The first of three podcasts in partnership with the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA tackles the future of the arts and the environment. How are arts and culture in WA impacted by environmental change and what is the sector’s role in addressing these issues now and in coming decades?Three of WA’s leading thinkers come together to discuss the future of the arts and the environment.Self-confessed “hope merchant”, Peter Newman, brings a broad perspective from decades as Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, and from his work for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Dr Renee Newman is a lecturer and researcher at WAAPA, an actor, director and producer with a thread of commentary on sustainability, excess and waste. Together with Professor Newman she has founded a Leadership in Sustainability course at Curtin.Oron Catts is an artist, researcher, designer and curator. He has co-founded SymbioticA which uses biological science to critique the cultural and ethical issues of life manipulation.Together with host Meri Fatin they discuss eco-dramaturgy and how the arts can challenge people to rethink their perceptions around art practice, science, ethics and the future. But is the role of the arts just to make people feel bad? Or can we enlist artists to be great dreamers – to dream the world we need? Tune in to find out whether hope is problematic as an obstacle for realistic foresight. And whether artists can also be solutionists?Show notesAuthor and poet Ben Okri called for a “new art” to shock people into action in a recent article in The Guardian.The “Leadership in Sustainability” course is being run by Dr Newman at Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute Oron Catts is co-founder of SymbioticA, the Centre of Excellence in Biological Arts at the University of Western AustraliaKimberley-based artist Sam Newman produced a massive canvas map harpooning “Col’s canal”, a proposal for a 3700km waterway from Kimberley to Perth that former premier Colin Barnett infamously took to the 2005 State election.Katie Mitchell’s production of “Lungs”, about a couple wrestling with the environmental impact of having a baby, was powered entirely – sound and lights — by its two protagonists on stationary bikes.The Blue Room Theatre became the first arts organisation in Western Australia to become carbon neutral in 2019 European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has a program to engage art and science with policy.Seesaw Magazine investigates further in the feature article “Let’s talk about the future: Can the arts help save the planet?”This podcast was recorded at RTRFM studio in August 2022. It was...

Participation in the arts is unquestionably good for community mental health and wellbeing, but those working in the arts aren’t reporting the same benefits. Artists are burning out and leaving the sector in droves. What’s working and what’s not? Why are the arts often considered non-essential in our culture and what needs to change in the way we market and think about the arts?Meri Fatin raises these questions and more in this conversation with psychologist Dr Shona Erskine and Dr Christina Davies, director of the Centre for Arts, Mental Health and Wellbeing WA.Together they tackle one of the most complex issues facing the arts sector, and debate how to change community perception of the arts from a luxury to an essential item.Show NotesA community survey for the report The Art of Being Mentally Healthy, found that people who engaged in the arts for two hours a week reported better mental health than those who didn’t.Good Arts Good Mental Health is developing a message that will encourage engagement in the arts for our mental wellbeing.Read more in Seesaw Magazine's in depth article on the arts and health and wellbeing.This podcast was recorded at RTRFM studio in September 2022. It was produced by Seesaw Magazine in partnership with the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA with the support of Lotterywest.

Tourism and the arts are both finding their feet post-pandemic. How can the relationship between the two be strengthened now and into the future?In this third and final episode in the “Lets talk about the future” series, Meri Fatin hosts a conversation bristling with optimism and laughter as industry experts discuss the beginning of a new journey for arts and tourism, and how the two sectors can coordinate efforts to share strategies and open the curtain into each other’s worlds.Joining the conversation is former journalist Di Bain, the Deputy Lord Mayor of City Perth and Chair of Tourism Western Australia, designer and director Mark Howett who is the Director of Place management for Arts and Culture Trust, and visual artist and urban designer Helen Curtis, the founder and director of creative consultancy Apparatus.Together they talk about the new Tourism WA marketing campaign, whether we might have seen the end of cultural cringe for Western Australians, how there is only one Boorloo and much more.Show notes:The new Tourism WA campaign Walking on a Dream features First Nations dancers Rika Hamaguchi and Ian WilkesMark Howett is Director of Place management at the Arts and Culture TrustHelen Curtis is the founder and director of creative consultancy ApparatusBoorna Waanginy (The Trees Speak) illuminated Kings Park in a magical immersion of sights and sounds for the 2017 Perth International Arts Festival (now Perth Festival), returning in 2019 and drawing more than 200,000 visitors.The State and Federal Governments recently pledged $104 million to build a world-class Aboriginal cultural centre. Seesaw Magazine investigates further in the feature article "Let's talk about the future: Making the tourism dream a reality".This podcast was recorded 7 September 2022 at the RTRFM studio. It was produced by Seesaw Magazine in partnership with the Chamber of Arts and Culture WA with the support of Lotterywest.

