Being an “outsider” usually bears associations of being excluded, of not belonging, and of not feeling very good about it. But the experience of being an outsider can also be incredibly meaningful, humbling, and even exhilarating, as I discovered through attending Gapu Ŋupan at the Asia TOPA festival 2025. A weaving together of Yolŋu songlinesContinue reading “Gapu Ŋupan”
Author Archives: Jaya Berged
Kagami
To capture the essence of an artist’s humanity and creative work, to preserve a form of it, and to present it to audiences as an experience of the artist himself, live in concert, years after the artist’s passing, is a mixed reality miracle that would have been unfathomable even a single generation ago. Kagami, aContinue reading “Kagami”
A Christmas Carol
Christmas has arrived a month early at Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre, with Jack Thorne’s version of the Dickensian classic A Christmas Carol delighting the head, heart, and senses. Winner of five Tony awards (for solid reason), and powered by a brilliant star cast with David Wenham at the helm, this production is elaborate, creatively loaded, andContinue reading “A Christmas Carol”
K-Box
After living 30 years of her life the only way she can remember how (the way her adoptive parents taught her, who brought her from Korea to Australia), 34 year old Lucy finds herself experiencing an unravelling. Having left her partner and her job, she has returned home to her parents’ and found her roomContinue reading “K-Box”
Katyń
It is a rare experience to leave a theatre feeling deeply impressed with high octane performances and creative skill while simultaneously feeling absolutely at sea about the content of the show you just watched. Katyń at La Mama Courthouse delivered this experiential paradox with Jim Daly and Carolyn Bock showcasing immense theatrical talent in theirContinue reading “Katyń”
Macbeth
The Australian Shakespeare Company’s productions at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens are always an enjoyable experience, having a very high baseline with picturesque surroundings, evening melting into night, quality texts and highly skilled performers and creatives. One of this season’s offerings is Macbeth, a dark and violent tragedy filled with prophesy, bloodshed, and ruthless ambition, perfectlyContinue reading “Macbeth”
Marvellous
Hester Joyce and Meredith Rogers play two nonagenarian women and their 60+ daughters in Marvellous, a show about the everyday lives, memories, and evolving experiences of elderly and aging women. This is a subject matter that is not often in the limelight in mainstream media depictions, and is sensitively explored and presented in this play.Continue reading “Marvellous”
Jofus and the Whale
Live shows have returned to La Mama, with Jofus and the Whale by Lily Fish (Fish and Twiner’s Bait Shop theatre company) opening at La Mama Courthouse on February 9 as part of Love Fest 2021. Inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, this show is an energetic, engaging and endearing comedy about a person andContinue reading “Jofus and the Whale”
Come From Away
Gander: a remote town with a once-important international airport on the island of Newfoundland in Canada, on the easternmost edge of the North American continent. Population: approximately 9000… except during the week following September 11, 2001, when the town unexpectedly found itself playing host to nearly 7000 additional people, visitors from across the globe whoseContinue reading “Come From Away”
The Love of the Nightingale
After almost a whole year of being cut off from live theatre, it felt surreal to return to Theatre Works for my first show of 2021, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Love of the Nightingale directed by Simran Giria. The return to three-dimensional entertainment after prolonged reliance on screens felt even more dramatic with Theatre Works’ covid-safeContinue reading “The Love of the Nightingale”
Jaya Berged 