Kahlo – In Her Own Ima...
Andy is an award winning poet, essayist and academic at the University of Melbourne. He writes with vulnerability and fierceness about the body and the nature of being human.
You can access a transcript of this episode here.
What’s on:
Liz Martin with Michael Bridges at Kandos Kitchen
https://events.humanitix.com/liz-martin-with-michael-bridges-at-kandos-kitchen
Under the Big Blue Sky and Rainbow...
The Apothetae is a North American theatre company dedicated to the production of works that explore and illuminate the disabled experience. This month Anthea discusses their work and residency at New York’s Public Theater with Artistic Director Gregg Mozgala, Director Kim Weild and Scholar Katherine Williams.
https://publictheater.org/news-items/2024/the-apoethetaes-residency/
Negin Chahoud is a Visual Artist who explores her emotional journey as a refugee from Iran in her practice. She gives voice to her story through multi-layered, mixed media artworks on paper and paintings and creates intricate, semi-abstract artworks with a strong narrative. Each piece not only showcases part of her history but also reflects on her journey to healing and the inspiration she draws from her natural surroundings.
Van Badham is a writer of plays and novels, an activist and columnist for The Guardian Australia. In the last years she’s been diagnosed as having ADHD. Join us for this special episode of Sideshow where Van examines her past through this new lens, while we acknowledge her brilliant work as a writer.
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/van-badham
Download a transcript of this episode here.
What’s on:
Em and Maddie Solve...
Ahead of the Sydney Festival opening, Anthea chats to the brilliant Ali Murphy-Oates, a Ngiyampaa Wailwan person who is both Senior Manager, First Nations Strategy & Engagement at Create NSW, and at Sydney Festival as Producer - First Nations.
You can access a transcript of this episode here.
- Sydney Festival: Vigil-Gunyan: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/events/vigil-gunyah
What’s on:
TarraWarra Museu...
This month Anthea Chats brilliant artists Amy Claire Mills about the joys of unsolicited advice and quilting. https://www.amyclairemills.com
Amy’s upcoming exhibitions:
This Will Only Hurt for a Second, Outer Space Gallery Brisbane https://www.outerspacebrisbane.org/program/this-will-only-hurt-for-a-second
Art Gallery of NSW – Art After Dark, yet to be announced but keep an I on their events page for January. https://www.artgallery...
Kiruna Stamell is an Australian actor and dancer. Sydney born she’s trained in both the UK and Australia and has appeared in films like Moulin Rouge, on TV in shows like Serpent Queen and on stage. She’s even been on Play School. Currently she’s playing Kirsty Millar on British Soap, Doctors.
This month Kiruna and Anthea discuss actor training and development, Kiruna’s international career and advice she has for emerging actors.
Wh...
Liz Martin is a powerhouse in Disability Arts. This month the musician and CEO of Accessible Arts NSW talks with Anthea about all things music, inclusion and how to use crip ideals to make great art.
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
What’s on:
~~~~~ “...derelict in uncharted space...” An intrepid homage to a Star Trek fan club through intersensory movement and space-time translations. https://melbournefringe.com.au/even...
This month Anthea talks all things access with Jo Simpson, the access coordinator at the Sydney Fringe.
What’s on:
Limitless:
https://sydneyfringe.com/limitless/
The Hen House
https://pyt.com.au/the-hen-house/
Anti Festival – With This Body I Remember, With This Body I Re-wild
https://antifestival.com/en/programme/with-this-body-i-remember-with-this-body-i-re-wild-2/
Music Sample: I Don’t Care by Sweat htt...
This month Anthea talks with Michelle Ryan about disability on stage, being a dancer and acquiring disability mid-career and her work as the Artistic Director of Restless Dance Theatre, ahead of Restless’ tour to Sydney and Hobart
Access a transcript of this episode here.
What’s on:
Telethon Kid: https://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/tickets/malthouse-theatre/telethon-kid/
One + One Makes Three: https://kin...
This month Anthea talks with Ella Glendining about her remarkable documentary Is Anybody Out There? which was part of this year’s Sydney Film Festival. Born with a disability so rare that no reliable statistics about it exist, Ella Glendining goes on a global search for answers and others who share her experience.
https://www.sff.org.au/program/browse/is-there-anybody-out-there
Read a full transcript of this episode here.
What’s On...
This month Anthea talks with Trans, Non-Binary and Crip writer Jasper Peach about their writing and new book, You’ll be a Wonderful Parent.
Jasper Peach: https://linktr.ee/jasperpeachsays
Instagram and Twitter @JasperPeachSays
You’ll be a Wonderful Parent: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/you_ll-be-a-wonderful-parent-by-jasper-peach/9781743798614
A complete transcript of this episode is available here.
What...
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