It’s a bumper show this month as we dive into the summer festival season!In the final episode of Your Arts Playground for 2021, we’ve chosen a few highlights from December before plunging into our top picks from Fringe World, Summer Nights and Perth Festival!This is the last episode of Season 1 of Your Arts Playground but stay tuned for our bonus interviews with movers and shakers from the arts world… and we’ll be back with Season 2 before you know it, ETA mid 2022.Notes are listed in chronological order, as mentioned in the episode.DecemberCarols by Candlelight with the GIovanni Consort @ St Andrew’s Subiaco, 10 December 2021A Ceremony Carols: Britten & Gardiner @ St George’s Cathedral, 2 December 2021‘Limen – At the Fence’ @ the State Library of WA until 31 January 2022Fringe World 14 January – 13 February 2021State of Play @ the State Theatre Centre of WA, 14-29 January 2022Impro Musical Bangtown, 20-25 January 2022Jamie Mykaela: Devil’s Advocate, 14-19 January 2022.Review of Jamie Mykaela: Daddy (2021)The Dirty Mother by Michelle Hall, 27-29 January 2022Review of development of The Dirty Mother at Winter Nights (2019)You Are, OFF-Base Dance 14-16 January 2022HereNow22: Outside In, @ Spectrum Project Space, 2-11 February 2022Down Rebound by Acrobatch (Simon Wood and Ben Kotovski Smith) @ The Gold Digger at Girls School, 21-27 January 2022A Simple Space – Gravity and Other Myths @ The Aurora Spiegeltent at The Pleasure Garden, 28 January – 13 February 2022Review of 2018 performance of A Simple SpaceA Bee Story by Cluster Arts Pty Ltd @ Lotterywest De Parel Spiegeltent at The Pleasure Garden, 15-28 January 2022

On the eve of the reopening of the Art Gallery of WA, Director Colin Walker gives us a peek behind the scenes: what to expect, why there were delays and how the new-look gallery has put WA artists front and centre.The transformation of the Art Gallery of WA includes over 100 new commissions plus a $10 million new rooftop bar area with an interior gallery, an outdoor sculpture walk, and a 34 metre contemporary Aboriginal art piece. Colin Walker talks us through what to expect as the Gallery reopens, and how the vision to make the building more welcoming has gone deeper than just bricks and mortar.

The Honourable Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia, is a relatively recent convert to the arts. He chats with Rosalind Appleby about his advocacy work, his “crazy blokes” icon collection, and why a vibrant arts culture is the heart of a healthy democracy.

