Shows
Behind the Scenes - Vision Australia RadioBehind the Scenes 29th July 2024The contribution of Queer artists to Australian performing arts history has largely gone untold – until now. Queering the Collection from Arts Centre Melbourne is an eight-episode audio series which looks at notable items from the Australian Performing Arts Collection and the Australian Queer Archives and captures conversations with nine prominent LGBTQIA+ artists. The host of those conversations is Tristan Meecham who is here to have a conversation with us… If you imagine an event where the set is a writing desk at which you’re invited to write an obituary for Mother Earth at a venue w...2024-07-3059 min
SmartArtsMidsumma needs a new home, Tristan Meecham's Queering the Collection, Melbourne Art Fair's New Director, Romeo & Julie plus movie turned opera, Breaking the WavesRichard Watts OAM reporting for SmartArts! As always, he's here to give you an inside look into the fabulous people behind all of the brilliant goings-on of Naarm's flourishing art scene. Let's go!Amid the housing crisis, Midsumma’s CEO Karen Bryant is on the hunt for office space. The festival is Australia's premier queer arts and cultural organisation, bringing together a diverse mix of LGBTQIA+ artists, performers, communities and audiences. So, got a spare 200m sq space for a few legendary creatives? Get in touch: admin@midsumma.org.au What do you know about Rom...2024-07-181h 47
Queering the CollectionEpisode 8: I’m spinning around, get out of my way!Caroline Bowditch is a performance maker whose lived experience has framed the way she has made change within our industry. This episode details access and inclusion, love and passion, visibility and aspiration. Disabled is often labelled as ‘taken out of commission’ and Bowditch provokes us all to reframe the way we see, include and celebrate, everybody.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, in association with the Australian Performing Arts Collection and The Australian Queer Archives.Special than...2024-06-2511 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 7: I don’t want a label. I don’t want an identity.Christos Tsiolkas and Stephen Nicolazzo have collaborated on two productions that have shifted their creative practices. Together working on Merciless Gods and Loaded, these artists have formed an intergenerational partnership buoyed by their shared experience of being outsiders and migrants while negotiating class, anger, shame and politics.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, in association with the Australian Performing Arts Collection and The Australian Queer Archives.Special thanks to Ian Jackson, Ange Bailey and Nick Henderson...2024-06-2515 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 6: The act of transition itself is an act of creation.Janet Anderson recently starred in Overflow, a play written by non-binary artist Travis Alabanza. Her solo performance was a tour de force and aligned her personal with her political. The play was presented when trans people dominated headlines, during a time of debate about bathroom usage. Overflow was a creative haven; the entire Trans and Gender Diverse creative team allowed Anderson to bring her whole self to the rehearsal room, something rarely afforded to Trans creatives.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented...2024-06-2509 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 5: The art of subversion; reel them in, keep their ears open, and hit them hard.Celebrated for her one-woman shows throughout the 70s, 80s and today, Robyn Archer is a Cabaret Icon. Her committed multi-discipline artistic practice has expanded across form and content, to communicate political and social messages to the widest possible audiences. From Brecht to Piaf, her varied work forms her identities; from Queer musical artist to the first woman to direct a major Australian state festival of the arts.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, in association with the Australian...2024-06-2508 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 4: As a black drag queen, you’re born political.Ben Graetz came out as drag queen Miss Ellaneous on his 25th birthday. Since then, he has expanded as a beloved First Nation artiste and ‘Drag Mother’ to many. In this episode, we journey through Sydney in the 90’s as Ben established his drag persona, thriving in Darwin in the 00’s as he nurtured his First Nation drag community, and nowadays, building creative pathways nationally for Queer and First Nation artists to tell their story, on their own terms.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Pre...2024-06-2510 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 3: You couldn’t see that play without being profoundly moved.The cultural significance of Tony Kushner’s Angel’s in America for the LGBTIQ+ community cannot be overstated; a play that spoke to the horror of the times as it was unfolding. Colin Batrouney starred in the Australian (MTC) premiere production when the AIDS epidemic was at its deadly height. This episode reminds us how HIV / AIDS decimated a generation of queer creatives, bringing with it profound grief and loss. As an actor, Angels in America was unlike anything Batrouney had experienced and led him to become a health advocate in the aftermath of the epidemic.Quee...2024-06-2511 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 2: And then I pulled a strawberry out.Contributing to the rise of women’s theatre in the late 80’s and building Australia’s Burlesque scene in the 00’s, Maude Davey always ensured the voices of Women, Trans, Gender-Diverse and Queer Artists were prioritised in the theatre. This episode spans Melbourne’s Docklands parties, Miss Wicked Competition, the emergence of Burlesque, sexual fantasies and mentoring young artists. It showcases Davey’s impact and status as a Queer theatrical Shero.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, in association...2024-06-2507 min
