Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the 2019 Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in early 2020. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association in 2021, and a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Photo: Fiona Hamilton. Follow Richard on Bluesky @richardthewatts.bsky.social and Instagram @richard.l.watts

Richard Watts's Latest Articles

An atmospheric photo of a person running along the beach at sunset, with the sun low in the sky on the horizon. arts sector appointments
News

On the move: latest arts sector appointments

This week’s arts sector appointments include a new Artistic Director at Darwin Festival and the departure of one of Rising’s…

Lucy Guerin. The choreographer stands thoughtfully, her hand under her chin, gazing into the distance.
Industry News

Choreographer Lucy Guerin to step down from Lucy Guerin Inc at end of 2026

Twenty-five years after founding her company, which has significantly enriched the Australian dance sector, Guerin is moving on.

Noongar composer Aaron Wyatt in a promotional image for Decolonising the Bells, his collaboration with Speak Percussion, which premieres at Kindred People in September. An Aboriginal man with long hair, a short grey beard and glasses, faces the camera. We wears a kangaroo-skin cloak and holds a handbell in one hand and a painted stick in the other.
News

First Nations festival Kindred People joins Melbourne’s crowded arts calendar

Presented by Monash University, the new festival will run biennially if its first iteration is a success.

A barefoot youth is caught mid-summersault, silhouetted against the setting sun; other people walk past him and behind him. arts sector appointments
Industry News

On the move: latest arts sector appointments

In this week's arts sector appointments, chairs come and go, and an artistic director's tenure is extended for another year.

Riverfire by Australian Retirement Trust returns for Brisbane Festival 2026. Fireworks light up Brisbane's skyline and bridges at night, and are reflected in the Brisbane River.
News

Rise and shine, this year's Brisbane Festival has events starting at 6am

‘This year, Brisbane Festival is tuned to the frequency of this city,’ said Artistic Director Ebony Bott.

News

Arts figures recognised in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours

A concert pianist, an arts patron and many more have been recognised in this year's King's Birthday Honours.

A leaping figure is silhouetted like a shadow against a brightly lit wall in this stark black and white image. arts sector appointments
Industry News

On the move: latest arts sector appointments

This week’s arts sector appointments include a new CEO at WA’s Arts and Culture Trust and a new Artistic Director/CEO…

A mother and child, photographed from behind, admire Brook Andrew's neon light and painted wall artwork Loop. A model of how the world operates (detail), 2008, installation view MCA Collection: Artists in Focus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2026. Credit: Maja Baska. arts participation
News

Cost a growing factor preventing arts participation, Creative Australia’s national survey reveals

Creative Australia’s sixth National Arts Participation Survey reveals that 98% of Australians engage with the arts in some way and…

A scene from Back to Back Theatre's 2008 work, Food Court. Two plump figures, identically dressed in sleeveless orange vinyl tops, grey leggings and orange sneakers, face each other on a bare stage.
News

Back to Back Theatre recognised as ‘a singular artistic voice’ on the world stage

The Geelong-based company Back to Back Theatre will present a body of work at the 2026 Festival d'Automne à Paris.

Brian Lipson's A Large Attendance In The Antechamber. Photo: Keith Brame.
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A Large Attendance In The Antechamber review: Brian Lipson makes a timely return for Rising

Twenty-six years after its debut, Brian Lipson’s acclaimed A Large Attendance In The Antechamber is back in Melbourne for Rising.

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