This month we’re excited about the re-opening the Art Gallery of WA, the Fremantle Biennale, the Perth International Jazz Festival… and more!Join Nina and Rosalind as they dive into the shows, concerts and exhibitions they’re looking forward to catching this month.Show notesNotes are listed in chronological order, as mentioned in the episode.“The View From Here”, opens 6 November @ Art Gallery of Western AustraliaFremantle Biennale 5-21 NovemberOutside In by Amrita Hepi, @ The Naval Store, 5-21 November (Performances: 5-7 November, 18-20 November)Seesaw’s article about the Fremantle BiennaleKepa Kalyakoorl – Aquiferous by Cara Teusner-Gartland, Daniel Jan Martin and Sandra Harben @ Old Customs House and various sites along the Derbarl Yerrigan, 5-21 NovemberMeeting Place by HIP Company, 19 November @ The Naval StorePerth International Jazz Festival, in Perth and 13 November in Busselton, 5-7 NovemberCompetition to win tickets to Scott Tinkler at the Perth International Jazz FestivalFolds by WAAPA second year Performance Making students, directed by WAAPA’s Associate Dean of Performance, @ WA Musuem Boola Bardip 4-6 NovemberReview of WAAPA Bachelor of Performing Arts students (2017)ST. ALi Italian Film Festival @ Palace Cinemas until 14 NovemberBritish Film Festival @ Palace Cinemas, 3 November – 1 DecemberCompetition to win tickets to the British Film FestivalWA Expose @ The Rechabite, 26 NovemberSeesaw’s review of Yirra Yaakin’s Ice Land: a Hip H’Opera (2019)

Wondering what to SEE in WA in month? From circus to opera, craft to literary fiction, the October episode of Seesaw’s podcast, Your Arts Playground, has you covered!This month Nina and Rosalind chat about shows and events from Circus WA, West Australian Opera, The Last Great Hunt and Link Dance Company… and we had to dive back into the Indian Ocean Craft Triennial because it’s so massive!Plus did you know the 2021 UBUD Writers & Readers Festival is taking place right here in Perth?And that's not all!Don’t miss out on our top picks for October!Show notesCircus“Friends of the Freo Big Top – A Fundraising Gala” by Circus WA @ the Freo Big Top, 9 OctoberCirQuest (circus school where Nina does tumbling!)Music“Darlington Quartet and Graeme Gilling” @ Perth Concert Hall, 3 OctoberTheatreBite the Hand by The Last Great Hunt @ Subiaco Arts Centre, 12-23 OctoberOperaKoolbardi wer Wardong by West Australian Opera @ His Majesty’s Theatre as part of the AWESOME Festival on 2-6 OctoberThe Marriage of Figaro by West Australian Opera @ His Majesty’s Theatre, 23-30 OctoberThe Nightingale by West Australian Opera @ Albany Entertainment Centre, 9 OctoberReview of The Nightingale at the 2020 Awesome FestivalReview of Slow Burn, TogetherVisual artsIndian Ocean Craft Triennial events page(Click on “month” to see calendar)“York Festival: Rare and Endangered Crafts” until 10 October“Carriers of Culture” @ Mossenson Galleries until 2 October“Nalda Searles Finders – Keepers” @ Mundaring Arts Centre until 31 October“Craftable” @ Bunbury Regional Art Gallery until 5...

The excitement is palpable at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as they announce their season for 2022. In this podcast the orchestra’s much-loved Principal Conductor Asher Fisch takes a break from rehearsals to chat with Rosalind Appleby. Listen in as Fisch shares his personal highlights from the 2022 season, his tips on surviving quarantine and why it is important for the orchestra to have a composer-in-residence.This interview was recorded on 25 August 2021.Read more about WASO’s bold new plans for 2022 at www.seesawmag.com.au

It’s festivals galore this month on Your Arts Playground, with the Awesome Festival plus the brand new Indian Ocean Craft Triennial and the Merredin Festival all coming up! Hear all about those events and more with Rosalind Appleby and Nina Levy.Show notesGwoonwardu Mia Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural CentreAWESOME Festival, 28 September – 2 OctoberIndian Ocean Craft Triennial September – NovemberJulius Caeser, WAAPA Acting @ Subiaco Arts Centre, 14-18 SeptemberTilt, WAAPA Performing Arts @ The Blue Room Theatre, 15-25 SeptemberPirates of Penzance, WAAPA Music @ Geoff Gibbs Theatre, WAAPA, 10-16 SeptemberCabaret, WAAPA Music Theatre @ Roundhouse Theatre, WAAPA, 10-16 SeptemberWASO’s Southern Symphony Tour regional tour @ Esperance Civic Centre, 2 September; Albany Entertainment Centre, 4-5 SeptemberCoppélia, West Australian Ballet @ His Majesty’s Theatre, 16-25 SeptemberHannah Gadsby: Body of Work @ Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre, 3 September; Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, 4 September; Regal Theatre Perth, 9-11 SeptemberMerredin Festival, 24-26 September