Queering the CollectionEpisode 1: Resilient, oh I’ve had to be.From high kicks at Her Majesty’s to impersonating Shirley Bassey in the UK, Uncle Noel Tovey’s theatrical career has spanned over 60 years. He overcame racism, adversity and homophobia, to become a leading First Nation voice within the LGBTIQ+ community. This episode honours his life story, concluding with a moment he never thought would happen - witnessing the Victorian Government expunge and apologise, for historical convictions against gay men in 2016.Queering the Collection is created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and audio production by Jess Fairfax.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne, in asso...2024-06-2409 min
Queering the CollectionPrelude by Tristan MeechamA prelude to Queering the Collection, by creator Tristan Meecham.Portrait by Mia Mala McDonald.Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne in collaboration with Tristan Meecham.Queering the Collection is a powerful series of interviews inspired by culturally significant items from the Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne and The Australian Queer Archives.Featuring Janet Anderson, Robyn Archer AO, Colin Batrouney, Caroline Bowditch, Maude Davey OAM, Ben Graetz, Stephen Nicolazzo, Uncle Noel Tovey AM and Christos Tsiolkas.Created by Tristan Meecham.Editing and...2024-06-2405 min
Queering the CollectionQueering the Collection Trailer“As a young kid growing up in conservative Queensland, it was only in the theatre that I got a glimpse of queerness. As the lights dimmed, these rare moments became a lifeline. Queer Artists have always existed, but our stories are often hidden in plain sight. This short form series uses objects and images to rekindle histories, memories and queer experiences. It questions what is collected and why? Whose lens is prioritised? And reinforces the fact that Queers make the best art, theatre, performance and parties.” Tristan Meecham, Creator, Queering the CollectionQueering the Colle...2024-06-2401 min
Dispatches from the FrontlinePrologue: Who was Sister Nan Reay and why is her story so significant in 2022?"Einstein was right – time really is relative. Weeks feel like years and also like minutes at the same time"Dispatches from the Frontline brings you podcasts from the diary of World War 1 nurse. At the same time, they also are a recording of how three artists re-directed their creative energies at home, on rehearsing on zoom and recording and editing on audacity during Melbourne’s lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.The Great War lasted four years (1914-1918). Everyone thought it was going “to be over by Christmas”. At the beginn...2022-07-0909 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 1: 19th August to 3rd September, 1914Nan Reay arrived in England, from Australia, in December 1912 with her mother Lucinda (Louie) and sisters Millie, Beatrice, Amy and Alice. She then nursed privately in London until the outbreak of war in 1914. When war was declared she immediately put her name forward to join the war effort and was recruited to join the Australian Voluntary Hospital (AVH) established by Lady Dudley in England. Lady Dudley raised the funds and established the AVH in a remarkably short time in August 1914 to give expatriate Australians in Britain the opportunity to support the war. By August 27th...2022-07-0815 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 2: 4th September to 13th September, 1914Due to the advance of the German army, the Australian Voluntary Hospital is established at St. Nazaire instead of Le Havre. Nan Reay arrives on the 6 September and noticing St. Nazaire to be a little cleaner than Le Havre, sets to work with her colleagues to get everything ship shape at headquarters.We are introduced to Gabriel, (Ida Gabriel) Nan’s Australian friend with whom she had sailed back to Australia in 1913 after accompanying a ship load of migrants from England to Australia in 1912. Nan Reay is comforted by meeting Melbourne Hospital colleagues and friends who hav...2022-07-0818 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 3: 14th to 18th September, 1914In this episode Nan provides us with more information about the people she is working with and specific details of the soldiers’ injuries and treatments. She writes about a conversation she had in French with a local driver, his attitude to “les allemands blesses”, the “German wounded” and how they will “finish them off”. After the entry for 14 September where she describes the work of the orderlies, she has handwritten: “These men all joined the fighting units soon after and several were killed on the Somme”. Nan Reay would have written this comment as a postscript. The Battle of the So...2022-07-0818 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 4: 19th to 22nd September, 1914In this episode, we gain insight into many aspects of Sister Nan Reay. She provides more details about the wounded and the living conditions in the nurses’ quarters. We hear how she manages when other nursing sisters are ill, her moments of assertiveness and her moments of empathy and sorrow.When she refers to the padre, Mr.Sheppard, Nan Reay writes his full name in the margin: Mr. Sheppard, Canon Sheppard, St. Martins-in-the Field, London.