AustLit

'The real star of Because the Night – the immersive theatre show that has taken over Melbourne’s Malthouse – is the production’s mega-installation set. By Alison Croggon.' 

'The problems that plague Australian arts and culture long predate 2020, but this year's crises have thrown them into vivid relief. By Alison Croggon.'

'It seems that every problem that has rumbled beneath our feet for the past 60 years has hit crisis point, all at once.' 

'Despite some shaky moments, Benjamin Law’s Torch the Place is filled with humour and heart, and breathes new life into the Australian tradition of naturalism. By Alison Croggon.' 

'Though it never quite coheres, The Feather in the Web takes some sharp digs at contemporary society and is bolstered by an excellent cast. By Alison Croggon.' 

'Pip lives on his wits in the city of Clarel. When he pickpockets the wrong man, he finds himself in possession of a strange object – a heart in a silver casket. What’s more, the heart seems to be trying to communicate with Pip, and the royal officials who lost it will stop at nothing to get it back.

'Pip has unwittingly broken an ancient spell, and his theft will have far-reaching consequences for the whole city. As the ancient war between the Spectres and witches of Clarel reignites, the heart prepares to seek revenge for all it has suffered… Alison Croggon conjures a rich, immersive world with brilliant and memorable characters in this captivating story of loyalty, courage and friendship.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'While Australian artists face challenging times, brilliant work is still being staged.'

'In this paper Alison Croggon, one of Australia’s most insightful cultural critics, looks back from the days when the daily broadsheet newspapers were unrivalled in authority, to the collapse of the print media and opening of a free market for digital public opinion. The dramatic downsizing of the Fairfax empire’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age hit arts journalism badly and coincided with the rise of arts-oriented websites across Australia. Croggon sees the demise of the old criticism as a loss of power and received wisdom but also an opportunity to engage artists, critics and audiences in conversations of global collaboration and reference. With this breakdown of institutional criticism, which, she says, had latterly focussed on art as a commodity, came the opportunity rethink our assumptions about what critical responses to art might be. It has offered a chance to open the door to new ways of thinking, a way of enriching both the communities around art and the process of making art itself.' (Publication summary)

 (Introduction)

'Art is a magnificent illusion of possibility. It expresses the best of us, as well as the worst: it encompasses everything we are.'  (Introduction)

'Although Melbourne Theatre Company’s Storm Boy is lushly produced, Colin Thiele’s story is showing its age – particularly in the face of a global climate emergency.''  (Article summary)

'Love and Shit, an exhilarating double bill by Patricia Cornelius at fortyfivedownstairs, expose the uncomfortable realities of Australia’s underclass. In doing so, these plays remind us how vital theatre can be. By Alison Croggon.' 

'When we think, we make categories - that is how we make things thinkable. We sort reality into orders and hierarchies, from the lowest angels to the highest. This is obviously useful, because everyone does it. In the west, we trace the tradition back to Aristotle.'  (Introduction)