The second episode of Your Arts Playground – Seesaw’s new monthly podcast – is here, with dance in the mosh pit, a chance to see inside artists’ studios, great music collaborations, theatre that tackles tricky topics with a light touch, sheep as film stars… and more! This month Nina Levy is joined by guest host Claire Coleman, filling in while Rosalind Appleby is on annual leave.Show notesDanceCry Baby by Parkin Projects at the Rechabite Hall, 4-6 August.Read Seesaw’s review of the Fringe World season of Cry Baby.Dracula by West Australian Ballet, at Crown Theatre, 19-24 AugustArchives of Humanity by Co3 Contempory Dance, available online until 15 AugustRead Seesaw’s review of the Perth Festival season.MusicStar Navigator, WA Opera, 13 August – Sadly this event has been cancelled since we recorded, due to the suspension of the travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia. Read more here.Breaksea @ the Rechabite, 7 AugustDjinda Boodja NAIDOC Day at Djinda Boodja, 295 Manning Rd, Waterford WA, 4 AugustPetrushka, WA Symphony Orchestra and UWA, at Winthrop Hall, 10 AugustVisual artsMargaret River Open Studios, 11-26 September“The Archaeology of Loss” by Stanislava Pinchuk at Fremantle Arts Centre until 7 September“Beating Heart” by Jacobus Capone at Fremantle Arts Centre, until 7 SeptemberFilmCinefestOz Film Festival Western Australia, 25-29 AugustOops! We made a boo-boo with our coverage of CinefestOz - Rams was actually the opening film for the 2020 Festival. There's a whole swathe of exciting new films in this year's Festival, however, so do check it out!

Welcome to the first episode of Your Arts Playground!Below you'll find a list of all the shows we mention in the episode. Please note that some of the dates have changed since we recorded, due to restrictions as at 30 June 2021, so please use the links to double check all dates. We've not included dates below, to avoid confusion.Nina's picksFire, presented by Kalyakoorl Collective at The Blue Room Theatre (read Seesaw’s review of the first development of Fire)Miss Westralia, presented by Western Sky Theatre at various locations“TAP” and “Blue Beautiful”, presented by DADAA at Midland Junction Arts Centre (read Seesaw’s review)Rite and Revolution, by West Australian Youth Orchestra led by Benjamin Northey, and Scott Elstermann at Perth Concert HallMinneapolis by Will O’Mahoney at Subiaco Arts CentreThe Blue Room Theatre June/July program by various independent artists“Where We Go to Paint”, by Spinifex Hill artists at Spinifex Hill Project Space“Defence/Defiance” by Holly O’Meehan and “Habitation and Decay” by Ben Crappsley, Goolugatup/Heathcote GalleyPerth Circus Festival, State Theatre Centre of WAYork by Black Swan State Theatre Company at the Heath Ledger TheatreRaine Square Celebrates NAIDOC Week: Totems by Rosie Paine at Raine SquareRosalind’s picks“Dreams of Place” by West Australian Symphony Orchestra at Perth Concert HallMahler’s Fifth Symphony, presented by West Australian Symphony Orchestra at Perth Concert Hall“Cav & Pag”, West Australian Opera at His Majesty’s...

Seesaw editors Rosalind Appleby and Nina Levy introduce Your Arts Playground, the monthly podcast that keeps you up to speed with shows, concerts and exhibitions in Western Australia.Your Arts Playground is presented by Seesaw, WA’s premiere online arts magazine.