“Lay Down Your Arms” was a novel written by Baroness Bertha Von Suttner, a peace activist. World...2022-07-0814 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 5: 23rd September to 29th September, 1914No two days or nights the same. Nan Reay is only about six weeks into her work at the AVH hospital. The medical staff anxiously spend their time receiving and evacuating the wounded and her life is full of constant adjustments to the incessant “rush” that brings wounded soldiers to the clearing hospital.A man’s chances depend on how quickly his wound is treated. Oh, but the joys of the Grand Hotel and a trip into the country! A welcome respite for Sister Reay and her friends and colleagues.Nan Reay’s entries ar...2022-07-0813 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 6: 30th September to 3rd October, 1914Nan Reay has been at the base hospital in St. Nazaire for three weeks. She has been told that they have had over 650 patients during that time. We are introduced to Major Studdy and Colonel L’Estrange Eames, her Australian O.C – Officer in Command. Too old to be recruited into the Australian Imperial Forces at the age of 51, Col L’Estrange Eames, was recruited by Lady Dudley to the AVH. The British War Office only accepted the hospital on the understanding that a man holding a Royal Army medical commission should be put at the head of it, and th...2022-07-0814 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 7: 4th October to 12th October, 1914Nursing in World War 1 was often exhausting, relentless and sometimes disgusting. Nan Reay’s entries in this episode describe the difficult living conditions the nurses had to endure. Despite her weariness due to lack of sleep, she is still able to enjoy the little excursions beyond base camp.Rumours also abound and the nurses must be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Who knowswhere?World War 1 Timeline for Episode 7On the 5 October 1914 the first German aircraft was shot down by an Allied plane, the Voisin V. This plan...2022-07-0816 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 8: 13th to 18th October, 1914The image of a World War 1 nurse in a starched white apron and cap is one which dominated the records of female nurses after the war. Civilians would have seen the impossibility of maintaining such an image in the conditions under which they worked, if the writing of these women had been publicised immediately after the war. In this episode Nan Reay again details the severe living conditions under which nurses had to exist. However, the necessity to always be prepared to pack, to move, to set up camp elsewhere at a moment’s notice doesn’t det...2022-07-0812 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 9: 19th to 20th October, 1914In this episode Nan Reay explains the “drill” for setting up a dressing station and the ferrying of men from the front line to the dressing stations and from there to the clearing hospitals. These drills were conducted like military operations. Amidst all this, Nan manages to do some shopping!“Bivouacs” – a temporary shelter often with open sides or sometimes made with natural materials such as bracken etc. Medical staff were forced to sleep outdoors at dressing stations, and their equipment sometimes did not arrive for a further three weeks. Nurses worked in tents in primitive conditions...2022-07-0811 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 10: 21st to 25th October, 1914Shampoos, luncheons, baths and some unexpected visitors. The desire to write about normal things seizes Nan Reay in these diary entries. She chats to French children and their mothers on her excursions from the camp and never misses an opportunity to practise her schoolgirl French for which she received an honours prize at Tintern Grammar in Melbourne.Nan Reay stuck postcards of the town of Pornichet in her diary alongside these dates.World War 1 Timeline for Episode 10The First Battle of Ypres(19 October-22 November 1914) was a significant battle because the Allied...2022-07-0811 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 11: 26th to 29th October, 1914A frenzied packing up and moving on to the next AVH base. This episode reveals the frustration and anxiety which was to become part of Nan Reay’s life. Of course, at this stage she has no idea how long this was to last. After many false starts the journey begins north from Rouen, through Abbeville, Eu and finally to Boulogne. She is getting closer to the Somme but still has time to soak up the beautiful countryside of western France and paints an image of a serene autumnal landscape occasionally interrupted by the sight of French soldiers. ...2022-07-0817 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 12: 30th October, 1914The final diary entry for 29 October reads: “We were all working at high pressure because we knew there was fierce fighting, and wounded might come at any moment”. It is 1914 and we are half way through the podcasts. There is a gap from this entry on 30 October until 1916. The absent pages are a mystery to Nan Reay’s family.We can only surmise that either, she didn’t write her diary during that time because of the thousands of wounded arriving from the Somme or, the pages were lost in the many frenzied movement orders she had to f...2022-07-0804 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 13: July, 1917The diary begins again in 1917. Movement orders arrive for Nan Reay but at first, there is little certainty as to which hospital she is to be sent to. Finally, she embarks upon an eventful journey and has her first encounter with “Fritz” and his bombing raids.The Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) was part of the casualty evacuation chain, further back from the front line than the Aid Posts and Field Ambulances.The job of the CCS was to treat a man sufficiently for his return to duty or, in most cases, to enable him to be evac...2022-07-0810 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 14: 11th September to 30th October, 1917Picking up her kit again, Nan Reay moves on to Casualty Clearing Station 36, also situated not far from the port of Dunkirk and she becomes part of a theatre team where her skills and expertise are put to good use.These Casualty Clearing Stations are nestled amongst the dunes, autumn is giving way to a cold and frosty winter and heavy enemy bombardment is almost a daily occurrence.“Butterflies” - cluster bombs“Nose-cap” – bomb shellWorld War War 1 Timeline for Episode 14The major battle that took place during these diary entr...2022-07-0814 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 15: 31st October to 25th December, 1917This episode covers one of Nan Reay’s longer diary entries. The bombs are very near now and the barrage of anti-aircraft guns constantly sweeps overhead the huts with unexpected casualties. Orders arrive again to pack up and move. Nan Reay is granted leave. On her return from leave she joins a base hospital, No. 26 General Hospital Etaples, a town on the north west coast of France about 77 kms from Dunkirk. In the diary , she wrote, in capital letters, ON TEMPORARY DUTY AT NO. 26 GENERAL HOSPITAL AT ETAPLES. No. 26 Etaples was established in June 1915 and dismantled in...2022-07-0811 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 16: 7th January to 4th March, 1918Very cold weather has set in. Movement orders again and this time Nan Reay was sent to an Advanced Operating Centre where they dealt only with emergencies. Nan was near Chauny which is 120 kms north west of Paris and very close to the front line.“na poo!” Slang from French il n’ y a plus, which British soldiers anglicized to “na poo” meaning, dead or finished.Advanced Operating CentresIt was important that each medical unit attached to a fighting unit was able to mobilise quickly and move forward to the fighting so...2022-07-0815 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 17: 5th March - 23rd March, 1918Nan Reay’s prolific entries are astonishing in this episode. Despite awful weather, the constant barrage of enemy bombs and the chaotic arrival and evacuation of wounded soldiers, she manages to write in her diary nearly every day. The number of wounded brought to the Advanced Operating Centre near Chauny is extaordinary. She goes for a stroll one evening and sees the beginning of some “Hun” (German) saps in a cutting which shows how close she was to the front line. Saps were short trenches dug towards the enemy trenches across No Man’s Land and enabled soldiers to move forw...2022-07-0814 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 18: 25th March to 21st May, 1918Sudden order to move again – at once! This time the move is through Amiens, onto Abbeville to work at Camiers and then back to Etaples. Extremely busy times in theatre and life is very chaotic but Nan Reay is always ready for duty. What is striking about her entries is the pure physical effort it took to get to the hospital bases and then the exhausting work which follows. Nan Reay meets refugees fleeing to safety from hard continuous fighting along the frontlines and an old friend from London.Chinese Labor Corps. These labourers have been es...2022-07-0812 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 19: 10th June to 20th August, 1918Nan Reay visits Blighty (England) for a very special occasion. Her spirits are lifted and she is surrounded by family and friends even managing to see a show and eat a sumptuous dinner. She is granted seven days extension and returns to Boulogne on 1 July and then on to Etaples. However she is never in one place for very long as movement orders arrive again. Nan Reay takes charge at No. 19 Casualty Clearing Station and meets some resistance.In the summer of 1918 No. 19 Casualty Clearing Station was located at Frevent, a town situated between Arras and A...2022-07-0814 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpisode 20: 21st August - 5th December, 1918Nan Reay moves to No. 19 Casualty Clearing Station, at Boisleux-St.-Marc and then Caudry.an eerie place where the days are long and the work in theatre very arduous. Another offensive or “push” means more casualties and Nan Reay is glad she is with a solid medical team because convoys are arriving continually, and they are all working at high pressure. A visit to the Somme battlefields brings back sad memories and a fruitless search for her fiancé’s grave. Nan hears that the Armistice has been signed. Although, the hospital is no lon...2022-07-0812 minDispatches from the FrontlineEpilogue: What happened to Sister Nan Reay after the Great War? 1919 to 1968This episode pieces together parts of Sister Nan Reay’s life after the war. Information has been gathered from public records, newspaper articles and some family recollections. We know that upon her return to Melbourne, Nan worked at the Bryant and May factory as a nurse and was probably one of Australia’s first Occupational Health and Safety nurses. Her enthusiasm for people and service never waned and apart from the many committees she chaired as a volunteer, she also had time to run a calisthenics club. Born Annie Victoria Clarabel Reay in 1884, Sister Nan Reay died in...2022-07-0803 min
In Ya FaceIDAHOBIT 2019: LGBTIQ+ Homelessness, Karen Parker, Queerspace; All The Queens Men, LGBTIQ+ Elders Dance Club, Tristan MeechamIn our federal election eve episode to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia [IDAHOBIT], our guests shine the light on LGBTIQ+ socio-political issues. Karen Parker of Queerspace, Drummond Street Services, and the LGBTIQ+ Safe Housing Network, discusses LGBTIQ+ homelessness, its causes, and her insights and accounts of life for queer people without homes. Tristan Meecham of All The Queens Men discusses Dance Club: a monthly event in Melbourne, open to all members of the community, that focusses on social connections with LGBTIQ+ Elders. To volunteer at the dance, visit allthequeensmen.net2019-05-1700 min
This is OWL LivesAssisted Living Misgivings
The OWLS have been pondering their future with the potential of them going in to an Assisted Living facility in their twilight years. What would you expect from an aged care facility to accommodate a couple of ageing lesbians?
In typical OWL fashion, Lisa and Sue manage to look at a different approach to retirement with talk of bars and a golf buggy being the topics of conversation.
On a more serious note Lisa and Sue also discuss the upcoming 2018 Coming Back Out Again Ball which is a spectacular social event...2018-10-1837 min
Been There Done ThatDummy spits … let’s get serious!This week, we consider the recent behaviour of some public figures who have behaved badly and damaged their own reputations.
Gordon chats with Tristan Meecham – the events producer of ‘All the Queens Men’ – about the forthcoming formal “The Coming Back Out Ball”, to be held on 25 Oct 2018 in the Melbourne Town Hall for GLBTI elders and allies.
It is with hindsight that the importance of historic events is recognised:
* We comment upon the tragic Great Fire of London in September 1666 which rendered 100,000 residents homeless and destroyed dozens of significant public buildings. However, the fire did cleanse...2018-09-1338 minBeen There Done ThatGive a little … Change a lotThis week we celebrate National Volunteer Week and acknowledge the effort and results which volunteers make in so many areas of our lives. The slogan this years is “Give a little – change a lot”. We also express our pride in volunteering at JOY and the satisfaction we get – much better than wages?
We also praise our fellow volunteer – the humble honey bee, as we celebrate World Bee Day. He is a tireless worker from sun-up to sun-down and we enjoy the benefits of his labours.
The National Sorry Day commemoration occurs on 26 May each year, and we don...2018-05-2440 min
Out of the PanThe Coming Back out BallGuest Tristan Meecham talks about the Coming Back out Ball on 7 October; marriage update; grief and loss issues for families of TGD2017-08-2700 minBeen There Done ThatWe are everywhere … & more important than the Kardashians?“We” are everywhere – it can’t be denied! This week we open the commemorative register on gay notables:
Stephen Fry UK actor, comedian, presenter and author – born 24/8/1957;
Brian Epstein UK artists manager, Beetles Manager – died 27/8/1967; and
Michael Jackson US singing and dancing phenomenon born 29/8/1958.
Less well known, but just as worthy of our interest is Ludwig II King of Bavaria (born 25/8/1845) , sometimes referred to as the “mad swan king” – wildly eccentric in his gay ways, even OTT , including his penchant for creating ornate castles and palaces.
But even more importantly, we remember Karl-Heinrich Ulrich born 28/8/1825 – f...2017-08-2540 min
Art SmittenInterview: Tristan MeechamChristian chats with artist Tristan Meecham, the ‘Marathon Man’ playing a starring role in the Fun Run at the Arts Centre on Sunday March 12 at 4.30pm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.2017-03-0515 min